I've started loading 223 and many of my cases are below the "need to trim length". I've read that if it's more than 1.74 that it should be trimmed. As long as it isn't any longer than 1.76 (MAX case length) why do I need to bother trimming at all? Talk to me, seasoned veterans. Thanks.
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Talk to me about trimming, I'm a novice loader
- Thread starter Mannyman
- Start date
You *don't* have to trim if its under max length. For best accuracy its best to have uniform trim lengths, but as long as its within SAMI spec you are safe.
As you fire and resize spent cases the brass flows and stretches. This may not seem like a lot but can cause chambering issues (untrimmed) If you are speaking of a .223 in an AR platform then most definitely full length size and keep the cases trimmed.
Best advice I can give on trimming is to invest 60 bucks on a little crowe gun works trimmer..attach it to a cheap drill press and trimming becomes a snap..I can trim 100 pieces in 10 minutes now..accurate and fast!
Just got the Lee Deluxe Quick trim in today from MidwayUSA, ($14.99). A Quick Trim .223 die will arrive tomorrow From FSreloading, ($8.99). The trimmer is a press mounted system and trims to length and chamfers inside and outside the necks. With this system the die controls the length, no measuring is necessary, the cutter is also micro adjustable im .001 increments up to .010 so if you choose you can makes all your cases a uniform length, though not really necessary. Just place your case in the shell holder, raise the ram and spin the trimmer. If the case is at or below max length no trimming will occur, if not it will be trimmed back to saami spec. I plan to motorize this unit with my Delta bench top drill press, a poor man's Dillon 1200 as it were. I'll make a video of it when I have it up and running.
