case trimming

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gabluecrab76

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What is the way most Benrest shooters trim their cases . I never could get the small hand lathes to be consistant . Have been thinking abut the drill press . Maybe ya'll have a better way.Thanks for any info
 
The easiest way that I've found is from RCBS. See attachment below. ;)
 

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What is the way most Benrest shooters trim their cases . I never could get the small hand lathes to be consistant . Have been thinking abut the drill press . Maybe ya'll have a better way.Thanks for any info

The rotary stop on my Delta drill press gave less than acceptable results - about +/- 0.005" length. Some drill presses have a linear stop like a threaded rod with two jam nuts. Maybe they would work better. I like the Forster hand lathe with their 3-in-1 cutter that trims and chamfers inside and out all in one operation. RCBS has a similar cutter. They are faster and more consistent than three separate operations. The power trimmers look nice, but my arms need more exercise, not less.;)

Cheers,
Keith
 
I like the Forster hand lathe with their 3-in-1 cutter that trims and chamfers inside and out all in one operation. RCBS has a similar cutter. Cheers, Keith

I tried the RCBS 3-in-1 cutter twice and returned it both times. I never got the results I wanted unless I used the "rocket shaped" hand tool.

Maybe the Forster is better. Haven't tried it yet.
 
I tried the RCBS 3-in-1 cutter twice and returned it both times. I never got the results I wanted unless I used the "rocket shaped" hand tool.

Maybe the Forster is better. Haven't tried it yet.

a lot of guys are using the Forster, but I keep going back to my old Wilson.
gary
 
What is the way most Benrest shooters trim their cases . I never could get the small hand lathes to be consistant . Have been thinking abut the drill press . Maybe ya'll have a better way.Thanks for any info
Are you asking about case length trimming or case neck turning?
 
The giraud trimmer is nice and mine holds about +/-.001 tolerance on the trim lengths. I can trim a hundred cases in about 15 minutes.
 
I mostly use an old Forster trimmer, but if I want very accurate case lengths I can't imagine that a Wilson could be improved on. The Forster is faster, especially with the power attachment with an 1/4" hex drive for whatever cordless driver you want to use. I've seen similar attachments for Wilson's trimmer, but don't have one for mine. For 20 or 30 cases for a BR match the Wilson is the way to go IMHO. For a lot of cases the Wilson can get to be a chore, but it's accurate.

Since I'm fairly anal about deburring case mouths I do it the old hard way with a Wilson deburring tool, then a Lyman VLD deburr tool to ease bullet entry into the case neck.
 
Since I'm fairly anal about deburring case mouths I do it the old hard way with a Wilson deburring tool, then a Lyman VLD deburr tool to ease bullet entry into the case neck.

Must not be as anal as me! :)

I own EVERY "rocket shaped tool" and IMO they all suck. They all chatter. I swear my original Wilson had 5 staggered flutes and didn't skip around but I've either misplaced it (unlikely) or simply am dreaming.

I've also got all the long-taper tools and the K&M... they grab under power.

I've got 15 tools at the driver and currently am deburring the inside with a single flute tool and the outside with a clean file! My case driver is a small drill press laid on its side.

I'm waiting for the ultimate chamfer tool. Just bought a plastic sleeved tool last wk, cast plastic w/3 cast-in-place cutter blades.... gonna' give it a try.

al
 
Jerry, The subject of his thread is Case TRIMMING.


Well smart-mouth, I didn't see where he stated which part of the case he was trimming. Look up the dictionary definition of the word TRIMMING. It's listed there under the word TRIMMING!!!!
 
What is the way most Benrest shooters trim their cases . I never could get the small hand lathes to be consistant . Have been thinking abut the drill press . Maybe ya'll have a better way.Thanks for any info


Most of the "average user" trimmers on the market use a collet in a taper to hold the shell. Serious design flaw IMO. My quess would be you have one of those.
Most folks simply screw the shell into the collet by hand trying to keep the same tension. Any variations in the diameter of the case head automatically show up as variations in length.
A small diameter (for lot) case head will be longer and vice versa.

The only way to get semi consistent lengths with a collet trimmer is put masking tape on the body and turner handle shaft. Use a hash mark across the two. Tighten the brass until the hash marks line up. Some will be tight. Some will be loose. Lengths will be better.
Try it. May be good enough for your purposes.
 
Must not be as anal as me! :)

I own EVERY "rocket shaped tool" and IMO they all suck. They all chatter. I swear my original Wilson had 5 staggered flutes and didn't skip around but I've either misplaced it (unlikely) or simply am dreaming.

I've also got all the long-taper tools and the K&M... they grab under power.

I've got 15 tools at the driver and currently am deburring the inside with a single flute tool and the outside with a clean file! My case driver is a small drill press laid on its side.

I'm waiting for the ultimate chamfer tool. Just bought a plastic sleeved tool last wk, cast plastic w/3 cast-in-place cutter blades.... gonna' give it a try.

al

Al, I've noticed that some cases will produce chatter with the chamfering tool, while others don't - likely due to differing hardness of the necks. I don't chamfer using power, just trim, and find that a light touch with the chamfering tool reduces chatter considerably. Not perfect, but better. The Lyman VLD chamfering tool doesn't seem to chatter, but I only use it after I've chamfered the mouths with the Wilson tool. When I use the K&M tool it's in my Wilson trimmer with a handle that I bought from someone on this forum (and whose name &c I cannot remember) that replaces the Wilson cutter and holds the K&M cutter. This handle/cutter holder allows it to be driven with a cordless driver and 3/8 drive socket that fits the hex end of the holder. I'm sure it wasn't designed for this, but it sure speeds up the operation and is easier on my arthritic fingers. Operated like this the K&M doesn't seem to chatter either.

When I chamfer cases I start with the Wilson tool, then the Lyman, then if I want to the K&M. This is sort of like the multiple angle valve grind used for high performance engines (in my feeble brain anyway), and bullets slide right into the case necks. Although the VLD chamfering tools are advertised as being the thing for VLD bullets they make seating flatbase bullets very smooth and easy especially if a lot of neck tension is being used.

Darrell Holland who sometimes advertises in PS has a spiral fluted VLD chamfering tool that might work well, but I've never tried it.

From probably 35 or more years ago I have a Lee chamfering tool which looks like it would never work, but does and doesn't seem to chatter since the inside chamfer is done with what looks like a saw slot through a cone. The edges of the slot do the cutting, and although it looks fairly cheesy it seems to work fairly well.
 
js ...

Well smart-mouth, I didn't see where he stated which part of the case he was trimming. Look up the dictionary definition of the word TRIMMING. It's listed there under the word TRIMMING!!!!

Here was your question: Are you asking about case length trimming or case neck turning?

My response was only to point out that it was trimming. Since you state under your name that you're senile, I was only trying to help out, in case there was a little truth to your statement. :)
 
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From probably 35 or more years ago I have a Lee chamfering tool which looks like it would never work, but does and doesn't seem to chatter since the inside chamfer is done with what looks like a saw slot through a cone. The edges of the slot do the cutting, and although it looks fairly cheesy it seems to work fairly well.

I just bought that unit :) They now come with a nice knurled AL handle over the old wood...... I kinda' liked the wood.

I gave mine away yrs ago because I thought it looked "cheap" and I was all about fine tooling. Now I can see that it's about the best design going and have a brandy new one setting iun the package on my counter. Eager to try it again!

LOL

al
 
chamf tool

Hi, Look at the 21 Century Shooting Inc. chamf. tool I deisgned it to cut brass. I have been grinding tools 40 yrs. it is a 10 tooth. Will work on 17-50 cal.
www.21stcenturyshooting.com
Thanks, John
 
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