Brass Smith Case Trim Xpress Case Trimmer

I make tons of 5.56 and 7.62 from LC cases for competition, and was using the Lee case length gauge method with the cutter and lock stud for the last 30 years. While perfect with the trimming, It can be very time consuming and makes the hands and finger sore from the lock stud swap out and slips. The the cases need deburred and chamfered. When I found this I ordered it immediately and was pleasantly surprised how well it work, and every easy to set up. Simply, after sizing my brass I took the first piece on the case length, cutter and lock stud method. Put in the right collect in the Lyman Case Trim Express, backed off the cutter head, put the sized brass in, and adjusted the cutter head to touch the neck. I got a consistent 1.754 cut on each case there after with no need to debur/chamfer, and trimmed 150 perfect cases in 20 minutes. I would have got done quicker if not putting calipers on first few dozen and playing with the adjustments. With the cutter and lock stud it would have taken about 90-120 minutes to do that many. Hence I reduce by reloading by many hours and produce way more reloads.My only concern is the Made in China. Just got this and seems to be constructed well so I am bit concerned if it is going to hold up for heavy use as do 1000s of cases over the course of the year.

This has been one of the better purchases I’ve made to speed up case trimming. It’s easy to set the length and it trims fast and clean. I have now trimmed several thousand pieces of brass since purchasing this and had no problems or issues. Hard to go wrong with Lyman products.

Used this as soon as it arrived, as a novice it was very easy to set up and worked great. Highly recommended and well worth the money 5*****

Updated 11/3/22 with a minor change in procedure based upon experience:I can't imagine trimming many cases without using an accurate, powered tool such as this. I have one unit dedicated for 223 Remington/556 NATO and another setup for 300 AAC Blackout (both bench mounted) so I do not have to readjust using trial-and-error when changing calibers. They work very well for the task, are very accurate and consistent on the length- if I do my part.My process after trimming of ~600 cases each, LC 556 newly converted to 300 BLK and ~ 300 cases each, once-fired IMI 556 brass for 223/556 usage:1) "SLOWLY" feed the case straight in until the significant cutting action stops and hold it for a couple more seconds (dwell time); There is "play" in this assembly so be sure to not wiggle the case side-to-side; keep it as straight as possible.2) Then rotate the case ~180 degrees and perform the same operation a 2nd time.3) Before measuring the case length, debur the case mouth ID/OD for a consistent measurement.4) Ensure the case is square within the measuring tool (caliper). My case mouth concentricity around its perimeter is typically +/- 0.0005" with both of my calibers.Note: the trimmed case length is based upon the case shoulder, so can vary from brass batch to batch based upon the sizing die installation in the press. I use the Hornady lock-n-load die mount system which have machined mechanical stops, so the die(s) are installed at the same height on my Hornady and RCBS presses- each time they are reinstalled. My case-to-case finished trim lengths are rarely greater than +/- 0.001" maximum with +/- 0.0005" the norm. But it took hundreds of case trimmings to come up with the right procedure for me. I do get an occasional case that is ~ 0.004" shorter than expected for unknown reason.

Was skeptical buying this after reading the low reviews, even more so since I purchased a used one from Amazon. Was going to send it back under prime return policy if it had the problems I was reading in the reviews.Glad everything is working as it should and I applied some Teflon tape to the threads of the mill cover as suggested in one review. This took the wiggle/slop out and made the case holder more stable and square when milling.Accuracy after this mod was spot on and the dial indicator worked well and held position over several hundred cases. These were brass that was cut down and formed into 300 Hamr’ specs and only needed slight trimming.Ease of use was the only Con I have as the mill cutter would grab the case as force was applied to overcome the spring washer and cause the case to spin. Wearing light mechanics gloves with rubber grips helps to control this kinetic force and save your fingers from the associated wear and tear.All in all it’s a nice trimmer with plenty of bushings to fit popular cartridges so you won’t need multiple tools, and it made fast, accurate, consistent trimming of brass when the tape modification is preformed.

I've been reloading for over 20 years now and trimming brass has always been my most hated aspect of reloading I've tried many different trimmers and hated them all. This one is very fast and effective. I was going for speed, not accuracy as much and it still trimmed all my brass to within a few thousandth very consistently. Cant recommend this trimmer enough. It's worth it.

I was using a manually operated case trimmer that I modified to be powered by an electric drill. The drill improved operation but still was slow and cumbersome to operate. I was looking for an easier way to do this and this trimmer works great. It trims accurately, is extremely quiet, and spreads cuttings in about a 3" x 1.5" area beneath the cutter head. Cases also require less deburring afterwards than with my old method. It's easy to hold without bolting it down. I'm not up to the 15 cases per minute rate and probably won't get there, but it makes case trimming fun.