I'm looking into getting a case trimmer and would like to know everything I can about them.
Your Favorite
What to look for
How much are they worth
Are they worth having
and anything else I should know about it

Thanks everyone

Are they worth havingYes... If you are going to be loading rifle brass then they are definitely worth having. As your brass gets used over and over, it is going to grow a bit and there is a maximum length that you don't want to exceed.
As to which one to buy, I'm still using my old hand crank one, but they have many good motorized ones now. I'm sure one of the other guys can recommend which one of those may be the best.

Before settling on a particular case trimmer you first need to anticipate a few items. Will you be trimming wildcated cases or just factory chamberings? How much shooting do you do at a sitting? How many different chamberings?

If factory chamberings and low volume shooting then the Lee setup is most cost effective and practical method. Higher volumns of use then you can either use drill with the Lee or upgrade to some other type of motorized trimmer.

Personally use above methods and for major trimming of wildcat chamberings use a drill press with Forester setup. Whichever method you choose you will need two other items--a good micrometer and a loading manual for specs. Most use a caliper type of micrometer with either digital or dial indicating. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages.

Manuals are another field entirely. You get good coverage with most main stream manuals but some others are narrow in there coverage.

I bought a Lyman "Universal" case trimmer 30 years ago (wow, time flys!) because it got a good review in the Rifleman and I have never felt they led me wrong. I like its case holder design; doesn't use collets. And it comes with 9 of the most popular neck pilots as part of the package. And Lyman has several accessories that can be used for different tasks. And it's pretty easy to set to length after you get the feel of its adjustment nut. The Universal shell holder indexes the case head hard against a solid steel stud and that makes for more consistant trim lengths than those which use either collets or press shell holders to secure the cases.

Hailstone pretty well summed it up. I don't shoot wildcats and all my trimmers are Lee's. Even if you have a wildcat Lee will make you a trimmer if the base of the case will fit one of his standard case holders for a reasonable cost if you send them two new fired cases. the last time I had that done (on an 8mm remington mag) it cost about 30 bucks. There regular case trimmers with a cutter are under 10 bucks.

These case trimmers are foolproof and like said can be put in a drill press for large batches of cases. Anything else you buy will cost much much more and is not near as easy to use.

I bought the Wilson case trimmer about a month ago and so far I'm very impressed. I love how such a simple design can sometimes be one of the most effective ways to do things. The cases are squared with the cutting head every time through the use of the Wilson shell holders and it seems more sturdy than the designs like RCBS puts out. Length adjustments are made by turning a bolt that acts as the case stop(the base of the shell rests against the bolt).

I just clamp mine into a vise that I have and go to town. I guess the only drawback would be that you have to have a shellholder for every caliber that you trim (4.95 each from sinclairs). Not sure how much the Lee's are but I paid $45 for the Wilson and I think it is worth every penny.

I've been trying to wear out my Forster trimmer for 40 years and haven't done it yet. The way I see it, a Forster costs about as much as two custom Lee trimmers and you can adjust it to anything from .45 ACP to .375 H&H in a minute or two. Some new brass is coming considerably shorter than the normal minimum trim length. So you need two Lees if you want to even up this short brass and keep your long brass long.

Bye
Jack

I have my original RCBS from the early seventies that still trims brass just fine....with an electric drill, 10-32 allen head screw and an allen bit I made mine a "powered unit".
Found another one on ebay for $12 that was the upgraded RCBS with all the pilots. Now its powered too.

I suspect the Redding is good if you want the conventional casehead grasping bench type. I own both Lee's and the Wilson. With a bit of practice, the Wilson is simply faster than the Lee and makes the cleanest square cut I've seen. The basic Wilson is $31.50 without any case holders, and the holders are now up to $6.50. Those are Bruno Shooter's Supply prices. Sinclair is now higher, too, asking $35.75 for the basic unit and $7.65 for the case holders now. However, Sinclair also makes some nifty aluminum stands that make the Wilson easier to use. They also have a micrometer head replacement for the length bolt to speed repeatability.

By the way, it is not quite right that you need a separate holder for each chambering. A few of the holders cover several cases when they share a common parent case.

If you have a serious volume of one chambering to do, a Gracey or Giraud will be worth your time to own.

I'm with Jack Montieth -

Been using a Foster trimmer for the same 40 years and have yet to wear anything out. Thought the cutter may be getting dull, so ordered a new one several years ago. Still have yet to mount it as the old one just keeps on cutting and cutting.

Only gripe I have is some case rims don't quite fit and you have to find a compromise and really tighten down on the shell collet.

Only gripe I have is some case rims don't quite fit and you have to find a compromise and really tighten down on the shell collet.
Kdub, I drilled a hole in a small wooden handle that slips snugly on that steel rod on my Forster. It is much easier on the hands then that small rod they have for tightening the cases.

Good idea, qajaq - see if I can't rig something up. Got lots of dowel rods on the shelf from working barrel channels.

I use the Lee's in all of my calibers. Doesn't take much time with a variable speed drill. Had to special order a couple from Lee (I think that they were $19.00 each, including S&H) for my 219 Zipper and 356 Win. They work just fine.

Dan

I used to loathe trimming my brass. It was the only part of reloading that I didn't enjoy.

Since I got my RCBS trimmer pro, it's a heck of a lot more tolerable task.

They are pricey though. I paid around $180 if memory serves.

By the way, it is not quite right that you need a separate holder for each chambering. A few of the holders cover several cases when they share a common parent case.


Your right some case holders will work for more than one chambering, but the aren't as universal as some of the other designs. Some like the 204 require a different holder for new and fired brass.

If the cartridge does not have sufficient taper, a different Wilson case holder is required for fired and unfired cases, thus the 308 family of cartridges requires two Wilson case holders (compared with as many as six pilots for other trimmers), while the 30-06 family requires only one case holder.

Started with Lee. Then used a Lyman manual for years. Got tired cranking the handle. That was before they made them to use a drill with. Then got a Lyman electric trimmer. Had it about 20 years no trouble with it. Don't use it as much as I used to. Don' load much rifle but load a lot of 45's.

For those that do very large volumes of cases - 223 / 308 / 30.06, I use a Gracey trimmer. If I was to do it over again, I would get a Giraud, it has a better cutter and an overall better set up,but the Gracey works great. They are pricey, $300.00+, but once set up, they are FAST! Trim, ream,chamfer all in one pass. Several hundred cases an hour. Gracey and Giraud have web sites. For calibers that I do small batches (less than 100 cases) I use the Lyman power trimmer. Works pretty well. I cannot see going back to the hand cranked lathe type of trimmers. I use my Forester to ream military crimps out of primer pockets (they make a great reamer for that) and for neck turning.