Trimming the 6BR, 6PPC and 22BR cases

S

STBE Harris

Guest
I need to trim the case lengths of 6BR, 6PPC and the 22BR brass. I really like the Lee trimmers and pilots
but I dont think they make them for these cases at least the last time I looked. I have a Forrester
collet lathe type trimmer but it is tedious, slow, needs a place to be set up and sometimes it seems to give me good bit of variance in case length (I can see it wobble a little) it is also not easily put to a power source. The Lee's are easily attached to a variable speed drill. I would like to get something that is fast, not too expensive and easy to use. The Lee pilots and cutters take up little space. I have used a 223 Rem Lee cutter and pilot to trim thousands of rounds. I also have a cutter that I use on my bench gun brass 6X47 (on 222 mag case) that indexes off the shoulder it is pretty neat but dont remember who makes(d) them. Any suggestions? Thank you STBE
 
Most don't use trimmers that use pilots. The best trimmer is the Wilson that holds the case by it's body. Case holders are bought per cartridge, or your smith can make one from a barrel drop with the chamber reamer. And you can get a cutter that is driven by a drill if that's what you want. You have to de-burr the case mouth regardless.
 
Trimmers that use collets don't seem to hold every case the same due to slight variations in case head diameter. They do not hold each case perpendicular to the cutter face. The Lee guides against the case web not the head of the case resulting in uneven lengths. The Wilson holds the case body straight and indexes off the back of the case for exact length every time. Their BR case holder works for all BR brass and the PPC holder works for all PPC family of brass.
 
STBE, There is a new on that goes into a drill motor that is similar to a Possum Hollow but it has ball bearings.
Maybe someone might remember, it is new.
Then there is the Giraud and Forster makes a unit for a drill motor.
Centerfire
 
Thank you for your replies. Questions on the Wilson it looks a lot like the Forster. It sounds like instead of having a pilot that is caliber specific this one grasps the case outside walls is that correct? Also sounds like there may be a case specific shell holder to buy not a biggie if using the 30-06 case head but I am assuming that for say PPC, or 6X47, 223, 300WSM you have to buy another holder? Also looks like it needs a place on your table to bolt down or like I've done with the Forster I've bolted it to a board that I can clamp to my table or other plaaces. How do you power up this unit and what is the source? Around $50 for trimmer is that complete for one caliber what else do you need? Will look into the WFT trimmer too.
Thank you
 
Power is not needed for case trimming since you are only trimming a few thousands off and only doing this infrequently. The turning handle on the Wilson is like sharpening a pencil, only a few turns needed. The Wilson trimmer can also be used to chamfer or ream the inside of the neck precisely with the proper accessories. A power adapter from Wilson is available. The case holder perfectly aligns the case but specific case holders are needed. I would think meplats could be trimmed the same way.
 
zimmden said:
Power is not needed for case trimming
Click to expand...
When you are prepping 50 pieces of brass for neck turning it requires you get them the same length. Most neck turners index off the case mouth for how far down the neck they turn. This tires the heck out of my old hands therefore I very much like a power adapter. I agree the hand crank is usually all that is needed for touching up fired cases .

Dick
 
I have a power adapter for my Wilson. It works just fine. Back in the day, when I used a trimmer that used pilots, I seem to remember that it had a tendency to mark the insides of case necks with trimmings that got jammed between the neck and the pilot. When I got my Wilson, one of the first things that I noticed was that this was no longer an issue, since they don't use pilots.
 
Lou made a good point that the case mouth is the first "crown" that the bullet must pass. We get really anal about the crown of the barrel having a perfect edge so that the bullet is not upset by combustion gases blowing by one side more than the other. Yet most of us chamfer case mouths by hand, with nothing to make sure the tool is aligned with the axis of the mouth, and to a depth that is uncontrolled other than by look and feel. Take a look at your chamfers under a microscope or loupe and see for yourself. Are they consistent? Might it not be better to use a procedure that ensures that the cases are not only trimmed to a consistent length, but that the inside and outside chamfers are the same from case to case?

That is why I like the Forster and RCBS 3-way trimmers that do all three operations simultaneously. The inside and outside chamfer depths are adjustable, and once set to your liking, each case mouth is cut the same.
 
No case trimmer even comes close to the Wilson for 20 or so cases. High power guys use the power trimmers as more cases are involved. Go the extra cash and get a stand with toggle clamp (sheet metal clamp) for the Wilson to make life easier.
 
Wilbur said:
No case trimmer even comes close to the Wilson for 20 or so cases.
Click to expand...

To be perfectly honest this thread cost me about $150 as I bought a Wilson (stainless micrometer model) with a couple of case holders and a stand , and I must say I am impressed.
 
Not the subject but Y'all have seen and used one of those case mouth deburring tools that looks like a little bomb - Wilson makes one of the best. They have a little rod that sticks out of the "outside" cuttin' end that seems to do absolutely nothing. Well...try to use one that's missing that little do nothing doomer. Talk about visual aids!
 
I've had one of those deburrers for for more years than I can remember. Mine still has the rod, but I can't ever recall where I thought the case mouth even touched it.
 
Your exactly right Wilbur.
Bought one without it by accident, bad mistake.
So bought another with and 2 holders for the drill and use the pointy end of the one without the rod in one and the good end on the other.
 
Any one ever have a crooked wilson shell holder for the trimmer?
I noticed the last few years the one I was using seemed to trim one side of the case and not the other but I was always trimming at very minimal growth.
I tried rotating the case holder thinking the hole was skewed or off center and that it should clean up the case. Then I tried rotating the case and no effect either.
Yesterday I dug out another one I had with the inside chamfer tool. I noticed it seemed to hit the bottom of the case mouth more than the top so I rotated the holder about 3 times and it seemed uniform.
I checked and it seems that the chamfer tool touches the bottom before of the case mouth before the top so it may be a separate issue.
 
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