Case trimming machine which is the best for the $ ?

Mike D Texas said:
I recently sold my Wilson micrometer trimmer. While it turned out consistent length brass my chamfer and deburring had to be done in a separate set of steps. Time is my most valuable thing so I will be upgrading to the Henderson very soon.
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Same here.
 
I've used a handful of different trimmers over the years.

Started on an RCBS manual lathe style trimmer. Still have 2 of these set-up for low volume shooting. They work well and stay consistent. I finish up the chamfer and deburring on an RCBS motorized station.

I tried the Lee system. Meh, it works but I felt it didn't really save time over the RCBS (especially with a drill on the RCBS). Tried an off brand some guy was making out of delrin that was similar to WFT. Not a bad system, but still had to deburr and chamfer in separate stage.

I ended up grabbing a Giraud Tri-Way for my 223/556's since those were my highest volume rounds. I'll never go back! They are consistent, quick and easy. It takes a little bit to get everything perfect on the initial set-up (I'm OCD), but once set, you're done. I've done thousands of rounds with mine and have yet to readjust.

I almost pulled the trigger in the Trim-it, but I'm glad I didn't. In theory, the changing collets for multiple calibers is a nice idea in theory, but in reality, I felt having to adjust the cutter head for chamfer, deburr, and depth for every caliber change would be a PIA!

Right now, I just grab my 556 dies and shell holders, setup my presses, chuck my Giraud up in a drill, and go to town. Takes about 2 to trim once you figure out a routine and keep up on the trimming. I also have heads for 308, 22-250, and 300 BLK.

As much as I like my Giraud heads and my RCBS manual trimmers, if I were to do it all over again, I think I would be better off to just go with the Henderson. Trimming off the shoulder works for me, but I feel you still run the risk of inconsistent case length compared to the large styles and the Henderson with the datum off the base of the case.

I'm not a match shooter, just a hunter, plinker, and occasional target shooter, so the Giraud gives me what I need. But I'm one that can't leave well enough alone, so I see a Henderson in my future.
 
I've got the Henderson case length trimmer, power it with a Milwaukee cordless drill. Zip tie the trigger on the drill so it runs continuous, pull the battery if I need to pause for some reason. Works great. Also have a Lyman case prep center for chamfering and deburring.
 
nksmfamjp said:
I bought mine here…

Case Trimmer | Black Widow Shooters Supply

Make Your Reloading Bench Great Again with innovative products from Black Widow Shooters Supply.
www.blackwidowshooters.com www.blackwidowshooters.com
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M1A1ABRAMS said:
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I bought my Henderson over a year ago and they are the best trimmer hands down. Once you create a "bolt" for your specific cartridge you are set and repeatability is perfect. I bought all the cutter heads and extra collet for 6 PPC so it can get expensive but its a "Buy once Cry once" investment. I believe it is still limited from .22 call thru .30 cal but that is 95% of what I trim. I have had so many trimmers over my 50 years of reloading and this is far the most precise and fastest. Trim, chamfer and debur all in one step…..no need for a multi station trimming center. When I need any other caliber I can't trim on the Henderson I go to my Giraud.
 
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M1A1ABRAMS said:
So a few case trimmer stations have been out for a while now. And most of you guys have used them religiously. I would like to know which ones are worth buying ? What are the pluses & minuses. The simplicity of them to set up w/ out sacrificing to much brass. I was looking at the Frankford & Lyman. I like the fact the Frankford does more to the case while prepping. Is there anything better ?
I have a Lyman manual trimmer. Not exactly the easiest to set up for precision & don't like the way it marks up the inside of necks. Some of the brass I have is really hard to replace. So I would like to retain what I have as long as possible. I would imagine this issue has been addressed before. But has anything really changed ? I saw a system yesterday called the Trimit 2, that looked promising ? But it seems they are hard to come by. And I know Giraud makes one specific caliber. But I really liked the Trimit 2 for the fact you can switch the caliber with a different bushing. And it had a fine adjustment on it. No need to buy another complete system. I know you may think of it as a cheesy set up. But this is more for a on the road type tool. To use with a Lee hand loader. And to have if power goes out. If anyone has one I would be interested in purchasing for a reasonable price. Brownells carry the bushings for the Trimit 2 but not the tool. And has anyone even tried it ?
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I didn't read all the responses, so this may already been stated.

Check out the Henderson Gen 2 Trimmer.
Once setup easy to switch between calibers, super fast (10 or so per minute) with +/- .001 precision.
I now trim every time. Super quick n easy
 
I'm not too fond of any trimmer that indexes off the shoulder. Variance in the shoulder bump will make the oal of the case have variations.
I buy a forester trimmer for every caliber I reload for, then fit them with 3-1 trimmer part, set them and forget it and go to trimming. The Henderson trimmer is similar but also $$$ and I'm sure noisy. Sometimes I like quiet and when I need to get things done faster put a drill on it, best of all worlds.
 

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