Reloading and trimming your bullet casings can save quite a bit of money. But, you really need to have the right tools in order to do it properly. The task can be highly tedious and is often remarked upon by gun enthusiasts as one of the most disdained of all gun maintenance tasks.
Without a proper understanding of all that trimming includes, one can quite easily find it to be time-consuming and tiresome. This buying guide is designed to help you find the best and right tools for case trimming.
Recommended Trimmers
Lyman Universal Trimmer with 9 Pilot (Multi-pack)
This is one of the best basic trimmers (lathe) on the market, and will trim any case up to .458 caliber. The product features a standard shell holder and a wide variety of pilots. It can manage nearly any rifle or pistol case. It also features course dial adjustments.
Frankford Arsenal Case Trim and Prep System
This trimming unit will do almost anything that you ask it to do. With many exchangeable and adjustable parts, there is almost nothing about it that will hinder any trimming project. Except for straight wall cases, this unit will trim every casing imaginable. Another nice feature of this trimmer is that it does not require any special shell holders.
Hornady Camlock Case Trimmer
If you are looking for a bolt-down unit, this is likely your best bet. The unit is highly intuitive and easy to use. It is also reliable and one of the best-priced trimmers on the market. Whether you need to trim one case or many, you will find this one of the easiest to use when in a hurry. The Hornady comes with a cam-lock case. If you’re trimming a rare caliber of bullet, no other trimmer in this price range can handle such fine-tuned measurements.
Why a Trimmer?
Your cases, which out of the factory are usually designed towards as easy reloading as possible, will over time need modification and regular maintenance. Every time that you fire a round your stretching and expanding the case—this is especially true of brass cases. This occurs because of the pressure that firing puts on the shell, which usually elongates it.
At the outset, it should be said that low-pressure rounds hardly ever need to be re-trimmed. Normally It is high-pressure rounds that will need regular maintenance. It should also be said that trimming only works up to a point—eventually your cases will elongate to such a degree that they will not be able to be able to be trimmed down to size. This is especially true of brass cases formed for parent casings, and as such these are the cases that will need regular length trimming.
Otherwise, when considering whether or not to trim at all, it should be said that straight wall cases will rarely need trimming. However, precision handgun shooters will almost always appreciate the benefits from trimming on their rimless and rebated cases. But, on bottleneck cases trimming should not be skimped on, as over time and repeated uses the casing will almost always grow and elongate over repeated uses.
Hopefully, it is obvious that it really depends on your needs, guns preferences, and the sort of shooting that you regularly engage in as to whether or not you will need to do any trimming at all.
A few things to consider before purchasing a trimmer are your budget, the quality of trimming that you prefer, and the amount of casings that you need to trim. Otherwise, other things to consider are how accurate the trimmer is, how square the cut made to the case mouth in regards to the axis is, the speed of the trimmer, the ease of loading and unloading cases, the caliber pilots that the manufacturer offers, the size of cartridges that the trimmer will accept, and the other functions the trimmer is able to perform.
To add, the most important thing to consider while trimming your cases is making sure that the case mouth is square and the length is set properly. It is especially important to make sure that the case length is less than the maximum specification or else the case mouth will jam against your chamber. Also, your bullet will likely create a great amount of pressure as it is holding the bullet too tightly. Squaring the mouth appropriately and keeping to a consistent length will improve your overall accuracy.
For most purposes—like casual competition, plinking, and hunting—, nearly any trimmer will suit your purposes. But, for other trimming situations, more precision and consistency will be required. Trimmers come in all different shapes, sizes, and variations. Trimmer types include Low volume precision trimmers, high-volume precision trimmers, raw speed trimmers, simple trimmers, and lathe-type trimmers (the main choice for most gun consumers).
Low-volume Precision Trimmers
The phrase “low-volume” may be a bit of misnomer, as many of these trimmers are just as fast as the average (lathe) trimmer—that, of course, depends on the brand that you purchase. But, “precision” is not a misnomer. So, if you are seeking accuracy and consistency in trimming than these trimmers could be a great option for you. These systems are generally designed for those who need to change the caliber of the casing quite regularly, and therefore can be slightly slower to set up than other trimmers.
Many low-volume systems use a micrometer head to examine the caliber of the casing and then instantly dial in on those specifications. In using these sorts of trimmers, it is remarkably easy to simply grab a new case holder, reset the trim length, and change the caliber. When that process is over, simply use a chamfering tool and a regular old deburring tool to finish off your trimming.
High-volume Precision Trimmers
If your trimming project requires hundreds or even thousands of cases, say in preparation for a competition, you’ll likely want a high-volume precision trimmer. It would be highly tedious to accomplish this task with a normal or lathe-type trimmer. You’ll want to use these sorts of trimmers in conjunction with bushing dies and VLD-type changer—especially for your boat tail bullets.
When looking for a high-volume trimmer it is highly suggested that you look for an “indexing trim system.” Also, look for products that are generally easy to adjust, provide great chip management, and are easy to insert. Otherwise, simply pick your casing, put it in, and you’ll get a consistent trim length at high speeds.
Raw Speed Trimmers
As far as speed goes, Raw Speed Trimmers are by far and away the best choice. These trimmers use a process called “on-press trimming,” and it literally takes less than a second to handle, chamber, and trim your casing. These trimmers are able to cut down on time by making the sizing die the same as the trimming die. By the time you’ve measured your length, you’ve already trimmed.
Most raw speed trimmers cut a four-degree angle with a carbide blade, creating a very fine and clean cut. After your casing is cut, simply tumble your case and it’ll come out looking like it was factory made. The trick with these trimmers is just making sure that a uniform amount of lube is on all of your cases.
The downside to these trimmers, however, is that if you want a neck-size system, shoulder bump system, or a generic bumping system you won’t be able to use a raw speed trimmer. Even though you can’t beat a raw speed trimmer in regard to speed, they also happen to be rather bulky and loud. So, you’ll want to wear hearing protection as you use one of these trimmers.
Simple Trimmers
These are the best trimmers for average trimming needs. If you are not doing any competitive shooting and only have a limited number of casings to trim, this is the product that you want. They are usually inexpensive and fairly fast if you have a small trimming project.
The downside is that they tend to leave a rougher edge that other trimmers, but this is usually made innocuous by the chamfering and deburring anyways. For the most part, you’ll only want to stick to a simple trimmer if you are only trimming one caliber, as exchanging heads for each bullet can be rather tedious and time-consuming. Also, the more calibers that you are attempting to trim, the more expensive your trimming will become.
Lathe Trimmers
The lathe system of trimming uses a clamp to hold the rim of your casing in a holder, then extends a cutter from the side to the rim. These lathe trimmers come in many varieties, some more expensive than others and some faster than others.
It is highly recommended that when purchasing a lathe trimmer that you buy a universal caliber holder and a comprehensive pilot. This will ensure that your trimmer can handle all of your varying caliber needs for a lifetime. The only item that is likely to wear out is the steel cutter on the device but these are relatively inexpensive.
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