Favorite Case Trimmer

[Aaron M]

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.

[Warhammer4k]

One nice thing about the Giraud is that it indexes trim length off the case shoulder, rather than the case head. That can be good, because some cases may have nicks/other irregularities that can throw off trim length a little if you're indexing from the case head. Also, varying brands of brass may have slightly different dimensions, e.g. rim thickness, meaning that you trim two cases to the same overall length but, due to that variation, the headspace is actually a bit different. Then again, you should be using something like the Stoney Point/Hornady headspace tool to check where your sizing die is putting the shoulder, so as to avoid that issue.

I'm going to defeat my own argument by saying I went with the Hornady Case Prep Center. It's a sort of dedicated drill press. So why did I get the Hornady CPC? For starters, it was way cheaper. ~$300 for the CPC, and around $4 each (for an appropriate Hornady shell holder) to trim different cartridges. With the Giraud, I'd have been out $425+ shipping, plus $90 for two additional cutting heads for the two other cartridges I load in addition to .223 Rem. So we're already up over $500. I decided I could put the difference to good use elsewhere.

And now I'm going to attack the argument I just made by acknowledging that yes, the Hornady CPC is somewhat slow. The Giraud is pretty darn quick. But...I'm not in that much of a hurry. My combined stock of .223 brass is around 2500 cases (about 1500 Lake City + 1000 Remington), a few hundred 7.62x39, and 1000 .308 Winchester. So that's around 4000 pieces of brass, total. I load single-stage, so I don't go through brass all that quickly anyway.

I considered the Dillon Rapid Trim 1200B. I dispensed with it almost immediately, because I'd basically have to buy TWO of the things at $229 each to trim both .223 and 7.62x39. And then there are the special trim dies needed for each cartridge ($47-$54), the shell plates for my press ($60), plus a Shop Vac to suck away the brass shavings (~$30). I was north of $600 with that solution. Yeah...no.

I still have an RCBS rotary case trimmer, not the newer Trim Pro but the older one. It was slow as molasses, and for some reason I got variable trim lengths if I used a power drill to drive it (which was never really satisfactory) vs. turning it by hand.

I use RCBS X-dies to load .223 and .308, so I probably won't be trimming my cases more than once (except maybe 7.62x39). This is another reason I didn't want to lay out for the Giraud or Dillon options. No sense in paying top dollar to rapidly trim a bunch of brass, then never need it again.

eta;

I think the OP meant to ask about the Hornady Case Prep Center. The Hornady Lock-n-Load Case Prep Assistant (http://www.hornady.com/store/Lock-N-Load-Case-Prep-Assistant-110-220-Volt) merely chamfers/deburrs/cleans primer pockets. It does not trim brass.

Edited April 4, 2011 by Warhammer4k

[njl]

I have no experience with the others, so I can't say which is best. I wanted something that would do both .30 carbine and .223, so that eliminated all of the ones commonly regarded as best.

I got the RCBS TrimPro Power. I've only trimmed a couple hundred .30 carbine cases on it. It trims (and with the 3-way cutter chamfers and deburs at the same time) in about the time it takes to resize/deprime a case...so when I use it, I have it clamped to the bench right next to the press.

Keep in mind with the Dillon, I think you're supposed to have a vacuum hooked up to it sucking the shavings away. Seems like that'd be awfully noisy.

[Warhammer4k]

Keep in mind with the Dillon, I think you're supposed to have a vacuum hooked up to it sucking the shavings away. Seems like that'd be awfully noisy.

Indeed you do. The noise, together with the added expense of buying a Shop Vac just for the 1200B, was a turnoff, along with the factors I listed above.

I don't expect to trim most of my brass more than once because of the RCBS X-dies, so the blue Kool-Aid didn't seem worth the investment from any angle.

[Mush from PA.]

I have not used other cutters. I load for 200 plus yard groundhog hunting in the 204 ruger and 223 rem. I also hunt Penna. whitetail with a 7mm-08. My trimmer is for accuracy so I use the Wilson trimmer. The shell holder keeps the case square on the cutter and it trims each case the same length. I also load 30 carbine (that head spaces on the case OAL so it must be correct). The Wilson cuts the thick 30 Carbine case with little effort. If you want fast and cheap go on Possum Hollow products and look at their 223 case trimmer. Check it out on U-tube.

[Larry D]

I have used the Accutrim.....Lotta work.

The Redding was better, but still a lotta work.

The RCBS is next on the block.

I figure I'll eventually wind up with a Dillon...........

[Younger]

I have not used other cutters. I load for 200 plus yard groundhog hunting in the 204 ruger and 223 rem. I also hunt Penna. whitetail with a 7mm-08. My trimmer is for accuracy so I use the Wilson trimmer. The shell holder keeps the case square on the cutter and it trims each case the same length. I also load 30 carbine (that head spaces on the case OAL so it must be correct). The Wilson cuts the thick 30 Carbine case with little effort. If you want fast and cheap go on Possum Hollow products and look at their 223 case trimmer. Check it out on U-tube.

+1 on the Wilson trimmer. Accurate and repetable for accurate rifle ammo.

[njl]

I have used the Accutrim.....Lotta work.

The Redding was better, but still a lotta work.

The RCBS is next on the block.

I figure I'll eventually wind up with a Dillon...........

With the RCBS Trim Pro Power, there's really no work involved other than setup. Then you're just standing there shuffling cases through it. As mentioned, I found I could multitask, and

1) resize a case

2) move it from the press to the trimmer

3) resize a case

4) remove trimmed case from the trimmer

5) goto 2

Otherwise, much time is wasted waiting on the trimmer.

[Boxerglocker]

Lovin my new Dillon RT1200 for .223 on my XL650. I just got if finally set-up yesterday and have trimed 1000 cases already in next to no time.

I'll add that I seriously considered the Giraud trimmer, can see it's advantages over others. However the one thing that put me off was having to handle each and every case. Last thing I want to be doing is physically handle the cases to trim.

Edited April 16, 2011 by Boxerglocker

[George]

Gracey here :-)

[DCS44256]

Giraud, best there is

[427Cobra]

I use a Giraud, I use Forster Hornady lock rings for the shell holders, I switch between 223 260 and 308 with no loss in adjustment, and of course I have a cutting head for each caliber.

[Blurryvisions]

possum hollow! cheap and efficient!

[g56]

No contest, the Giraud!

[LPatterson]

Retired on social security so it is a Lee. Time may be money but it is hard spending it.

[frankge]

use the Lee and my drill

[Boxerglocker]

Crap... doubletap.

Edited June 30, 2011 by Boxerglocker

[Boxerglocker]

No contest, the Giraud!

Just watching that video, puts me off preparing .223 brass... Sorry, but for me nothing beats the efficiency of the RT1200B.

Edited June 30, 2011 by Boxerglocker

[gabeechman]

I use the Dillon 1200 and the Giraud. For some hoser ammo, I may just trim with the 1200, but the Giraud is extremely fast at prepping the case mouths if they've already came off the 1200.

[assaulter]

I used a possum hollow for some time. It is a great tool for the price. Now I have a Giraud and won't look back.