persona non grata Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 The search function must have gotten squirrelly on me, b/c punching in "rcbs case trimmer" got some funky results. Surfing through 5 pages here took a while. I already have the hand cranked (which sucks!) RCBS case trimmer. I was thinking about powering it up w/ their drill attachment, 8 dollars, or their motor unit (167 from Midway). How about their 3 way cutter? I'm just checking my options versus blowing 370 + buckaroos on a Giraud. I suppose the RCBS X-die would/could cut down on my case trimming needs, in that case, getting the drill converter might be a better, cheaper, and used only intermittenly option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbicatt Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 A couple of suggestions. 1) Get the Lee case trimmer setup. At about $8 and a power drill, it is all you should need. 2) The X die I use in 308 is pretty good, but it is best to start with cases trimmed to a uniform length. If they are then the X die works pretty well. Sometimes it will "round over" the shoulder of the case when the collet is just too much for the case neck. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styx Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 A couple of suggestions. 1) Get the Lee case trimmer setup. At about $8 and a power drill, it is all you should need. 2) The X die I use in 308 is pretty good, but it is best to start with cases trimmed to a uniform length. If they are then the X die works pretty well. Sometimes it will "round over" the shoulder of the case when the collet is just too much for the case neck.HTH I have two lathe type case trimmers, an old Pacific and an RCBS. Both of them suck, just in different ways. stubbicatt is right, the "El Cheapo" Lee trimmers on a drill are faster and more accurate than any other hand powered trimmer I've used. They're all I use now on the cases that I trim. Lee makes some very useful and innovative tools! Their trimmers are one of the best examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Ozinga Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 The search function must have gotten squirrelly on me, b/c punching in "rcbs case trimmer" got some funky results. Surfing through 5 pages here took a while.I already have the hand cranked (which sucks!) RCBS case trimmer. I was thinking about powering it up w/ their drill attachment, 8 dollars, or their motor unit (167 from Midway). How about their 3 way cutter? I'm just checking my options versus blowing 370 + buckaroos on a Giraud. I suppose the RCBS X-die would/could cut down on my case trimming needs, in that case, getting the drill converter might be a better, cheaper, and used only intermittenly option. The 3-way cutter is the best investment I have done to save time in years. Once you have set it up, it will trim camfer and debur the cases so you only handle them once instead of three times. A Giraud should be even faster, since you don't need the "shell holder" But since you already have the RCBS, the 3-way cutter is the best alternative. You can buy a small nut that fits the hand crank nut, is even cheaper than getting the $8,- attachment. As for the x-die, I can only find people who either like it or hate it.... I for one have decided not to invest in an x-die. Regards, Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_kahuna Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 +1 to Dick Ozinga's comments on the 3-way cutter... I have them for several rifle calibers and they make brass prep a snap. I also have the fully motorized RCBS trimmer. It works great and I really like mine. It is much faster than the manual Forster trimmer I started with. But, it's not perfect... when I started using it, I noticed that the brass case tries to "walk" up and out of the shellholder when the cutter head engages... this results the case mouth being cut non-perpendicular to the long axis of the case. Fear not, this is an easy problem to deal with... simply holds the case down in the shell holder with your left thumb while working the lever with your right. Just something to watch out for. I've never used a Giraud machine but have heard lots of good things about them. The Giraud does not seem to have the "case walk" problem mentioned above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persona non grata Posted July 12, 2007 Author Share Posted July 12, 2007 surfing through sinclair's websiite i found this: http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/catego...&type=store lookins like ya gots to buy this part two: http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi that holds your deburring and chamfering tool also, using an allen headed set scwer. no if'n ya had a drill press this thing might be the baum cuz it indexes off the case shoulder and you stick cases in just like the Giraud, the pencil sharpener way. or if you had a way to mount a drill or 3 pointed up you could have'n 'em all lined up and running and trim, then deburr, and then inside neck chamfer all lickety split assembly line like and be done w/ your case prep and tooss them in the ready to be primed, charged w/ powder, and bullet seated box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavex Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 I will be buying the complete Wilson/Sinclair setup by the end of the year. as well as a cordless screwdriver to power it. If I could I'd get a Giraurd, but it's too much money. The Sinclair one is just so much more accurate than the RCBS or any of the other ones that hold the case by the rim. It might be a tad slower, but it does a much better job if you are truly trying to get the best accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairtrigger Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Try the X-die. You will like it. On the down side, you need to trim the case before using the X-Die Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moredes Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 I've never read of anyone posting anything bad about the X-die. I love mine. I shoot .308 semi-autos, and that die has saved a lot of time. While it doesn't stop case stretching completely, it seems to "permanently" inhibit it to around .009". For those who may not know, common wisdom says that one can reload M1A-fired brass ~4 times, and then that lot of brass should be discarded because of the likelihood of case separations with further use. I'm on my 7th recycling--that is to say, 8th loading--the inner walls are absolutely fine, and show no signs of cracking or weakness. I check every case with the paper clip trick and visually inspect the outside of the case, too (but the paper clip is very reliable). The last thing I want is a surprise--when I find my first indication, I'll chuck the lot. I use them for silhouette, so 'supreme' accuracy isn't really an issue--on paper they're still holding 1.25 MOA anyway--not great for a Super Match, I know, but they started out at .75MOA. Case stretching has stopped at ~.007 - .009". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 I used to use the RCBScase trimmer chucked in a bench mounted drill press. You know, one of those inexpensive ones that cost like $150 at your local tool supply store. Now I use a Dillon case trimmer that I picked up in an estate sale a few years back. I like it better since it has an attachment for a vacuum cleaner for shavings. It still has the same issues, I still need chamfer the cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 moredes wrote: I check every case with the paper clip trick and visually inspect the outside of the case, too (but the paper clip is very reliable). What is this paper clip trick you speak of? PM sent, moredes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RePete Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 I have both the Lyman and RCBS trimmers setup for different calibers. The Lyman has the carbide cutter which is great. I don't trim often because I'm not supercharging the loads. I don't have a need for a power trimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moredes Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 Chills, PM sent. moredes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 PM received thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock-N-Ruin Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 It looks like I am going to try this.. http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/catego...&type=store that was posted above. Sinclair stuf is usually high end. I have a large floor standing JET drill press that I have been using with a primer pocket uniforming tool and recently started using the Lee $10.00 case trimmer. The one from Sinclair (Kwik Case Trimmer) is going to get ordered tomorrow!!! It looks like I won't have to use a shell holder at all and I can add the other part (link wouldn't come up) that deburrs (and maybe chamfers) the case mouth, it looks like it's time to stick the flash hole deburring tool in there also... I recently accepted the fact that my RCBS $100.00 case trim pro setup is a POS, it's got an alignment issue as there is some play in the Ram (wasn't that way when it was new) and the allen set screws tend to move also, so the ram will scoot forward a few thou if I don't check each case and catch it. When it was new it would cut perpendicular to the axis of the casing and give a nice square cut, now I can measure a .308 casing with Mitatoyo digital calipers from one direction and now it reads anywhere from 2.000", turn the casing 90 degrees and it'll read 2.020" I don't think that does much for accuracy!! I think I'll send it back to RCBS and see if they'll replace it. I have been thinking about the Giraud also as I have around 10K of once fired 5.56/.223 ... I am tempted to have all that brass processed!!!! Thanks for the link to the Sinclair page, I thought I'd been all over their page but I guess not... Thanks again, Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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