Trimmers, and Case Length

[DustBuster]

I’m taking my time to step into reloading.  Under supervision, Ive reloaded about a hundred rounds, of 150 gr Hornady FMJ.  That was not any kind of Bold statement;  the font just happened to get set to bold.  

Now that I have about 300 empty cases, some powder and primers, I am about to embark on setting up a range of different powder and charges to see if I can make my unhappy barrel and precision a tad more content.  

Im going to try 165 gr Hornady Interlocks, pmc cases, Federal and CCI primers, and powder IMR 4064 and IMR 4895.  The IMR website seems to give higher load data than the Hornady manual.  The IMR Hogdon website just asks for bullet weight and doesn’t seem to be concerned about the actual bullet type.  Maybe the weight of projectile is all that is needed for that aspect.  

Back to the topic:  

The trimmer I went with is the WCT found on E-Baye.  I have not tried a Newer RCBS hand crank trimmer, with the cam Locking bar handle.  The rcbs trimmer I used had a collet that didn’t seem to lock in the same place twice, so I found trimming to be difficult to get the brass to the desired length.

So my WCT gets to play yesterday.  I have 5 cases out of 80 that did not fit into the case gauge flush.  These are my practice pieces.  I find one that is 2.008  I set the WCT to that one and I label it with a sharpie.  A little Allen nut screws tight to the end mill.  I burn through bad case number #2.  It is 2.0045 average.  I burn through the rest.  They seem fairly close to the same but lower than the 2.008 I set the WCT to.  Maybe the end mill teeth reach out a little farther with speed and more pressure when actually cutting.

Here is where my story gets more puzzling.

I grab a good case that is about 2.017, which needed to be trimmed to make Saamii happy.  I start trimming and it keeps trimming and it keeps trimming and then I look down and my fingers are gone!  The blood is all over my drill.  The Dewalt Trigger is too slippery to hang on to an my wrist is saved.  Ohh wait, I just made that part up.  

The case is overtrimmed a lot though, and I know something is wrong.  I look at the WCT and take it apart and notice there is a flat spot on the end mill for the Allen nut to lock Against.  I orientate it “correctly” and try to set the WCT ( Worlds Cheapest Trimmer ) to a new length of 2.012, to see if it will cut consistent and also to see if it cuts low or higher than initial set.  

Well, the Allen screw went way deep into the threads and seemed like the flat spot on the endmill was too deep in there to have thread engagement.  The set screw just kept spinning and spinning.  I unscrewed it and it looked like the threads of the Non Metal housing were a little marred up now.  PIECE of Crap!  I thought to myself.

I went to bed last night thinking of how to fix the set screw situation.

I tried a hose clamp today around the polymer housing ( it needs to be polymer because otherwise it would be too hard on the brass, I imagine.)  The House clamp worked, but fine tuning the trimming amount with my dewalt dril on the hose clamp bent the slots on the clamp and it was no longer any good.  I then went to backup plan B and pulled out some Epoxy.  I squeezed a good amount of epoxy into the set screw hole and tried to fill the flat of the end mill the best that I could.  Before it was set up, I picked a case I believe was 2.012 to set the WCBT to.  ( Worlds Cheapest Broken Trimmer)  

After about ten or fifteen minutes of holding everything as still to that 2.012 case, it seemed to be Set.

So then, about 4 hours later, I go out to test the WCT out.  I pick a case that is 2.018, and grind away at it.  Measure it, and it’s 2.0095-2.010.

I do about ten more and they are all within that range, maybe a 2.0105 also.  I will do the rest tomorrow but it seems I fixed it good enough for my purposes.  I wanted the cases to be a little longer than the Trim To length of 2.005.  It’s fast, seems accurate enough and is stuck forever at 2.010.  I go to bed tonight happy enough.  I might even buy a WCT for my second caliber, 30-06... before I invest in a better trimmer in the future.  To all a GoodNight and Goodnight to all, or something like that

 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by DustBuster

[392heminut]

I have two of these, one for .223 and one for .308. I HATE case trimming and these trimmers are worth every penny! Set it, forget it!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224653882178?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D234476%26meid%3D6f5bb2a0427147abb25cebbe45f41c45%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D7%26sd%3D123104416703%26itm%3D224653882178%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv9PairwiseWebMskuAspectsV202110&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A2246538821786f5bb2a0427147abb25cebbe45f41c45|enc%3AAQAGAAACEAgKicbr%2BuIhXC%2Ft4tFfAVYaDIRnEt90ztpvPRfQaAt7t%2BWqlGj3Fyl7UHH%2FFqHKzFEuBfzDMEFoT%2FdACllayOOq2B7PtVBMbSuQwJtnKLwR%2BqCBLZDcsSI%2FVKO%2By0aHHl6Xh%2Bh928fbU8qgFpG1F5fPtSPZZypw82%2B%2BfiXIydqImCRLToEkO2QbhlmUPpjK1lnujMXMOAf3hHd9omOQGoEJUW%2F9PjGW1U0dTNBuX6zKqCiG1pQuEFoQpsb5TII4qzeJYwrKYQUicM5R4B%2BOMUK%2FfS7Sx7GfwA3KAVTZePvUIZL8VLjOQcDlrMbSm8%2F4nxf09nbU6EhrvUDO6i0V1tMnvHyo%2BdNiIYfVilUmhGcy4%2BCvvZ%2BkMywobYrAc4KNW2FwW1Uinlis7EdvAXyTDgR11BDZcSIQIvaHMM4x3Y3oqCHcSdAia8Y7RbIo6EGl8xmPL23eOxHbNDKhNxbJ6q4X9eQxHhF%2BfOWc0JMc7nt31yN%2FF2pQ1PeQ%2BghcGDoMcB4605LJNJ53PyH2xbgPbFLiuxBwcXcVXVlZwdS2MHPFvqa3ckKvPOnA8mIwZ%2Byu%2Fwl4ymC%2BefnxumDLTWYl6SYx%2FeUTrSfw4uy%2FTG6eMZL%2FeB1yqggKtC0nbTkm7pkiDU98POoKiwMoWu63LDMUYV07PLxjhholbBc6VKWgjnHi9ZcvpxfIaW9JALf5X1QlKA%3D%3D|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2047675&epid=1812001313

[DustBuster]

52 minutes ago, 392heminut said:

I have two of these, one for .223 and one for .308. I HATE case trimming and these trimmers are worth every penny! Set it, forget it!

I hope you go easy on the tightness of that screw, not loose but just right tight.  Yep I’ve only really trimmed once ever and I hated it as well.

Nice work by the way on your car.  Looking at that Mexican shop, it shows how they can be quite talented with the materials at hand.  Nothing fancy down there tool wise.  USA should only let qualified Body Shop dudes come north if they know how to work on those muscle cars 🙂

[392heminut]

10 minutes ago, DustBuster said:

I hope you go easy on the tightness of that screw, not loose but just right tight.  Yep I’ve only really trimmed once ever and I hated it as well.

There's no plastic to strip out on those.

11 minutes ago, DustBuster said:

  USA should only let qualified Body Shop dudes come north if they know how to work on those muscle cars 🙂

The shops here would just take advantage of them, pay them crap and still charge the crap out of the car owner.

[sketch]

Little crow wft work for me also.👍

[DustBuster]

1 hour ago, sketch said:

Little crow wft work for me also.👍

I’ve seen those, this one I have is a slight different design by another guy

3 hours ago, 392heminut said:

There's no plastic to strip out on those.

 

Well, there was on mine, so maybe you have the WFT not the WCT.  A slight design oversight or flaw, but I dealt with it.  I think the WCT is cheaper cost wise... I’ll look at your link.

[DustBuster]

Yeah, My WCT was 23 bucks.  Different and slightly less durable no doubt.  Next time I upgrade may have to go to Little Crow.  For the time being mine seems decent enough.  

[98Z5V]

I trim cases to the exact same length every single time with these.

Works every time.  Same minimum case length every time.  It's so simple, it's easy.  As fuk.

[DustBuster]

8 hours ago, 98Z5V said:

I trim cases to the exact same length every single time with these.

Works every time.  Same minimum case length every time.  It's so simple, it's easy. As  ....

( I’ve had the 80 cases sized and now some trimmed for about 4 days) Taking my sweet time.  For now, with the batch of bullets I plan on doing, I think I’m for now stuck at 2.008” length, so Anything over that will be trimmed.  The last batch of Hornady 150 gr bullets I did when I reloaded with my Dad, The cannelure was way longer than what the Trim To length came up to.  So the longer necks than that seemed to come closer to crimp point.  When I open up my fresh box of 165 gr Interlocks, I’ll see what they look like.  I’ve got a Thumler Tumbler on the way for a birthday present for my rock picking Gal friend, and I might try to “test it out” and get rid of brass shavings inside with it, or I will just hit them with an air compressor.  I lubed the inside of the necks like the RCBS manual said to but maybe I didn’t need to... I may not do that next time.  

Appreciate the product suggestion, when I expand to do more calibers, I will be getting something like the two you have posted about RCBS camlock Lever or this one, or maybe the Little Crow 2.  I do have a .45 long colt pistol so maybe the RCBS would be more likely to be able to trim those also.  That friggen tumbler cost me 350 because I got the industrial rock version.  

[Steve crawford]

You will be happy you did get the heavy version.  I have one and love it.  I still use a vibratory to take off the sizing lube and apply polish to my brass.  The TT will take filthy brass and make them look like new.

        Steve

[shooterrex]

Maybe it's just me but I have never trimmed a straight wall pistol brass case. 9mm,45acp, 45 Colt,454.

Maybe I'm just lucky.

[DustBuster]

6 hours ago, Steve crawford said:

You will be happy you did get the heavy version.  I have one and love it.  I still use a vibratory to take off the sizing lube and apply polish to my brass.  The TT will take filthy brass and make them look like new.

        Steve

Thanks Steve, yep I’m glad I bought it. I might have to buy a separate bowl for brass, so I don’t have to wash rock slurry out of it every time.  I wonder what happens to the brass shavings or dirt, lube and grime?  Absorbed into the walnut shells? 

1 hour ago, shooterrex said:

Maybe it's just me but I have never trimmed a straight wall pistol brass case. 9mm,45acp, 45 Colt,454.

Maybe I'm just lucky.

I guess trimming may not be an issue with the rimmed straight cases... My 6 shooter cylinder won’t care at all, I suppose.  I didn’t think about that.

Thanks ShooterRex for pointing that out.,

[MikedaddyH]

The setup that 98 has shown us works ! I have trimmed 10k pieces of brass with those.

I have since upgraded to a different Lee trimmer . It is better and easier to use. With more consistent results . It mounts on your press and has a manual and power setups. I posted a Thread about it . Look it up.

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by MikedaddyH

[392heminut]

On 10/27/2021 at 6:40 PM, shooterrex said:

Maybe it's just me but I have never trimmed a straight wall pistol brass case. 9mm,45acp, 45 Colt,454.

Maybe I'm just lucky.

Same here, I've loaded tens of thousands of pistol rounds and I've never trimmed a straight wall pistol case. At one point I was shooting and reloading around 10K 40 S&W a year and never had a problem. The cases will fatigue and split at the neck before they ever need to be trimmed.

[sketch]

18 hours ago, 392heminut said:

Same here, I've loaded tens of thousands of pistol rounds and I've never trimmed a straight wall pistol case. At one point I was shooting and reloading around 10K 40 S&W a year and never had a problem. The cases will fatigue and split at the neck before they ever need to be trimmed.

True^ I use wft for rifle cal. Only.