Is the Giraud still the Cadillac of trimmers?

[Benchrest Braxton]

I bought a henderson. The pilot galled the necks and the collet induced uneven chamfers. I went back to the Giraud. Lesson learned.

these are easily solved issues IMO.

The only time I ever galled necks on brass is from straight out of the box brass (lapua) which was VERY tight in the necks. This issue was easily solved by using an expander mandrel. If you like to run heavy tension then just turn down/polish the pilot a few thou.

As far as uneven chamfers from the collet, it takes a little bit of practice and technique to get the brass perfectly straight on. Once this is learned, its a non issue.

 

[stavey]

these are easily solved issues IMO.

The only time I ever galled necks on brass is from straight out of the box brass (lapua) which was VERY tight in the necks. This issue was easily solved by using an expander mandrel. If you like to run heavy tension then just turn down/polish the pilot a few thou.

As far as uneven chamfers from the collet, it takes a little bit of practice and technique to get the brass perfectly straight on. Once this is learned, it’s a non issue.

With the Henderson there is a pilot spinning inside the neck. How could this not mar the neck? I used expander mandrels and polished the pilot used a brush in its place etc…Still left mars inside the neck. As far as the chamfer . By design a collet isn’t going to give an even chamfer like the giraud. Lesson learned. There is no substitute.

 

[Benchrest Braxton]

With the Henderson there is a pilot spinning inside the neck. How could this not mar the neck? I used expander mandrels and polished the pilot used a brush in its place etc…Still left mars inside the neck. As far as the chamfer . By design a collet isn’t going to give an even chamfer like the giraud. Lesson learned. There is no substitute.

i am anal about my necks getting marred too.

I expand with a mandrel 2 thou under bullet diameter and there may be some very slight rubbing, but there isnt enough to even take the neolube off the inside of my necks.

when i put the case in the collet i put it on very lightly, once the neck passes over the pilot to align it i then fully tighten down the collet.

this process has given me very good results so far.

there is no doubt that the henderson trimmer is MUCH more susceptible to theses issues as compared to giraud.

but in my opinion the issues with the henderson can be overcome without that much difficulty (in my experience).

 

[jimmymac]

I’ve done 250 PPC cases and 300 30BR cases today over several sessions. As a high volume reloader this is a game changer for me. I am very happy with my decision to buy this Giraud. The quality is top notch. I am also very satisfied with the modifications I made to the shell holders to accept my fired brass. My stuff is dead nuts. Highly recommend this machine. How the heck did I get along without it? It has to be the best piece of gear I’ve bought in a long time, maybe ever. It’s that good. Never looking back. That shit I used to do is prehistoric.

 

[Flea21]

Henderson is the Rolls Royce of trimmers and the Giraud is the Cadillac, which is just a Chevy at the end of the day.

Also, good luck getting parts ordered for the giraud. I bought one, and called for almost two months to order parts for it with no success, so I sold it.

Henderson picks up the phone always or calls you back immediately. Theres something to be said about great customer service.

 

[Ccrider]

Henderson is the Rolls Royce of trimmers and the Giraud is the Cadillac, which is just a Chevy at the end of the day.

Also, good luck getting parts ordered for the giraud. I bought one, and called for almost two months to order parts for it with no success, so I sold it.

Henderson picks up the phone always or calls you back immediately. Theres something to be said about great customer service.

I have had zero problems contacting the folks at Giraud, both by telephone and e-mail to order parts. They always answered on my first try and are prompt to return calls. Doug has emailed me several times and I have talked to him over the phone where he walked me through adjusting a cutter head. There is another guy that answers the telephone at times and he has always been helpful.

 

[jimmymac]

I had no issues at all. Emails were answered and the phone was picked up when I called to order. Lead time was just a couple days so I had mine in hand inside of a week. I ordered two cutters for two calibers. Both of the cutters were set up great and required no adjustment on my part other than case insertion depth. I’m satisfied with the product as well as my experience with the company.

 

[Oso]

Both systems are fine tools, and each has its own attributes that may/may not be of concern . From my experience, Both companies have excellent customer service. They are small businesses so sometimes they are available to answer phone when it rings and other times they may have to call you back. They aren’t Amazon.

> If Cost is your main concern then Henderson has the edge IF you are doing multiple calibers (+3)

> If you are forming cases or wildcatting and case shoulders aren’t yet blown-out then Henderson has edge since indexing off an irregular shoulder doesn’t work well.

> if there is damage to base of case (damage from gas gun hard ejecting spent case across concrete floor) then this may cause minor variation in trim length on a Henderson. Maybe invest $20 in a brass catcher or piece of cardboard

Otherwise, the two machine perform the same… wind and shooter error are more concerning. If you properly and consistently resize your brass then indexing off the shoulder or the base of the case shouldn’t really matter.

 

[stavey]

I’ve owned both. I still own the Giraud. As stated in post 62. The Giraud is a flat out better design.

 

[Jerry Snyder]

For folks who have issues with arthritis in their hands, or pain in their fingers, there is more to the differences in how the case is indexed.

The Giraud requires the user to have the dexterity and finger grip to hold the case, the Henderson requires the user to be able to manipulate the case into the holder and tighten, so they do not require the grip or strength to hold against the torque of the cutter.

I don't have the issue, but I have several (really most) of my friends who get severe pain if they run enough cases.

At some point, the difference between the Henderson and the Giraud doesn't boil down to the choice of the datum, but to the pain level in the operator's fingers.

In sequence, for those who suffer from pain, like I do. The Giraud, Simple cordless screwdriver, Attachment from any company to trim brass, 223 case. Insert the attachment into the drill and slide in the case. Turn on the machine, insert case system, trim and use the drill to spin the case for a second to make sure it trims on all side. Works like a charm.

 

[Oso]

Yes - I have Giraud and I like it very much. Giraud has great customer service... on several occasions I have picked up my order in person at their home shop. They're in Texas...what more is there to say... they're great.

Depending on the user's purpose the features of one machine or the other may be preferable. I do a fair share of case forming for one-off cartridges. Since my post this morning, I punched out 500 newly formed/converted cases. They were annealed, and then run through a progressive press to prep the brass, including expanding the necks in incremental steps and then rough trimmed case length using Dillon power trimmer. On a single stage press, the shoulders were then further refined and the necks were expanded to final ID. Why make the effort... its entertaining and a little personal pride on being dexterous.

At this point these newly formed cases have not been fire-formed. However with the Henderson, I was still able to trim all cases to an exact length despite the unformed and irregular case shoulders. This is exactly the reason I bought the Henderson for the added flexibility I need when doing wildcatting/case forming.

Both units are great tools and will improve your reloading. Pick the machine that best fits your purpose... If you aren't sure then go hang out with a few FClass guys to try out their machines

 

[memilanuk]

The one problem I had with the fired cases is that they did not want to fit in the PPC case holder properly. They were tight in the case holder with fired cases right out of the gun, so I decided I would crudely use my chamber reamer in the hope of getting those fired cases to fit better. I do not have a lathe, so I decided to chuck up my reamer in my hand held drill and give it a go. At best, things would work out great. At worst, I was going to need a new shell holder. As it is, it worked out great. I took apart the shell holder assembly to get to the shell holder itself, then I chucked up the reamer in my hand drill, then secured the drill to my bench using a clamp. I oiled up the reamer, started up the drill and gently worked the shell holder down on to the reamer and made some chips. Worked great. I can now easily run freshly fired case through the machine or do it after sizing. I tested both ways.

Generally speaking... the case holders you get from Giraud are sized to work with F/L sized brass, as you found. They do sell 'blank' case holders for people who want something different, whether it's a cartridge they don't carry, or for people who want to trim without (or before) F/L sizing.