Rocky at Shot Show

[270man]

Rocky (and others), I've posted a few threads on case trimming in past several months. Replies have been good and given me much to think about. Since you visited the Shot Show and made a comment about the new Hornady case prep station, I would like to hear more of your thoughts on case trimming. Here are some thoughts (both my own and those based on replies to my earlier posts):

1. My old Forster hand trimmer works fine but is slow, securing the cases is tiresome and you still have to chamfer/deburr. I prefer a power trimmer.

2. My RCBS Trim Pro power trimmer works okay but is slow and the chamfer/deburr task has to be done afterward. RCBS sells a cutter that also chamfers/deburrs but one has to be purchased for each caliber and the expense adds up fast. If I stay with the Trim Pro, I need to buy the RCBS Case Prep stations ($100+) for chamfer/deburr. My old RCBS chamfer/deburr tool is slow and gives me hand cramps after several hundred cases.

3. The Gracey trimmer really appealed to me until several HC members confirmed that it is tricky to change calibers. I've witnessed the Gracey in operation and it trims, chamfers, deburrs beautifully in one pass. It is also fast, but I need to be able to switch calibers without a lot of hassle.

4. Dillon makes a case trimmer that mounts on a press and operates in conjunction with case resizing. I've never seen one in operation but am not too keen on the whole setup.

5. Finally, I get to the new Hornady station that you saw at the Shot Show. I saw a demonstration at the 2009 NRA convention and the company rep fumbled a bit getting a case in place and showing how it worked. It made me a bit suspicious. It is also somewhat pricey.

Rocky, how about weighing in with your opinion on the Hornady and case trimming in general. We could all benefit by your experience. If I'm missing out on an absolute perfect way to trim cases, I want to know about it. As always, other opinions are equally welcome.

270man

[Jack]

Forster makes a rig to use your hand trimmer pilots in a set up on a drill press. If you have a drill press, that works very, very well - you'll never bog down a drill press, so it is quite fast.

[Catfish]

I`ve been useing a cordless drill on my case trimmer for years. It is not only 10 times faster it is far easier to get a consistant lenth. I also use a shell holder chucked in the cordless drill for champfering and neck turning.

[Rocky Raab]

First, I hate trimming - possibly because I'm not very good at it. I can't seem to get the right length set, nor can I figure out how hard to push while turning the handle. Just turning it doesn't cut, and pushing hard grabs and tears the case mouth.

I haven't received the Hornady power trim yet, but the engineer/designed told me that one of the major improvements was in the case holding fixture. It looked simple, secure and fumble-free when I saw it.