what do you use trim your brass?

[akuser47]

I just ordered it from Lee I can't wait to get it. To start working with this new bullet. Reviews have been all over the place. I hope to find out none of this is a waste of money.

[Pepe Ray]

I asked myself this very question back in 1975. At the time I was employed by a large sporting goods distributor and had wholesale buying priveleges.
Although my choices were wide and varied, my pay check was very thin.
Questions one should ask of himself.
What do my future years in shooting/reloading hold for me?
How many firearms and calibers will I have by the time I retire.
Is buying lee trimers one at a time actually the most economical way?
What about versatility in the equipment?
The upshot was that the Forster base+collets+pilots+hollow pointer+outside neck turner offered more future prospects than any other
equipment regardless of price and the price was lowest as well.
Over the years I've made some additions to it, all easily obtained. The only wrinkle was the learning curve to achive constancy in triming dimensions.
I've never been able to determin why Forster doesn't make it clear in their literature.
The explanation is too long and inappropriate for this post . If you need to pursue this contact me.
It works for me.
Pepe Ray

[pricedo]

I use the Lee cutter and arbor for all my .45-70 case trimming.
I use the same load exclusively which is the Hornady 350 grain RN on top of IMR 3031.
The Lee cutter mounted on an electric drill greatly simplifies the case trimming process.
I never got into casting lead bullets because I didn't feel comfortable working with molten lead on a continuous basis.
Lead is a cumulative poison & can insidiously build up in your system & cause serious harm if you do not take proper precautions around molten lead & lead vapor.
I've seen a couple of dirty lead casting stations when visiting friends that were located in enclosed areas that weren't properly ventilated that made chills run down my spine.
I'd hate to see the results of a blood toxicity test on these guys.

[akuser47]

I load lead but do not cast them just buy them. anyways maybe someday and outside if possible.

[Ranch Dog]

Just follow common sense when casting. I use sawdust for flux and always have some on top of my melt so that I can watch the smoke and ensure my fan is moving it away from me. Another thing to do is do blood testing, most of us older guys do it for one thing or the other but you must specifically ask your Doc to include it in the testing battery. It does not add any expense. I have been casting 25,000 bullets a year for the last decade and in my semi annual blood work have seen no traces of lead. My level is nil referencing the acceptable levels on the report. My Doc says it is because of the very rural area we live in, none of the pollutants found in major metro areas.

Anyway, I am concerned about it but I think there is a bigger risk in case resizing (contact with spent primers and their residue) and at the shooting bench with a wind in your face.

Modern smokeless gunpowder, and black powder, contains nitrate compounds. Black powder normally contains a combination of potassium nitrate (75%), charcoal (15%), and sulfur (10%). Smokeless powders can either be single based or double based. Single based gunpowder will contain nitrocellulose (cellulose hexanitrate) as its main ingredient. Double based gunpowder contains nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin (glyceral trinitrate) as its base. Some triple-based powders are also now available.

When either of these types of gunpowder burns the residue left behind will be in the form of a nitrite-based compound. Nitrite particles when emitted from the muzzle of a firearm will strike a nearby target and either be imbedded in the target's surface or leave a deposit of nitrite residue.

Lead residues will be in a vaporous or particulate form and can come from a couple sources within a discharged cartridge. The most common source is the primer. Primers are used to start the ignition process in cartridges and commonly contain lead styphnate, barium nitrate, and antimony sulfide compounds. However, some newer primer compounds are being used that are lead and/or barium free.

Cartridges containing lead based primers, when ignited, produce a vaporous cloud of residue that is expelled from the muzzle of the firearm. Additional vaporous lead residues can be produced when the hot gases pushing a lead bullet down a barrel melt lead from the base of the bullet.

A third form of lead residue will be in a particulate form. Particulate lead residue comes from minute lead particles that are shaved from the sides of a lead bullet as it travels down the barrel. Lead particulate has more mass than vaporous lead and travels greater distances. Also, gunpowder particles can be coated by the vaporous lead residues and leave what appears to be a lead particulate deposit upon striking the target.

The amount of lead residue emitted from a gun can vary slightly from shot to shot. Fouling in the barrel from previous shots can slightly increase the amount of lead residue emitted from one shot to the next.

[pricedo]

I'm unrepentantly lazy so I use the Lee case trimmers in various calibers exclusively for all my reloading.
I have a manual RCBS and an electric powered Lyman case sizer complete with all the pilots that have been collecting dust on a shelf since my chronic laziness took control of the situation when I discovered the simplicity & consistency of the Lee cutter & arbor system.
Other than for handgun loading I don't see any advantage in the extra fuss, muss & bother & complications associated with lead bullets & use jacketed bullets in my rifles.
I'm seeing a time in the future when lead bullets & lead bird shot will be phased out of hunting as the gilding metal "X-type" bullets and steel shot take over as the "environmentally correct" sport hunting projectiles.
I buy the bagged or boxed bulk wad cutter and semi wad cutter lead bullets that I use in my revolver and pistol rounds.
I guess if I shot tens of thousands of rounds a year like some shooters do there might be an economic advantage in taking up casting lead bullets.
For the couple of thousand handgun rounds I fire a year I'll keep on buying my lead bullets.

[Ridgerunner665]

I have an RCBS trimmer that I use to trim all my brass...

I've been meaning to try that 3 way cutter....but sticker shock has kept me from it so far.

Also...on the topic of lead exposure...tumblers are one of the worst, never run that thing indoors.

[akuser47]

Hard to beat this value that LEE gives us for these custom trim gauges.

[phonejack]

keep in mind that you have to de-burr the flash hole for the lee trimmer to work correctly

[Betterluckytg]

I've been using an RCBS power trimmer for about 18 years now, and have been very satisfied with it. Bought it after trimming 2000 45/70s I'd sized to 40/65. Have trimmed many thousand cases on it with zero problems. Can't beat that.