Your favorite hobby: help spend my money on a case trimmer

[gillettehunter]

This is a you tube video on the Henderson Precision Gen 3 Powered Case Trimmer. I'm considering one.....
Bruce

 

[Inline6]

I have used my Giraud for over 10 years and 10s of thousands of rounds. A lot of people are moving to the Henderson, both are top end and made for volume. That said they are both super fast, you are buying your time with these units. Both are well worth the price of admission.

 

[Still alive]

I really like the Le Wilson. Very nice to setup and use. I have a friend with the automatic one. Which is fast and awesome. But I like doing one at a time by hand crank. Reloading for me is an art form knowing that I made the very best bullet for the pigs and elk which I put away in my freezer.

 

[rookhawk]

Thanks everyone. Balancing quality and the need to own the fewest numbers of case holders or bushings, I settled on the Lyman Trim Xpress power trimmer. For my cartridge universe I needed the included bushings, plus two more (one for 303/7x64/7x65r and another for 375HH). The only bushing I can conceive needing that it did Not include was 300HH.

Total cost, about $175 from MidSouth, the only place that showed all the bushings needed in stock too.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I recnetly started using an L. E. Wilson Micotrimmer. Can be adapted to a power cource (ie: electric screw driver). It cuts cases to the precison length consistently and gives absolutely square case mouths. I have a the collection of case hlders and had a custom case holder made for the .404 Jeffery cartridge. The Wilson is a bit faster than a collet trimmer and much more accurate.

I dumped the old collet type trimmer.

 

[gbflyer]

I have an old collet - style Texan that was made by Forster. My dad bought it in the 70’s. Still going strong. I really like LE Wilson products, I have several of their hand dies. I’d pass on their trimmer, I don’t need a collection of holders for all the different cartridges I use.

 

[davidg8480]

I went from the RCBS rotary trimmer to the Lyman Brass Smith Xpress trimmer a couple of years ago. Where has this been all my life! Only downside is it doesn’t do straight wall cases.

Lyman Brass Smith Case Trim Xpress Case Trimmer

Lyman's Case Trim Xpress gives rifle reloaders the speed and accuracy that they have been looking for when trimming cases! The unit has its own power...

www.midwayusa.com

+1
Med.& small bore

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Forster, Sinclair, LEWilson. All pricey, but precision gear.

Some would say LEE does the job. Some are great advocates for LEE products.

Do you have a price point or are you going to spring for the big names?

@CBH Australia
Chris I use the Lee case trimmer.
Put lock stud and shell holder in the drill.
Screw in the cartridge lenght pin into the cutter.
Insert into case and squeeze drill trigger.
Done in half a,second .
Even an old fart like me with limited brain cells can use it.
I've used Lee products for years with ZERO complaints.
Bov

 

[Lone Star Bluegrass]

Giraud. Can’t go wrong. And it’s made in Texas, which is awesome.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Giraud. Can’t go wrong. And it’s made in Texas, which is awesome.

@Lone Star Bluegrass
Mate if it is made in Texas where everything is bigger and better it is probably trailer mounted made out of railway line and hi tensile steel with a 20 horse power motor and a 100# belt driven fly wheel to save you cranking the handle.
Dang may not fit on your reloading bench but boy oh boy can that thang trim brass from 17 Hornet up to 155mm howitzer .
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Seriously if it is made in the USA it is better than that othe crap made else where.

 

[Tanks]

Give the Giraud Power Trimmer a look.
...

And they will do .500 NE and below.

 

[fourfive8]

@CBH Australia
Chris I use the Lee case trimmer.
Put lock stud and shell holder in the drill.
Screw in the cartridge lenght pin into the cutter.
Insert into case and squeeze drill trigger.
Done in half a,second .
Even an old fart like me with limited brain cells can use it.
I've used Lee products for years with ZERO complaints.
Bov

Some Lee stuff is not so good and are real head scratchers in design??... but some are really good. Yep! one Lee item I like is the case trimmer as you describe. I have one dedicated to each cartridge I load- the dedicated shell holder and length stem in each die box. A small rechargeable electric drill is the bee's knees with these. Stupid simple to use and near failsafe for trim length consistency. After the trim, simply lightly chamfer inside and out- just like any trimmer. Done.

Sometimes you can even come up with a custom odd ball length if needed by modifying a trimmer length stem-- as long as the ID of the case mouth is equal or slightly larger than the stem and the stem length is longer but within +/- 1/8" of the desired case length. Simply grind down the flash hole centering pin to fine tune the OAL of case.

I have a couple of high end case trimmers that even with universal collect shell holder capability, are a PITA to use. Each time I change caliber and cartridge I have to change neck insert pilot. Then spend time readjusting the spindle to the different case length... creeping up on the term length, measuring and remeasuring until the length is spot on. Otherwise running the risk of trimming one too short . If you have just one or two different cartridges no issue. But if you reload and trim for quite a few... standard trimmers become a time consuming pain. And they will not trim with any greater consistency (and certainly with no greater repeatability) than the little el cheapo Lee

 

[TerryBlauwkamp]

Forester, buy once cry once.

Forester for me too, but take the handle off and put a variable speed electric drill on it.