Trimming Pistol Brass

[Uncle Buck]

I reload .38 Special, .357 and .45 Colt. When I first started reloading I trimmed all of my brass, worked the primer pockets and tried to make everything perfect.

After a year of reloading, and at least 10,000 rounds, I have found I do not have to do anything to my pistol brass, other than pop primers, resize and reload. (Of course I still tumble until the brass is so shiny it looks like a mirror, but I do that mainly because it irritates my shooting buddy ).

My ammunition is used mainly for plinking, lots of plinking. The only competition shooting I do is between friends and the wager is usually about who has to run into the house for the next bottle of pop.

Now when I reload, I inspect the brass and primer pockets. No cracks and the primer fits nicely (No loose or oblong pockets) and I am ready to move on to the next step.

How many rounds do you think it took you folks to realize the extra work on pistol brass was not worth it for what you shoot?

[Krieger9]

20 rounds and 20 posts here on TFL saying pretty much that.
Well the primer's I found out because I wanted to do the
sizing/depriming/priming/expanding stages all progressively.

[Sevens]

I started handloading long before I had internet access. (Al Gore had it, but only a precious few others) I have never, not even once in my life trimmed any piece of pistol or revolver brass, but I did spend many years cleaning primer pockets. I finally quit that a handful of years ago and never regretted it.

It wasn't until about 4 or 5 years ago that I started tumbling my brass. That was a revelation... I wouldn't ever go back to the days of untumbled brass.

[Krieger9]

@Sevens,
I've been trying to convince myself that a tummbler is a necessity and not a nicety. I want it but I'm too cheap to buy something not practical.

Why would you never go back and what do you get from it other than shiny brass?

[Don P]

Trimming, waste of time, clean pockets when needed

[briandg]

I've reloaded since the 1960s. Tumbler? Internet access? Huhh?

A great deal of what is taken for granted and believed as absolute fact and necessity today by shooters and reloaders is essentially nonsense created and perpetuated by people who want money, and created ingenious ways to make the consumer give it to them in exchange for something that they perceive to be more valuable than money.

The very best evidence of this is the old winchester fail safe bullet. That complicated and costly multi component bullet was discontinued because it wasn't profitable, and replaced by a simplified design. And this was all driven by the assumption that every other bullet on the market was inherently inferior to this new, modern design.

[Sevens]

I've been trying to convince myself that a tummbler is a necessity and not a nicety. I want it but I'm too cheap to buy something not practical.

Why would you never go back and what do you get from it other than shiny brass?

The ridiculous amount of filth that is lessened in every area is astonishing. From you hands to your bench to your dies to the hoppers you keep empty brass in, everything is so much cleaner.

The brass doesn't look a little better, it looks a hundred times better. A carbide sizing die burnished the filth right in to the brass case, it squeezes the dirt down and almost makes it a part of brass. Cases look horrible. Even handling your loaded ammunition is a world apart when you start using clean brass.

It's a big boost to the pride you have in your ammunition and it just makes working with all of your brass so much cleaner and easier. Never ever ever would I go back. And I'm not doing anything excessive -- I use the very basic Frankford Arsenal tumbler with the same fine corn cob media that I've been using for like 3 years. I put 3 squares of paper towel in the bowl with the brass and media (3-inch by 3-inch) and about a capful of Nu Finish and I use a lamp timer to run the tumbler for four hours. That's plenty clean and shiny for me.

I'm quite frugal and demand value for any outlay of cash in anything I do, and I can heartily recommend a tumbler to improve all facets of handloading. I keep my eyes peeled for good deals on a tumbler because I know the nature of the machine... it's not going to last forever and I will burn it out. Cabela's seems to have a very good deal on their house brand tumbler and I have seen that even Harbor Freight is selling one, their price is probably unbeatable for the cheapest among us.

[oneounceload]

How many rounds do you think it took you folks to realize the extra work on pistol brass was not worth it for what you shoot?

About 1. I USED to clean primer pockets once in a while, a LONG time ago before Al Gore invented the internet...........tumble them, size/deprime, flare/fill/seat/crimp.....all done batch-mode on a single stage RCBS press I have had for 30 years

[RWJOHN]

I load for the same calibers as you Uncle Buck and I've never trimmed my pistol brass. I do usually clean primer pockets. Just a quick twist and blow. Now tumbling is a different matter. I've just recently discovered Nu Finish and boy what a difference it makes. It turned some nasty, tarnished 38's into better than brand new looking. I know that doesn't help accuracy/functionality, but it sure does my ego. My ammo is "purdy" now.

[bignz]

I've only reloaded for about a year - pistol rounds only. The first were pocket cleaned (stopped this around 500th), brushed on inside (stopped this around 300th), measured brass (stopped this around 20th).

[dmazur]

I guess I'll have to answer differently, because I treat .45 ACP and .44 Mag differently.

For the .45 ACP, I eventually learned about cleaning brass and keeping dirt out of your dies. Perhaps 500 rounds and I got a tumbler. I didn't know that .45 ACP needed to be trimmed, primer pockets uniformed, etc. so I just never did any of that.

I started loading for the .44 Mag a couple of years later. I read that a roll crimp was necessary and that consistent case lengths were necessary for this type of crimp, so I trimmed all the brass to the same length. Once.

I inspect brass after cleaning, looking for split and badly deformed cases. I inspect all loaded rounds for length and primer seating depth. But you are correct, I don't spend a lot of time in unnecessary preparation steps.

[Sevens]

I don't inspect my brass after cleaning...

I inspect it after sizing. That won't work for the progressive loading folks, but it works very well for me. Since I'm handling every piece any way, and the sizing die gives the brass the most stress it's going to see (outside of discharge), I size and inspect as it's pulled from the sizing die. If there is a neck split or a corroded spot or some other abnormality, I see it at my well-lit bench as I pull it from the shell holder.

[dmazur]

Regarding inspections -

Yes I'm using a progressive press (Dillon 550), and I inspect everything twice. I look at cases after cleaning, because sometimes cracks are hard to see through the dirt. I look at loaded rounds as I insert each into a case length gauge, checking for primer seating at the same time.

So if I'm a bit compulsive, it may be in inspections rather than case prep.

I'm still learning this stuff, so don't take my remarks as absolutes...

[JMP]

I really don't understand this. I've been loading .45, .40, .357, and .38spl and have been trimming them all to the same length to get uniform crimps. Do I not need uniform length to get uniform crimps?

This thread has really screwed me up

[dmazur]

Do I not need uniform length to get uniform crimps?

Sorry if I contributed to the general level of confusion.

My understanding is that there is a vast difference between taper crimp dies and roll crimp dies in terms of sensitivity to case length.

The taper crimp die just gradually changes the diameter of the case. While an extreme difference in case length will show a different after-crimp diameter, a case length difference of 0.005" or so probably won't show any difference. .45 ACP and others that headspace on the case mouth need a consistent diameter and COL to feed properly, but the case length itself isn't critical. Taper crimps are good for jacketed bullets that don't have a cannelure.

The roll crimp die, on the other hand, depends on uniform case length to do the exact same amount of roll. A case length difference of 0.005" will definitely show a difference in roll crimp. .44 Mag and others that need a roll crimp for slow powder ignition and resistance to bullet pull should be trimmed to a consistent length if you want consistent results. Roll crimps should be done into a cannelure to prevent damaging the jacket. (Or into a groove designed for this in cast bullets.)

A lot of dies capable of roll crimping can be carefully set to do something that looks like a taper crimp, by keeping the die backed out far enough.

I prefer dedicated taper crimp dies and roll crimp dies, but opinions vary on this.

[Para Cassatt]

For any bullet with cannelure I trim the cases. I would say it is really only necessary when you have a heavy recoiling revolver or if it will be used in a levergun to get a proper heavy crimp not just the roll crimp.

[alloy]

No trimming here for handgun.
I use a couple of Redding profile crimps for revolver, and I can't see any difference in the roll crimp if I set it just so.
Taper crimps, I use so little it can't really be called a crimp.

Size, tumble, load.

[MKK]

I am a believer in clean brass for all the reasons mentioned. I just had a Christmas gift of a tumbler from the better half because I had spent a lot of time wiping down the nickel brass that I load. This has really cut a lot of time out of my process of course. I don't trim, but since I reload 90% nickel, I haven't wanted to risk tearing up the nickel plating, so someone can tell me if it does or not? I have read that trimming the .38 cases down to minimum for use in the S&W Model 52 Master is a good idea and for that reason it is still something that I am considering. I would like to get a good inexpensive trimmer however the Lee, which seems to be the best price, has a set length which will not fit my bill in this case. I roll crimp off a three stage Lee press and really, do not see any difference in the crimp line in a reload run of my untrimmed .38 or .357 nickel brass when comparing at completion.

[joneb]

With handgun cases I have found there is a greater variance with brass that head spaces on the case rim, and a lesser variance on brass that head spaces on the case mouth. I trim all of my revolver brass. As a example UMC .38spl factory ammo (R-P) the resized case length varied from 1.142 to 1.155", I trim it to 1.145" I trim my .357 mag brass to 1.279" this difference is the thickness of the spacer washer supplied with my RCBS spl/mag. die sets, same deal for .44spl/44mag. Trimming also corrects the out of square case mouths. I have not found a need to trim my rimless brass were a taper crimp is used.
The majority of my revolver loads are roll crimped to a bullet cannelure with the trimmed brass I get a consistent case flare and crimp. Trimmed brass allows me to apply the heaviest crimp possible without distorting the case body, this is beneficial to prevent bullet pull, and to increase start pressure for a more consistent and efficient burn with certain powders.
Trimming brass is well worth it to me, with the equipment and techniques that I use.

[rjrivero]

<-------Does not trim rimless pistol brass. Nor does he trim NON MAGNUM rimmed pistol brass.

[FM12]

Been reloading here for about 30 years,NEVER trimmed a piece of straight walled handgun brass. Rifle bottleneck brass, yes (The WORST part of rifle reloading IMO). Clean it and go.

[Peter M. Eick]

I have been loading over 30 years and I am just now starting to really think about trimming my revolver brass. I am trying to squeeze out more accuracy and I think that inconsistent crimps maybe my current limitation. So, for grins I am going to trim all of my brass to one length and see if it matters.

I have a power RCBS trimmer so it won't be a very big deal.

[joneb]

I have been loading over 30 years and I am just now starting to really think about trimming my revolver brass. I am trying to squeeze out more accuracy and I think that inconsistent crimps maybe my current limitation.

hummm those old loads don't shoot like they used to ?
If you are like me and over forty-five you have more to worry about than just crimps -oo-

[Peter M. Eick]

No, they are about what they always have been. I have just gotten better so now I notice the difference. I just want to take my shooting up a notch and this is the next step I think.