?? HORNADY LOCK-N-LOAD CASE PREP CENTER

[BTSDOG]

Hi,
has anyone had any experience with a HORNADY LOCK-N-LOAD CASE PREP CENTER ? I'm just wondering if it's worth the money ($ 314.00). I'm looking for a quicker way to trim 308's than using a single stage wilson hand cranker...............

thanks

 

[mac1911]

I have been looking @ the whole spectrum of case trimmers........I like the idea of the "prep center" types but the out lay of $$$ is a bit of a stand off for me @ this point.

I have a older redding crank style, its a bit crusty from poor storage. I am looking for a new one ????? So I to am looking for input on case trimmers of all sorts

 

[DukeInFlorida]

$314 is MOST OF THE WAY there to buying one of these:

http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm

It's the best (hands down!) way to trim. The machine would come to you all set up and adjusted to trim .308's for that price!

 

[BTSDOG]

hi,
thanks for the info...The GIRAUD tool definately looks like the way to go.............

 

[Jasper]

the giraud is a BEAUTIFUL machine, BUT...i'll play devil's advocate for a second.

the tool itself is $425, so more like $450-$460 with shipping (its a bigger box, fairly heavy).

now, are you JUST loading .308 for rifle? and loading a LOT of it?

additional case collar and case head/blade assembly for a "quick change" to a different caliber is $75, IE trimming .223, etc.



now, the "easy" option. there are commercial processors out there that will do .223 (swage/size/trim/chamfer/debur/clean primer pockets) for $45/k. i do believe he does .308 too (@ ~ $55/k)

how many thousands of .308's do you go through to justify a single-purpose machine? (i can barely justify my own, except that i shoot 5-7,000+ rounds of .223 per year, and i don't like the RCBS X-die (so typically i end up batching brass in lots and trimming them every time i load them. tis match ammo after all)

 

[DukeInFlorida]

Actually, you just need the $25 case collar, and a hex key wrench... Make the adjustment on the cutter blade manually using the hex key. Simple, and cheap.

Time wise, my Giraud has already paid for itself (and I work CHEAP!)

 

[bpm990d]

You can get a Sinclair Chamber Length gauge and see exactly how long your chamber is.

Depending on what you are shooting and how you reload you might be able to minimize trimming to a tolerable level.

B

 

[DukeInFlorida]

Trimming isn't only done to avoid jamming the brass into your rifling.

Trimming is also done to make all the grip lengths the same, which aids in accuracy from round to round.

My opinion is that it's a mistake to just trim the ones that are over the max length. It takes you just as long to measure each one as it would take to just trim each one, and be done with it.

You can get a Sinclair Chamber Length gauge and see exactly how long your chamber is.

Depending on what you are shooting and how you reload you might be able to minimize trimming to a tolerable level.

B

 

[Jasper]

Trimming isn't only done to avoid jamming the brass into your rifling.

Trimming is also done to make all the grip lengths the same, which aids in accuracy from round to round.

My opinion is that it's a mistake to just trim the ones that are over the max length. It takes you just as long to measure each one as it would take to just trim each one, and be done with it.

wont make a hill of beans of difference unless you're shooting benchrest. there's more inaccuracy in your bullets and charge weights than that, and lets not get into uneven neck tension due to neck thickness and water weight of the cases.

 

[Lucas McCain]

I have one and I like it for what it is. It uses the standard shellholders with pilots. I am not crazy about how the chuck mechanism works and I have modified it a bit. But, I use it a lot for .223 and .308 as well as .30-30 and it does work and is pretty consistant. The issue is the way it indexes the shell length, you must sort your brass and adjust for each different brand. Not as fast as some others like the Guraud but I like it.

 

[R1ch]

I don't have any experience with this, but was considering it too. I can't afford the Giraud (SP?) as I don't do a large quantity of rifle brass, but I was comparing this Hornady to the cost of a lesser powered unit, plus some of the other features of this.

If comparing the other powered unit, this one seems priced a bit high, but ok considering that it's an 'all in one' case prep center.

I'd also like to hear from anyone that has one of these to know what they think of it.

 

[bpm990d]

Trimming isn't only done to avoid jamming the brass into your rifling.

Trimming is also done to make all the grip lengths the same, which aids in accuracy from round to round.

My opinion is that it's a mistake to just trim the ones that are over the max length. It takes you just as long to measure each one as it would take to just trim each one, and be done with it.

Well if you have a Giraud you are probably right about the time it takes to measure. When I get a new bunch of brass* I trim them .020 shorter than max case length. On subsequent firings I just use the calipers set up like a snap gauge to max cartridge length. If the case fits through then it's good. I use a Forester trimmer with an electric screwdriver. It's kinda slow.

I think you are correct about neck tension, but I'm not sure that making all the case neck lengths the same makes a huge difference for anything but the most demanding applications. It might be interesting to do an experiment and get some real data. Maybe two 20 shot composite with each case trimmed in .010 increments. I have a bunch of Fed .308 brass that is not good for much. I can test at 200 yards with my M70 bolt gun over a chronograph.

If the stork doesn't arrive before this weekend I might try and do this.

B

*Once fired and resized.