ghawk249 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I have the Dillon 550 and load only pistol. I have accumulated brass, bullets, and powder it seems in the nick of time with the latest panic. My question concerns the additional equipment I will need. Also any good sources of info to help me get started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdbyrne79 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 A good case trimmer is a must. I use a Worlds Finest Trimmer mounted in a drill press. It's very quick and accurate. You'll need a primer pocket swager for military brass. In my opinion the military brass is worth the extra step. It's good stuff and plentiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rod Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) I assume you have a good scale, check weights, and several reloading manuals. Those are almost as important as the press itself. The Hodgdon web site is also a good place for reloading data. Edited March 2, 2015 by Dirty Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igolfat8 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 What is the worlds finest trimmer??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Miles Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 What is the worlds finest trimmer??? Here ya go! http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/shop.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdbyrne79 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 It works great if you have a spare drill press laying around. Very quick and accurate. I don't think I'd be so pleased with it if I were using it with a cordless drill like in some of the videos though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rod Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 It works great if you have a spare drill press laying around. Very quick and accurate. I don't think I'd be so pleased with it if I were using it with a cordless drill like in some of the videos though. That was my experience. Lots of folks like it but it wasn't for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kostner Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Have used this trimmer for a few years and am happy with the performance & price. https://www.possumhollowproducts.com/KWICK_CASE_TRIMMERS.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeandmirrors Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 This is a great trimmer for high volume .223 loading. http://www.giraudtool.com/Tri%20Way%20Trimmer.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeandmirrors Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I should add that it chamfers and deburrs as it trims case length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauntedfuture Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I have had a Giraud for about 14 years or so and its still going strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naim Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 My advice. Sell the components and buy factory ammo. Reloading .223 stinks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowfin Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 The money you save on 69's, 77's, and varmint rounds well justifies reloading .223. As for 55's, well, it's in the eye of the beholder. As for swaging primer pockets, it's not just military only. Wolf Gold, some Privi, PMC X-tac, and a few others crimp, and a lot of Federal is what you might call semi crimped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zzapp Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 (edited) This is a great trimmer for high volume .223 loading. http://www.giraudtool.com/Tri%20Way%20Trimmer.htm So you have to buy a $90.00 unit for each caliber? Edited May 4, 2015 by Zzapp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I'd suggest buying brass, there are a number of site members who sell prepped brass. Pick one who advertises Lake City brass and it will usually have been sized, trimmed to length and the crimp removed. You can load them a number of times without needing trimming and the crimp only needs to be removed one time. You will need to resize each time but doing this will keep you from buying additional equipment. Later, if you desire, you can accumulate equipment at a leisurely pace if you should decide you wish to do all the case prep yourself. Usually the same people selling the brass will prep yours for you for a reasonable fee if you have some that needs trimming, crimp removal, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igolfat8 Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Due to this thread I purchased the "World's Finest Trimmer" and it works GREAT! I started out using it in a battery operated drill but then I put it in my drill press and I can trim brass in a blink of an eye, literally. Yes, its a trimmer dedicated to a particular caliber which is fine by me. I purchased a $9.00 primer pocket reamer from Midway, mounted it in a battery powered drill and it works like a champ removing the stake marks in the few crimped brass I come across. Its a much cheaper alternative compared to a $90.00 swager. Another valuable tool for a noobie IMO is a Wilson case gauge. It will help you set up your sizing die with speed and precision. The other end of the gauge will allow you to quickly check your brass to let you know if the case needs trimmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Due to this thread I purchased the "World's Finest Trimmer" and it works GREAT! I started out using it in a battery operated drill but then I put it in my drill press and I can trim brass in a blink of an eye, literally. Yes, its a trimmer dedicated to a particular caliber which is fine by me. I purchased a $9.00 primer pocket reamer from Midway, mounted it in a battery powered drill and it works like a champ removing the stake marks in the few crimped brass I come across. Its a much cheaper alternative compared to a $90.00 swager. Another valuable tool for a noobie IMO is a Wilson case gauge. It will help you set up your sizing die with speed and precision. The other end of the gauge will allow you to quickly check your brass to let you know if the case needs trimmed. For anyone later following along and reading the above, there is a 'WFT2' which takes caliber specific inserts - works out cheaper than one caliber specific WFT per caliber loaded.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgrs Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I now load almost all of my 5.56. I started with a single stage press and lee trim kit, and now use an XL650 with case prep toolhead and loading toolhead. The prep toolhead uses a universal decapper, size/trim die with RT1200 trimmer, and a threaded sleeve to keep the shellplate level. The loading head uses a backed up sizing die with carbide expander, powder die, seat die, and (optional) crimp die. With this, I do not have to handle individual brass other than to (optional) chamfer case necks I load two bullet weights- 77gr with TAC and 55gr with H335. I chamfer case necks for 77gr and 55gr flat base, but do not for 55gr BT. By the time it has gone through the RT1200, tumbled, and the neck expanded, seating does not shave jackets even without chamfering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekratman Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 So, have any people tried both the WFT and the Giraud? I was tempted to get a RT1200 off ebay or something, but now I am thinking it might be pretty easy to set up a motor with one of the two above... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgj3 Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 The Giraud is one of the nicest out there, but its fairly pricey... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekratman Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I'm thinking I could just chuck it to a cheap drill press: http://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-speed-bench-drill-press-62390.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdbyrne79 Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I moved my Ryobi benchtop drill press from my carpentry shop to my loading bench and put the WFT in it. It's great. Easily the quickest and most precise trimmer that I've ever used. I did close to 1000 223 cases just last night. It's actually really handy to have the drill press on the bench. I put neck brushes in it, reamers, chamfer & deburring tools, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 So, have any people tried both the WFT and the Giraud? I was tempted to get a RT1200 off ebay or something, but now I am thinking it might be pretty easy to set up a motor with one of the two above... Still have a WFT, but bought the Giraud. The WFT isn't bad at all, but needs to be properly supported to avoid finger cramps / blisters/ time wasted - meaning do whatever you have to to connect it to a stable, solidly mounted drill/power source. I'd clamp a drill to the workbench, then lock the drill trigger on. The WFT cuts fairly well, but does not chamfer or de-burr. I haven't seen too much brass coming out of it very clearly needing to be de-burred/chamfered, but I did it anyways, and some pieces did need it. The Giraud on the flip side, is stable, can be mounted vertically or horizontally, and deburrs and chamfers while it trims. It also allows you to buy the cutter head + case holder w/lock ring that lets you swap calibers and generally not need to re-set trim depth. If you need to be careful budget-wise and are only needing to trim for one caliber, maybe two - look at the Giraud Tri-Way, which lets you use a drill, does trim/chamfer/deburr in one step, but - is for a single caliber. If more calibers than two, I'd consider a WFT2 + caliber inserts + debur/chamfer by hand, or the 'full' Giraud trimmer. YMMV as always, but you'll probably note it's a rarity to see a Giraud trimmer coming up for sale anywhere used... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcoz Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 There are all kinds of choices for trimmers and other various case prep tools. My advice would be to read the rifle reloading sections in whichever manuals you have, read the forums, especially here, thehighroad.org, ar15armory.com and watch a bunch of YouTube videos, paying particular attention to case prep. Then you can start to make some decisions about equipment. Good luck. I enjoy rifle reloading (.223, 300 BLK, .30-06, 7.5x55 Swiss) much more than pistol reloading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonytheTiger Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Oooh 7.5 swiss! My favorite old cartridge. Are you modifying GP11 brass or using new stuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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