20 Best Case Trimmer Reloading (2022 Updated)

I recently had 200 pieces of 6. 5 Creedmoor brass to trim. I read the promos on the Frankford Arsenal trimmer that is used in a drill. I bought one through Amazon so If it was misrepresented I could return it.

I assembled it per the instructions and adjusted the unit to trim the brass to 1. 910 inches, every piece came out the same. You will have to chamfer and deburr when the trimming is done. I trimmed 100 pieces in a half hour or less.

This is the slickest trimmer I have ever bought, and I have several types that I have bought in my 50 years of loading ammo. Let me say this I do not represent any company, I just reload for a hobby and try to keep my grandson in ammo.

I picked this up at my local Sportmens warehouse thinking this could potentially cut down on work and number of trimmers. I reload 9 different calibers, so I was mildly excited this could be the “one”! Upon opening the box there were 3 colletts and 6 flat(ish) washers.

The main cutting unit was built solid and had a standard rotary cutting head inside the trimmer. There was a little manual in there to help along on what goes to what. So looking for a standard. 223 you had to pick the best sized plastic collet that the shell slides into, then you needed the flat(ish) washer which is a shoulder stop for the shell inside the trimmer.

You unscrew the trimmer into 2 pieces so you can slide the washer in first, then the collett on top of the washer. Then with those loaded in, you screw your trimmer back together. Now you take an empty.

223 brass and slide it into the collett. It maybe real loose or tight, but you have to keep screwing the base of the trimmer until the case can be inserted and removed easily with no side to side wiggle.

Now once you get that all set up, you adjust the trimmer depth of cut by the other side of the trimmer using the dial. Size it to your desired length, now you can proceed case after case. Negatives: Plastic collett that holds the brass will heat up and possibly melt or deform if the shell is allowed to spin.

Also the shoulder stop washer is thin and will leave a ring around the shoulder of the case, right at the shoulder to neck angle. Could have used a sealed high RPM bearing. Pros: Multi caliber and will do “some” pistol cases.

Fast case after case. Trims very well, accurate. The cutting head can be changed with other competitors cutting heads. I did like it mostly. If I didn’t have so many calibers to load and number of cases, this would be a great trimmer to get into the reloading game with.

With a couple of tweaks from FA (ditch the plastic) on this, it would be a world class trimmer.

Great looking product and awesome concept but I got the short end of the draw. So I made the choice to go on a budget purchase to help me process about 800 223 and another 1,000 300 blackout brass cases but my disappointment soon began after finding the trimmer shaft bent and not cutting true.

I placed the trimmer on a cordless drill and as soon as pulled the trigger on the drill the wobbling began. Now do to this Covid19 Bass pro does not have another in stock and they can’t get one for 3 to 6 weeks “so they say”, I’ve emailed Frankford and I’ve not gotten a response.

So for now I have a brand new $80 useless trimmer. Pros: great tool, super convenient, easy to set up. Would love to be able to use this trimmer. No cons: have not yet found a reason to bash this trimmer, I do not expect that my cituacion is common just a luck of the draw for me.

The trimmer was used, so I wasn’t all that surprised that it needed repair. The main shaft had a spot where the set screw had scarred it so the adjusters wouldn’t slide past and the adjusters were bound together in an unusable mass.

Fortunately, Lyman sells the adjusters for a reasonable price and I was able to fix the scar on the shaft. I think it will work fine.

Buy with confidence! I thought that the Lee Deluxe trimmer would do the same as the Lyman Universal Case Trimmer. BOY WAS I WRONG! The Lee Deluxe dies after 100 rounds of. 223. The design has many issues.

I had to clean out the trimmer every 1 – 2 cartridges and I found myself getting fatigued and frustrated with how long and how much pressure I had t put into trimmer brass. The Lyman takes no effort what so ever.

I trimmed nearly 300 brass, chamfered, de-burred and cleaned the primer pocket under 2 hours. It took me a lot longer with the Lee. The Lyman also does not make a mess of my press! Clean up with the Lyman was done in 60 seconds, after all brass was complete.

I can not stress how amazing this trimmer is. You can definitely buy with confidence. It is so easy that i do not see myself getting the power accessory for it. Excellent press!!!.

Trimming my cases for reloading. I’m a target shooter and have several target rifles. Reload for other people sometimes. Great product from a great company who i have used numerous years. Great shipping and prompt and helpful service.

This is the best designed trimmer Ive seen. The universal shell holder is superb. Its easily adjustable and has a micro adjustable feature. Attach to your power drill and you can speed through a bunch of brass!.

Used very little and now the case base holder failed. Called customer service and it’s 100$ for that part. Lol. What a joke. I will steer clear of any Lyman product When any of my Hornady equipment fails they send a free replacement.

Few questions asked.

The price is borderline outrageous so I hope the service life justifies it. The pilot stem is a little loose in the bore so when you tighten the set screw it’s not perfectly centered. This causes the case mouth to wobble a little as the cutter rotates.

I don’t think this hurts anything because the trim seems to be square. The threads that screw into the drive shaft are also a little under size. If you don’t tighten the cutter with pliers, it tends to back out and cut the cases too short.

I mention this only because the high-speed steel cutters (at least the two I have) stay put when they’re just finger tight. Am I disappointed? A little. Can I work around these deficiencies? I think so.

This thing works like all carbide tools. It cuts smooth and fast like I expected. I have used the standard HSS cutter for more years than I can remember, and wonder why I took so long to upgrade to this great cutter.

Oh well, I got one now, and am very satisfied.

Super sharp out off box. BIG improvement over stock cutter! I thought it was a little pricey for such a small piece ,so far good results. Only time will tell on staying sharp. Very happy with purchase.

IšverstiShow in original languageI’m a long time reloader and amateur gunsmith. I own products from every major (and several minor or defunct manufacturers) of reloading, gunsmithing, and casting equipment.

A long time ago, I used to work in the service department of my company (I still work at the company. 23 years). A customer once told me that every company makes mistakes, but he kept coming back to ours because we always made it right.

I have several Lyman products and I’ve never had a problem with them. I bought the Lyman E-Zee trim on a whim without reading any reviews when I saw it on a recent trip to Cabela’s (everybody is always looking for a less painful way to trim shells).

Anyway like many others, within 10 cases, the grub screw that retains the pilot worked loose. I retightened (a little tighter) and it worked loose again. rinse and repeat until the provided allen wrench slipped past a notch.

still no dice. Inside of 100 cases, I had a pilot that had about. 001″ cut off by the case cutter. I filed a flat onto the post of the pilot. It still worked loose, but at least the post wasn’t being “trimmed” further.

I contacted Lyman electronically and received an email that they’d replace the grub screw. I contacted them again detailing the extent of the damage and explaining that the issue wasn’t the screw, but the overly loose threads in the cutter itself (I’m an amateur machinist and have a full set of “go/no go gauges).

I got no response. I received a package from Lyman. My name and address was hand written on the package, but not only was there no replacement post or cutter head, there wasn’t even the grub screw. They just sent me a product catalog.

I’ve always agreed with my customer from long ago. I’ve become a very faithful customer of companies that make mistakes and then take care of them. That being said, I’ll probably never purchase another product from Lyman.

To be fair, If the screw would stay tight, It’s a pretty slick setup for plinking ammo. The case holder portion is a bit cludgey in use, but once you get into a rhythm, it’s pretty quick and you can stay within about 2 thousandths very easily.

I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency; however, it’s not worth the constant fidgeting with the grub screw and the fact that Lyman isn’t interested in either fixing the problem or taking care of it’s customers.

I ended up turning and threading a new fastener (a little oversized). If you have the equipment, you can turn this into a nice setup for plinking ammo, but otherwise, I’d recommend avoiding it.

IšverstiShow in original languageI am just getting into reloading ammunition for a. 223 rifle and was looking for a cost effective way to trim cases. There are a number of different types of case trimmers in the market though I settled on the Lyman E-Zee Trim because of Lyman’s good reputation in the reloading industry and the cost.

I have not been disappointed. The tool is very easy to use and I trim cases will I am watching TV. All cases were trimmed to within. 001″ of the specified length (1. 750″ according to ADI’s reloading data specs).

The provided guides are fixed and the length of the trimmed case is not adjustable so this tool would not be suitable for someone who wants to use alternate case lengths though there are video’s on Youtube that describe the process of modifying the guide length if you have a special requirement.

All in all I am very happy with this case trimmer and would recommend it to anyone who uses standard case trim lengths.

IšverstiShow in original languageThis is a great way to trim brass without needing to stop and measure a case every so often to make sure your trimmer is still set properly. You just chuck the right gauge in and go.

Running very many cases using hand power to turn the trimmer will take awhile, and start to wear on the pads of your fingers/thumb depending on how you hold it. I like the tactile feedback of that method, you can feel just how much cutting is or isn’t being done, but after a few hundred cases my hands started to get pretty worn.

The other option is to use the drill chuck attachment. I ended up doing the second set of brass this way. You don’t even need to strap down the drill or anything, I just sat there watching TV with the drill on one knee.

I’d slide the case into the holder, slip it onto the gauge until the cutting head touched the rim, and then apply a little bit of power to the drill and let it do the work of trimming. Probably not a great idea if the wife is trying to watch TV as well, if you’re trimming by hand the cases will squeak and annoy her (or at least my SWMBO), and the drill of course makes a bit of noise that will annoy most people.

Still this gets cases trimmed quickly and cheaply. Would I like to get a fancy trimmer that fits on a progressive press complete with vacuum to deal with the shavings and so on? Sure. But until someone buys me one (and the press to put it on) I’ll keep using this.

Someday I’ll get the expensive reloading rig, but I can do what I need done with this and wait until the budget exists for the fancy toys.

Meh. I bought the deluxe version that is supposed to champher and cut in the same step. It didn’t work. I removed the champhering parts and it works fine as a cutting head only. Price is right, but don’t bother with deluxe version.

Well, I’ve only used it to trim 9mm brass, so far. I like that it chamfers the inside and outside as it trims but it’s leaving a burr on the outside. Also, the outside chamfer blade bent. I took it apart and flattened it back out.

I applied a little grease on the spindle and it seems to be doing a little better. I’m hoping it will do a better on larger diameter brass. Not sure why it will, but hoping. I’m usually a big fan of Lee products.

I BOUGHT IT BECAUSE I COULDN’T FIND A FILE-TYPE TRIMMER. WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY THE SOLID CONSTRUCTION, EASE OF USE, AND CONSISTENCY. CASE MOUTHS ARE SQUARE. GREAT SYSTEM. ONE CUTTER THEN BUY ANY DIE YOU NEED AT A REASONABLE PRICE.

I like the ease of use of the Lee trim system. However, the deburring blades that come it are not very effective. So, I prefer the value trimmer and deburring separately.

I have used the Lee trimmer made for a drill ever since it came on the market. I even had to buy a new one. Now I’m a senior citizen and my hands would get sore tightening the shell holder on the casing in the drill part and my other hand would tire from holding the guide and trimmer blade against the shell as it turned, So I ordered the Quick trim that works in the reloading press, I’m back in action and this product works great for me as an ole Timer.

Its works well with someone who has lost strength in their hand and fingers and using causes less fatigue. It grips the brass quite well also

Trimmed and loaded some 300 Blackout cases the same evening it arrived. This one replaces the trimmer and pilot I somehow lost.

Works as advertised, Hook a drill up to it and I was able to trim 50Rds of .44mag brass relatively quickly

After reading the description, I thought that it was a Chinese knockoff that I could probably make work, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually made by RCBS. If I remember right, the description just said that it was FOR an RCBS trimmer, not that it was made by RCBS.

Also, the photo didn’t indicate RCBS quality. It just looked like a poor casting. The photo was bad, but the product quality is there.

The RCBS case trimmer pilots are well made and are a big part in making sure you have accurate ammunition. I found if all you’re brass is trimmed to the same length this make the crimp on bullets all the same and the bullets are the same coal length.

Great as I have started reloading all of my own ammo I need these and they work great!

I didn’t realize how my old cutter had lost its edge over the years. This replacement makes trimming more uniform and requires less chamfering after use. Also allows pilot to be pulled from case mouth much easier.

Well worth the price.

I use the cutter head with my trim pro mainly to trim my cases and it trims them quickly. They will wear out and if you push them after they are worn they can deform the end of the case but when new they work fast and furious.

PS. After a couple years of hand trimming I finally put a drill on my case trimmer. If you take the handle off as I did, you will need a drill with half inch chuck. I think they also make an adapter for a smaller chuck but any cheap 1/2″ drill will work.

Needed new cuter head. Excellent help ordering. Fast delivery. Easy to replace old head. New head works great. Back trimming.

I really wanted this trimmer to work great, but ended up being entirely disappointed. I had bought this trimmer from Cabelas when I bought my Lock N Lock single stage press kit. I thoroughly read the very non-detailed instructions and then when to work trying to trim cases.

The first thing I noticed is that there are no micrometer adjustment marks on the trimmer shaft. The “micrometer adjustable” claim in Horanady’s description of this product means that you can adjust it by using your own micrometer, which is not as easy as it would seem with this trimmer because it’s very difficult to position your caliper blades exactly the same and especially in the exact correct spot to result in your desired trim length.

The next thing I noticed is that it is very difficult to actually adjust or readjust the trim length because the unmarked trimmer shaft is simply locked down by the large screw knob you see on the side of the trimmer base.

Thus if you push it a little too far forward or backwards your trim length is all fouled up and you have to start over. Plus, without the micrometer markings on the trim shaft you can absolutely forget about repeatability, and will thus have to go through the same trial and error process each time you need to trim a different caliber.

I ended up ruining about a dozen cases before I realized how ridiculous this trimmer was and said the heck with it. Fortunately, Cabela’s really does stand behind the products it sells and permitted me to return it.

Now I have a great trimmer with actual micrometer markings I can index off of for any caliber I decide to trim, plus by keeping a written record of these settings for each caliber case, I can easily switch from caliber to caliber without having any difference in my trimmed case lengths.

Do yourself a favor and avoid the frustration and expense of ruined cases and get a trimmer that is truly micro adjustable.

Cutter is sharp and easy to use but dulled too soon. I trimmed 100 cases of. 357 mag and 200 cases of. 223 Rem. I later found myself applying more pressure to the case in order to continue trimming all cases.

I resharpened the cutter while finishing the last few cases of. 223 but it dulled again. A replacement worked well but again it dulled to soon after trimming 50 cases of. 44 mag and 100 cases of. 357 mag.

Distance adjustment is simple, set table and easily repeatable. I find that I did have to fully disassemble the right arm for a full clean and lube to eliminate a squeaking noise. And the grub screw which holds the pilot did fall out during shipping.

resulting in me digging for a bit to find it. I do not recommend trying to use this thing wo mounting it to something. As such, mine is mounted to an inline fabrication quick change top plate and is a breeze to use.

You still have to contend with brass shavings no matter what. but. it is what it is. Maybe I’ll design and print a shavings catch later. Who knows. Overall, a very well designed product.

Indispensable for properly shortening cases.

The RCBS case trimmer pilot along with the RCBS case trimmer pro saves a whole lot of time and makes the job so much easier. The cases are trimmed square each and every time which is a must. Stick with the correct size for your caliber and you can’t go wrong.

Try it and you will agree with me.

As usual RCBS products work and work well. I wouldnt use a product that doesnt deliver and deliver is just that from RCBS products. These pilots hold a bullet case centralized in the case lathe & aligned correctly and give very accurtate trimming results, regards Cruizinoz AU.

Lyman has been making reloading tools for ages . And for good reason. You can’t call the shot back to correct it,so make it right before you send it. BRASS. Breathe, relax,aim,etc.

It’s Lyman so it’s a good product. Had to buy it because it’s not included in my cutter set and needed to trim some Grendel brass. 6.5 is not that strange. Happy with the quality and price.

Because of the straight shaft it will not lock into pilot housing and keeps coming out when the case is withdrawn.

Why did I wait so long to buy one of these!?! I found the easiest way to set these up is by setting it up before you mount it to your machine by taking a resized case, place it on the pilot, and adjust the deburring blade to where it’s just touching the case mouth.

Remove the case and give the deburring adjustment another 1/8 to 1/4 turn and lock it down. Then mount as normal, adjust trim length and get to work. Perfect case, every time. You can easily do 200 resized cases in an hour.

I have this tool in 22, 24, 27, 28, and 30 cal. Trimming used to be a real chore, but with these, I trim like you should. Yes they’re expensive, but a HUGE time saver!.

Trims and chamfers inside and out at one time. Trims faster than the standard cutter head. Just be aware that you need a separate pilot/cutter for each caliber. The pilot is the cutter for the inside bevel.

I have 4 – in different calibers. They are a great time-saver because it puts sizing and chamfering all in one step. The only problem I have is they clog easy and become dull quickly. I wish the blades were carbide.

This lathe is as solid as a brick chicken coop. When cutting brass, the whole system exudes precision. The cutter does quick work, the collet that holds the base of the catridge is strong and solid. I did make two changes to improve it for my work flow.

I removed the rubber cover to the turn knob and applied some blue locktite to the right hand thread screw that secures the knob to the cutting shaft. Before this change, the screw would backout during use and the knob would fall off.

Another possible solution would be to use a left handed screw that would not loosen during normal use. The blue lock tight seems to have solved the issue. The second change made was to the size button that you insert into the cutter face to fit the mouth of the brass you are cutting.

In my case I am trimming 44 Spl and the button was not a smooth slip fit due to what looked like a parkerised coating. I chucked the button on my drill and spun it against some 1000 grit paper until it slips into my brass with just a hint of resistance so as to ensure it fully supports the brass while cutting.

So far I have trimmed 200 pieces of 44 spl brass down to 44 colt specs and am extremely satisfied with this new tool. It is worth every penny.

I recently discovered that I needed a case trimmer for my reloading. I read reviews on other brand case trimmers and was not impressed with some of the reviews. A friend recommended the Forster case trimmer to me, so I checked it out.

The trimmer is well made, solid, accurate, and made of good metals (no plastic). Tolerances are tight, as they should be, and the unit works very well. I work in a machine shop so I can tell the difference between a well made product and one that is not well made.

The trimmer is easy to use, read all the instructions and remember this is a precision tool, and you will have no problems. I am getting accuracy of +/-. 001″. I am sure that as I use the trimmer more the accuracy will improve.

The Brown & Sharp style collet holds the cases securely with little pressure on the handle. The cost was a bit more for this trimmer than for other trimmers but I feel that the extra cost is justified.

This is an excellent hand trimmer. I bought it to replace another similar hand trimmer of an inferior design. There are a few warnings I would like to give, though. 1. You’d better have a micrometer handy so you can get the case length adjusted correctly, as this has no way to measure it.

2. This unit is like a Barbie doll. There are dozens of accessories you can buy for this trimmer. When you get it, you’ll get an instruction sheet that lists them all. 3. You absolutely must screw this down to a piece of board and clamp the board to your kitchen table (that IS why you bought his unit, isn’t it?).

You can’t simply hold it with your hand and twist. 4. Forster also sells a plastic accessory box, which you can use to organize all the bits and pieces that come with it, and which you can purchase. Buy it, you won’t regret it.

NIB so expectations were high and my expectations were met. Great product and great quality.

It was as pictured. Just what I needed.

Excellent quality. Works perfect every time. Holds the shell case with precision

Used for trimming 6.5 Creedmoor. Worked very well.

I rely on RCBS products for making quality handloads. I’ve been using them for 46 years.

This a rcbs pilot. It will not fit a. Lyman , the shaft is bigger then the Lyman. It is of good quality and the transaction went smooth.

The Forster case trimmer has been around for quite sometime. I purchased my first one in the early 1970’s. I now have six of them all set up and running, each for a different cartridge. They are very easy to use, ultra accurate,.

and very smooth running, second to none. It lacks the micrometer capability for fine adjustment such as my Redding unit has but runs smoother than any trimmer that I have used. I also have a Lyman unit which I use on occasion.

I have a machine shop and I like precision and thus I like the Forster trimmers. The only other trimmer I know of that is smooth and ultra accurate is the Wilson unit but with my Forster’s, I do not feel the need for one.

The Forster machines are the best value available when you consider price, accuracy, reliability, smoothness, and pure joy to own and operate. Harry-O!.

I haven’t used mine yet but I have no reason to expect that it won’t work as well as the ones my shooting and hunting buddies use and recommended to me. There are cheaper ones and more expensive ones on the market, some with options like electric power adaptions.

The Forster will do me perfectly for the amount of reloading that I do.

pilots are available for 6.5 cm. Haven’t used yet. product looks solid all adjustment are smooth