Giraud Trimmer - Proper cut - Need Help

[pat fulghum]

I just got my Giraud Trimmer in the mail today and I need a bit of advice.

In the picture below with two cases, on the left is what I was doing by hand with Wilson trimmer and "rocket" tool.

On the right is what my new Giraud trimmer did... It seems to have a much deeper inside cut and to be honest, I don't know which is correct.

The Giraud trimmer is a very sharp "v", with no real "flat" at the top, and there is minimal chamfer on the outside.

It is hard to measure, but I estimate that the depth of the inner chamfer to be .025 inches.

This was done on FL sized cases.

Should the V cutter be centered on the neck wall?

Which is more correct...

 

[chkunz]

My Giruad came with a case that had been trimmed with the shipped as unit. If yours did also take a look to see if it is similar to what you are getting, it probably is. Your case trimmed in your Giruad looks similar to cases trimmed in mine. The "v" is a little sharper than I get on my Wilson but I do not care. For me what you describe is not critical and is ok. Take a look at the instructions and see what is adjustable and what is not. I really like the Giruad and do not worry about the cosmetics. Also, you can call him and ask questions, I have not done that but others have and give a favorable report as to customer service.

 

[danny]

I usually set mine up so that it is about just between the two you show. It is not really super critical, with some variation in how you can set it up. I got a sample case with mine, as mentioned. Look at it this way. Where is it most important for there to be chamfer? It is on the inside, where the bullet goes, so I don't do 50/50 inside/outside. I bias more chamfer to the insde, just not as much as your more extreme example. The neck mouth gets a bit thin like that. The outside could be just deburred, as a minimum, so, a little chamfer is some extra insurance.

Danny

 

[pat fulghum]

Confession of my mistake ....

I did get a case with the unit and it was the first cartridge I used to validate the setup. It was sitting right next to my recently sized cases

oops!!!!

So when it came out it was quite a bit different then when it went in.

That is when I turned to this forum for help before I did a batch of brass

 

[chkunz]

Confession of my mistake ....

I did get a case with the unit and it was the first cartridge I used to validate the setup. It was sitting right next to my recently sized cases

oops!!!!

So when it came out it was quite a bit different then when it went in.

That is when I turned to this forum for help before I did a batch of brass

OK you are back on the right track, no big deal. Call Giruad if you need help.

 

[chkunz]

Also, you are going to like the Giruad.

 

[Chris Few]

Mine does the same thing. I have only used it for reloading .223 so it was never a concern for me but if you are planning on using it for a match grade load you might want to call Giruad. I was talking to Tod about his trimmer and he uses it for his cases so i know that it will work for that application i just don't know if it is gonna look any better than that.

 

[Endyo]

Pat,

I just tried for about 5 minutes to get my iPhone camera to focus on some cases I have on hand from Giraud. I can't get the pictures un-blurry.

Most of my cases look like your case on the left.

The best way to adjust the cutting blade is to push the cartridge down so the case mouth is touching the blade in the v-notch. Take an allen key and lightly tap the cutting blade "left" or "right" this will barely move the cutting blade allowing for fine adjustments. You will have to tighten the allen nut on the cutting blade and trim a piece of brass to see if it made the desired change. It's a tedious process, but it can be done in a few minutes.

I would also call Giraud for another case. It may cost a couple bucks for shipping, but they are always helpful.

 

[Brett Ritter]

It's easy to fix. The trimmer blade needs to be adjusted to be 50/50. Your blade looks like it is tilted towards the inside. Loosen your cutter, slide your case in, it should center on your case, tighten your blade. Try your case. I had to use a second case to get it right. I love my Giraud trimmer!!!

 

[rardoin]

I don't use a Giraud but I use a Wison and I chamfer the ID of the mouth with a VLD tool and debur the exterior with the standard type debur tool. My cases look exactly like yours...and that is by intention. I would carry on as set; no need for adjustment IMO.

 

[Joe R]

I just got my Giraud Trimmer in the mail today and I need a bit of advice.

In the picture below with two cases, on the left is what I was doing by hand with Wilson trimmer and "rocket" tool.

On the right is what my new Giraud trimmer did... It seems to have a much deeper inside cut and to be honest, I don't know which is correct.

The Giraud trimmer is a very sharp "v", with no real "flat" at the top, and there is minimal chamfer on the outside.

It is hard to measure, but I estimate that the depth of the inner chamfer to be .025 inches.

This was done on FL sized cases.

Should the V cutter be centered on the neck wall?

Which is more correct...


View attachment 985007

IMO the Giraud is a better cut because of its VLD type of cut. I use a VLD inside chamfering cutter to put that kind of chamfer on my cases after they've been fired and no longer need trimming.

 

[powderbrake]

Your case looks OK, just trimmed a little deep. You can back off the cutting blade a bit. I generally have a larger trim on the inside than the outside on my Giraud.

 

[savageshooter86]

Looks like mine. But on the inside of mine the chamfer isn't always even around the inside of case mouth. I tried to get it even but couldn't. Called company and they said it wasn't hurting but my cases weren't true at that spot. I tried for hours to get it right. But so far no issues

 

[waldo1979]

Take the case you trimmed with your Wilson and use it as a starting point when setting up the Giraud. The picture on the right looks like it has a bit too much chamfer.

 

[JBO]

I love the Giraud but this problem drove me crazy trying to get it cutting perfect! It's very easy to set up and once it's set up it would cut many cases perfect but never the majority of the cases consistently acceptable for me.
The only thing that really solved the issue of consistency was cutting new case holders from my reamers. That seemed to eliminate 99% of the issues from the original Giraud case holders that just have too much play in them.
Does it really make a difference having one side chamfer thinner then the other side on target, not sure if it does but it made a big difference to me just looking at it.
Erik Cortina get's the credit, the new case holders work very acceptable, I'm sleeping again.

 

[DennisH]

My Giraud trimmed the brass as yours does per the picture on the right. I did adjust mine as I prefer to have more of a smooth edge going in the throat of my chamber. Just my preference.

I love it, I can trim 180 308 case in less than 5 minutes.

Dennis

 

[Joe R]

I love the Giraud but this problem drove me crazy trying to get it cutting perfect! It's very easy to set up and once it's set up it would cut many cases perfect but never the majority of the cases consistently acceptable for me.
The only thing that really solved the issue of consistency was cutting new case holders from my reamers. That seemed to eliminate 99% of the issues from the original Giraud case holders that just have too much play in them.
Does it really make a difference having one side chamfer thinner then the other side on target, not sure if it does but it made a big difference to me just looking at it.
Erik Cortina get's the credit, the new case holders work very acceptable, I'm sleeping again.

+1
What I do is trim the cases after they've been fired. That's when they are the most uniform and you can index from the shoulder.

If you use the Giraud to trim virgin cases you're screwed, because the shoulder of virgin brass has a lot of variance. Ask me how I know?

 

[Joe R]

I just got my Giraud Trimmer in the mail today and I need a bit of advice.

In the picture below with two cases, on the left is what I was doing by hand with Wilson trimmer and "rocket" tool.

On the right is what my new Giraud trimmer did... It seems to have a much deeper inside cut and to be honest, I don't know which is correct.

The Giraud trimmer is a very sharp "v", with no real "flat" at the top, and there is minimal chamfer on the outside.

It is hard to measure, but I estimate that the depth of the inner chamfer to be .025 inches.

This was done on FL sized cases.

Should the V cutter be centered on the neck wall?

Which is more correct...


View attachment 985007

The Giraud is a better cut. Some use a VLD chamfering tool and get the same type of bevel.

 

[Slickrick0999]

Just set mine up for ppc last night.
Previously only trimmed 308 with it.
The advice above about using a case to adjust the cutter blade is spot on in my opinion.
Great trimmer, love mine.