New Quick Trim
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New Quick Trim
Does anyone else have the new case trimmer system yet? I've only used in on a small handful of .223 brass and it worked like a champ. I think it was a bit difficult to setup just right but once I got it just right it worked they way Lee said it should. My one and only issue was not a fault of the trimmer but of my bench and how the trimmer works. Since you have to rotate the handle on the top, I found my bench isn't supported to not move side to side and everything started to rock and roll. I figure once I add a brace or two to lock it up tight this will cease to be an issue. I found the case lengths to all be near spot on with little to no deviation and it trimmed them faster and better than my Forster ever did. Add to that they are chamfered in and out at the same time so no more having to do those steps. You could spend a heck of a lot of money on another brand to get the same results. I'm sure Lee is working on some kind of drill chuck adapter for this new trimmer and I can't wait for that as well.
This is a review I posted elsewhere (sorry about the repetition but it was easier to copy and paste for the pics than do it all over again) and have since bought the .30-30 die that recently came into stock:
My initial thoughts on the latest Lee trimmer:
The trimmer itself comes with two major parts and then you buy the trim die for each cartridge. The die body holds the case with rubber o rings that look pretty easy to replace for cheap when they finally wear out.
The win in this design (besides the price) is that it does a pretty darn good job of cleaning up the edges by chamfering and deburring the edges. This isn't a new idea but IMHO what makes this different is the ease of setup and low cost of trimming everything you reload.
But in the end it comes down to how well does it trim... Well I set this for 1.760" and it seems to have a +/- of .005" with most of mine coming out looking like this after usually half a dozen rotations:
Bottom line - I like it. Typical of Lee products it seems like it wouldn't work as well as it does. I have to assume there will be a chuck adapter to allow a drill to do the turning. The rotation isn't hard but it does demand the bench to be rock solid or you will have a lot of shake, rattle, and roll going on with everything. No, it's not as fast as the WFT but then with the WFT I still have to clean up that sharp edge it leaves or it will shave the bullet during seating. So the WFT is fast but requires handling more than once. Let Lee add that drill chuck adapter and this thing might be a speed machine. Now if only they would hurry up and ship the .30-30 die...
This is a review I posted elsewhere (sorry about the repetition but it was easier to copy and paste for the pics than do it all over again) and have since bought the .30-30 die that recently came into stock:
My initial thoughts on the latest Lee trimmer:
The trimmer itself comes with two major parts and then you buy the trim die for each cartridge. The die body holds the case with rubber o rings that look pretty easy to replace for cheap when they finally wear out.
The win in this design (besides the price) is that it does a pretty darn good job of cleaning up the edges by chamfering and deburring the edges. This isn't a new idea but IMHO what makes this different is the ease of setup and low cost of trimming everything you reload.
But in the end it comes down to how well does it trim... Well I set this for 1.760" and it seems to have a +/- of .005" with most of mine coming out looking like this after usually half a dozen rotations:
Bottom line - I like it. Typical of Lee products it seems like it wouldn't work as well as it does. I have to assume there will be a chuck adapter to allow a drill to do the turning. The rotation isn't hard but it does demand the bench to be rock solid or you will have a lot of shake, rattle, and roll going on with everything. No, it's not as fast as the WFT but then with the WFT I still have to clean up that sharp edge it leaves or it will shave the bullet during seating. So the WFT is fast but requires handling more than once. Let Lee add that drill chuck adapter and this thing might be a speed machine. Now if only they would hurry up and ship the .30-30 die...
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Re: New Quick Trim
Thanks for your post! I had not seen this product either, been using the other Lee trimmers with the cutter head and spindle. DP
- joec
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Re: New Quick Trim
I have been using it now for about a month with 45 Colt and 454 Casull brass with the 45-70 Gov on back order. Well the 45-70 arrived last week along with 3 turrets and worked like a champ. I didn't bother to order dies for the 9mm nor 45 acp as I still have the old Lee system for that if needed which I never have.
I've been very impressed with it personally as it is fast, easy and accurate. I also like the fact you can set the amount one wants to take off if needed like when loading for Hornady bullets.
I've been very impressed with it personally as it is fast, easy and accurate. I also like the fact you can set the amount one wants to take off if needed like when loading for Hornady bullets.
Joe
- pricedo
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Re: New Quick Trim
I use the LEE cutter and pilot kit for most of my reloading.
The same length each & every time & nothing to adjust.
If you had a special caliber or case length for a particular purpose LEE will make you a special pilot.
They've done that for me a couple of times already.
The same length each & every time & nothing to adjust.
If you had a special caliber or case length for a particular purpose LEE will make you a special pilot.
They've done that for me a couple of times already.
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- akuser47
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Re: New Quick Trim
They sure do thanks to these guys Pricedo or R.D. cannot remmeber who suggested this on rossi rifleman but it did the trick. I have my own custom pilot for my FTX bullets in .357 mag. I love that LEE does this for their customers.pricedo wrote:I use the LEE cutter and pilot kit for most of my reloading.
The same length each & every time & nothing to adjust.
If you had a special caliber or case length for a particular purpose LEE will make you a special pilot.
They've done that for me a couple of times already.
This new trimmer looks interesting
- Fullthrottle
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Re: New Quick Trim
pricedo wrote:I use the LEE cutter and pilot kit for most of my reloading.
The same length each & every time & nothing to adjust.
.
Yep, Lee cutter and pilot for me, has worked for many thousands of rounds...and quite simple!
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Re: New Quick Trim
Yep, I use them for every calibre that I load, including those that I had to custom order from Lee. This isn't me, but this is how I use them:Fullthrottle wrote:pricedo wrote:I use the LEE cutter and pilot kit for most of my reloading.
The same length each & every time & nothing to adjust.
.
Yep, Lee cutter and pilot for me, has worked for many thousands of rounds...and quite simple!
Best,
Dan
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Re: New Quick Trim
Obviously there is something to the old Lee trimmer system that I haven't mastered. I have all the parts to trim about a half dozen calibers I load but I always have trouble keeping the brass tight in the holder. I have the chuck style and the standard but I just can't seem to get them in centered and tight. Plus, some of my brass are shorter than the guide will cut so it is difficult to get a consistent length batch to do some testing.
Hence, I took advice gleaned from joec's post and ordered the Lee Quick Trim deluxe unit. Midway only had the 30-30 and 45-70 dies in stock at the time so I tried it with those two first. Both calibers could be trimmed shorter than the maximum length which allowed me to get 25-30 of both 30-30 and 45-70 the same length. It is easy to set up in my Lee C press and pump them out. Everything comes out trimmed to the correct length and smooth inside and out.
Great product, especially since my 45 Colt and 35 Remington trim dies showed up yesterday!
Hence, I took advice gleaned from joec's post and ordered the Lee Quick Trim deluxe unit. Midway only had the 30-30 and 45-70 dies in stock at the time so I tried it with those two first. Both calibers could be trimmed shorter than the maximum length which allowed me to get 25-30 of both 30-30 and 45-70 the same length. It is easy to set up in my Lee C press and pump them out. Everything comes out trimmed to the correct length and smooth inside and out.
Great product, especially since my 45 Colt and 35 Remington trim dies showed up yesterday!
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