[HK SD9 Tactical]

Need an accurate and reliable way to trim about 2000 pcs of brass.

I have an RCBS trimmer but they do not make a shell holder for the 5.7 (they tried but failed) so this option is out.

I tried the RCBS trim die with the 45 extended shell holder and that is also a piece of crap. Can't get a perpendicular trim no matter what I do.

Need some help here on this. What option/setup do you use to trim your brass.

TIA

Edit: Also what is the max length before trimming and what is the min length after trimming (1.1355in?)

 

[Shawn]

how i trim

I have a Forster trimmer that i use but its very SLOW. Im in the process of having a custom trim die for my Dillon power trimmer made and will market them after our cost analysis and of course the first one is mine.
The problem were having is the short length of the case doesnt allow for much adjustment for the vacum attachment and ports to get rid of the chips so Im probably going to break out my old Partner press and machine down the die section so ill have more clearance and dedicate it to trimming only.

 

[HK SD9 Tactical]

I think I am going to try the Hornady Cam Lock Trimmer. It uses the Hornady shell holder (#37 - .25ACP also FN 5.7X28) and hopefully this will resolve the problem that I am having.

I know that factory length on the cases is 1.1355in and I've read where some trim down to 1.128 and that way they get a couple of firing before they have to trim again. But I am still looking for the max length of the case before it HAS to be trimmed.

 

[Promoted Pawn]

A beginner question=

Do you trim before resizing? Before cleaning?

-thanks

 

[HK SD9 Tactical]

This is the process that I usually follow. It varies depending on the round being loaded. But for the 5.7X28 I plan to do it this way.

Decap (use a filter mask for this process if you are decaping LEAD primers)
Resize
Clean Primer Pocket/case necks (use a filter mask for this process if you are cleaning primer pockets that had LEAD primer in them)
Trim
(I prefer to clean the primer pockets prior to trimming as there is alot of residue left from the primer that can contaiminate the cutting blades of the trimmer (making them dull quicker) and you wind up with alot of residu mixed with you trimmings. There is also the LEAD exposure that you have to worry about if you are decaping LEAD primers.) I do not say this lightly. I recently decaped and cleaned the primer pocket on over 1200 once fired rounds and wound up with more than 38 grains of residue from the primer pockets alone. There is an awful lot of lead contamination there.
Chamfer and Debur (if trimmed)
Bell if not using a Boat Tail Bullet
Re-Prime
Charge
Seat the Bullet
Crimp if necessary (if the case was belled or the bullet has a cannelure) or add a very light crimp to secure the bullet in place. Some people have reported that the bullet will further seat into the case if not crimped. Personally, I have an idea to use a type of adheasive - much like FN uses to 'glue' the rounds into the cases.
Clean in a vibratory cleaner, not a tumbler.

Some people like to clean at the beginning or after the decap process but I have found that this creates additional work because you have to remove the cleaning media stuck in the primer pocket and the case.

Some people recommend that you DO NOT clean the rounds in a vibratory cleaner after loading is complete for fear of a round going off. I have not read anywhere where this has occured.

The above is my prefered actions and I will not be held responsible for any damaged caused by using this method. (Blah blah blah the required liability statements).

On a side note, I have read many places where people say that the 5.7X28 is not the round to learn to load on. I do not find this to be true. If you are careful (as you should be with any reloading process) you can successfully reload any round out there safely (some are more difficult than others). Just read up on the process, understand it thoroughly, ask questions if you are not sure, then go to town. You MUST fully understand any process before you attempt it or you will run into problems.

 

[Iraq Ninja]

Some people recommend that you DO NOT clean the rounds in a vibratory cleaner after loading is complete for fear of a round going off. I have not read anywhere where this has occured.

I thought the reason for not cleaning them was due to the breakdown of the powder inside the round.

 

[HK SD9 Tactical]

Some people recommend that you DO NOT clean the rounds in a vibratory cleaner after loading is complete for fear of a round going off. I have not read anywhere where this has occured.

I thought the reason for not cleaning them was due to the breakdown of the powder inside the round.

That may be so, but I have not read that. It seems logical that vibratory cleaning may destabilize the gunpowder over a long period of time but I am not sure that a quick 4 minute cleaning will do the same.

I would be interested in additional information on this and the effects on the gunpowder from one of the reloaders here as to whether using a vibratory cleaner after reloading causes the breakdown.

 

[HK SD9 Tactical]

Update on the Hornady case trimmer.

I bought one after speaking with a technician at Hornady to make sure that I could do the 5.7X28 brass. Hornady has no specified shellholder for this particular case. The technician told me to use the #37 shellholder for the 5.7 so I went ahead and bought the shellholder and trimmer at the same time.

Lo and behold, the shellholder DOES NOT work with the trimmer. The reason for this is that the trimmer spindle is larger than the hole in the #37 shellholder. So I called Hornady again today and asked what was going on - why I was told that using the #37 shellholder with the case trimmer would work and now that I have it, it doesn't work.

The technician told me that they also tried to make a shellholder (like RCBS) by failed as the mechanics just don't work on this round. If they make the shellholder to fit the case trimmer, using it in a press will result in the 5.7 round falling through the hole in the shellholder.

Well, isn't this a pisser! As I have two shellholder for the 5.7 (1 Hornady and 1 RCBS), I decided to try to modify either the hole diameter in the shellholder or the spindle on the trimmer and after talking with my local machine shop, they told me to modify the shellholder and not the spindle as the spindle was more expensive if it was screwed up (of course I knew this already). The kicker though is that they wanted $60.00 to modify the shellholder. Well, screw them.

So this afternoon, using three different drill bits and my drill press that I use for my carpentry work, I set about modifying the shellholder. Boy, what a ***** it was but I did do it and now I have a shellholder that works with the trimmer but not with a press and one that works with the press but not the trimmer. Problem solved.

So there, I will now let Hornady know that it can be done and all they have to do is to mark the shellholder used with the trimmer FOR USE WITH TRIMMER ONLY.

I hope that they will take my modified shellholder and consider doing just that so that other reloaders will not have to shop around for a good trimmer like I had to.

On a side not, I like the trimmer. Its a bit hard to do the fine adjustments but I think that I will eventually get used to it. Its a good piece of equipment and will go nice with all my other reloading stuff that I have. I may even consider parting with my RCBS timmer now.

 

[ShipWreck]

Way to figure a workaround! :?

 

[Iraq Ninja]

If I am not mistaken, isn't powder tumbled when it is made? But, it has some sort of coating in the end. Tumbling after loading breaks the coating and may result in a different burn rate. The round will still function, but may not be as accurate? So, it should not be a problem for plinking. But someone who knows more should let us know about the 5.7. I am not a bullet reloader, just a bullet launcher