Power Trimmer Opinions

yotezapper

New member
I'm going to buy a power case trimmer. I'm thinking of getting an RCBS Trim Pro. Is there a better brand to look at? And if so where could I find one. All pro's and con's and your experiences would be helpfull. Thanks Alot!!
 
Depending on how many calibers you are trimming for, the Possum Hollow trimmer mounted in a drill press may be the best way to go. I have one for three different calibers now and it has made case trimming less of a chore.
 
My 'power trimmer' looks suspiciously like a RCBS Trimmer II with a Allen head bolt in the handle end. The "motor" is a rechargable drill with an allen driver in it to match. It zips right on down those pesky over length cases.
 
The dillon trim die and motor work well and very fast on a progressive press. Only available in a few calibers however.
 
Originally Posted By: skb2706My 'power trimmer' looks suspiciously like a RCBS Trimmer II with a Allen head bolt in the handle end. The "motor" is a rechargable drill with an allen driver in it to match. It zips right on down those pesky over length cases.


I use the same set up without the allen driver. I just chuck my cordless drill right to the shaft of the Forster trimmer. I don't think you can do this with every trimmer though. The Forster has a straight shaft, where some of the others have an offset handle. I may be wrong though.

The Hornady looks like a nice enough tool, but the price was way high in my opinion. I use my cordless drill for alot of my brass prep. Trimming, chamfering, de-burring, and primer pocket uniforming/cleaning.
 
The RCBS trimmer has a .495 shaft OD, so if you've got a 1/2" chuck on your drill you can make a "power trimmer" out of it by removing the handle (1 screw).
Or you could make an adapter pretty easily out of a piece of round bar stock with a hole through the center.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Evil_LurkerThe RCBS trimmer has a .495 shaft OD, so if you've got a 1/2" chuck on your drill you can make a "power trimmer" out of it by removing the handle (1 screw).
Or you could make an adapter pretty easily out of a piece of round bar stock with a hole through the center.
You can do the same with the Forster trimmer. I turned mine into a power trimmer
 
Originally Posted By: Evil_LurkerThe RCBS trimmer has a .495 shaft OD, so if you've got a 1/2" chuck on your drill you can make a "power trimmer" out of it by removing the handle (1 screw).
Or you could make an adapter pretty easily out of a piece of round bar stock with a hole through the center.

Thats what I did, and added a 3 way cutter so that I'm trimming, chamfering, and deburring all in one step. Prior to this I used the Lee hand trimmer/cordless drill method and could turn out ~100 cases/hr with sore hands to show for it. With the RCBS and drill I did 150 in about 20-30 minutes easily. I have to admit that initialy I hated this thing. Setting up the 3-way trimmer was a HUGE pain, but its a one time deal. Also I had trouble with the pilot not aligning properly with the cases and it was causing some damage to the inside of the case mouth. That problem seemes to have diminished (not sure why) and I like the setup now. Significantly faster and under $150.
 
Hi Guys,
Great tosee a reloading forum here.

I use a Lee shell case holder in the battery drill and the Lee case trimmer.

I put the case in the holder- give it a power clean on the out side - insert the case trimmer and trim - check the neck chamfer and redo if required = check annealing and redo also if required. Its quick, simple and cheap as chips.
 
Use the Lee set up in a drill press. You don't use the shell holder. The drill press table is the stop for the cutter and spindle
 
Originally Posted By: Evil_LurkerThe RCBS trimmer has a .495 shaft OD, so if you've got a 1/2" chuck on your drill you can make a "power trimmer" out of it by removing the handle (1 screw).
Or you could make an adapter pretty easily out of a piece of round bar stock with a hole through the center.


+1

I have been using this method since the early 80's. A carbide cutter is available that will make cutting the necks much easier than the High Speed Steel cutter.

I use the VARIABle speed 1/2" drill on both the Wilson, and the RCBS trim mate. I love that lever on the RCBS trim mate that will allow you to trim a piece of brass every 5 or 6 seconds. Also, I do not have an addapter, I just grab the 1/2" shaft on the trim mate with the drill chuck.

Good luck!
 
Originally Posted By: GreyhunterOriginally Posted By: Evil_LurkerThe RCBS trimmer has a .495 shaft OD, so if you've got a 1/2" chuck on your drill you can make a "power trimmer" out of it by removing the handle (1 screw).
Or you could make an adapter pretty easily out of a piece of round bar stock with a hole through the center.

Thats what I did, and added a 3 way cutter so that I'm trimming, chamfering, and deburring all in one step. Prior to this I used the Lee hand trimmer/cordless drill method and could turn out ~100 cases/hr with sore hands to show for it. With the RCBS and drill I did 150 in about 20-30 minutes easily. I have to admit that initialy I hated this thing. Setting up the 3-way trimmer was a HUGE pain, but its a one time deal. Also I had trouble with the pilot not aligning properly with the cases and it was causing some damage to the inside of the case mouth. That problem seemes to have diminished (not sure why) and I like the setup now. Significantly faster and under $150.

Does anyone know if the 3 way cutting head (trim, chamfer, deburr) fits different brand hand trimmers? I bought the power rod for my Lyman trimmer and have a power drill attached. Was wondering if the 3 way cutting head would fit.

Thanks in advance!!!!
 
I've been using the manual RCBS trimmer for a long time. However, a few months ago I bought the RCBS 3-way cutters for several different calibers and I kind of like them. They trim to length, then leave a small chamfer on the inside of the case neck, and they remove the burr from the outside of the case mouth.
Not sure that I like the small chamfer on the inside of the case neck as it is very small. So, I take a VLD cutter attached to a cordless drill and make a deeper chamfer inside.
 
Originally Posted By: capitolIf you want to trim to length, chamfer the neck inside/out in one quick motion there is only one machine.

CTG Trimmer

That's a fantastic machine, but so is the price...
 
Back
Top