mcracco Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I’m loading .223 on my single stage press as the volume isn’t there yet to justify setting up on my 1050. For trimming I went with Forsters 3-in1 cutting tool for my existing Forster Classic Trimmer. This tool makes a very nice cut and simultaneously chamfers the inside and outside of the mouth. Two problems; cranking that handle gets old fast and because the cutter indexes off the base the OAL was all over the place. Looking at other trimmer options: Giraud, $440 – No doubt the best trimmer out there but I can’t justify the price Dillon, $235 – Probably the only Dillon product I don’t like. Don’t want a press mounted trimmer and I’m not sure this thing de-burrs. Gracey, $300 – From what I read you have to modify it to get a good, speedy cut. Might as well get a Giraud That leaves the $69 World’s Finest Trimmer from Little Crow Gunworks. Two drawbacks; not powered and is trim only, no chamfering. Well, the trimmer is meant to be used with your existing hand drill and I have a few of those. De-burring and chamfering is an issue though. I always thought the $125 RCBS Case Prep station was a dopey product but it would kinda come in handy in this situation. So, I give $200 to MidwayUSA and this is what I have: I chuck up the WFT in a corded hand drill and mount horizontally in a bench vice. Hose clamp around the drill handle and trigger so I can set the speed with a screwdriver. RCBS Case Prep station comes with inside and outside trimmers so it is powered up and sitting on the bench next to the vice. Pickup up a case with the right hand and trim to length. Very fast and smooth. Shift trimmed case to left hand for inside and outside cuts then inside case brush to remove any chips (all on RCBS). Meanwhile right hand has already trimmed another case and is ready for hand off. With this operation I am getting a very precise OAL with a chamfered cut in about 6 seconds per case. No doubt the Giraud is a more elegant solution. But at half the price I think the WFT/RCBS combo will work well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKT1106 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I had a Dillon Trimmer that I used for .223 on my 550 for a coupl eof years. I was also shooting alot of AR rounds, so I could justify it. It was a little loud with both the trimmer and the vacuum running, but not too bad. It spun so fast, it made a nice clean trim, but, like you said, you still have to chamfer and knock the occasional burr down. Plus, if you had it in your basement or workshop, you needed a non-GFCI outlet to run the Trimmer because of it's AC to DC rectifier. I tripped the breaker alot because of that until I talked to Dillon. Forward to today. I no longer have the Dillon trimmer, but needed something to trim .308 brass without killing my fingers. I decided to order a WFT in .308 to try. This thing actually runs pretty well. It indexes off the shoulder, which is nice, but still needs chamfered and de-burred. I don't mind doing it by hand as I only run precision .308 rounds and like to do most things by hand. Overall - not a bad little trimmer for $69 and I will be picking one up for .223 in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbletap_ed Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I had a Dillon Trimmer that I used for .223 on my 550 for a coupl eof years. I was also shooting alot of AR rounds, so I could justify it. It was a little loud with both the trimmer and the vacuum running, but not too bad. It spun so fast, it made a nice clean trim, but, like you said, you still have to chamfer and knock the occasional burr down. Plus, if you had it in your basement or workshop, you needed a non-GFCI outlet to run the Trimmer because of it's AC to DC rectifier. I tripped the breaker alot because of that until I talked to Dillon. Forward to today. I no longer have the Dillon trimmer, but needed something to trim .308 brass without killing my fingers. I decided to order a WFT in .308 to try. This thing actually runs pretty well. It indexes off the shoulder, which is nice, but still needs chamfered and de-burred. I don't mind doing it by hand as I only run precision .308 rounds and like to do most things by hand. Overall - not a bad little trimmer for $69 and I will be picking one up for .223 in the future. Wow thank you for passing on the info on the GFI in way that I now understand why people say you cannot use on that type of circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rod Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 (edited) I'm still on the fence about my WFT. I've been trying it out on .223 but I can't get the consistent OAL that others seem to be able to get. Still working with it though. Edited September 9, 2012 by Dirty Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 I have one on order for my 308s. We'll see just how finest, finest can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lebayer Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Finally sprang for the Giraud. The pain of the high price is relatively short-lived! After a couple years, I hardly feel it and - as you say - it's a great tool. Thought of going in with a couple of others, to share cost and use but when it came time to order, I was the only one left standing. No matter. Have not regretted the purchase! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncopenshooter Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 (edited) The Giraud is cool, but have to say that for the money, I love my WFT from Little Crow Gunworks. Tried on the advice of a friend and it's great. ETA: Yeah, there's two extra steps of chamfering and deburring, but I have the Sinclair drill adapter for a RCBS chamfer tool and you can knock them out REALLY fast to where it's not more than like a couple of minutes for a hundred. Edited October 2, 2012 by ncopenshooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonb. Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 How about a hollow possum's tool? Does that tool chamfer and deburr or does that work similar too the WFT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drysideshooter Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Finally sprang for the Giraud. The pain of the high price is relatively short-lived! After a couple years, I hardly feel it and - as you say - it's a great tool. Thought of going in with a couple of others, to share cost and use but when it came time to order, I was the only one left standing. No matter. Have not regretted the purchase! +1. I have been very happy with my Giraud, and their customer service is great. I figure it's a case of "buy once, cry once". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Finally sprang for the Giraud. The pain of the high price is relatively short-lived! After a couple years, I hardly feel it and - as you say - it's a great tool. Thought of going in with a couple of others, to share cost and use but when it came time to order, I was the only one left standing. No matter. Have not regretted the purchase! +1. I have been very happy with my Giraud, and their customer service is great. I figure it's a case of "buy once, cry once". Another happy user...... Every step you take is more time spent and ..... Time is money..... The Dillon just never really got there for me...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I have a WFT for .223 and a Possum Hollow trimmer for .308. Neither one deburrs the cases but they both do a good job of trimming once you get the length set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonb. Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I have a WFT for .223 and a Possum Hollow trimmer for .308. Neither one deburrs the cases but they both do a good job of trimming once you get the length set. Do you prefer one over the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I actually prefer the WFT over the Possum Hollow trimmer. The WFT has an inner sleeve that rotates, whereas the Possum Hollow doesn't and it leaves a ring around the brass where the opening rubs the case. It doesn't hurt anything, it just leaves them looking a little scuffed. As far as actual performance I can't tell any difference in the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rod Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 I've got a WFT for .223 that I'll sell for $55 shipped. No more than 150 cases trimmed with it. Just prefer my RCBS trimmer. I've also got one in 7.62x39 may have never been used. If it has I doubt it's cu more than 20 cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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