Wolds finest trimmer

[Three44s]

Well I use the Wilson trimmer for accurate varmint loads.

I do not accept the argument that indexing off the shoulder of a bottleneck cartridge to trim a shouldered casing will beat the use of the Wilson trimmer.

The location of the shoulder of a bottle neck casing is a work in progress as it were IMO.

Three44s

[Burr]

I've been using the WFT II for a few years. I was not too optimistic when I started, but the results were much better than I anticipated. I don't crimp my bottle neck cases for anything I shoot, my original thoughts were since I don't crimp, a small difference in OAL would have minimal effect. After using it, the difference in OAL is next to nothing when trimming brass fired from the same gun. Plus, cutting from a reference on a datum instead of the base makes the neck length uniform, to the point I now believe it's the most consistent way to trim. Necks are all the same, contributing in part to consistent neck tension (small part, but it is a contributor). One time I was getting inconsistent results with the WFT, finally realized my drill was running in reverse. It does make a difference if the cutter is being turned the wrong direction. I've found the variation in OAL is due to variation in base to shoulder measurement. Shoulder to mouth has no variation. It's accurate.

[charlie b]

Thanks for all of the information on these. I was just thinking I needed to get a better trimmer. I had a Forster trimmer years ago, mainly when I was shooting wildcats. It did well, but, a PITA to use on a regular basis. And, I also agree on indexing off the shoulder for trimming so all this information comes at a great time for me.

[yobuck]

Years back, some people had a gauge that was used for many cartridge cases from pistol to large rifle cases.
Just a flat cast metal thing maybe 4”x 5” with a bunch of different notches marked for the different cases.
As long as the case fit in the notch you were good to go as for length.
As for trimming, some used a file and others a grinder, then chamfered the end a little.
My father bought a Forster trimmer in the early 50s that I’m still using today.
I did buy a second larger one for a couple of cases that are too big for the older one.
I have replaced the cutter a few times but other than that its as good as ever.
Im also using his old Redding balance scale that still shows a 150 gr SMK to be 150 gr.
And I’m still using his old Belding & Mull powder measure, made in Phillipsburg PA.
It’s the type that drops the powder from the larger storage down into a small reservoir, and from there into an adjustable drop tube.
No need to even weigh the powders having smaller grains, it’s that close.
I also have an old 55 Lyman that’s much faster than the B&M, that i wish I’d had Neil Jones work over years ago.
But it’s still capable of throwing minit of prairie dog loads with the right powder.

[nksmfamjp]

I have several of these things. I have the Wilson, the WFT and the trim it ii. I have used the RCBS and an older Hornady trimmer.

There are basically 3 levels to these things. Level number 1 I call the base to mouth dimension control trimmer....The RCBS, Hornady, and Wilson are this group. The Wilson is leaps and bounds above the rest. There is something about the cutters...they just cut better. I think it is because it holds the case better. The others all seemed to bind slightly on the pilot and the cutter seemed to knaw on the mouth more than cut it! The Wilson will give you absolute control of base to mouth dimension which is on the SAMMI dwg.

Then there are the shoulder to mouth trimmers. The drill powered trimmers are the cheapest. IME, the WFT is fine, but a bit hard to set up. Even using the caliper, set screws are rough adjustments. With a case of the right length, setup is a bit quicker, but still imperfect. also, you need to chamfer and deburr still.

The trim-it ii does trim, chamfer and deburr as 1 step and can switch calibers. That is nice. The bad thing is it is balanced like a turd. You have to move stuff around internally to get the balance usable. After some adjustment, it can do all 3 with good accuracy. Cut finish is ok, but not quite as good as the WFT with separate trim, deburr, chamfer....I still hit them lightly with my VLD chamfer tool on my accuracy rounds. This tool has some precise adjustments that help you dial it in. The Giraud tri-way is basically the same tool without caliber change capabilities or precise adjustments, but it has many more fans, so I don’t know what to think.

Then there are the powered tri-ways like Giraud and Dillon. I don’t know them, but surely one of their owners has posted that you need to sell the house and get on ASAP already.

A note about base to mouth vs shoulder to mouth. I would argue shoulder to mouth is more critical. What is critical is that the case mouth does not get jammed into the throat and increase pressure while still being long enough to hold the bullet well. On most actions, the shoulder is pushed forward until the shoulder touches. That could jam the mouth into the throat, but doesn’t because you trim. Shoulder to mouth is controlling neck tension and potential to jam into throat most accurately. Base to shoulder can vary up to 0.02” depending on your efforts to control shoulder position. So, does this make sense why you want to control shoulder to mouth?

That said, I use the Wilson on my precision reloads after sizing. My shoulders are controlled to about 0.005” total variation, so I feel comfortable trimming base to mouth with about 0.002” variation.

On my high volume ammo, I use the Trim It ii after sizing. I have measured base to mouth variation....I think it was under 0.01”, but it doesn’t matter much as the variation is all base to shoulder. It is a good safety control for M1 Garand or AR ammo while also being good for high volume. I’m selling my 223 WFT.

[bigedp51]

More food for thought and using the WFT or any trimmer that indexes off the case shoulder.

When you neck turn a case trimmed with the WFT that indexes off the shoulder, the neck turning cutter will always stop at the same spot on the neck shoulder junction.