Accurate Case Trimmers

[sxssixteen]

I use the Lyman trimmer. I didn't like the small handle as it was difficult to get any leverage without hurting my fingers. I modified the handle by attaching a three inch diameter, half-round knob that fits well in my hand. Now I have control, leverage, and comfort in easily trimming brass.

 

[KSAv8r]

how much does trim length affect acc as long as the case isn't too long? dist 100 to 600 yds

At a distance of 100 to 600 yards I would suggest you will see very little difference in accuracy as long as you are talking about a small amount of variance.

This opens up the debate on neck tension versus length of neck and how much of the bearing surface of the bullet is inside the neck. Maybe some of the mathematicians in our group can give us the answer to this but my experience is that it is difficult to measure how this impacts accuracy if the difference in case length is small. We all know that brass grows in length from each firing by a few thousandths of an inch. We have also seen where brass seems to grow more on one side than the other. Some people believe in trimming after each firing. Others wait until the brass has been fired 3-4 times. Both groups seem to come back with meat on the table. There is even debate among the benchrest guys on when to trim brass.

My experience is that brass grows at a different rate depending on the brand, rifle and chambering. A hotter load will grow brass faster than a more moderate load. Soft brass tends to grow faster than harder brass. For ranges from 100 to 600 yards I doubt you will see any measurable difference as long as the brass does not exceed SAMMI specs or what is recommended for your custom chamber. I would suggest the key to accuracy once a load is developed for a given rifle, is consistency in your components and reloading process. However, the largest variable in accuracy is the human factor. Shooting is a perishable skill and takes patience and lots of practice for long range accuracy out past 1000 yards.

 

[skipglo]

Forster accurate and dependable

X2

 

[turkeyguide]

I use the Lyman trimmer. I didn't like the small handle as it was difficult to get any leverage without hurting my fingers. I modified the handle by attaching a three inch diameter, half-round knob that fits well in my hand. Now I have control, leverage, and comfort in easily trimming brass.

I am also using a Lyman trimmer for about 50 years, mine is so old that the paint color is grey, before they went to orange. I also modified the handle using the knob from hand held quick trim, that was awful as far as discomfort goes. I drilled it out to fit the knurled handle, now it has a large rubberized crank handle. I also went to the power trim option which works great.

 

[jerry moore]

thks for info

 

[Randy Tidwell]

Big thumbs up for the Wilson!

 

[Seabeeken]

Ive used most of the hand operated one. Wilson, forster, rcbs, redding, etc. I sold the wilson, too many case holders and didnt see any difference in the length variation between that and the forster or lee case gauges. Just pick one and go to work.

 

[6MM06AI]

I bought the L.E. Wilson years ago and really love it! Accurate to .001 all the time!

 

[groc426]

Thank you everyone for your insight and experiences!

I have a follow-up question - are there limitations to a non-adjustable trimmer, such as a a Lee, when making precision ammo? Would there be a time when you need to make adjustments to your trimming besides getting it into SAAMI specs?

 

[pony doctor]

Neck tension for one, and the release of the bullet, but that for finer details. I used a Lyman Auto Ck trimmer for years. Up graded it to using a drill to turn it. It's not a big deal to setup either. Now I use a Henderson Precision trimmer. It's quicker to set up to cut the case for length, and bevel inside and out at the same time. Once you have your stop set up for that case, you can remove it and save that stop, to go back to at a later date. I have set up to check my case length by placing it into the Gen 3 trimmer after each firing of that case. You don't really need that much if shooting under 600yds. I am looking at extending my distances out to about 700yds, or so, and shooting ground squirrels or P. dogs. So I feel I need to put everything into play to get the job done. Working towards a more accurate load.

Agreed on the Henderson precision trimmer! Once set up, you never have to go through this step again. This trimmer also simultaneously preps ( bevels) the inside neck for uniform seating and neck tension, saving yet another step. Expensive but if you reload frequently it is a very useful tool, can't imagine ever trimming the " old way" again.

 

[Reelamin]

No, never.

A funny thing humans do is go overboard with the easy stuff, while generalizing away anything difficult.
It's as likely that the cheapest trimmer made will work just fine for the rest of your life.
And if it's so horribly bad as to be off +/- a couple thou, it doesn't matter.

AMEN BROTHER AMEN!!!!

 

[COBrad]

Another Sinclair/Wilson user. The main focus of my shooting is prairie dogs and marmots past 1K yards. I want everything as consistent and precise as I can make it.

 

[QuietTexan]

I have a follow-up question - are there limitations to a non-adjustable trimmer, such as a a Lee, when making precision ammo?

Consistency is key, you can get there a lot of ways. Cheap might be fine if paired with enough time to get a consistent cut. A lot of times in this game higher price only means faster, not better in the sense of more accurate/precise.

Would there be a time when you need to make adjustments to your trimming besides getting it into SAAMI specs?

IMO trim to the shortest case length in a group and not to an arbitrary spec. There are a lot of ways to determine actual chamber length, but since growing brass is harder than cutting brass, I cut as little as possible to be consistent yet leaving as long as possible otherwise.

This is a process that is hard to mess up, but easy to spend too much time and effort on. For some reason a lot of guys are convinced that it matters, yet when pressed don't typically know any actual specs on it.

 

[groc426]

IMO trim to the shortest case length in a group and not to an arbitrary spec.

So I wouldn't be able to do this with a Lee trimmer, correct?