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Case Trimmers

3K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  jimb1972 
#1 ·
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#2 ·
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#3 ·
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#5 ·
I have one of these: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/314017/hornady-lock-n-load-case-prep-center

I caught mine on sale for right at $300, not the $490 they are asking here. Plus the added bonus was a Hornady 500 bullet rebate. The bullets for 2019 are all either XTP (pistol) or Spire Points (rifle, hunting), not FMJ or target bullets, and my rebate came within 6 weeks of me sending in the rebate.

The FA Platinum looks nice, but I think I would rather have to get shell holders than sets of cutter holders and collets, plus I already had a set of shell holders for my presses.
 
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#7 ·
I have the exact same setup (different drill) and it works great if you are trimming 50, but when you start hitting 4-500 at a time it is a bit monotonous.
 
#11 ·
I am pretty sure that any case trimmer gets monotonous after a few hundred! ;)
 
#12 ·
I am pretty sure that any case trimmer gets monotonous after a few hundred! ;)
Trimming brass is absolutely my least favorite part of reloading.
 
#8 ·
Looks pretty good. Even better if it's made with good steel. I have the same Lyman as Lomax also and it must be about 20 years old by now. It will come in handy when you make a pilot case for the length you like. Judging from the quantity you're talking about, I'm guessing you ordered one in .223 REM/5.56mm NATO?;)
 
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#10 ·
Yes, I have a bunch of .223 that's been needing to be trimmed for some years now. The time it takes to load and lock a case in the Lyman adds up, and I only added the power adapter last year. I will keep using the Lyman for lower quantities like .300sav, 7x57, etc. but in my more frequently fired calibers I am hoping these will do the trick. I bought my Lyman trimmer used about 15 years ago, still works good.
 
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#9 ·
I can't get the Lyman to reliably hold .223 cases. I've had Lyman send new hold parts so went back the Forster. The Lyman holds larger cases fine however. I use both but prefer the Forster.
 
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#14 ·
I went with the Hornady Cam Lock Case Trimmer because I’m a Hornady Fanboy. Had I known, before I started, that I would have the Case Prep Trio, the Cam Lock Case Trimmer and (arriving today) the Hornady Neck Turner, I would have gone with the Case Prep Center and picked up 500 free bullets. Penny wise and pound foolish, as they say, except none of these items could be obtained with mere pennies.

That’s what I get for doing this on my own. Well, it’s done...I’ll have one more “can we afford that?” conversation with my wife when the latest shipment arrives, and then I should be (hopefully) done with equipment investments. Well...not counting getting a real workbench so I can retire my converted Black & Decker WorkMate...which has been surprisingly effective this past year.
 
#15 ·
I went with the Hornady Cam Lock Case Trimmer because I’m a Hornady Fanboy. Had I known, before I started, that I would have the Case Prep Trio, the Cam Lock Case Trimmer and (arriving today) the Hornady Neck Turner, I would have gone with the Case Prep Center and picked up 500 free bullets. Penny wise and pound foolish, as they say, except none of these items could be obtained with mere pennies.

That’s what I get for doing this on my own. Well, it’s done...I’ll have one more “can we afford that?” conversation with my wife when the latest shipment arrives, and then I should be (hopefully) done with equipment investments. Well...not counting getting a real workbench so I can retire my converted Black & Decker WorkMate...which has been surprisingly effective this past year.

I started out loading on a folding router/saw table also and used it for a couple of years. Then I built a few of these benches out of 2 x 4 and sheet plywood and chipboard that I had lying around. They were virtually free.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/work...d-a-workbench-super-simple-50-bench/view-all/

You could use 4 x 4 for the legs, but they really aren't necessary IMO. A few screws into the studs of the wall and these are rock solid.

Building A Basic Work Bench
 
#16 ·
While I was still in the Army, I made a press stand out of an ammo box. I had it set up so I could store the press in side the ammo box along with a few accessories. I still have it in my basement running my old Rockcrusher. I throw a few bar bell weights in the bottom for stability.
 
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#17 ·
That re-purposing was so appropriate!
 
#18 ·
That ammo box made many moves over my time in service. When I discovered ammo boxes, I made end tables, toy boxes, stereo cabinets, etc. I cracked the code on getting them out of the dump. They wanted a form filled out and signed off on by a commander....and I just happened to be a company commander at the time.
 
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#22 · (Edited)
Now this is a guy that's got it goin' on!. The table-top kinda looks like mine that came from a solid-core door. Unfortunately, when I cut that door in 1/2 I didn't realize that my late Mom had an intended purpose for that door. No worries, we worked out a way to get past that many times over, while I still use that bench.

The reason I single this one out is because of the work area. I don't care what colors the tools are because I know that for using my Classic Turret press and methods semi-progressively, there's no way I'm that well organized!;)
 
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#20 ·
My first bench in the late 70s while stationed at NATC Patuxent River, USN Patrol squadron 68 and living in base housing was half cheap dinette table lag bolted to the cinderblock walls and using two sonobuoy containers for legs. If they spent the buoys then the containers were scrap.
 
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#21 ·
Okay, tried out the Worlds cheapest trimmer tonight after I tumbled the 2500 pieces of .223 today. Took a little time to get it set, but it seems to be holding 1.752 consistently. It has some type of polymer body impregnated with teflon, or graphite. We will see if it holds to the same dimensions after hundreds of rounds tomorrow maybe. Stuck a case tonight, I thought there was enough lube left on my fingers from the last one...there was not. It took me an hour to find my tap, drill bit, washers, etc. Here is a fun fact, you can get away with a 3/16 drill for a 1/4-20 tap in brass if you are careful. I have huge piles of brass staring at me, but the weather sucks so I might as well do it now.
 
#23 ·
A few hundred rounds in. The worlds cheapest trimmer is holding consistent OAL which surprised me a bit. It works pretty well, but has a few negatives. It does not run true, there is a little wobble that is annoying and will rub one side of the case below the neck. Any debris you get in the chamber area will stick, and you can't just hose it out with cleaner or lube (tried Hornady One Shot and left black on the cases for a bit after) Does it work? Yes. Is it cheap? again yes. Am I going to buy any more of them? Probably not.
 
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#24 ·
Thanks for the report on the trimmer. I use the Hornady trimmer hooked up to a drill and it gets the job done but I wouldn't mind something that was a little faster. And maybe something that trims off of the case shoulder.

As for getting brass unstuck. Get the Hornady stuck brass kit. It works great! All the little pieces are right there in the bag and it literally takes just a few minutes to get the case unstuck. I'm sure other companies make a similar product but I have the Hornady and it works great! The cost is reasonable too.
 
#25 ·
I am just going to relocate the drill, tap, nut, and washers to the bench. Seems unnecessary to buy a kit that has stuff I already own in it.
 
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