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Case trimmer

Kramerica

I was looking at getting a Giraud power trimmer but by the time I get all the holders and cutters I’d be up to $620. Then I saw the Lyman brass smith case trimmer for $120. I’m not expecting the Lyman to be as good but if anyone has dealt with both what’s your opinion? How does the Lyman hold up after heavy use? I trim in batches of 300-500 rounds. It’s time to move on from the LE Wilson trimmer
 
I've got a Giraud for 223 due to the volume of cases. I use WFT for other calibers due to lower case volume but I've considered getting the Giraud for those calibers just due to the fact of being able trim/chamfer/deburr all in one step. With 300-500 cases at a time, it will be $$ well spent IMO, and your hands will thank you as well. I'm retired so have the time to handle the cases x times, but it still gets old. JMO

I bought a buffer motor from HF and a coupler to attach the Giraud trimmer to the buffer shaft and it works fine. Link to a thread on TFL that I followed to "build" my set up. I just mounted mine to a piece of 2x10 and works just fine.

Best Case Trimmer? - The Firing Line Forums

Best Case Trimmer? Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting
thefiringline.com
 
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I have the Forster and now the Giraud. Had the Casey and dumped it. Sorry, no knowledge or experience with the Lyman. I regard the Giraud worth triple it 's weight in gold. Even low volume (100 cases) it is worth switching the components for other calibers. I still use the Forester hand trimmer for straight wall pistol cases.
 
Buy this once and cry just once! I remember years ago when I bought mine I thought what the heck I just spent almost 500 bucks on a case trimmer! I have never ever ever regretted it!!
 
Well I bought the Lyman. Once you get used to it it trims consistent, at least for me it does. I do 200-300 cases at a time. I buy once and cry once on plenty of things, but this wasn't one of them. I did my research and went with what I learned, believing this would serve my purpose and allow me to spend some $ somewhere else. To each their own.
 
Dgd6mm said:
Well I bought the Lyman. Once you get used to it it trims consistent, at least for me it does. I do 200-300 cases at a time. I buy once and cry once on plenty of things, but this wasn't one of them. I did my research and went with what I learned, believing this would serve my purpose and allow me to spend some $ somewhere else. To each their own.
Click to expand...
So what are your thoughts on the pros and cons of the Lyman? How are the blades holding up? How fast can you do 200 cases?
 
WFT here. I also have an RCBS Trim Pro 2. I have 2 of the WFT in 223 and 204. The RCBS works well but is slow. The WFT is my go to for volume... Not a competition shooter so there's that. Looked a Giraud a few times but I'll stick with what I have.
 
Cutter is holding up very well. If I remember correctly Lyman states 15 cases per minute, I believe I do more than that in a minute.
 
I have three of the WFTs. Use for a few 100 cases at a go. Have done around 500-700 or so cases with two of them and not seeing any signs of wearing them out. Be careful to buy the parent case versions which will let you do multiple cases. Example buy a 308 WFT and it will handle the whole 308 family. Check. Buy a 6.5 Creedmoor WFT instead of a 6 Creedmoor. Oops. Don’t know why they even sell the child versions except they know that some dummy—like me—will mess up once in a while.
 
rebs said:
what about the Giraud trimmer head that you put in a cordless drill ?
Click to expand...
These aren’t offered in many sizes, more geared toward the high shooter count hunting market. Here are some comments from Giraud on 10-Feb-2020 when I inquired about other sizes for that tool:

“Sorry, but no. Most people asking for the more exotic sizes are
also expecting a very high level of accuracy and repeatability as
well. With the single ball bearing support, the overall length
can be influenced by how consistent the hand pressure applied
varies.

For that reason, I do not offer the Triway is sizes that most
match shooters want. It won't do what most of them are
expecting.

For those sizes not supported by the Triway, I do offer the full
sized Powered Case Trimmer in over 200+ sizes. This machine uses
dual bearings supporting the trimmer shaft with everything else
being stationary. This leads to much more consistent trimming and
higher performance.”
 
6ShotsOr5? said:
These aren’t offered in many sizes, more geared toward the high shooter count hunting market. Here are some comments from Giraud on 10-Feb-2020 when I inquired about other sizes for that tool:

“Sorry, but no. Most people asking for the more exotic sizes are
also expecting a very high level of accuracy and repeatability as
well. With the single ball bearing support, the overall length
can be influenced by how consistent the hand pressure applied
varies.

For that reason, I do not offer the Triway is sizes that most
match shooters want. It won't do what most of them are
expecting.

For those sizes not supported by the Triway, I do offer the full
sized Powered Case Trimmer in over 200+ sizes. This machine uses
dual bearings supporting the trimmer shaft with everything else
being stationary. This leads to much more consistent trimming and
higher performance.”
Click to expand...
I got the same response when I asked about 6ppc. Go ahead suck it up and get a Giraud. You will not regret it.
 
I'm 100% satisfied with the Wilson Trimmer with the Sinclair upgrades for trimming bottle neck rifle cases. The Lyman collets tend to scar the inside of the neck so I don't like that for precision reloading.

The Lyman works better for straight wall cases which I use for 357 and 38 Spl pistol cases - much faster than the Wilson trimmer.
 
The Lyman Brass Smith uses an end mill bit that is easily replaceable for cheap or a solid carbide that should last forever on brass. The cutter is not a 3 way cutter and does NOT chamfer inside or out. I have only used mine on 223 cases but they are hard to hold with my beat up 40 years in construction hands. I am confident i can come up with a way to hold the brass while trimming, but the chamfer means handling the again twice. Lyman also makes a case prep station with 2 drivers maybe this in addition to the trimmer would be the way to go. its quite except on high speed but that fast is no advantage.
 
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