I'm new to reloading and find frustration at every turn. Besides my own stupidity, I think part of the problem is that almost every piece of reloading equipment I've purchased has come with terrible instructions. Setting up my Wilson trimmer. Instructions say to tap case head against a block of wood after inserting it in the wilson case holder. I have it in correctly, with the case head at the holder end with the groove. It's the right brass...Lapua 6.5x55 Swede but I'm not sure if its the right holder. The holder itself is stamped 6.5x55 but the box it came in says "6.5x55 Norma" and underneath that "7.56 Bel Mauser" Well the case is now rightously stuck in the holder. I didn't give it a mighty tap just a firm one. The case head is sticking out about 1/4 inch from the holder and the neck end protrudes out from the other side to the point where the shoulder begins to angle away from the case.I bet I was supposed to lube the case before inserting it in the holder. Ive succeded in deforming the neck by trying to "tap" as directed. What should I have done to prevent this problem and is there a solution short of ordering another case holder. Thanks

Just smack that case out of there, and sacrifice it. Insert the next one with finger pressure. You want it snug enough to stay put, but not too tight. I don't tap my cases out, I have a piece of thick leather that I press the necks against and the cases just pop out.

Ok I got the case out. The whole notion of tapping the case mouth on something seems barbaric. We spend time and effort trying to achieve concentricity. Unless the case mouth strikes the "block of wood" with both surfaces perfectly square to each other...which is highly unlikely...all the force will be applied,at an angle no less,to only a tiny portion of the mouth rim. How can an "out of round" condition NOT occur?
And, how the heck do you set the stop screw to get the trim length you desire. The case head will abut the stop screw, the case will pass through the case holder and the neck and mouth will stick out the other end facing the cutting blades. What do I measure from and to?. The face of the stop screw seems precise enough, but how do I measure to the point where the blades will be stopped when the crank handle hits the back of the bearing assembly through which the cutting rod travels?
Clearly I don't get "it" and need help

Get the micrometer attachment, or do it the "barbaric" way

Trial and Error!

I take a long case, adjust the screw, make a light cut, adjust again, make another cut, and so forth.

Thank you Ralph. Its just nice to have someone help me "get it"
Wally

sounds complicated.

Buy a Lee case trimmer. It's simple.

It sounds to me like the holder is for "American" size 6.5x55: i.e. 30-06 head size. Actual Swede spec calls for a slightly larger holder, and Lapua is certainly the correct dimensions. I have to use a #3 shellholder with mine instead of the #2.

Eric

quote:

Unless the case mouth strikes the "block of wood" with both surfaces perfectly square to each other...which is highly unlikely...all the force will be applied,at an angle no less,to only a tiny portion of the mouth rim. How can an "out of round" condition NOT occur?

You are applying to much force when you insert the case. All I use is a light tap of my thumb on the case head. To extract I tap it again on the case mouth or on my bench mat. A small square of carpet might work well also.

quote:

And, how the heck do you set the stop screw to get the trim length you desire.

As Ralph said, its a little trial and error however here is a technique I use.

First adjust your trimmer to your cases current length by placing it in the trimmer, holding the cutter shaft in and adjusting the "stop screw" so it touches the case. Make a cut at this point - you should barely remove any material. Measure you case. Now all you need to know it that the wilson trimmer has 16 Threads/Inch. Mark the case head end of the screw for reference.

Do a little math-

Deg - Inch :: Inch - Deg
22.5- 0.0039 :: 0.001 - 5.8
45 - 0.0078 :: 0.005 - 28.8
90 - 0.0156 :: 0.010 - 57.6
135 - 0.0234 :: 0.015 - 86.4
180 - 0.0313 :: 0.020 - 115.2

That should get you really close. Make an adjustment and check, etc.

Rimfire shooter
Very elegant solution!

From a distance, it is difficult to know exactly how much force you need to "untap" your case from the holder. But other than that, what you describe pretty much sounds like the regular procedure. Tne case has to be "stuck" in the case holder, which was somewhat surprising to me as well, when I first started to use my Wilson.

I don't tap on wood, rather I use an old Midsouth catalog, or a wad of newspapers. It seems a bit less drastic to me...

Also, are the cases you are working with fired?? Wilson has holders for fired vs. new cases for some caliber (families). Did you check that for the 6.5x55?? If you are trimming fired cases, you know you have to FL size them first?? Even so, the dimensions of dies and chambers vary so much, it is quite possible to imagine that a die would not size a case sufficiently to fit the Wilson holder. If that is the case, call Wilson, I believe they'll make you a holder that matches the cases you forward to them.

Don't give up on your Wilson, it happens to be about the finest trimmer (if not the fastest) on the market. Make sure you keep the trimmer oiled or waxed, though. Wilson makes them out of good old fashioned steel, and they tend to rust a bit.

- mike

P.S. Agree with the poster who suggested getting the Sinclair micrometer attachment for the trimmer. It makes it a breeze to record and reproduce the correct setting for a particular trim length. The new micrometer gizmo Sinclair has just come out with, is even better than their original one, as it supports all trim lengths (without the use of an extra block for really short cases in a trimmer for long cases).