Brass Prep Kit

[ma smith]

What is everyone using and/or recommendations for the Trim,chamfer/debur setups?

At what monthly production volume/scale is the Giraud more considered a necessity vs a luxury?

I'm looking at volume in range of 100-200rnd/month; larger lots of brass prep 200-400 max pcs.

Option0: LE Wilson Micrometer trimmer and eg, Lyman Handled Tools ($200-ish)
Option1: WFT trimmer and RCBS base station. (or similar setups) this is $250-300-ish
Option2: Giraud Trimmer+Sinclair Primer pocket Uniformers this is $550-600-ish

And a good cleaning method that fist in with your overall setup?

For a Tumbler i'm looking at FA wet (wet no SS media).

 

[Dogtown]

I had a Giraud for a few years and it's a fantastic trimmer, but it can be a pain if you load lots of different cartridges unless you buy separate cutter assemblies so that you don't have to constantly adjust them every time you change them out.

The LE Wilson and other hand-cranked trimmers work just fine, but can be really annoying when you have to do 100+ cases in one sitting. But it's easy to setup and change out for different cartridges.

Over time I just came to embrace the WTF trimmer because I can just get an assembly for each cartridge, set the trim length once, and forget it. It makes trimming really quick and easy, but if you load 5+ cartridges it can be a bit expensive up front. I'd suggest just getting two to start with. NOTE: the WTF2 is a modular system that can really save you money, but you have to adjust the trim length every time to you change cartridges.

Cleaning is really a personal preference. I spent 10+ years with vibratory cleaners, but found them annoying and messy. I wasted a lot of time and money with ultrasonics. Then in 2011 I switched to stainless steel tumbling and that's what's worked best for me. There are now lots of options for tumblers in this category, though I still use the old STM model.

You don't have to buy a dehumidifier to dry them, but it saves time. Otherwise just dump them on a tarp or towel and let them air dry.

For chamfer/debur - I like the K&M tool for precision loads, and a generic RCBS tool for everything else.

 

[simonp]

I used the WTF trimmers, they are great products, however a pain if you are doing bulk. For 100 a month, probably fine but if you think you are ever going to be doing a few hundred of any caliber I would opt for the Giraud, just makes life much easier and a big time saver.

 

[LR1845]

get a henderson if your already looking at spending this kinda money

 

[ma smith]

get a henderson if your already looking at spending this kinda money

Are you talking Giraud money or LE wilson Money?

 

[Dogtown]

Giraud Money

 

[LR1845]

Are you talking Giraud money or LE wilson Money?

giruad money…I’ve owned 2 girauds and now a Henderson Wish ida just bought the Henderson when I bought the second giraud

 

[spife7980]

At what monthly production volume/scale is the Giraud more considered a necessity vs a luxury?

Giraud for me. It’s always a luxury no matter what volume you do.

 

[salks]

RCBS trim pro 2 with 3- way cutter head. I'm poor. Works great though trimming by hand builds poor people muscle.

 

[Baron23]

giruad money…I’ve owned 2 girauds and now a Henderson Wish ida just bought the Henderson when I bought the second giraud

I just bought a Giraud after using my friends for a while.

I now wish I had gotten the Henderson.

In 2003, Giraud made a product change and went with an electric motor w sealed bearings vice the previous motor that req you to oil the bearings periodically.

Guess what motor I got on mine? Yep, old style motor w unsealed bearings that need to be oiled.

When I questioned Doug Giraud about this, as his online manual still says he changed to sealed bearings in 2003, he replied that the other company raise the price to him by 15%, which can’t have been more than $20-30, max. Back a reasonable margin out of the sale price and I think you too will come up with a similarly small amount.

He had the choice of absorbing this cost, passing it on to customers which would still leave it well cheaper than the only other comparable trimmer (Henderson), or split it.

instead he dropped back to a fucking electric motor you have to oil or you’ll eventually burn the bearings….without any change to the online documentation.

In the manual, it says to oil every 1-2k cases. Now that he’s trying to push this old style motor again, he’s stating it only needs oiling every 10-20k cases and it’s the exact same motor as the one mentioned in the docs. I don’t trust or believe him, frankly, and he provided no rationale for the dramatic change in oiling frequency.

And I’ll be fucked if I’m going to keep a round count log on a trimmer. LOL

I addressed this thru the retailer I ordered it from, Creedmoor Sports (who I absolutely love, not their fault at all), they reached out to Giraud, and the message that came back basically that I got what I got, end of story.

Certainly not the end of the world and if I fry these bearings I’ll get a Henderson. But I will not do business w Doug Giraud ever again

but let me ask you guys, do any of you have an appliance class electric motor newer than 30 years old that needs oiling?

Anyway, if I had to do it again, I would go with Henderson and that’s my whine for the day. Haha

 

[ma smith]

RCBS trim pro 2 with 3- way cutter head. I'm poor. Works great though trimming by hand builds poor people muscle.

I'm not completly opposed to hand powered part of it, and the 3 way trimmers (I think forster makes one as well) seem to reduce some steps/touch points witht the brass, since fewer touch points is less brain damage but...how much volume do you do regularly /feel comfortable with this method?

 

[ma smith]

I just bought a Giraud after using my friends for a while.

....

he dropped back to a fucking electric motor you have to oil or you’ll eventually burn the bearings….without any change to the online documentation.

That is a total nonstarter IMHO

 

[bluejay75]

Worlds finest trimmer for each caliber. I set mine to minimum length and trim every time. Only a little material comes off on subsequent trims. Lyman or RCBS case prep center for all other brass prep steps. I now use a bronze brush to clean necks and debur flash holes every time just to be sure.
Any of the rotary tumblers will work very well and are easy to use. Warm water and dish soap or wash and wax will get your brass very clean without pins. Go very light on the lemishine.

 

[ma smith]

... let me ask you guys, do any of you have an appliance class electric motor newer than 30 years old that needs oiling?

That is messed up...I saw a similar consideration for a motor in one of the thumbler tumblers units..

Oiling A Thumler's Tumbler Motor and Bearings

Thumler's rotary tumblers should be oiled after each month of operation. Oiling the bearings and motor are very easy jobs. Regular lubrication will prolong their useful life and help them run quietly.

rocktumbler.com

From the link:

Thumler's Model B tumbler Thumler's Model B
Bearings: Lubricate once a month - or after each batch of stones.
Motor: P-TECH motors have factory-sealed bearings and do not require oiling.
FASCO motors (used prior to 2021) require oiling.

 

[Baron23]

That is a total nonstarter IMHO

...


While doingresearch I found Thumblers tumblers certain models had something like this...

Oiling A Thumler's Tumbler Motor and Bearings

Thumler's rotary tumblers should be oiled after each month of operation. Oiling the bearings and motor are very easy jobs. Regular lubrication will prolong their useful life and help them run quietly.

rocktumbler.com

Oh, I'm sure that we can dig up other examples of people trying to squeeze the most $$ out of a product using open bearing motors....or just don't want to expend the effort to update their design (though with the Giraud, the sealed and unsealed motors are form and fit identical).

I'm 69...when I was a teenager, I'm pretty sure that the REALLY old hedge clippers my old man used needed a drop of oil...certainly on the blades, but perhaps the motor also. But this was 50 years ago.

FFS, if you buy a cake mixer, blender, vacuum cleaner, or food processor you will get a sealed bearing motor.

I'm gobsmacked at Giraud's decision on this and personally think it was penny wise and pound (or ton) foolish. Just stupid, IMO.

P.S. - yeah, this is a FASCO motor.

 

[CMP70306]

I bought a Henderson and it was hands down one of the best investments I’ve made. I was dreading trimming over 2000 6.5 Creedmoor cases on my Hornady case trimmer but the Henderson makes it easy.

At about 9 seconds per case I can run through 100 cases in 15 minutes which is significantly faster than the 50 minutes with the RCBS 3 way trimmer installed on the Hornady trimmer. With the standard Hornady case prep trimmer you are looking at 83 minutes to trim, chamfer and debur 100 cases.

Additionally all you need to change cartridges is a long screw with nut to set the trim length and a cutter head if it is a different caliber.

As for the value well it really has to do with how much is your time worth? If your like me and work 40+ hours a week plus other weekly commitments then you have maybe a few hours a couple nights a week max to reload. Based on my numbers the Henderson will take 1 hour to trim 400 cases vs 3 hours & 20 min for a slow 3-way trimmer and 5.5 hours to trim, chamfer and debur separately.

 

[ma smith]

think you mis-spelled FiASCO

As for the value well it really has to do with how much is your time worth? If your like me and work 40+ hours a week plus other weekly commitments then you have maybe a few hours a couple nights a week max to reload. Based on my numbers the Henderson will take 1 hour to trim 400 cases vs 3 hours & 20 min for a slow 3-way trimmer and 5.5 hours to trim, chamfer and debur separately.

Very insightful experience and with some numbers behind it...

 

[Mauser06]

I am using a forster with 3 in 1 cutter.


I load 1 caliber that I use it for. If I did different rounds, I'd use one of the multiple spindles I have abd just leave them setup for each round.


I timed it once and I can smoke through pretty quick.

I usually do batches of 100. Then take a break and go size the next 100. I have the drill attachment and haven't bothered trying it. Couple cranks on the handle and it's done. I run it every firing so I'm basically just doing a light chamfer and debur with it each time.


I just can't see spending Giraud or Henderson money..then to change calibers is more money ontop of that.


I've been doing bras prep about once a month. Just did it today actually. And still don't hate the trimmer. Beats chamfering and deburring by hand.

 

[salks]

I'm not completly opposed to hand powered part of it, and the 3 way trimmers (I think forster makes one as well) seem to reduce some steps/touch points witht the brass, since fewer touch points is less brain damage but...how much volume do you do regularly /feel comfortable with this method?

I will crank out up to 200. 6.5 CM, 6CM, OR .223. As many as i need done really.

 

[LR1845]

I'm not completly opposed to hand powered part of it, and the 3 way trimmers (I think forster makes one as well) seem to reduce some steps/touch points witht the brass, since fewer touch points is less brain damage but...how much volume do you do regularly /feel comfortable with this method?

if your going to buy a cheaper trimmer get the forster original with a 3 way head and the power(drill)adapter i ran one for several years when i first started...one of 3 of the very first pieces of reloading equip i bought that i still have today.

 

[ma smith]

Thanks for all of the replies, this has been a useful thread, really helps crystalize the options.

 

[CK1.0]

I have been kind of on the fence about whether going with a Giraud or a Henderson for about a year now... but since they were both on long term backorder at the time when I needed something, I decided to go with a WFT, but couldn't find one of those at the time either so...

I ended up with a Frankford Arsenal Universal Precision Case Trimmer which is similar to the WFT and also uses a drill and requires one chamfer and deburr in an additional/separate step. Hooked up to a Dewalt/Millualkee the FA trimmer is awesome. I crank the drills up to as fast as they'll go and it's like ~1-3 seconds a case and it holds a half a thou.

For chamfer and deburr duties I use a Hornady Case Prep Duo with the chamfer cutter switched to an RCBS VLD type. Initially I thought it would be dumb but I couldn't find anything any simpler, and turns out it is actually great, just wish the rechargeable battery lasted longer or it worked while plugged in (the battery is only good for ~200 cases or so a charge cycle).

While 1 step is better than 2, I've since used both a Giraud and a Henderson, and feel like neither are much of an upgrade or much faster than how I'm already doing it (actually think the FA+drill trims better, certainly faster). YMMV.

For cleaning: I wet tumble with SS pins in a Franklin Arsenal Rotary Tumbler (FART) and then also/additionally dry tumble in corn cob with a vibratory tumbler after sizing and before anything else.

I've tried f'ing everything, twice, bought 4 different commercial/industrial ultrasonic cleaners, tried dry tumbling in every kind if media you can get (including rice, which sucked)... wet + SS pins is the best, no doubt about it... but it took me forever to finally crack the code and solve the riddle of wet tumbling with pins without f'ing up the case mouths (it's not the pins, so don't let that affect whether you decide to use them or not use them)...

I don't turn necks or mess with primer pockets or flash holes and my SD's are single digits.

 

[JBattles]

Here is a decent option that wasn't on your list, but I have found it to be very flexible and well worth the money... it's always nice when you have a piece of gear with multiple uses.

Frankford Arsenal Case Prep and Trim Center - less than $200

Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Case Prep Trim Center

The Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Case Prep and Trim Center offers 4 work stations to quickly and easily prepare brass for reloading. The permanent...

www.midwayusa.com

The trimmer is accurate and can be switched out to different calibers, you can also switch out the cutter head to a carbide or other if you want .
You can run whatever other items you want in the 3 ports . I normally chamfer, deburr, and run a brush for necks or you can clean primer pockets. The other day I had a bunch of crimped 223 brass - I spun on a primer pocket reamer and was able to do all the prep on this same device... pretty flexible for less than $200.

 

[ma smith]

Been thinking alot about these options, and have added the two above

1) Forster ($125) with multi-cutter ($75) is another ~$200 option. Each caliber is $75 extra or you need hand tools for deburr/uniforming etc. So realistically, this option is $250 price bracket.

Forster Original Case Trimmer Kit

The Forster "Original" Case Trimmer is the perfect choice for trimming most calibers with bullet diameters from .171" to .459" and...

www.midwayusa.com

2) The FA appears more complete for the ~$200 cost of getting that unit, quality of toolilng is unknown and some reviewers didn't care for the FA "lite" version so I'm a bit on the fence how this heavier duty will do over the long run. If you need to upgrade the tools etc it will add that extra $23-50 bucks right back into the budget, tho so that something I'd be curious to hear more feedback on.

3) The FA tumbler is on sale for $129, so leaning to go that route, as it seems to be a known quantity.

 

[ma smith]

Also doing some math based on time savings ...

1 Barrel of ammo = $300 range pays for itself in 1500-3000 rounds
2 Barrel of ammo = $500-700 range pays for itself in 3000-6000 rounds

You can adjust these number based on your value of time, and the burn rate of your barrels.

But I thought it was helpful to think about this in terms of logistics,
ie efficiency improvements vs actual needs ...

and not always about "money" vs "poors" etc

 

[ma smith]

Has anyone used the Henderson trimmer without the permanent motor housing? ... requires a corded drill to be used as the sytems motor?

 

[acudaowner]

thinking about buying one of those Henderson trimmer or a Giraud Power Case Trimmer

 

[CK1.0]

Be careful about that math and time savings talk around here man, don't ruin it for everyone.

Honestly, buy the best stuff you can afford, if it turns out that it doesn't work for you, the top shelf stuff in this sport will never last more than a few hours in the PX, especially if it involves a significant wait to get a hold of, or is pricey where someone might want to save just a little bit to feel better about it (example: lot of $375 Spuhr mounts change hands around here, you don't have to buy one for $400, you can "rent" them for $25 if you want too).

That said, everyone works differently and there are some good tools out there these days if you want to try a different way to skin the cat... as long as it actually works, and isn't just junk that costs less (which a lot of it is sadly).

Plus, don't forget there's a lot of other shit to buy, so if you can save some scratch in one area, that usually means it's just going to end up going towards another area, which isn't a bad thing...

 

[bluejay75]

To ma smith. I think you’re headed the right direction. The FA case center is a good one and you will need a traditional trimmer to do straight wall like 45/70 or 450 BM. What calibers do you shoot the most of should drive your choice. As much 308 as I shoot I couldn’t imagine doing them on anything other than something high speed, lots of power and sharp blades.

 

[6.5SH]

I just bought a Giraud after using my friends for a while.

I now wish I had gotten the Henderson.

In 2003, Giraud made a product change and went with an electric motor w sealed bearings vice the previous motor that req you to oil the bearings periodically.

Guess what motor I got on mine? Yep, old style motor w unsealed bearings that need to be oiled.

When I questioned Doug Giraud about this, as his online manual still says he changed to sealed bearings in 2003, he replied that the other company raise the price to him by 15%, which can’t have been more than $20-30, max. Back a reasonable margin out of the sale price and I think you too will come up with a similarly small amount.

He had the choice of absorbing this cost, passing it on to customers which would still leave it well cheaper than the only other comparable trimmer (Henderson), or split it.

instead he dropped back to a fucking electric motor you have to oil or you’ll eventually burn the bearings….without any change to the online documentation.

In the manual, it says to oil every 1-2k cases. Now that he’s trying to push this old style motor again, he’s stating it only needs oiling every 10-20k cases and it’s the exact same motor as the one mentioned in the docs. I don’t trust or believe him, frankly, and he provided no rationale for the dramatic change in oiling frequency.

And I’ll be fucked if I’m going to keep a round count log on a trimmer. LOL

I addressed this thru the retailer I ordered it from, Creedmoor Sports (who I absolutely love, not their fault at all), they reached out to Giraud, and the message that came back basically that I got what I got, end of story.

Certainly not the end of the world and if I fry these bearings I’ll get a Henderson. But I will not do business w Doug Giraud ever again

but let me ask you guys, do any of you have an appliance class electric motor newer than 30 years old that needs oiling?

Anyway, if I had to do it again, I would go with Henderson and that’s my whine for the day. Haha

Before you lament your purchase too much might want to read this post and further down the page:

AMP Press now in stock!!

Possibly. Like most things…..some of it flies in the face or established “never do that.”

www.snipershide.com

 

[ma smith]

Good words of advice, yeah once you actually make a list of everythign to buy...little things add up

Before you lament your purchase too much might want to read this post and further down the page:

AMP Press now in stock!!

Possibly. Like most things…..some of it flies in the face or established “never do that.”

www.snipershide.com

So basically this says shortlist is back to WFT/ Giraud or Wilson.
You want a design that holds the case exterior, ie the old conventional wisdom?

Just by it’s very nature, if something requires a pilot to work, it will always touch. Otherwise the pilot would not be needed (giruad, IDOD, etc don’t require a pilot).

The minute the brass touches the pilot (almost always) it will always be touching.

AFAIK Both the Forster and the Henderson use pilots and the same setup/collets etc.
even the cutters I think all are made by Forster...

 

[6.5SH]

The Henderson pilots and cutter were Forster but have moved to their own design a rev or two ago.

 

[ma smith]

OK but ...If could buy an 'Old' Giraud with sealed bearings I would probably do that

 

[CK1.0]

So basically this says shortlist is back to WFT/ Giraud or Wilson.
You want a design that holds the case exterior, ie the old conventional wisdom?

Just get something that indexes off the shoulder of the case, so much better/easier (most of the newer trimmers have done away with using any sort of pilot anyhow).

And yes, those are the usual suspects... just don't sleep on the FA trimmer too, I'm a picky bastard and it's pretty remarkable how satisfied I am with mine. A buddy of mine has their case prep center do-it-all-lunchbox and the trimmer on that is a joke by comparison.

At ~7:00 in this video it shows how fast the thing trims (and he's going slow):



Plus, with the help of a repurposed giant container of animal crackers, I can trim almost anywhere in the house without leaving a mess :

 

[Baron23]

Before you lament your purchase too much might want to read this post and further down the page:

AMP Press now in stock!!

Possibly. Like most things…..some of it flies in the face or established “never do that.”

www.snipershide.com

Oh, I’m not lamenting, just don’t like the way the guy handled this, at all. Now, it is what it is and that’s also kind of a summary of ther CS response.

Now, I’m not that familiar w a Henderson and I’m not sure what he’s showing in that pic w the arrow.

can you clarify what I’m looking at and what the nature of the exact problem is. I mean, I see the chewed up neck but I’m not sure of what the context is.

Thanks

 

[6.5SH]

Oh, I’m not lamenting, just don’t like the way the guy handled this, at all. Now, it is what it is and that’s also kind of a summary of ther CS response.

Now, I’m not that familiar w a Henderson and I’m not sure what he’s showing in that pic w the arrow.

can you clarify what I’m looking at and what the nature of the exact problem is. I mean, I see the chewed up neck but I’m not sure of what the context is.

Thanks

I agree that the way Giraud handled the bearing change was incredibly poor.

As to the pictures, the pilot was chattering in the neck. The graph from the AMP press showed inconsistent seating pressure as a direct byproduct.
The further comments from @Dthomas3523 and @orkan were that the Giraud being pilot-less do not cause this problem.

 

[Baron23]

I agree that the way Giraud handled the bearing change was incredibly poor.

As to the pictures, the pilot was chattering in the neck. The graph from the AMP press showed inconsistent seating pressure as a direct byproduct.
The further comments from @Dthomas3523 and @orkan were that the Giraud being pilot-less do not cause this problem.

Thank you.

Any idea what caused the chattering? Was there some kind of malfunction or loss of proper set up at all?

I did get that they were discussing the pilot and it’s deleterious effect on the neck and seating pressure shown in the graphs.

I no ask because unless I’m mistaken ( which happens all the time lol) are there not a lot of very knowledgeable and expert precision reloaders who successfully use the Henderson?

That rough chewed up neck lip seems like it would be obvious even to a novice like me and I haven’t seen any other bad reports on this trimmer.

 

[spife7980]

I wouldn’t call it chattering, it’s where the pilot had some galling on it which is what scratched the inside of the case necks. Polish the pilot clean and it goes away (until it gets galled again). Galling is just what happens when unlubed metals run on each other.

 

[Baron23]

I wouldn’t call it chattering, it’s where the pilot had some galling on it which is what scratched the inside of the case necks. Polish the pilot clean and it goes away (until it gets galled again). Galling is just what happens when unlubed metals run on each other.

Thanks....yeah, it seems like a LOT of people really like the Henderson...and a lot of them are people who would def notice that kind of poor looking neck, I should think.

Do you use a Henderson? Like it?

 

[6.5SH]

I really suggest reading down that page in the thread, using a undersized pilot and no pilot are discussed as well.

 

[bluejay75]

What calibers will you be trimming?

 

[Baron23]

I really suggest reading down that page in the thread, using a undersized pilot and no pilot are discussed as well.

Ah, I did...but no where that I saw was it discussed why Thomas got such a completely and obviously ugly neck lip while many other highly competent reloaders use a Henderson without complaint or issue?

That pic of the neck is fuggly as can be. To me, this looks obvious as hell and could easily be detected via naked eye and just running your finger over the lip.

 

[6.5SH]

Think the lip looks worse than it is, the auto-focus went more to his fingers. The issue is the ring inside the neck.
The new wrinkle is now being able to precisely measure the seating force change caused by that and have it persist on a screen.
Maybe you'd see it on a fluid pressure seating gauge, but not as easily or in a way you could graph.

 

[ma smith]

What calibers will you be trimming?

6,5CM mostly match type ammo

 

[spife7980]

Do you use a Henderson? Like it?

No, I don’t stick stuff in my necks like that anymore

 

[bluejay75]

For one or two calibers I FEEL the 400.00 plus trimming systems are overkill. Especially if you can get the same job done at a fraction of the cost. Those extra funds could be spent better with other items more critical to match grade accuracy. My WFTs make very clean cuts and you can replace the end mill very cheap. Cut is usually clean enough that the chamfering of the outside of the case isnt needed. The balance of the steps are done on a Lyman case prep center. Those steps are chamfer inside case, flash hole deburr, clean primer pocket (if i didnt tumble with pins) and a bronze brush into the neck. Not bench rest type job but very good for accuracy and consistency.

Save the extra money and get a good annealing set up.

 

[Baron23]

@ma smith - if I recollect correctly, you are most likely not interested in trimmers at the price point of a Giraud or Henderson, right? And no shame in that....we all set our priorities according to our own lights...IMO. haha Some like Bushnell while others will spend for a Tangent Theta. And so the world goes around.

BUT, if you are interested in a Giraud, one of the chief complaints is the impact on your fingers of holding 200-300 cases in their pilot against the spring tension while cutting. If you are just refreshing a chamfer to brass that had already been trimmed to your desired length (and not grown much), then its not nearly so bad but still can get annoying. If you are cutting back...I dunno....say .005, then the vibration of cutting will def get to your fingers.

Gloves are an option and, before I got my trimmer, I used my friend's a number of times (with his sealed bearing...the fucker! LOL) and used some reasonably thin, grippy, close fit gloves which helped. But the problem with a lot of gloves is that I found I had to squeeze even harder to hold the brass against the slight compression of the glove material and give it a twist while against the cutting head, which is recommended (see his manual).

So, I found this, which works very well but may also put people off for price. Also, I think this would work lovely for hand held drill powered trimmers and other hand held tools.

Its from K&M and there is a cylinder that comes up from under the shell holder when the big round part is turned and locks the case into the fixture firmly.

It only takes a 16th or so of rotation of the round part to lock in/release the case so its really quite easy, quick, and kind of responds to the lack of something like the collet and handle that the Henderson incorporates (I actually suggested providing something like this to Doug Giraud before I found this K&M tool with zero response or acknowledgement....yeah, Doug is def off of my xmas card list! haha).

It takes these parts from K&M to put this together....and, you don't really need the handle if you have something like it already....

Power Adapter (#CHPA00) - $25.70

Power Adapter with Shell Holder

Power adapter for use with a cordless drill for turning with the Micro-Adjustable Neck Turner.

kmshooting.com

Shell Holder - #2 (#SHLAP02) - $3.40 (note, this is just a Lee Shell Holder)

Lee Auto Prime Shell Holder | Shell Holders for Reloading

Lee Auto Prime Shell Holder | Shell Holders for Reloading | Precision Reloading Tools | Reloading Shell Holder

kmshooting.com

Power Grip (#CHPAGRIP) - $20.95

Power Grip - K+M Precision Shooting Products

Power Grip to be used with power adapter (new laser etched style) to make it easier to tighten down your case without tools.

kmshooting.com

Power Adapter Handle (#PAHANDLE) - $12.90

Power Adapter Handle

Power adapter for use with a cordless drill for turning with the Micro-Adjustable Neck Turner.

kmshooting.com

So, total of $63 plus shipping....and it really is a very nicely made piece of kit.

I did run my brand new Giraud today for the first time after bitching about needing to oil bearings (hey, its been a really annoying year and half and I'm entitled! ;-) LOL) I did put a few drops of oil in the little port as there is no telling how long that motor sat on a shelf or if Giraud oiled it before shipping.

My view is that if he now says that oiling interval is 10-20K (order of magnitude more than what he publishes in the manual) then I'm just going to put a few drops of oil in there once a year. I used to go thru 15-20K of shotshell when shooting tournament skeet and don't think I'll have anything near kind of round count for metallic reloading so fuck it, life is far too short to stay pissed at piddly shit (and piddly people) like this...and at 69, life is starting to feel real short! haha

Take care and hope this was helpful to someone or another.

 

[6.5SH]

Thanks for the K&M parts list there.
I've been using a pair of sparkplug boot pliers which works OK, but that looks far better.

Holding the brass by hand on a WFT and through chamfer and deburr on an RCBS casemaster was torture without the pliers, but it still takes me a few sessions to get through even 100 pieces.

The ergonomics of the Henderson had me interested in it over the Giraud. But given the recent discovery that I posted the Giraud is where I will end up going.

 

[flyright]

I've got a Giraud with oil less bearings - purchased in 2015. It's been a flawless device IMHO. After sizing (with a couple of checks) and trimming, I check OAL. If the OAL varies, I then check shoulder set back. I've seen a correlation with shoulder set back and brass thickness/capacity. I can actually sort cases this way and have seen positive results on paper. Just my .03.

 

[Crippled Eagle]

I finally settled for using the WFT trimmers. I have one of each for the three main calibers I reload for. I just finished trimming a few thousand 223 cases and really like using the WFTs. I debur and chamfer with the Frankford Arsenal Platinum case prep center. I don’t use the included trimmer unless I just happen to need a few cases done, for my usage the trimmer runs too slow for my liking. I have a chamfering tool and a deburing tool and a primer pocket cleaner/truer in the third place. For cleaning I have the large Harbor Freight vibratory tumbler. I deprime everything with a simple Lee universal deprimer before tumbling then running through my sizer dies. I trim after sizing then debur and chamfer. I’ve tried other combinations for trimming and preparation but none work as well for me as what I stated. I have never used a Giruad yet and perhaps one day it might take the place of everything else.