This solves the ONE hassle with making AR cases.. trimming

I think we made the perfect AR round case trimmer...

in fact, it might THE perfect case trimmer

I took the harbour freight "mini chop saw" item 42307,..



went over to Tom's, and we took a ball mill, on a 1deg tip to make a "way" for cases to lay in. With a little filing, made the cases lay darn near right... if you try this, just take the "table" off, don't take the base off

then, on the left side, I made a 1" or so tall block of delrin, about 3/8 thick, 1" wide... driled and tapped an 8x32 in the bottom to hold it on. then put a long 8x32 in the side to be a "Depth setter"...

then I filed off the "degree" markings

drilled a hole through the base, put the screw in, sqaured it up, and superglued it to the base, and tried a couple test pieces...

my case length is 2.55, and I was able to cut 20 cases, in probably 10 mins, and with a single rotation (so, 2 cut) got the cases within .002 of each other, which I choose 2.545 as my trim too length.

I left the screw far enough off to also set for 550 express... which is my other trimming case issue.

These look like i can just outside/inside deburr and chamberfer, and go shoot!!

bet it works for 585 nyati too!!

jeffe

Good job jeffe.

Hog Killer

wildcatting is the mother of invention

Looks good, jeffe!
With my FGC's, I also needed trimming, taking off 3mm. I made a chamber in a rod of my softest steel,
with the exact excess sticking out of it. Just inserted the case in the rod, mounted it in the chuck in the lathe, and cutted it. The case held its place during the cut, and I am very happy with the solution.

Bent,
I went from trimming on my lathe to this... about a 15 to 1 improvement, as the feed rate is FAR higher on the saw

jeffe I used a delrin block drilled full of case size holes with a bottom plate to hold the cases in. I use it to cut 20 of my 338 HB cases at a time with a fly cutter in my mill 223 cut off to 1.540 expanded to 338. but this looks cool I may try it. I ngave up on lathe cutting mine after the first 20 what a pain.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
Bent,
I went from trimming on my lathe to this... about a 15 to 1 improvement, as the feed rate is FAR higher on the saw

Exellent! With my system, 20 cases in 10 min is also no problemo, and that is finally deburred.

Whatever works!

was just die forming some 416 ARs ... nad used my trimmer

this only seems like a long process, till you remember that lyman 416 rigby dies are like 20 bucks on midway.

470 AR dies - crush 375 rum to set shoulder
hornady 45LC carbide size - reduce neck
modifed 416 rigby (shorter, bored to AR shoulder) with lyman 416 TAPERED ball

trim to 2.6 with chopsaw

I'll fire with 350 speers as a plinking load, and FF the cases for final trim length....

don't you just hate it when you just HAVE to shoot?

did 45, took less than 30 mins

this little trimmer ROCKS

jeffe

are you just doing this to show off your talent and inventiveness? Seriously, I have one of the RCBS power trimmers and it makes 510KX cases in about 35 seconds per. Just had to make a .50 caliber "button" on the lathe. I set it up to cut a 30-06 case to 308 after necksizing it back to proper shoulder location and did one in just under a minute. It makes neat "tightneck" cases for target work with the 308. I make these short '06 cases and turn the casenecks to give me a slip fit (.0005: clearance in the chamber of a loaded round. Never have to size the case, just deprime, reprime, and powder charge on Wislon arbor press dies, then seat the bullet. I have shot one case at matches before just to irritate people...and won a couple times.



Rich

Hey Rich,
nope.. showing off my cheapness... an RCBS power trimmer is what, $200 bucks? this was $20, at harbour freight... and I was going there anyway...

besides, they don't make .550 pilots

jeffe

they don't make .510" either, you just copy the basic shape on the mill. That little saw was only $20 at Harbor Freight? I got the RCBS model free while doing an article on making some various wildcat cases...still going strong after 12-15 years.

Rich

Rich,
now who's showing out?

Yeah, $20 bucks from HF, about 30 mins of dorking around in the shop, and its a chopsaw that you can set to trim within 1 or 2 thou..

jeffe

Have you guys ever tried the Forester case trimmer thet fits on a drill press. I've had great luck with it and fast to.

I do outside neck turning in my layth with a Marquett tool held by hand, that speeds up neck turning. Pedro

MOst trimmers are meant for a couple thou, not .25 or so...

jeffe

I give up!! You win, you inventive-tightass!!

Seriously, it is a handy dandy little rig, especially if you are trimming very much off the case length. I prefer the figure out your own solution to the store bought version personally, that's where some of my wildcats have come from.

regards,

Rich