This may surprise a lot of people, but I HATE trimming cases. I am reminded of my passionate dislike for this heinous activity via the fact that I just finished trimming 20 .270 Win. cases that I'll be loading later this evening.

Anyway, I was just wondering how many of you trim cases to the EXACT same length and how many get them to within, say, .003" and call it good. I am in the second camp, BTW.

Also, for those of you who get them to exactly the same length, do you notice any difference in accuracy?

RXM

My 34 year old Forster trimmer still trims exactly. I finally had to get the cutter resharpened 2 years ago.

What kind of POS trimmer do you use that only gives + or - .003" accuracy?

rx

I guess I'll be the first to jump in here and recommend the Lee Case Length Gauge

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=930066

that you screw into a Lee Cutter with Ball Grip

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=136199

then put the case on the Lee Zip Trim

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=515804

give the rope a few pulls and all your case will be trimmed exactly square and at precisely the same length (unless they're already shorter than the gauge, in which case they don't need to be trimmed anyway). Great setup, take the work out of trimming, much more exact.

At the same time you can chamfer and clean the case with steel wool. No more tumbler.

I too hate trimming.....because of this I trim all my new cases back .03 short of the book length.....in this manner I never have to trim again.....should the cases need trimming again I discard them.

The only reason to hold "exact" length is if one wants to crimp them and then consistant length is important.

There is absolutely no difference in accuracy due to inconsistant length (within reasom of course +/- .005)

I just trimmed and hand deburred a bag of 100 .44 magnum cases over the weekend. I trim all of my new cases because its the only way to get a consistent crimp, which is crucial on revolver loads. I use the cheap Lee case length gauge and shell holder along with the lock stud and cutter. It has a hex on one end that I can chuck into an electric drill. I just hold the cutter and spin the drill for a few seconds and its done. The pin on the case gauge will only allow the cutter to go to the required depth, once the pin bottoms out on the shell holder it simply will not cut any farther. I still debur them by hand though, I don't trust the spinning drill with a hand deburring tool. Its a tedious and boring job but it goes with the process. I've never measured the entire lot of cases, I just grab random cases and most of the time they are right at or within .002" or so of specs.

quote:

Originally posted by onefunzr2:
My 34 year old Forster trimmer still trims exactly. I finally had to get the cutter resharpened 2 years ago.

What kind of POS trimmer do you use that only gives + or - .003" accuracy?

It's an RCBS, and older version before they offered that lever that locks the collet around the case rim. I'm wondering if the tension on the collet might account for the length variation - you know, screwing it in a little harder sometimes than others.

And the accuracy is acually +/- .0015, not +/- .003.

rxmoore

I don't think there are any of us that enjoy trimming cases. It's one of those things that probably isn't really necessary (except for crimps) but it can take so little time that it seems foolish to spend all the $$$ on rifles, equipment, powder, premium bullets, etc, etc and then skip one of the simplest steps in the handloading process. There are tools that make trimming very easy and fast. I make my own, one for each rifle, but several outfits sell them. The one Sinclair sells is called the Possum Hollow Kwick Case Trimmer. It takes only a few seconds to trim a case and there is no way the length can vary.

I use the lee trimmers, but instead of spinning the cases I chuck the cutter in my 1/2 in drill motor and hold the cases to it while it's running. That way you dont have to stop the motor to change cases.
Lyle