One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

Can anyone give me a good reason of why I shouldnt just go ahead and buy a Lee set up and be done with it? Ive considered the Wilson, Forster and Hornady but they all just seem awfully overpriced for what they are. Price isnt really an issue but I hate to spend that much more for such a neglible gain.


I may be off base asking this question so maybe some of you long timers can set me straight on this one. Remember Im still wet behind the ears here on rolling my own. Thanks in advance :D

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

There's nothing wrong with the Lee case length gauge and cutter. The only drawback is that you need to have a gauge for each cartridge. I used to use them for everything, I have since decided that I like to trim the cases manually for rifle cartridges, but for pistol, 38, 357 and 45 I set up the gauge on the RCBS power station. Trim, chamfer and clean the primer pocket all at one shot. No handling each case three different times.

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

The Lee setup is not near as precise as "conventional case trimmers, fixed in 1 length only, and not near as versatile as the combo trimmers. With the RCBS case station for example, you can do any kind of case work needed except tumbling such as chafmering, cleaning primer pockets, uniforming primer pockets and other operations. With the Lee, they are all separate steps and have to be done 1 at a time with different case tools.

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

I use the Lee case trimmers. I liked the price. Wasn't a massive reloader over the years. Only loaded so many calibers.

And I always seemed to reload faster than I shot. I payed for my reloading costs, many times over.

Different people need different equipment. If you had a bakery that made 200 loaves of bread a day, and the guy across town made thousand and thousands of loaves, they'd need different equipment doing basically the same task.

That's how I look at reloading.

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

I've used the Lee trimmers with good results, but I also have a Forster trimmer that I use too. The advantage of the Lee trimmer is that you get comsistant lengths without setup hassles. They are great for small batches and make touch-up trimming very easy without having to try to resetup the Forster to get the same length as before. The drawback is that the Lee trimmers don't provide any flexibility in trim length, and they index from the inside of the case at the opening of the flashhole. I found that I got great results only when I had uniformly deburred the flashholes before trimming. If the flashholes were not deburred, the trimmer can index on any burr that may exist around the flashhole and give longer than desired results. The Forster (and similar trimmers) index off the base of the case, making the case length consistant once the trimmer is set for the desired length. Another drawback to the Lee trimmer is that it requires separate pilots specific to each cartridge because the pilot both centers/squares the neck and controls length rather than the caliber specific interchangable pilots common to other trimmers. If you load only popular and common cartridges (like the .30-06 family, .308 Win family, 7mm Rem Mag etc...), then you won't have a problem using Lee trimmers as the are readily available. If you load less common cartridges (like the 257 Wby Mag, for example), the trimmer pilot is not available so I must use my Forster for which I have the full set of shell holder collets and pilots.

Mike

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

I use the Lee hand trimmer.Actually all my reloading gear is Lee.Probably not the best choice if you need to trim a lot of cases but it's fine for my needs.Can't beat the price!

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

I have a Forster and a Lyman. Both are excellent. My Forster is over 45 years old, and is as good as new. Well worth the price.

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

I have two Forsters. One for standard cases, and one set up for 45/70 which requires a different head and collet.To simplify case set-up when switching from one cartridge to another, I keep dummy brass that is set to trim-to length for that cartridge. It only takes a matter of a moment or two to change length to the dummy case and change the pilot if needed. I have checked the newly trimmed lenghts often with calipers and don't think I've ever found a freshly-trimmed case that wasn't right on the money using the dummy to set the trimmer up with.

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

Lee case trimmers work. Lee trimmers are inexpensive. I'm cheap. I like that.

I reload. I'm not into the heavy manufacture of reloaded cartridges. The trimmers are fast enough for me. I've done the trimming, while watching TV. And doing something during the commercials never hurt me.

Personally, I never needed one of those high price trimmers. Some people need high priced stuff. It makes them feel good. I never had quite that flaw in my nature.

RE: One last dumb question about case trimmers...
 

Valentine......If you like the Lee trimmer, by all means use it. You also need to know some people on here have been reloading long before you were pooping yellow and have come to appreciate some of the better equipment. Your sarcasm speaks for your inexperience.