I trimmed (50) Federal 9mm luger brass [once fired] to below the minimum "Trim to Length" of .751". After the first one was trimmed and measured I finished the other 49. {used Lee trim system on this brass }
The question; Is this safe with a length of .746"-.747" which is .004"- .005" too short? The pistol is a Ruger P89 is good condition, but being a reloader of 1.5 years, I am seeking advice of this issue. This was my first time reloading the 9mm luger, or any cartridge that headspace off the case lip.
{I also found out the Lee trimer doesn't trim the outside of the case, as the case is just too short.}
Am I just being too concerned with this, or is this short trim length a dangerous condition? I would only used start loads for these cases, but am I straining at a gnat to swallow a camel?
Should I just trash the short brass, and get a different trimer and new brass? strshooter@netzero.net

strshooter, to be honest in all of the 10's of 1,000 of 9mm I've loaded & fired, I've never trimmed the cases. I usually loose them before I have any type of brass failure. If you trimmed them too short, at worst you would have a failure to fire. You can remove your barrel & use it as a gauge to see if the brass is too short.

Thanks fredj338, I went to the SAAMI.ORG site just to see if they had info, and no luck. I came across another website > http://www.rainierballistics.com/mainframe.htm and they give a "Trim to length" of .744" for various powders, so I'm going to load these up with the start loads, and relax. Thanks for the reply. I'm still going to look for more info on trim lengths, as it seems strange to me I can't be the only one with short cases from time to time. I still wouldn't mind hearing from others on this slight problem, and their experiences.

Just checked a once fired case I had here on the desk and it was .746". I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I would not bother trimming 9mm or any other semi-auto pistol case. Most are at or below the SAMMI maximum length and they are not likely to stretch like rifle brass. I once trimmed 1000 pieces of 45 ACP, lost all of them in match shooting. Never again!