Looking for advice on buying a case trimmer.

[dkf]

I was looking at
http://leeprecision.com/deluxe-quick...e-trimmer.html

Thoughts or alternates?

Eta. Oh. I'm working on a small budget

I have one of those Deluxe trimmers, its a piece of crap. Won't hold a consistent length after trimming about 400 cases, needs constant cleaning and it didn't chamfer the cases in after a couple hundred cases. Had high hopes for it but it is a flop.

Better off just spending the extra money on a WFT from Little Crow Gun Works.

Fixed caliber trimmer. https://littlecrowgunworks.com/produ...v=7516fd43adaa
Interchangeable pilot trimmer. https://littlecrowgunworks.com/produ...v=7516fd43adaa
https://littlecrowgunworks.com/produ...v=7516fd43adaa

[Hawk]

+1 on the WFT. I just chuck it up in my drill press and knock them out in no time. I was sold on ther fact that it indexes off the should of the case, not the base.

[frankski]

+1 on the WFT. I just chuck it up in my drill press and knock them out in no time. I was sold on ther fact that it indexes off the should of the case, not the base.

Just curious, why do you find that desirable? OAL is defined as from the base to the mouth of a case. Sizing dies set the shoulder in relation to the base. Cases are trimmed after resizing anyway.

[Corey G]

Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Case Prep and Trim Center
Great little center for the reloaded, you can catch them on sale for $150.

[Delkal]

All you have to do is put the Lee cutter in a drillpress and you will have one of the fastest / most repeatable trimmers available (unless you feel the need to spend many hundreds of dollars). Set your drill to the lowest speed and chuck the cutter with the length gauge. Leave it running. Then its as fast as putting a cartridge in the shellholder and running it up the cutter. The actual case trimming time is maybe a second. You will NEVER use the a manual trimmer again.

[Remington788]

This WFT sounds good. Does it chamfer the cases?

[Brick]

I like simple and inexpensive (when possible). My trimmer is a Lyman hand crank type but I bought the power converter for it and now a motorized Black & Decker screwdriver provides the power. Inside and out chamfering I do as separate steps 5 position motorized case prep center. Though I admit they weren't as pricey when I bought them!

https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands...ack-combo.html
https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands...er-xpress.html

Then there's this: Check the caliber list: http://www.brownells.com/reloading/c...prod45315.aspx

[Hawk]

This WFT sounds good. Does it chamfer the cases?

Unfortunately, it doesn't. But after trimming I just chuck up a combo inside/outside chamfer tool and run them a second time.

Here are some other options: http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/tag/case-trimmer/

[Hawk]

Just curious, why do you find that desirable? OAL is defined as from the base to the mouth of a case. Sizing dies set the shoulder in relation to the base. Cases are trimmed after resizing anyway.

Trimming by indexing off the shoulder provides a more consistent trim length than indexing off the base. Plus you don't need to measure each case afterwards, your die sets the correct length for headspace and the WFT trims from the preset shoulder of you die for OAL.

[frankski]

Trimming by indexing off the shoulder provides a more consistent trim length than indexing off the base. Plus you don't need to measure each case afterwards, your die sets the correct length for headspace and the WFT trims from the preset shoulder of you die for OAL.

I'm no expert on all trimmers on the market, but I thought all trimmers index off the shoulder. Are there trimmers that index off the base? I'm only personally familiar with the Trimit, which indexes off the shoulder.

For consistency of trim length, indexing off the shoulder depends on consistent and precise shoulder setback when resizing. Resizing, in turn, indexes the shoulder off the base.

The point is, it's a two-step process, and if resizing to the shoulder is inconsistent, trimming as indexed to the shoulder only repeats the error. There is no inherent advantage (for consistent OAL) to indexing off the shoulder if resizing is not accurate.

The reason I press this point is I've talked at the range with three different guys using .223 reloads that jammed their rifles, in some instances deforming the case in the process. They insisted the cases had all been trimmed, but simply holding the cases side by side revealed variation in shoulder setback and, consequently, OAL.