I’m new to hand loading.

I tumbled 35 Whelen Remington cases, resized / decapped, brushed neck and deburred but found that theses once fired cases are not equal in length,
2.490
2.494
2.495
2.488

I guess I need to purchase a case trimmer can anyone recommend a good one that is accurate?

Also I’m figuring that trimming 38 special and 357 shells isn’t really important if I’m shooting them both from a 357 revolver that has cylinder room.
I’m I figuring DANGEROUSLY?

Your not alone I to am new at this. I'll let the pro's answer that. Great site, I'm learning alot from these guys or gals.

Depends on your accuracy standards! I only trim cases when I have to, or for uniformity where accuracy is paramount. So, my 222Rem and 6mmBR guns as well as my 223 cases that I use for F class, I do trim the cases, once. I do have some heavy calibers eg. 500/416 where the cases stretch to the point where they will no longer chamber. In that case I use a Trim Die.
For straight wall cases eg. the ones you mentioned and 45 ACP, match shooters do not bother trimming. They just segregate by case length, again for uniformity. Hope this helps.
There are plenty of case trimmers, manual and electric. For a whole bunch of cases eg. 223, I use the RCBS Pro Trimmer.
Peter.

Your gun will tell you whether or not your case needs to be trimmed. If it grows long from firing (they never get shorter) you can end up in a situation where the reloaded ammo will not chamber in your gun. One tell tale sign something is out of whack is difficult bolt closure, this can be too long a neck or the shoulder is moved forward. It is possible to have a pressure spike with too long a neck too. In any event it's a heck of a thing to discover after you've been through the entire reloading process and have the ammo finished. It is a whole lot less work to trim the brass when it is not loaded than to have to pull the bullet and start anew.

If you are neck sizing only with a die that pulls the expander ball up through the neck it can move the shoulder forward and that can cause the case not to fit as well.

I always trim my rifle brass and I use the Lee Case Length Gage Trimmer with the Lee Lock Stud and Cutter. The ball handle cutter is easy on your hands. There are lots of more elaborate lathe-type cutters you can use but they don't do a better job.

I put this link on your other post too.

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/49

It is much better for them to be the same length. The cylinder in your revolver still has a step where the end of the case will be so they also need to be trimmed. If you don't trim the revolver cases, the crimp on the bullet will be in a different place, maybe missing the crimp groove on a cast bullet. This is not good. Any good brand trimmer is OK, just get one you can chuck up a cordless drill to,for speed.

If you have a way to measure the actual length of your chamber you will find it will be about .030 to .040 longer than the max length of the case.
I am inclined to trim cases when they show to be out of square and longer than the trim to length.
I am more concerned about how square they are than the exact length as long as they are uniform.

To safely get away with cases longer than the chamber you have to know how long it is. If you can't measure the chamber length just use the manual length. When the case is fired it will shorten slightly because it expands diametrally like a balloon. However when they are resized they are squeezed back to their original diameter or close to it and get longer in the resizing process. Check them for length only after resizing.

For a few cases the Lee trimmers with the caliber specific pilots are easy & simple to use. There is a danger if your chamber is on the short side, that on chambering the round, the case neck gets jammed into the front of the chamber & the neck can be trapped between the bullet & the chamber wall with resulting VERY high pressures. While this is unlikely in most instances its as well to keep cases trimmed to the maximum trim to length for this reason. Cleaning crud out of the cases neck & inside neck lubing before resizing will limit case stretching in this area. Adjusting your dies so they don't over resize will help limit case stretching in the body of the case. This latter can ultimately lead to head separation.
Steve.

Although technically you might have to trim 38 cases, you assumption is correct when shooting 38's in a 357 chamber.

I'd suggest getting a Lee trimmer for 35 Whelen and trimming all you cases after the first shot. Then they will all start out the same. Given similar charges and shooting the cases the same number of times, if you neck size you should only have to trim every three or so times. (At about t his time, you may have to full length resize which will change the overall length.) Measure every time after resizing and if the cases are below trim length, don't worry. When they (any number of them) get to resizing length, trim them all again. Kudude

I came late to the case trimming game.

While loading for the 300 Weatherby Magnum, I noticed that after about 4 firings, the bolt became difficult to close on my reloaded cartridges, so I measured them.

They were indeed over maximum length, so I trimmed them and got several more loadings with good accuracy.

My habit now is to trim magnum brass (which I tend to shoot at fastest safe loading) after it is once fired. That will do me for at least about 4 more reloadings before I need trim again.

For non-magnum brass (270 Win., 30-06, etc) I usually shoot it twice before triming.

If you've got a lot of cases to trim (more than 50), I like the Forester trimmer, attached to my power drill.

If it's only 20 cases, I like the RCBS and Hornady trim dies....they are just so fast to set up and take down.

I have the Lee zip trim too, but use it only rarely. It's easy as well, but still not as easy as a trim die.

Garrett

If your rifle cases are below the max listed in the books, then you're good to go. For your best accuracy, you would want them to be the same length, if for no other reason, to give you a uniform bullet pull. Since you are just starting out, I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as you're below 2.494. You can put your long brass up and save it for when you accumulate enough to make a case trimmer worthwhile or when funds permit.

I find it important to accuracy to trip all the cases to the same size. This is especially important in a hard kicking cartridge like the 35 Whalen. You will want to crimp the bullets in to prevent them from creeping.Necks should be of the same length to crimp properly.
The cheapest option for trimming is the Lee stud and trimmer. You'll need a trimmer for each cartridge. It's not fast but is effective. Other trimmers include those made by major reloading mfgs.Lyman, Hornady, Forester, Redding and RCBS I use the RCBS model connected to a cordless drill. It makes quick work of my trimming chores.
Your relaoding manual should list the 'maximum case length' and 'trim to case length' for each cartridge. Anywhere between the two is goo. Tho I like to make them uniform. In reloading, uniformity=consistency=accuracy. No point in going through all the trouble to prep cases and miss what is likely the most important step.

I too am fairly new to reloading but I trim when the cases exceed max. I've never had one that didn't want to chamber because of length so I don't know if mine could actually be longer. But as the others have said here, your rifle will tell you to trim when they are too long for it...

Ken....

I've always been cautious about trimming back to the recommended trim length once they stretch out to the max case length. On my last reload of .308, it was pretty close to the max length and didn't bother; I found them tough to chamber and the pattern was really terrible.

Has anyone had any experience with factory loads shorter than the trim length? My friend and I started to case prep some of his .300 Win Mag cases, and he had one 20-round box that was factory loaded that was significantly shorter than the trim length. He stated that he didn't have any accuracy problems shooting them. I always thought it dangerous, and that if they were accidentally trimmed too short, that they were to be thrown away. It was my understanding that there would be too much bullet-jump and might cause pressure problems. Is this over cautious? Also, is there any way of stretching out cases that may be too short?

I trim every case every time it's fired. I use the Lee case trimmer. It's set at a constant length; it never changes. I welded about half a 5/8 open-end wrench across the end of mine, and I use it to loosen the collar that holds the shell tight when I turn the case in my hand-powered turning set-up made from an old pencil sharpener. It works every time it's tried...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ABrightling:

I don't know of any reason to trim to the recommended trim length. I think they just plucked a figure out of thin air. If you check or trim every reload, like homebrewer, any reasonable length will do. There is a fair margin in a chamber over the Max. length given.
I don't know any reason not to use cases too short, within reason. I'd just batch them up if I was worried about accuracy.
If it's good enough for the factory it's good enough for me.

The cartridge OAL and seating depth don't have much to do with neck length unless trying to seat into a cannellure. Extra bullet jump won't increase pressure, just the opposite.

Seating too deep into the case will, but the factorys do that quite often also.

Your chambering problem would have to have been something else other than being near max case length.

The best way to lengthen short cases is to use them.

quote:

Originally posted by homebrewer:
I trim every case every time it's fired. I use the Lee case trimmer. It's set at a constant length; it never changes. ...

+1

Mr. Lee designed a real winner with the Case Length Gauge/Trimmer. Least expensive Trimmer on the market and the most accurate.
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Hey Vinny and AS64, It takes maybe 10sec/case to do this using the Lee Tool. Plus you can "lightly" Champfer and Deburr as soon as you finish the Trimming, while it is still in the Case Holder, which takes maybe 5sec.

You end up with consistent Case Length. Best of all, there is Zero chance of the Case Mouth pinching into the Bullet during Chambering which can create a serious Over Pressure situation.

The "Keys" to great accuracy are Consistency coupled with good Reloading Procedures.

Best of luck to you all.

Some folks reload to shoot; some folks shoot to reload. While I like a good, consistant reload, after a certain point, any time I spend at the reloading bench is time I can't spend at the shooting bench.
Sooooooo, it's a value judgement each of us has to make. I hope it doesn't make me a bad person that I trim only as needed.

Hey Stillbeeman, I'm the first to admit that a lot of the little things I do with my Cartridges are probably not necessary at all. But they do give me confidence in my Hunting Ammo.

Does not mean anyone else is wrong for doing it however they want to. Plenty of ways to make good ammo.

Best of luck(with your un-trimmed ammo ) to you.