ThomasJ2772 Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 I'm about to begin reloading rifle ammunition (.223) for the first time and I’ve got a question before I buy. Knowing what you all know now, what case trimmer would you buy were you starting anew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 (edited) Thats easy.... Dillon put it on your progressive after decap/size die on a dedicated head. tumble the cases, then load em with a different head. jj ETA; Just so you know, with the Girard or Gracey you have to handle EACH case by putting it into the trimmer like a pencil sharpener (you get cramps in your hand/fingers from it, if you have arthritis, forget it, expcially when running a big batch). With the Dillon trimmer you just have to run the brass thru your progressive loader, you do not have to handle each case. And you do not have to debur or chamfer each case either when run them thru the Dillon... Edited December 29, 2010 by RiggerJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyNo! Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Giraud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Even easier! Time is money and money is time....That and hating rifle brass prep. http://www.scharch.com/products.php?cat=8 Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasJ2772 Posted December 29, 2010 Author Share Posted December 29, 2010 Even easier! Time is money and money is time....That and hating rifle brass prep. http://www.scharch.com/products.php?cat=8 Ha! Now that's one response I honestly didn't expect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjb45 Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 I run a 1050 and have two heads. With many thousands of pieces of brass, I purchased the Dillon Trimmer and Super Swage. It was the fastest way to get the brass in shape. It was worth the investment but never again. Some range brass is just crap even after going through all this trouble. I learned a very hard lesson at RM3G. I will only use LC brass for important matches. fc/FC is not so reliable for me. In the future: for 223--Scharch. Way too easy. Buy LC. BTW: Sportsman Warehouse has some off the wall 223 ammo for 30 cents a round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 I use a Wilson case trimmer for rifle use. No collet or pilots to mess with, just case holders that work by the body taper. Quick to use with a crank handle or with power adaptors. By design, you get a perfectly square cut everytime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 If you have to do a lot of brass, the Dillon case trimmer is great. If you don't have to do a lot, I really like the Kwick Case trimmer from Possom Hollow. Get it with the power adapter and chuck it in a drill and have at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmd Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 +1 on the Giraud http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anachronism Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 I have a Gracey, so that's my favorite. I could barely afford it when I got it, and a Giraud was totally out of the question pricewise. I'm glad I bought it, because now I couldn't afford it if I had to buy another one. I added a Giraud carbide cutter & made a mighty brass trimming machine out of it. I do also have a Lyman power trimmer but only use it for odd calibers that I don't have Gracey adapters for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceU1 Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 If you don't have to do a lot, I really like the Kwick Case trimmer from Possom Hollow. Get it with the power adapter and chuck it in a drill and have at it. I use the Possum Hollow in a drill press that I spin as fast as it can (about 2000rpm), clean, square case mouths and very little cleanup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Kwiat Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Giraud. I have shell holder for .223 and .308/.260 -- swap shell holders & simple cutter adjustment. It's easy and does a great job. Plus, you get OD/ID chamfer to boot. FL or body resize before using the Giraud for most consistent results. JJ's correct, you handle each piece of brass but it's very easy (Maybe three seconds per case max, like sticking a pencil in a power sharpener). All the brass shavings are contained. I had a Dillon trimmer and sold it a year ago. Just wasn't for me primarily due to the noise. With the noise of the trimmer motor plus a vacuum/dust collector running, it reverberated through my entire house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaredr Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) Thats easy.... Dillon put it on your progressive after decap/size die on a dedicated head. tumble the cases, then load em with a different head. absolutely. buy an RT1200 and put it in a dedicated brass prep toolhead, deprime, resize, trim in one operation, then swap toolheads and perform all loading operations as a second pass. for 55gr fmj (or any boattail round), inside chamfering is not needed to seat the bullet and the RT1200's carbide cutter does a very nice job leaving a clean surface on the case mouth. i've gotten sub-moa ammo from this, so see no need for trimming off the press using a giraud (at least not for my needs). a quick search will turn up many threads on this approach with some detailed descriptions of what kit people are using for their brass prep toolhead. edited to add: ken does have a point above re: noise. when running .223 brass prep, i wear ear pro specifically because it is so loud wih both the trimmer and vaccuum running. on the other hand, i've got a shop where I don't need to worry about neighbors, etc. if you're in an apartment then this approach definitely may have some drawbacks for you Edited January 1, 2011 by jaredr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwoods Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Giraud I went half and half with a shooting buddy. We both reload for 223 (3gun) and then you just buy the additional calibers for your other high round count shooting guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidnal Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I have the Dillon and the Gracie. For bulk trimming it's hard to beat the Dillon trimmer on the 1050...along with the postness warren motor drive. Just add brass... It is loud, especially with the shop vac running, but I have my Ipod cranked with ear muffs on top....what noise?!? My theory is to make some noise and get it done fast. A couple of months ago I set it up and trimmed about 5000 brass over a couple of evenings. That will last a while... For serious precision rifle shooting the Gracie is more accurate but it is much slower. You use it like a pencil sharpener. Unfortunately the twisting motion aggravates my wrist pain so I have to limit its use. Both have their place on my bench! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) With the Dillon trimmer (I have 2, one for 223, one for 308) t takes me about 2 1/2 hours to go thru a 5 gallon Homer bucket of 223 brass...its sized AND trimmed and ready to load! Lets see you pencil sharpener guys do that! jj Edited January 1, 2011 by RiggerJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Kwiat Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 With the Dillon trimmer (I have 2, one for 223, one for 308) t takes me about 2 1/2 hours to go thru a 5 gallon Homer bucket of 223 brass...its sized AND trimmed and ready to load! Lets see you pencil sharpener guys do that! jj With the Giraud, no way for that kind of volume. I probably sit down with my 300-400 or so cases in front of the TV -- often a Broncos game where absolute focus on the game is not required . Like Sidnal said, the Giraud/Gracie really are the shit for LR stuff (although with neck sizing I don't trim all that often and it's probably 100 at a time). And, once I got it I use it for bulk .223 as well. But, no doubt you guys are rockin' & rollin' with the Dillon. Literally when I was running the Dillon with the dust collection on, you could hear it two stories up. No past 9PM trimming for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Og Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I love the Giraud trimmer but if you do a lot of trimming ,like a 3-gun shooter will have to do, it does wear on your hands. What I now do, and it is sort of expensive, is if I have a batch of once fired cases I single stage size and de-prime and then single stage trim them with a Dillon trimmer, whew, then I clean up the cases on the Giraud trimmer because it does a very nice job of deburring both the inside and outside of the case. Once you have the initial trimming out of the way,via the Dillon, it only takes a couple seconds a case with the Giraud to make some extremly consistent and beautiful cases then I run them in the tumbler one more time to get the lube off of them and then pour them in the 650. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Og, Try loading some brass trimmed with the Dillon without doing the debur/chamfer thing in the Gracey/Giraud, and shoot some groups with em. I think you will be plesantly surprised... jj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBets Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 For bulk processing and keeping handling of the brass to a minimum I have found no better than Dillon 1200 trimmer Bets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maineshootah Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) +1 on the Giraud http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm +1.. Easy, fast, trim AND chamfer. Edited January 14, 2011 by maineshootah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Athouse Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Ordered a Giraud trimmer recently. I'm hoping its all its supposed to be. I figure if its not what I had hoped it would be, I could sell it off. I don't see used ones for sale often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Athouse Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 The Giraud trimmer arrived. It does make quick work of the trimming and is very consistent. Still trying to decide if its worth the $450, but I think it will be in the long run. It looks like it will last a long time, and stand up to more use than I'm likely to put it through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestarbuck Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Lee Zip Trim!!... ....just kidding RT1200 for me! -Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron M Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Giraud trimmers are the only way to go. I trim LOTS of brass everyday and it is a life saver. I think of it as my brass pencil sharpener, it trims and chamfers at the same time. Not to mention the pretty uniform brass it spits out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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