Looking for advice on a power case trimmer

whatnickname

whatnickname

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Bought an RCBS power trimmer years ago that turned out to be a waste of money. 10/1000 to 15/1000 variation in trim lengths. My little hand turned RCBS trimmer is always +/- 2/1000. I’m getting older and the arthritis in my hands and wrists are making that process more difficult.

I’m about 90% sure I’m going to end up with a Henderson Precision case trimmer. That said I’m also a bit of a cheapskate. By the time I buy the trimmer and case cutters I need I’m going to have $1400 in that machine. Everything I read about the Henderson has been excellent. But dang!!! $1,400??? I’ll do it if I have to.

Has anyone had any experience with the power trimmers made by Lyman, Franklin and Hornady? They cost a fraction of what the Henderson costs. I’ve looked at the videos on YouTube of these machines and I’m not impressed but would welcome other options before I buy the Henderson.
 
whatnickname said:
Bought an RCBS power trimmer years ago that turned out to be a waste of money. 10/1000 to 15/1000 variation in trim lengths. My little hand turned RCBS trimmer is always +/- 2/1000. I’m getting older and the arthritis in my hands and wrists are making that process more difficult.

I’m about 90% sure I’m going to end up with a Henderson Precision case trimmer. That said I’m also a bit of a cheapskate. By the time I buy the trimmer and case cutters I need I’m going to have $1400 in that machine. Everything I read about the Henderson has been excellent. But dang!!! $1,400??? I’ll do it if I have to.

Has anyone had any experience with the power trimmers made by Lyman, Franklin and Hornady? They cost a fraction of what the Henderson costs. I’ve looked at the videos on YouTube of these machines and I’m not impressed but would welcome other options before I buy the Henderson.
Click to expand...
What is it about the Henderson that makes you 90% sure you’re buying it?

Or to put it another way, what’s the 10% that makes you unsure?

That could focus the comments a little better.
 
CQB45ACP said:
What is it about the Henderson that makes you 90% sure you’re buying it?

Or to put it another way, what’s the 10% that makes you unsure?

That could focus the comments a little better.
Click to expand...
Please read my post again. I’ve asked for comments on other case trimmers, not the Henderson.
 
For bottle neck brass the drill powdered trimmers like Little Crow work fine but do not do straight wall brass. If it's just the cranking that is causing the problem add the drill attachment.

I make my own case trimmer similar to the LC. The difference is I made the insert piece that supports the brass 1/2" longer to minimize tilt which results in a 0.001" accuracy. Now since these work off the shoulder position it can vary. One of the reasons I anneal every time so the brass reacts consistently. I did make a setup for trimming rimmed brass but a holder is required to hold the brass.
 
I have never used anything but the Lee trimmer; first by hand, then with the trimmer chucked in my drill press (makes it a power trimmer). Make sure you deburr and chamfer. I found out the deburr and chamfer would leave, for want of a better term doobers or a wire edge on the mouth. I found if I measure length before removal, I do get .0005 -.002 before their removal and after removal difference. A quick left-right rotation of the mouth on fine steel wool FLAT on the bench, would remove. THEN measure.
 
I use the Lyman Case Trim Express, the pencil sharpener looking device…
It suits my needs more than adequately…
Comes with multiple bushings for doing many different cases..
It’s pretty quick, you still gotta chamfer and deburr, tho…
 
I have the Franklin arsenal Platinum. It does trim, deburr, chamfer, and primer pocket reamer. It generally holds tolerance .002. It is much easier on my hands than my RCBS hand trimmer, but you still have to hold the case by hand and insert into each station. I have no problem doing 50 to 100 large cases like 6.5cm or 300wm. , Chamfer,, deburr, and pocket reaming dont require much effort, but trimming does require a bit of pressure so small cases like .223 tend to tire my fingers out a little sooner.
 
Last edited:
I use the Lyman universal trimmer and attach it to a drill. For the amount of trimming I do I could never justify $1,400 on one. It was kind of hard to justify spending $100 on the Lyman for the amount of trimming I do...

The Lyman is adequate for my needs. However, I never recorded what level of precision the cases came out to.
 
I have the Hornady manual trimmer and use the hex adapter to use my Milwaukee cordless drill to quickly trim brass in no time. I need to get a Hornady 223 shell holder though...
 
Would’ve suggested the Giraud trimmer, but it’ll definitely hurt your finger joints, as would the one by Little Crow.

Anything that requires you to grasp these little cases will.

Seeing how the Henderson trimmer works, that’s probably the more arthritis - friendly option.
 
The Glockodile said:
Would’ve suggested the Giraud trimmer, but it’ll definitely hurt your finger joints, as would the one by Little Crow.

Anything that requires you to grasp these little cases will.

Seeing how the Henderson trimmer works, that’s probably the more arthritis - friendly option.
Click to expand...

Yeah, 223 cases in the Giraud are not that much fun. Its precisely why I just do all the 223 with a RT1500 now. Just set it, and pull the handle on the progressive.

Henderson, Giraud, Dillon, WTF2, and any number of options are fine. You just have to decide how much you wanna spend.
 
I use the Lyman hand crank trimmer, doe's well enough for me. There is a power adapter for it which would save you cranking the handle. It also holds the brass for you, just insert the brass in the holder and push the little lever to lock it in. Pull the lever back to unlock and take the brass out. Easy on my arthritic hands.

chris
 
I'm in the same boat with needing a quicker method of trimming brass. I've been using the Lee trimmers with the caliber specific length gauges.
I like that because I hate the micro adjustments required with most trimmers.
I used to have a Lyman Universal and it worked splendidly, but setting it up for each caliber was a huge PITA.

I think I'm going to get a Lyman case prep center and set it up to handle the Lee trimmer. It's really an easy way without the hassle of micro adjustments.
Here's a video of it. I'm sold.

 
Has your RCBS always been that way or is your cutter dull.It make a big difference in consistent length
 
I use the Lyman powered trimmer for 223 but it doesn't have a three way head. I use the Hornaday hand crank when I want close tolerances.
For 1400 you could get a real lathe and have a ton of options, and do other projects including neck turning if you so desire....
 
I wish Lyman would come out with a 3 way cutter. I love my RCBS ones. Ever since i got their 30 cal one. My Lyman just sits unused. I had my .223 3 way a long time now.
 
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