Case Trimmers, Accuracy, and the WFT

[Dusty Stevens]

The WFT is great trimmer and big improvement over RCBS. I have used the WFT for bulk .223 and forming 300BO. It works best if you can chuck it up in a drill press or lathe. It indexes off the case shoulder. You will get fairly uniform and square trim lengths so long as you cases that you are trimming have been resized and cleaned (this seems obvious, but just in case a newbie reads this). If your cases are clean then only need to periodically run a Q-tip to clean and remove any brass cuttings or grime out of WFT. The cutter is a replaceable end-mill bit so it only cuts the face of the case, and does not do any chamfer. You will know when the cutter starts getting dull because it will raise a bur on the outside and/or inside of case's neck. This burr is easy to nock down by running the trimmed cases back through steel pin tumbler for a quick wash.

If you aren't looking to do bulk, but rather small batches for precision shooting then the Giraud Trimmer is the answer, and it provides a uniform chamfer.

So youre thinking the WFT is better for bulk than the giraud? I have most every trimmer worth having and if i needed to trim 15 or 100,000 cases id use a giraud. Nothing faster or more precise available today

 

[INTJ]

So youre thinking the WFT is better for bulk than the giraud? I have most every trimmer worth having and if i needed to trim 15 or 100,000 cases id use a giraud. Nothing faster or more precise available today

The Henderson Trimmer is exceptionally fast and precise. It would be interesting to see it side by side with a Giraud.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

The Henderson Trimmer is exceptionally fast and precise. It would be interesting to see it side by side with a Giraud.

The only henderson ive ever seen was powered by a drill but otherwise very nice. Lots of difference in a high speed motor and a drill

 

[INTJ]

The only henderson ive ever seen was powered by a drill but otherwise very nice. Lots of difference in a high speed motor and a drill

I have only used mine with a drill on high speed but I can trim, chamfer, and deburr 10-11 cases a minute and keep them within .001". (I finally timed myself on all my various loading steps.)

I suppose adding the motor would make it a tiny bit faster. It costs $399 for the trimmer. The motor wasn't available when I got mine but the motorized unit is $739. The kit for adding the motor is $340 and I will get one when I get moved and settled.

 

[Oso]

So youre thinking the WFT is better for bulk than the giraud? I have most every trimmer worth having and if i needed to trim 15 or 100,000 cases id use a giraud. Nothing faster or more precise available today

Giraud is cat's meow.

I process my brass in batches of 1000 cases and my specialty loads in batches of 250. Cutting down/cleaning 1000 case of range/mixed brass at a time for AR practice/plinking ammo is heavy use. Trim/form new 300BO in volume not only is heavy use with a lot of cutting, but can get messy depending on lube used. End-mill cutters are cheap so WFT is easy. My procedure for bulk or case forming is to do a second wet tumble (steel pins) after my resizing/trimming process. This removes any burrs or brass trimming left inside the cases.

I save my Giraud for quality brass and precision reloading. My procedure for case prep is more refined and doesn't require a second wet tumble so no issue peening the nice chamfer from Giraud trimmer.

I guess best way to explain my perspective is that I have a hammer for outdoor work and a separate hammer(s) for inside work and fine carpentry. I can afford the same nice hammer doing both jobs, but I feel better using a economic hammer for work in the mud... different stroke. no pun intended

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Giraud is cat's meow.

I process my brass in batches of 1000 cases and my specialty loads in batches of 250. Cutting down/cleaning 1000 case of range/mixed brass at a time for AR practice/plinking ammo is heavy use. Trim/form new 300BO in volume not only is heavy use with a lot of cutting, but can get messy depending on lube used. End-mill cutters are cheap so WFT is easy. My procedure for bulk or case forming is to do a second wet tumble (steel pins) after my resizing/trimming process. This removes any burrs or brass trimming left inside the cases.

I save my Giraud for quality brass and precision reloading. My procedure for case prep is more refined and doesn't require a second wet tumble so no issue peening the nice chamfer from Giraud trimmer.

I guess best way to explain my perspective is that I have a hammer for outdoor work and a separate hammer(s) for inside work and fine carpentry. I can afford the same nice hammer doing both jobs, but I feel better using a economic hammer for work in the mud... different stroke. no pun intended

I prefer the trimming as the very last step so id rather chamfer and trim all in one step. Saves a couple steps

 

[Brians356]

My experience with the WFT has lengths within .003. I don't have any data on what a tighter tolerance might yield in performance, but I can tell you that +/-.0015 bearing surface difference isn't going to show on my personal target. Since I also, generally seat my bullet well into the neck, the case volume isn't going to matter either. Too many other variables that I consider more important. Keep in mind I am shooting a Dasher in F-Class. YMMV.

Strictly speaking, case OAL comparisons do not reveal the repeatability of the WFT as it indexes off the shoulder, rather than the base. So slight variation in length base-to-shoulder comes into play.
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[JohnKielly]

Have and use my Wilson trimmer. Can easily hold +/-0.001".

... and I can power it with a tiny 3.5 volt battery driver for the perfect speedy cut.

 

[danny]

The World's Finest Trimmer is the Giraud.

Danny

 

[Texas10]

Both the Worlds Finest Trimmer from Little Crow Works, and the World's Cheapest Trimmer from Holub Machine and repair will trim cases quickly while indexing off the shoulder instead of the cartridge base. So will the Giraud. For those with borescopes or borescope cameras this allows a handloader to adjust the cut to keep the gap between case mouth and end of chamber to a safe but minimum dimension, and maintain neck length consistency.

The WCT is about $20. The WFT is about $70. The Giraud that is most like the WCT and WFT but will also chamfer the mouth is about $105, and the self powered one is about $500. There are always more expensive models of timmers, some that will save you considerable time if trimming hundreds or thousands of cases per sitting. As always, there's a model and price point to fill a market need. Whether that will improve your handloads accuracy or consistency is a matter of personal experience, but the decision to use a trimmer is not in question. Trim your brass or risk injury or possible damage/loss of your firearm.