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Old January 10, 2013, 07:10 PM   #1
Sphawley
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Lyman Universal Case Trimmer

Working on my first batch of reloads, Im using some brass that needs to be trimmed already. Starting off with the full cycle you could say...

Im struggling to get my Lyman universal case trimmer to the correct length for .308 of 2.015, initially I slowly trimmed a case to this correct length and then set it in there and then pushed the cutter up against it and set the set screws to hold. However this process didnt exactly work out for some reason.

What am I doing wrong is there a better way to approach this? How do you get the cutter set correctly?
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Old January 10, 2013, 07:20 PM   #2
m&p45acp10+1
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I had the same trimmer. I used a few pieces of new brass to set it when I started. One thing is not to push in too hard when turning the brass. Another is make sure you have the trimmer mounted to something solid. I tried at forst to work with it on a table, not pushing in on it too hard. Lengths were all over the place. I mounted it to my bech with good nuts and bolts very solidly. That helped out a great deal.

I traded it off for a lead melting pot, after I got a Lee trimmer lock stud, and case length guage for the caliber I was trimming, and it works with my drill.
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Old January 10, 2013, 10:40 PM   #3
deepforks
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+1 for the lee. i have the same for all my calibers. great tool.
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Old January 10, 2013, 11:04 PM   #4
rg1
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Yes, don't push hard at the end of the cut. Make a few turns after the collar stops feeding but not with high pressure. The set screws and collars can slip if you push too hard. Make sure your pilot isn't tight in the case mouth. Shouldn't be loose but shouldn't have any binding. Lube the shaft and collar where it bottoms out. Light gun grease works well on mine. If your pilot is snug chuck it in a drill and sandpaper it until it slides easy into case necks. I like my Lyman Universal but it has some issues for me. Don't like the fiber bearing and especially don't like the collar bottoming out on the aluminum bearing housing. Love the chuck and the cutter is sharp and cuts well. I still can't get as accurate a length as I can on my Forster trimmer.
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Old January 11, 2013, 01:00 PM   #5
oneoldsap
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Piece of cake

When setting up your trimmer for a particular case , make sure to chamfer and deburr before measuring the case you are using to set your length . Or you won't get consistant measurements . Trim , deburr, campher , measure , adjust trimmer as needed . I always put the fine (outer) collar in the middle of it's adjustment range before starting . Put a case in the trimmesr and move the Inner collar up tight against your trimmer , with the cutter tight against the case mouth . Then turn the outer collar away from the trimmer body , to make cases shorter , inwards to make them longer . I'm thinking your problem was not deburring before measuring your sample . Am I right or wrong ? I have been using the Lyman universal for god knows how long . If you spring for the carbide cutter , it will probably last a lifetime !
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Old January 11, 2013, 06:38 PM   #6
Scorch
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Set up the trimmer for rough length measurement that way, but use the fine thread adjustment that is in the spindle stop for getting it right on.
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Old January 11, 2013, 08:27 PM   #7
Sphawley
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Im unsure of how to get these spindles working correctly, pardon my inexperience...but it feels like there is a significant amount of force that needs to be used to turn these spindles even after loosening the set screws.

The shaft appears to be lubricated so I dont feel that is the issue. I tried looking for a YouTube video showing this but i have been unsucessful...Hopefully a little more guidance will get me on track!

All the tips are a huge help so far, I think this is the last part giving me trouble...
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Old January 11, 2013, 09:06 PM   #8
wncchester
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All case trimmers have to be properly adjusted, there's no way around that. Well, all except Lee's very good trimming tools with a fixed stop rod.
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