Frankford Case Prep and Trim

[Benelli1]

I typically shoot about 3000-4000 .223 a year. Trimming and case prep is a real pain on this volume....anyone have one of these....do they work well and are they worth the price?

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/66172...nd-trim-system

[32-40win]

I looked into it before Xmas, couldn't talk myself into it after watching the setup.
Seeing as I'd do more than one type of cartridge with it, it looked like it would frustrate me. Maybe with the vid I watched, it isn't necessarily as funky to set up as he makes it appear. But, it spooked me a bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKKlaAOHZpk&t=3s

For one dedicated cartridge, and you apparently do enough 223 to justify it, it may be a good unit for you.
I think perhaps a unit like a Hornady case prep unit that doesn't trim, and a WFT may be a better solution, for the one cartridge, still a reasonable price. For more than one though, it could be getting pricy adding three or more WFT's. And then, they don't make anything other than bottleneck case trimmers.
Then you start to get into a Wilson or Giraud or 21st Century price range.
21st Century is interesting, Wilson req'd shellholders which didn't exist for a couple of mine, same with Giraud, they may be able to supply them though.
I ended up buying the Hornady trimmer case prep center combo as it uses shellholders and I am happy with that, had to buy one extra shellholder that didn't come with it. It wasn't cheap, but does what I want, accommodates all my cartridges without custom ordering stuff for it.
For me , it was a luxury item I didn't need need, but, once I used it, said to myself, yup, this is definitely better than all the steps with different tools.

[32-40win]

For doing the 223, you may want to look at the Giraud 3 way as well,

https://www.giraudtool.com/giraud-tri-way-trimmer.html

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by 32-40win

For doing the 223, you may want to look at the Giraud 3 way as well,

https://www.giraudtool.com/giraud-tri-way-trimmer.html

Man that is an impressive tool for high volume guys. Not much more money than a crank hand trimmer, but you don't have to chamfer and deburr after.

[Joe Fehr]

I have the platinum case prep and they have good customer service and support. Broke one of the chamfer tools and they sent me a replacement for free. Set up on the trimmer is a bit painful at times but if you are only doing one caliber it'll never move on you. I recommend it.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[pikergolf]

I had no idea tools like this existed, seems a no brainer to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkv_x-aQ8UI

[Benelli1]

Originally Posted by 32-40win

For doing the 223, you may want to look at the Giraud 3 way as well,

https://www.giraudtool.com/giraud-tri-way-trimmer.html

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Man that is an impressive tool for high volume guys. Not much more money than a crank hand trimmer, but you don't have to chamfer and deburr after.

I had looked at this also.... pretty impressive....only drawback is that the cases must be full length resized every time before trimming.

32-40 thanks for your input, the video had the same effect on me, still sitting on the fence on this one.

[marky_mark]

I have one and I like it

[32-40win]

There is quite a variety of stuff out there now. For whatever all this is worth;


There is also the cheapy version, the Frankford Universal trimmer, somewhat like a WFT, still need to debur and clean pockets, but price is good, number of cartridges is good, likely worth a look at least, Bullseye London, shows them @ 110.00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5CBeezedI4

Another one that is similar to the Giraud, is the Trim it 2, but the bushing selection and the method of cutter adjustment are perhaps an issue;

http://uniquetek.com/product/T1598

Not sure if you saw the Henderson Precision unit, it's nice. Still have to clean pockets though. Uses the Forster 3 way head and a a Forster collet. If you own a Forster trimmer--you have the collets, the one bugaboo is the head, they are 70.00 us ea from Henderson, and you need one per caliber, but, Forster only makes 5 sizes, 224, 243, 6mm, 6.5, 7mm and 308, so there is 280.00 us to get the extra 4, if that could cover what you use. The collets cover anything you can put into a Forster trimmer, whether that is Classic or Original length?, didn't check the stroke length on the rails.

https://www.hendersonprecision.com/p...m-case-trimmer


One that looks like it can perhaps do better than the Frankford in the setup area, in a similar price zone, is the new Lyman, but it is not a 3 way head, still need to do something about deburring and primer pockets. Covers a larger segment of cartridges than almost any of them as far as I can see. May well be worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHbi-UKPnsQ

Chart here shows what it covers cartridge wise;

https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands...esstm-bushings

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by 32-40win

There is quite a variety of stuff out there now. For whatever all this is worth;


There is also the cheapy version, the Frankford Universal trimmer, somewhat like a WFT, still need to debur and clean pockets, but price is good, number of cartridges is good, likely worth a look at least, Bullseye London, shows them @ 110.00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5CBeezedI4

Another one that is similar to the Giraud, is the Trim it 2, but the bushing selection and the method of cutter adjustment are perhaps an issue;

http://uniquetek.com/product/T1598

Not sure if you saw the Henderson Precision unit, it's nice. Still have to clean pockets though. Uses the Forster 3 way head and a a Forster collet. If you own a Forster trimmer--you have the collets, the one bugaboo is the head, they are 70.00 us ea from Henderson, and you need one per caliber, but, Forster only makes 5 sizes, 224, 243, 6mm, 6.5, 7mm and 308, so there is 280.00 us to get the extra 4, if that could cover what you use. The collets cover anything you can put into a Forster trimmer, whether that is Classic or Original length?, didn't check the stroke length on the rails.

https://www.hendersonprecision.com/p...m-case-trimmer


One that looks like it can perhaps do better than the Frankford in the setup area, in a similar price zone, is the new Lyman, but it is not a 3 way head, still need to do something about deburring and primer pockets. Covers a larger segment of cartridges than almost any of them as far as I can see. May well be worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHbi-UKPnsQ

Chart here shows what it covers cartridge wise;

https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands...esstm-bushings

Can you expand on the highlighted please.

[leo]

Originally Posted by Benelli1

I typically shoot about 3000-4000 .223 a year. Trimming and case prep is a real pain on this volume....anyone have one of these....do they work well and are they worth the price?

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/66172...nd-trim-system

I bought one a couple years back. It has functioned perfect, is reasonably easy to set up and is fast. I have used it on multiple case types with no issues. The only critique I have is the primer pocket burr could be a bit more aggressive. I swapped it out for a Lyman burr.

[32-40win]

Pikergolf, about the Trim-it 2 cutter adjustment, there is another review showing how the adj is done when calibers are changed, struck me as it could be a PITA, all according to how much fiddling you want to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndp4ZQD6kc8

[jef612]

Originally Posted by Benelli1

I typically shoot about 3000-4000 .223 a year. Trimming and case prep is a real pain on this volume....anyone have one of these....do they work well and are they worth the price?

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/66172...nd-trim-system

If you only reload one caliber (or you can afford one for each caliber you reload) - the Giraud would be the way to go.

If you need one machine to do all you trimming, chamfer and deburring over multiple calibers - I think the Frankford has no equal at the moment.

Set up honestly takes maybe 5 mins to get it where you want it - then you just process all your cases at once. I really like mine.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by 32-40win

Pikergolf, about the Trim-it 2 cutter adjustment, there is another review showing how the adj is done when calibers are changed, struck me as it could be a PITA, all according to how much fiddling you want to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndp4ZQD6kc8

Thanks for that. The one thing that is unclear about the Trim-it 2 is whether or not there is a small flat spot at the base of the trimmer V. On the Giraud 3 you can clearly see a small flat spot. I have watched 2 videos on the Trim-it and it looks like a straight V without a flat spot. I don't know if it is a good idea to put a sharp edge on a case mouth?

[32-40win]

Judging by the shape of the blades on the Trim it, you may be right, unless one is a bit different and we just can't see it. Doesn't strike me as it does create a sharp edge though, there are 1/2doz vids on it in YT.

Noticed today, in looking at the the Henderson one, they will supply heads in non-listed calibers. There is a non-Forster trimmer vid about using the 3 way cutter, that shows the head in a bit better detail, apparently the pilot can be changed, and jaws adjusted for caliber according to the pilot. May take a learning curve on that to set it up though, and some sacrificial cases.

I'm thinking if a person wanted, maybe only need one head for it, and some pilots. Not sure why a person couldn't make up or maybe modify a pilot to suit, to seat the cutter blades properly, via just setting them against the pilot, the one you have to worry about, should be the one that does inside. That should be cheap to do, maybe. Needs closer examination.

Plenty of choices out there. All depends how many functions you want the cutter to do and whether you want an all in one like Frankford or Hornady, or are content to do pockets separately, or have a case prep centre to do the chamfers and pockets, or some combination thereof. And the Forster 3-way and the RCBS one can be used in a drill press as well. Then there is the Dillon, which fits Dillon, but, not sure if it works on other presses.
And the Lee press mountable one.