Just Purchased A New CTS Motorized Trimmer -- I hated trimming until now

[mr.revolverguy]

There are very few things in my humble opinion that is as rewarding as trying to achieve the most accurate ammo as possible assembled by your very own hands from your reloading bench. To be able to strike that steel plate 200, 300, 600 yards away or shooting those sub MOA groups at varying distances is a very rewarding accomplishment. To achieve that sort of satisfaction with reloaded rifle ammunition and bottleneck cartridges uniform trimming of your brass becomes essential. I find trimming the most time-consuming step in the process of reloading and up until now absolutely hated it. I think if you ask any reloader to name the most tedious part of rifle case prep, more often than not, the overwhelming answer will be trimming. To avoid trimming rifle brass I would often purchase additional once fired fully prepared brass to avoid the tedious process of trimming. I have used many manual trimmers and they all work as advertised but the process can be quite strenuous. There is also several cost effective power trimming options I have used that are available on the market that can be mounted in your cordless power drill or drill press. This class of trimmers work very well and are less strenuous yet it still was not as fulfilling as pulling the lever on the press and watching completed rounds fall into the bin. With so many empty 223 and 308 once fired and range pickup cases it just didn't make since to continue with my dislike of trimming. I then began scouring the Internet for a high volume powered trimmer and I found CTS Engineering.





This has now become my favorite reloading tool --- sick huh but thats how easy it makes trimming.
Visit CTS Gen2 Trimmer Review For the full review and youtube video of it in action.

[thomae]

I don't own one of these trimmers, and it looks like a nice addition to the reloading bench. I do offer the following observation:

As the OP mentioned, this type of trimmer indexes off a datum somewhere on the bottleneck.

If there is any difference in sized brass, there will be a corresponding difference in trim length. This is not normally a big problem as most hand loaders size first before trimming (I think), but if you are using different brass, different dies or have the same chambering in more than one rifle, it is something to consider if you are trying to eke out the absolutely most consistent loads and brass.

As best as I have been able to discern by searching the internet, (I did not contact the manufacturer)retail price is in the $350 range.

It makes me wonder if I could make something similar using a small router. (I don't need any more projects, just thinking out loud.)

[FW Conch]

"YES" thomae, at $350 I would also do some "thinking out loud"! Not that I don't like nice tools, I do, and I like useing them also. But on my budget the tool also has to serve a specific purpose to get to the top of my priority list. I fire form my brass to the chamber and neck size only, so I'm pretty sure my "datum line" is pretty much always in the same place, until the brass has to be full length resized. So in my case, I think my LEE trimmers in my hand held cordless drill are just fine. Especially since I am a"low volume" reloader. If you get that router thing going, I'm sure there are a lot of us that would like to see it! ;-)

Good Luck-Good Shooting.......Jim

[BoilerUP]

WorldsFinestTrimmer.

Got one in 223 for Christmas and it has sped up the most tedious part of reloading by an immense amount.

Runs about $70 and all ya need is an allen wrench to set trim length and a drill.

[mr.revolverguy]

Yes price is $350 manufacturer can be contacted at ctstrimmer@yahoo.com it was a little less before the new year and new tax laws got put in place. Even at 350 with how much I hate trimming and with my use case I would still do it again.

I am not going to come here and bash the other products but there are some out there with a higher cost and those with a lower cost it all depends on what your needs are. I have WFT, Possom Hollow, Wilson, Lee and RCBS trimmers and they all work great for their use case I just out grew them.

[thomae]

Please remember that it's difficult to read tone of voice in a written post.

FWIW, I don't think anyone is bashing the OP or the first post. Mr.revolverguy provided a link to a rather comprehensive review of what looks like a very nice piece of equipment. Expensive? That is a judgement call made by each individual based on his or her needs and resources. It is always nice to know that new equipment and alternatives exist.

[mr.revolverguy]

Please remember that it's difficult to read tone of voice in a written post.

FWIW, I don't think anyone is bashing the OP or the first post. Mr.revolverguy provided a link to a rather comprehensive review of what looks like a very nice piece of equipment. Expensive? That is a judgement call made by each individual based on his or her needs and resources. It is always nice to know that new equipment and alternatives exist.

NOooooo :) Misunderstanding miscommunication. I didn't think anyone was bashing. I was saying I did not want to bash the other products WFT Possom Hollow etc because they all work great and overtime I have purchased all of them and they remain in my shop right now. They work great for their use case but I need something for volume without getting blisters and hand cramps.

[eddiesindian]

I keep telling myself I need to build me a trimmer but Im too bizzy doing other "stuff" like shooting every sunday..ololo
I like the looks of this one.......
Buy once...cry once....

[Stockrex]

Giraud = one step baby
Thomae, this one indexes the same way correct?
Giraud the trick is in the blade, that is a fine piece of carbide, I will post a pic later.
I did not receive my trimmer yet, I am guessing it will be another 10 weeks, I did get the extra blades I bought.

[thomae]

The neat thing about the Giraud, to which you alluded, is that the blade is set up to trim and chamfer the edges at the same time.

I've only read about the CTS; I don't own one: so for specific questions about it, I'll let mr.revolverguy provide the answers.

[mr.revolverguy]

Not sure I understand the question. I have a friend with a Giraud and getting the blade adjusted right was a real pain, but I am sure that is user error :) The three things which turned me off about the Giraud was price for the number of calibers I trim, blade adjustment and how long it takes after you order. My CTS trimmer arrived in 7 days and it would have been here earlier if it were not from the snow storm we were having and packages not being delivered because roads were to dangerous.

Since writing this review I have had so many people contact me about the trimmer. Some users were people that wanted to reassure me I purchased a heavy duty production trimmer because they are actually using this trimmer to sell 300 blackout brass online and are using this trimmer for trimming running them 6 to 10 hours a day.

[mr.revolverguy]

This is part 3 of the series of videos and possibly the final of the initial review series. I say initial because I plan to keep very detailed records on the number of trimmings of each caliber run through this trimmer and report back.


As with the second video this idea was brought about by questions via email and private messages I have received from the inquisitive readers that have seen the first two videos. This is by no means a scientific experiment meant to provide an unquestionable answer. It is meant to help those with concerns or questions about noise discern the difference between the two tools I had running on the reloading bench during the first review/video while bringing about a little more clarity to the actual noise level of the CTS Gen2 Trimmer.


During this video on display is my old IPhone with a decibel meter on it. Again not meant to be scientific I know the IPhone is no where near capable of providing a true DB reading, but I believe it does assist in giving us an idea of the noise level of both devices. One other thing to keep in mind is that anything on or attached to the bench will only reverberate the noise or hum given off from these devices and there are 3 presses attached to this reloading bench at the time this test was conducted, but all loose items were removed.


DB Meter reading: Baseline when absolutely quiet in the shop — 50DB


CTS Gen2 Peak Meter Reading — 78DB
CTS Gen2 Average Meter Reading — 75DB
CTS Gen2 Average Noise Level — 25DB


Hornady Trio Peak Meter Reading — 91DB
Hornady Trio Average Meter Reading — 88DB
Hornady Trio Average Noise Level — 38DB


CTS Gen2 Trimmer Noise Video


Hope this helps.