Lee Trimmers

Lee Precision has always done a lot with case preparation tools and being able to produce brass of the exact same size and length is one of the corner stones of a consistent round of ammunition. With bottlenecked brass that has been used a few times one of the consequences is that the necks will creep (lengthen) a little. This is because brass is ductile (can be drawn into shapes) and the pull exerted by the bullet as it leaves the case will stretch the neck. Not a lot but enough over time to cause hard or incomplete chambering.

VALUE OR DELUXE?

Lee’s latest weapon in this war is the Quick Trim either Value or Deluxe versions. The unit consists of a calibre-specifi c die and the cutter assembly with crank handle, all are bought separately! The difference in options is purely about case mouth fi nishing, the Value has a 4-blade cutter that reduces neck length. The Deluxe offers the same but also incorporates a 3-blade central insert that will also chamfer the inside and outside of the case mouth to remove burrs. This is self-adjusting and with two female blades (small & large) can handle all calibres.

On that point Lee produce both rifl e and pistol units with 35 rifl e calibres from .17 Rem to 45/70 Government and 14 pistol from 9mm Parabellum to 500 S&W. I was sent a 308 Win set with both Value and Deluxe trimmers.

TEN THOUSANDTHS

Back off the locking ring until it stops moving and screw the die into the press, fi t the shell holder onto the ram and you’re ready. The cutter unit slides in from the top and is set to a majority standard length to give a normal case overall length, which includes a 0.006” ‘stack-up’ tolerance. It however also incorporates an adjuster ring that allows you to trim 0.010” shorter in 0.001” click increments.

Lee also includes a small plastic tray that fi ts over the shell holder to collect the brass trimmings. I would recommend you use this and regularly wipe any debris off the shell holder given the small tolerances a build up could cause changes in trimmed case length.

The cutter comes with a spacer for cases over 1.25” long, which can be removed for pistol calibres. The Deluxe cutter replaces the non chamfer unit and just screws in, the only real difference is the three springs that tension the individual inside/outside blades. In use set up and run a sized case into the die and maintain slight pressure on the press’s lever. Push down on the crank handle and rotate it about fi ve times and you will feel the cutting stop as the spacer contacts the mouth of the die indicating the job is done. The Deluxe with chamfering blades would be my choice as it speeds up the process.