August 12th, 2023

Saturday Movies: The Art and Science of Case Trimming

powder manual case trimming cartridge length trimming henderson wilson lyman giraud gavin gear erik cortina ultimate reloader

A good case trimmer is an essential tool for precision hand-loading. To ensure consistent loads, you want your cases to be the exact same length. Today’s Saturday Showcase features five trimming tools, both powered and manually operated, that can trim your sized brass with great precision. In addition, some of these tools will also chamfer case necks inside and out. The powered case trimmers will save you considerable time (and effort) when working will large batches of brass.

Lead photo shows the Henderson Gen 2 trimmer from Panhandle Precision video review.

Henderson Gen 3 Power Trimmer — Ultimate Reloader Review

Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com has tested the impressive Henderson Gen 3 (V3) Trimmer. You’ll find a full write-up on Gavin’s website, and you can watch Gavin’s 18.7-minute video review above.

Gavin states: “The Henderson Gen 3 case trimmer is built on an adjustable tri-trim 3-way cutter with different pilots to accommodate different case necks. Three-way cutters trim to length and chamfer the inside and outside all at once. This trimmer has a 1700 RPM spindle and a custom DC motor made in the USA. The Henderson trimmer works much like a milling machine. You do not need much torque because of the way the taper works. The Henderson Gen 3 trimmer delivered outstanding cartridge length consistency after trimming. This trimmer is fast and easy to use and most importantly, returns consistent results.”

CLICK HERE for Henderson Gen 2 Trimmer video review, which shows how to how to set trim length and change cutter heads, using 6.5×47 Lapua, .260 Remington, and .300 Winchester Magnum cases.

Giraud Power Case Trimmer — Full Review by Erik Cortina

In this video, Erik Cortina of CortinaPrecision.com offers some very clever and useful tips that will help you get the most from your Giraud powered case trimmer. The Giraud trimmer is very precise. When set up correctly, it can trim brass with amazing consistency.

Erik Cortina power case trimmer Giraud

In the video, Erik trims 5 pieces of brass in 15 seconds (6:32 mark). He then measures all five with precision calipers (7:00-8:08). All lengths are exact within .0005 (half a thousandth). Erik notes that the Giraud trimmer indexes off the case shoulder. As long as you have fire-formed brass with consistent base-to-shoulder dimensions, you should get very consistent trim lengths.

Lyman Powered Case Trimmer Review

The Lyman Case Trim Xpress is an efficient, precise unit that allows easy adjustment of trim length with a click-adjustable collar. The trimmer comes with a set of cartridge-specific bushings that index off the case shoulder. One nice feature is a variable speed control. For the price, $146.20 on Amazon, this trimmer delivers excellent performance. To see more details, check out F-Class John’s video review of the Lyman Case Trim Xpress which shows set-up and operation.

Frankford Arsenal Universal Case Trimmer (for Power Drills)

This video features a handy tool that attaches to a portable drill. Used with various diameter collets, this can trim most popular sizes of shouldered brass. The universal collet system indexes on case shoulders for precise and consistent trimming (this does NOT work with straight-walled cartridges). The built-in depth micrometer allows for quick and precise micro-adjustments. There is a handy brass shaving ejection port. The system works well, particularly if you can stabilize your power drill in one position. This Frankford Arsenal trimmer, under $65.00 on Amazon, is an affordable alternative to the top-end powered case trimmers. It comes with a handy plastic case that holds the trimmer and collets.

L.E. Wilson Manual Case Trimmer

L.E. Wilson, makers of hand dies, case trimmers and other precision reloading tools, has videos whoe Wilson stainless steel case trimmer with micrometer adjustment (photo below). The first video explains the operation of the Wilson trimmer and shows how to initially assemble the tool, attach the handle, and set the cut length.

This second video shows how to set up the stainless Wilson trimmer with micrometer cut-length control. The micrometer feature allows you to set the cartridge overall trim length with great precision. If you are trimming a variety of different cartridge types, the micrometer cut length control comes in very handy.

BONUS Video: How Important is Consistent Case Length?

This Primal Rights video explains why it is important to maintain precise case lengths if you want best accuracy and most consistent ES/SD. You’ll want to size your cases BEFORE trimming if your trimmer indexes off the case shoulders.

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