Having an issue with my Lee trimming stud + pilot...

[dc.fireman]

I think I've spoken to JimKirk and Walkalong, and possibly rcmodel and Snuffy in the past about the Lee trimmer (cutter shaft & case length gauge type).

I'm having an issue with it - I have three of the shafts - I've never had an issue with the 30-06, or the 30-30.

Today is the first time I used the one I have for .45 ACP, and I had a few problems:

I'm using it with the cutter and caliber 'stud' chucked into my drill press as I have in the past :

1. My first issue - I needed to trim my brass. The Lyman manual calls for a trim to length of .888", many of my cases were in the .894-.896 range.
The cases (which I had just resized) wouldn't even slide all the way on to the gauge/pilot. It's seemed like the pilot diameter was too large. I first remedied this by spraying a little Dillon case lube on the pilot.
This helped for two or three cases, but then the lube would get hot, and sticky, and simply worsen the problem. I used a small bit of fine grit sand paper, and with the press running, smoothed out the pilot. Now I could get the cases to actually engage the blades on the cutter stud.

2. I thought everything was going well, until I went to mic a few of the 20+ cases I trimmed - the lengths are all over the place - the shortest was .897, and the longest trimmed down to .892. I can't seem to figure out why this is happening - The small pin on the bottom of the pilot is just barely peened - the tip might have shaved off .001" or so. It wasn't even enough material to flare the tip of the pilot, just remove the rounded tip.

What gives with the variations on the case lengths?

From my reasoning, this should work just like a mini lathe, only turned vertically, instead of on its side.

I can see how an out of spec pilot wouldn't let the pilot slide smoothly into the case mouth, but that shouldn't affect the overall lengths - the pilot tip simply butts up against the shell holder, and acts as a
stop. Any ideas what's going here? It has me utterly confounded.

3. I didn't bell any of the casemouths for my 230 gr. LRN cast bullets - only deburr and chamfered. Upon seating them, I am occasionally (every 5th or 6th round) getting a small sliver of lead shaved off of the side of the bullet - about .25" in length, and probably the diameter of a human hair. Is this acceptable? I know I probably should bell them in the future, but the bevel base seems to go into the case just fine on most of them.

Here's a link to the tool I'm referring to:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=476992

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=880062

 

[ChefJeff1]

I've used the lee trimmer set up since I started reloading (I think) 2 years ago. I had the exact same problem with the overall lengths all different. i also had a problem with the cutter not really cutting but more rolling the edge over and the chamfer/debur too couldn't handle the lip.....

I bought a forster trimmer and my problems are solved.

I think the OAL difference with the lee might be affected by how hard you push the cutter down onto the case.

That's all I have. Jeff

 

[wgaynor]

I've been using the Lee Case Length Gage and Trimmer and found that it is easiest when chucked in a drill and using the Lee Case Trimmer with the Ball Grip. A quick spin of the drill and a little pressure (make sure that the case is tight in the shell holder) and every one is of the same length. Have you tried this?

When in doubt, call the Manufacturer (LEE) for advice.

 

[woodsoup]

^^^ Yep, chuck the shell holder in the drill and hold the gage/cutter in your hand. Also make sure the gage is firmly seated in the cutter. Lee heat treats the gage after the threading operation and this leaves some pretty nasty threads. Also make sure your measuring device is zero'd when the mandrel and anvil are closed.

 

[sansone]

I use those lee trimmers for all my calibers and they are not good enough for a real picky reloader. I have just decided to accept slight variances in case lengths. pressure you apply changes the cut, and the cutter gets dull (especially with drill) which begins more of a rollover than cutting. previous post also noticed this. I no longer use a drill and replace the cutters when dull. Problem is I could have bought a forster trimmer with what I spent in replacement cutters.

 

[wj kerr]

lee trimmer and pilot.

Same problem also happens to me with .222 rem . Im using the wooden ball grip handle . Trimmed 30 cases the other day some at .1690 spec but most between .1686 & .1689 . Are these ok to load and if so will these short cases have any bearing on accuracy. As 2 previous posters have stated i also think it is to do with how much pressure is applied to cutter. Thought about the rcbs trimmer but as i only load for the duice cost rules it out.

 

[rcmodel]

The problem I had with my .223 Lee pilot is that the threads that hold the stop pin in the shaft wore out and became very sloppy after a couple hundred trims. The more I used it, the shorter it cut cases.

I cured it once and for all by putting red lock-tight on the threads, then adjusting the trim length before the LT cured.

It has worked perfectly for another 800+ cases since then.

As for trimming .45 ACP cases?
Why?

I have never trimmed a straight wall auto-pistol case in close to 50 years of loading them.

If they will fit in the guns chamber and headspace properly, there is no reason to trim them, regardless of what a case guage says.

rc,

 

[JimKirk]

I'm glad RC answered... I could remember him having a slight problem and him fixing it, but I couldn't remember what it was.

I have found that if you feed(press) too hard and do'nt let the cutter cut, it will build up a flat wall at the end of the brass. It feels that you have cut it down to the correct length, but in fact you've left a little. I notice this if the brass goes on the pilot easy, but after cutting the brass is hard to remove. This may not be your problem, but look to make sure. Also that pilot pin is harden, but if you put too much pressure it will brad the end... I think the heat generated softens the very tip of the pin. Here again I may be wrong ... as I been getting better at being wrong lately ...must be old age!!!

The only reason I would trim pistol brass is to make sure the length is right for a good crimp. The 44 mag is the only one I trim because I use W296 and it needs a good crimp.

Jimmy K

 

[rcmodel]

+1

You trim revolver cases so the roll-crimp is consistent on every one.

That is not a factor in taper-crimped auto pistol rounds.

rc

 

[jamesicus]

I have used Lee case trimmers when reloading 30/06 class cartridges over the years with complete satisfaction. The pilots are usually a somewhat snug fit in re-sized cases, but usable, albeit occasionally requiring a little reduction in diameter using abrasive cloth. I recently purchased a .458 Lott case trimmer and found that the pilot was considerably oversize for my re-sized cases:

I "neck size" the cases using a Hornady New Dimension size die (.500" re-size length back from the case mouth) that results in a case mouth inside diameter of .449". The diameter of the pilot on the Lee trimmer I purchased measured .454" requiring quite a bit of abrading to make it usable with my re-sized cases.

I called Lee Precision Inc. this morning and talked to a tech. rep. asking him if the diameter of the pilot on my trimmer was within Lee's prescribed specs. He answered that it was, and that their case trimmer pilots were manufactured to be .003" to .004" smaller in diameter than nominal bullet diameter in order to accommodate a general range of re-sized cases (my .458 Lott pilot fell within those parameters) -- but recognizing that there would be great variances resulting from the use of different manufacturer's dies, re-sizing techniques, etc. I asked him if pilot diameter reduction by owners was a common requirement - he responded that it was indeed sometimes necessary, but that the pilot metal was quite soft and easily abraded.

James

 

[68wj]

For handgun cases, the resize die shrinks the brass diameter but there is no neck expander ball like on a rifle die. If you have not run the brass through the expansion die first, your Lee case length gauge will/may not enter the case. Other times it will enter and feel like it has bottomed out, but really is getting wedged in the mouth. This leads to many inconsistancies in length. The gauge is supposed to be snug to keep itself centered in the mouth so that it cuts square, but too tight it will cause problems. As mentioned above, if you have expanded the brass as much as you want to and the gauge is still too tight, remove just enough material to allow it to function correctly.

 

[Rule3]

I had a 223 trimmer where the pilot or shaft would not fit in the case mouth. Called Lee and they said to check it in a drill and lightly sand it with 400 grit paper for a second or so.. Worked like a charm.

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

Might it be that you've chucked the shaft end on part of the knurled portion? I use a cordless drill and some of my cases are tight,but not chucking on the smooth area of the shaft will cause runout. Lame answer? I'm a newbie but learned that fast with my Lee trimmer.