trimming straight wall pistol cases

[sheep.dog]

When I got into reloading, just a few months ago, I was advised to get a Lee case trimmer and since then I have been trimming my .44 mag and special brass, it all once fired(some maybe twice). Even using a cordless drill to turn the cases it is a long and tedious process. Only about 50% of the brass brass needs a little trimming but even that is a very thin ribbon. I have read that many people believe it is a waste of time to trim straight wall revolver cases, what do you think? Do I need to trim for every reload? If it makes a difference I'm loading 8.8gr of unique under a 240 LSWC with a Lee Factory Crimp.
What about straight wall rifle(lever action) cases?

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I usually trim my 44mag and all other straight walled revolver cases one time just to make sure they are all the same length. If you are using different brands of brass it is more important as some manufactures use a little longer or shorter case length. Once trimmed I don't bother until they are shot about 5 times then I trim them again. After that I don't trim them at all but I only use them for low-pressure loads. BTW I am a little anal retentive as well as being, ...you know, ...a democrat. :roll: :wink:

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

If you don't trim and use a roll crimp, you are going to crumple some cases. That happens when you crimp a case that is longer than the one used to set the die up. And some cases will get a partial crimp (case being crimped is shorter than the one used for setup). You can avoid crumpling by crimping slowly and stopping when the force required to complete the ram stroke gets abnormally high. You'll learn it through trial and error. If the case is just a bit long (not so long as to cause crumpling), you'll lose some neck tension.

Trimming also helps make sure your case mouths are square.

If you are making plinking ammo, it's probably not so important. Heavy bullets, stout loads, or shooting for accuracy or long range? I'd trim them.

You'll also discover cases that are below min length. It happens. Also, you'll find Hornady brass that is intentionally shorter than min length. It's from the ammo with the polymer tips.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I size and trim all my "new" revolver brass prior to my first loading: that's brand new, or just new to me (range brass, etc.) I want it all uniform to start, and there IS some variation now and again! Since I crimp w/ a Lee Factory Crimp Die, which is supposed to be somewhat tolerant of length differences, maybe I'm just a belt and suspenders kind of guy. But other than burning some extra time which might otherwise be devoted to watching golf, it's hard to see how the practice does any harm.

After that, I only remember having to trim one lot of brass, .357s, a second time. It's quite possible that was just a "soft" run, as I don't normally run my .357s much past about midpoint on the charts.

Rick C

 

[GP100man]

I trimm as well , when using slower powders a firm consistent crimp is a must.

As Rick said , most times ya only have to do it once.

& as Jimbo said after a few firings of true mag loads ,they go to the plinkin bin.

I do have some plinkin brass that I truely don`t know how many times fired but it still works !

I have saved a batch of brass by litely annealin it , here`s a pic of the annealed stuff.


I`ve tried it on the upper loadings & seems to be too soft or my technique could be off ,anyways my SDs were`nt up to par, so back to the plinkin bin they went. But I saved em from splittin & no they did`nt strech any ,even on the hotter loads shot the batch twice.

 

[Skalkaho Slim]

The only time I trim is with brand new brass. I've come across too many cases that were too long or where the case mouth was at an angle rather than straight.

After that, I never trim them again. I check them randomly and I've never had to trim one again.

 

[greenmtnguy]

Yup - trim em the first time - I usually trim them to just above the minimum defined length. I don't have to trim them again usually, or at least not for 5 or more reloads. The first time, they may be any length, not square, etc. Uniformity in your brass is a very good thing.

 

[gerryb158]

If you are a democrat (as noted) you should trim every straight wall pistol case when new and after every fireing. Also take the time to polish the inside of each fired case. Swage and clean each primer pocket and chamfer the inside and outside of each case mouth. You can also anneal this brass in your spare time. None of this will do any harm; but it will keep you busy for a little while. PS. Be real careful of magnum primers as they can blow up your house. Gerry

 

[Ale-8(1)]

FWIW, I have never -- never -- trimmed a straight-wall handgun case.

I'm using brass I've had for many, many years, and haven't had a bit of trouble with loading, seating, or crimping them. I tumble clean my cases after each use and use carbide sizing dies.

They drop into the chambers with no problem.

JMHO

 

[mikld]

To ruin cases with a roll crimp the differences in case length would have to be in excess of .020". When I reload, if something feels different when I pull the handle, I'll stop and see why, before I crumple anything. It doesn't take much experience to feel when something is wrong.

I trimmed cases for my revolvers a few times in '69 or '70, but have found no need, even when shooting heavy loads of WC820 or W296 with heavy roll crimps in my .44 magnums...

 

[Cherokee]

The only reason for trimming straight wall pistol cases on my part is for uniform crimping, and only when it will matter with the load. I usually don't even measure the cases to see if they are close unless I have discovered a problem in reloading them. Been OK with that for about 50 years. Rifles, different story.

 

[Sgt Garcia]

FWIW, I have never -- never -- trimmed a straight-wall handgun case.

I'm using brass I've had for many, many years, and haven't had a bit of trouble with loading, seating, or crimping them. I tumble clean my cases after each use and use carbide sizing dies.

They drop into the chambers with no problem.

JMHO

Same here…….same frequency as primer pocket cleaning.

Dennis.

 

[mattsbox99]

I don't think I'd tell anybody not to, but I've never trimmed a pistol case either.

 

[GP100man]

Well , the name of the game is consistency & trimmed brass is one consistency we have controll over.

 

[mattsbox99]

I guess I could consistently do a Rain Dance before every reloading session, I'm not sure that would make my reloads more accurate though.

 

[Capn27]

I'd like to present one huge exception - .30 carbine cases.

I've owned and reloaded for three different .30 carbine Ruger revolvers. Without exception, if the cases are even a few thousandths long, they will jam in the cylinder and/or tie up the rotation.

I've not owned any other revolver that uses a rimless case, such as the .45 ACP, but I'll bet it is much the same.

 

[5of7]

If you want accuracy when using the slower powders, you will need consistent crimps....especially when shooting jacketed bullets. Cast bullets are somewhat more forgiving that way. Therefore cases of a consistent length is desirable.

The use of a factory crimp die which crimps by the use of a Collet, greatly reduces the importance of case length variation. 8)

 

[mikld]

In my mind there is a big difference between consistancy and obsessive compulsive disorder :lol: If I were trying to get super accurate ammo, I would trim all cases, sorted by headstamp, to the exact same length, but also weigh and sort each case, measure and sort by primer pocket depths, measure primers and sort for consistent height, mark each case rim to be sure each case is indexed in the chamber the same, measure rim thickness, and then start on the other components (weighing/measuring bullets, powder charges weighed or measured to the .01 cc, etc,). But since I shoot handguns at 12 to 50 yards, my methods are quite enough for good accuracy; cleaning brass and loading it... 8)