So this week I was catching up on brass, with new barrel comes the need to resize all the brass...
I have a wft for 223 and 30-06... I have a lyman fl resize for the 30-06 and rcbs small base for 223... 223 is very consistent once trimmed, 30-06 is only if fl sized twice. 30-06 im working with now is 1x fired range brass hxp.
Anyone have input on this? For range brass should i think about sb die?
I have one for 223
Usually good to .001 to .003 in length
I have also noticed that the shoulder length on fl sized brass will vary a couple of thousandths which in turn gives the variance in overall length
I am not sure a small base die will fix that but it definitely will size the brass to min specs
I also have one in 223.
Works well.
Check out this thread on the Hide
Dead on case trimmer - FANTASTIC PRODUCT!!!
Its in the snipe hide equipment section. I haven't used ether but I'm sure there both good.
I've got several WFT and they work great.....a lot better then inserting each individual case into a collet and manually cranking a handle. Very fast and pretty accurate!
Im just wondering if anyone has seen that issue that i am experiencing
+1 on the Dead-on ... made by a reloader who happens to be a precision machinist who saw a better way to do the job.
NRA Life Member
I really like how the adjustment is made on that!Originally Posted by RevM
One of the issues that most folks have with the WFT is an inconsistency in the lengths of finished brass because of the way the WFT measures length from the shoulder. Brass should be FL sized to SAAMI specs. One cause of the length problem is the case shoulder is sometimes pulled forward because of the friction of the expander ball. Use a carbide expander, or lightly lube the insides of the case neck before trimming. I learned this from a competition shooter that was having the same problem. I followed his recommendation, and my finished case lengths were much more consistent. With military cases I screwed an old bore brush into my loading bench, and lightly lubed the brush with Mobil One Synthetic Chassis Lube, or you can spray the brush with one of the wax based lubes. This seems to remove that last bit of sealant left on military case necks that contributes to stretching during the resizing process.
Good Shooting Makes Good Hunting
NRA Patron Member
+ 1One of the issues that most folks have with the WFT is an inconsistency in the lengths of finished brass because of the way the WFT measures length from the shoulder.
I sent my back. My Giraud gets them within .0005 so I am sticking with it.
The Giraud also uses the shoulder, but it's consistent. I trimmed 70 pieces and "none" of them were over .0005
Last edited by Dennis; 07-19-2014 at 09:12 PM. Reason: Not .005 I meant to post .0005
Well... I dont know how this happened... but my fl size die somehow was not set properly... with that the neck was not getting bumped correctly, hence the variation. I reset it, and now it is accurate +/- .001. Just like the other I have in 223...
Strange thing is my friend that taught me how to reload just had the same problem... let that be a lesson... set screw.
Always check your brass after bumping the shoulders. I check every piece I size. I also anneal every round and it's seems I get a very consistent reading after bumping.Strange thing is my friend that taught me how to reload just had the same problem
I have one. I no longer use it. It has multiple problems for my use.
1) I neck size my .308 cases. This thing requires full length sized cases
2) It jams constantly with chips. Start with it clean, trim 1 or 2 cases, then there will be chips in there keeping it from cutting. I developed the (bad) habit of tapping the WFT on the bench to knock the chips out so it would cut again, and the set screws failed to hold the cutter in place so with each knock the trim length decreased. I overtrimmed a bunch of cases before I noticed this. The mfg of this thing told me I need to reach in there with a Q-Tip and clean out the shavings and chips. If I have to do that, the tool becomes one of the slowest case trimmers I have used. No thanks.
3) Even when it worked right occasionally, there was excessive variation in trimmed length.
My recommendation is to look for something else. Since I don't trim mass quantities of brass, something else turned out to be the LE Wilson / Sinclair trimmer. Just as fast for me considering all the screwing around I had to do to make the WFT work, and with far, far better results. The Wilson one is a lot more expensive, but there is a reason the WFT is cheap.
I liked my WFT until I started neck-sizing. Then I found that the trimmed length was a tad long.
Tried adjusting the length. That is not as straightforward as it might seem.
If one chooses the WFT, go with the micrometer adjustment option even though it costs more.
I don't use mine any more except maybe on older practice cases. It marks the shoulders of my cases and that offends my OCD sensitivities!Sent it back for polishing and that helped a tiny bit, but you could still see the tooling marks inside that were causing the marks on the cases. Polished some more myself on the lathe but never did get it to the point where I had no circular scratches on the shoulders from it.
Bought one for my 204. Trim length are more inconsistant than I would like but tolerable. I use the Lee trim system for everything else and wouldn't change for nuthin.
There are 3 kinds of people in this world. Those who can do math and those who can't
Dead on is the best by far. Check it out on You Tube, the only one I know of that has a micro adjuster. Call Dustin at 801-598-2224.
Great guy to deal with. I know you will not be disappointed.
Ohhh. Note to self: load these primed LC cases with crap bullets the first time, then SS tumble. I didn't even think of the sealant!
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