Brass trimmer recommendations

Just dumped my RCBS case prep and Lyman trimmer for the FA. Does everything and limits hand fatigue.

FEENIX said:

That appears to be the exact trimmer unit in the FA prep center. FA's decision to offer it separately is smart.

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I hope I like it. Boys and I are still using my old Redding and an RCBS hand trimmer. If you do very many cases you can work up a sweat. Adjusting for different lengths on these old trimmers is also frustrating. One case is .005" to long so you move it a little and the next one is .005" to short so you move it back a little and it is now .002" over the goal and you say heck with it good enough.
The FA drill attachment should arrive this week.

I use a Frankenstein of a trimmer that started off as an L.E. Wilson with micrometer. I had a friend spin up a shaft that would allow me to put a Forsters 3 in 1 trimmer on the end of it. Then I bought the L.E. Wilson 50 cal base and rails due to the extra length of the trimmer. It works fantastic for my low volume of shooting. Put the drill adapter on it and its faster. The only downside is buying different sized trimmers and case holders but I've only got about half of what a Giraud or Henderson would cost in it. And, I don't like collet holders for case trimming. Just personal preference.

Henderson

Teekerguy said:

Looking at purchasing a new trimming unit. Im aware of the high dollar ones but not sure if I wanna drop that kind of cheddar. I've seen little crow and a couple other ones that don't brake the bank. Love to hear everyone's experiences and recommendations. Thanks

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I found a L.E. WIlson on E Bay with some shell holders. at a good price. Just keep your eyes open. Found some other calibers of shell holders too on E Bay. It is a lot better than my old Lyman I bought when I was a teenager. LOL!

I run a Giraud now. I have a Black Widow shooter supply which is essentially like the drill style Giraud, but is has it own motor. I went away from the rcbs and Lyman units that use a pilot and index off the base.

Whatever you go with, I suggest going with a unit that indexes off the shoulder. That way your case neck length is identical or nearly identical from case to case. To me, that is far more important than case trimmed length.

Also, I use the sinclair case length gauges to figure out exactly how long my cases can be. Basically trim the case neck of a sized case down about 1/4" and insert a pilot, chamber the case and remove. It gives the exact length. That is, if you size your brass to where a stripped down bolt barely falls closed on the sized brass on its own. I have several chambers that have 5x fired brass that still don't need trimmed. Confirmed with a borescope.

Having appropriately trimmed necks will slow or prevent Carbon ring formation. The main take-away from my rant is, whatever you chose, chose a trimmer that indexes on the shoulder for accuracy. Trim off only what is necessary to properly function in your chamber to prevent carbon rings. Save yourself time and build in consistency by getting something that chamfers and deburrs while cutting.

Teekerguy said:

Looking at purchasing a new trimming unit. Im aware of the high dollar ones but not sure if I wanna drop that kind of cheddar. I've seen little crow and a couple other ones that don't brake the bank. Love to hear everyone's experiences and recommendations. Thanks

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Low cost, the Frankford Arsenal. More $$$, Giraud or a Henderson. I also understand that Hornady has a new trimmer out very soon that looks something like the Henderson. Don't know any more about it though. Perhaps you should say how much you intend to use it. If you need to trim lots, you'll find the more expensive ones tend to be easier to use in the long run. Buy once. Cry once.

C-130 Dude said:

Low cost, the Frankford Arsenal. More $$$, Giraud or a Henderson. I also understand that Hornady has a new trimmer out very soon that looks something like the Henderson. Don't know any more about it though. Perhaps you should say how much you intend to use it. If you need to trim lots, you'll find the more expensive ones tend to be easier to use in the long run. Buy once. Cry once.

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I agree with buy once, cry once. I still struggle with it myself but I know it to be true.

I do disagree with everything Hornady when it comes to equipment though. I have been replacing all of my hornady stuff. Their products just aren't great. I have way too many things of theirs that don't work as advertised that I have had to either modify to get it to work properly or have to constantly fiddle with it.

Sdvldog1371 said:

I agree with buy once, cry once. I still struggle with it myself but I know it to be true.

I do disagree with everything Hornady when it comes to equipment though. I have been replacing all of my hornady stuff. Their products just aren't great. I have way too many things of theirs that don't work as advertised that I have had to either modify to get it to work properly or have to constantly fiddle with it.

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As I said, I don't anything about Hornadys new trimmer. It will be interesting to see how it measures up. But I'm not going to be the first guinea pig. Any takers?

Used Forster trimmers for many years. No complaints: universal collet to hold bases of various diameters. I'm old now with grown kids I don't have to support, so I bought the LE Wilson and I'm in the process of buying the shell holders needed for my arsenal. After reading these posts, I'm going to look at the giraud. Also have some Little crow units that I'd use when traveling and living away from home for work. No complaints with any, but I do prefer the LEW holders to center cases vs the Forster pilots. Now I can leave a system to my shooter boys & grandsons.

Sdvldog1371 said:

Also, I use the sinclair case length gauges to figure out exactly how long my cases can be. Basically trim the case neck of a sized case down about 1/4" and insert a pilot, chamber the case and remove. It gives the exact length. That is, if you size your brass to where a stripped down bolt barely falls closed on the sized brass on its own. I have several chambers that have 5x fired brass that still don't need trimmed. Confirmed with a borescope.

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I do this also. It's amazing how much room is between a SAAMI trimmed case and the step up to the throat in every chamber that I have looked at. I only trim cases to keep them consistent and try to let them grow to fit my chamber.

RCBS. Trimmer, Case prep unit. Kinda pain in the "but" to get the LOA just where you want it, but has the places for case in/out bevel, primer pocket, large/small, and primer hole! All in all, not a bad pick for me!
Shoot on! Keeping some Powder Dri, for now

I guess it depended on what kind of shooting you are doing to first determine your accuracy goals, and many different calibers you are doing. I do 6-8 calibers and the Frankford Arsenal unit works quite well for me for the majority of my shooting. Otherwise I hand turn with the Wilson trimmer for my BR or F class rounds. Buy honestly, they all work better than I can shoot to see a major difference.

I am a big fan of the Little Crow Gunworks Worlds Finest Trimmer. When I do bulk 5.56 or make bulk .300 blk out from 5.56 it is fast. I chuck them in a upright drill press and go crazy. It measures based on the neck length of a sized case.

https://www.littlecrowgunworks.com