A New Toy, Gifted Today

[CZ93X62]

One of the guys I have brunch with on Tuesdays brought a new-in-box RCBS 'Trim Mate' case prep center, and gave it to me. I've seen these tools at shops but it never occurred to get one for myself. The fact is, when you turn down the pressures in neck & shoulder rifle rounds to cast bullet intensities, the need for case trimming declines markedly.

There are (as always) exceptions to that rule--and 32/20 WCF and 44/40 WCF are the chief miscreants in this venue. Starline brass in those calibers help a bit, but these calibers still stretch unevenly--and that goes for handgun pressures as well as the HV loadings we put through Marlin 94 and Win 92 actions.

I look forward to giving this machine a try-out when the weather gets better--it's 107* outside presently, and that is no bueno for reloading in the garage.

 

[Michael]

None the less you will likely find it very handy. A clean up on the case mouth whether you trimmed or not is very quick and easy. If you uniform primer pockets, you now have power, taking out the crimp from military brass, etc. There is whole list of heads to use, and at 5 at a time, put in the ones you need. Debur, chamfer, clean up primer pocket, 5 secs, done, handle the case once. I use a VLD debur (Lyman), chamfer, small and large primer pocket uniformers and small and large military crimp removers. Bought one right after they came some 25 plus years ago. Never regretted one bit.

 

[Matt]

I bought the RCBS brass boss machine when some health issues make manual tools slow and difficult. I wish I had bought something similar years ago. Makes case prep easy and fast. You’ll be very happy with this gift.

 

[fiver]

lyman stuff fits it too.
i use their VLD champher tool for jacketed, and the rcbs one for cast bullets.
you can feel the difference if you use the wrong one.

 

[Ian]

You don't have to use it in the garage....

....oops, never mind, I forgot for a second about that spirited lass with whom you cohabitate. Maybe do what I did and air condition the bat cave? You'd be amazed what only a 10KBTU window unit will do for a two-car garage if you could coax another eight amps out of the precarious west coast power grid.

 

[Bret4207]

Just remember that the 32-20 stuff stands as good or better chance of growing shorter as longer before you trim! That is the weirdest thing I ever saw. Never would have thought to look for it if K Waters hadn't mentioned it.

 

[CZ93X62]

Just remember that the 32-20 stuff stands as good or better chance of growing shorter as longer before you trim! That is the weirdest thing I ever saw. Never would have thought to look for it if K Waters hadn't mentioned it.

I don't doubt that part about growing shorter, it's just outside my experience. There have been some that don't grow much, but they add about .001"-.0015" on one side of the case mouth. The 44/40 does this as well. Chamber poetry at work, mostly varying shoulder placement between different arms--in both side- and long arms. It is one of those caliber specific vicissitudes you dela with using these old weird chamberings. It adds charm to the enterprise, I suppose.

 

[CZ93X62]

You don't have to use it in the garage....

....oops, never mind, I forgot for a second about that spirited lass with whom you cohabitate. Maybe do what I did and air condition the bat cave? You'd be amazed what only a 10KBTU window unit will do for a two-car garage if you could coax another eight amps out of the precarious west coast power grid.

"Spirited lass". Yes, my Castilian Queen might look askance at reloading done indoors--esp. if said operation scattered brass turnings on her floors. I reload in the garage in order to not be obliged to sleep there for perping domestic faux pas such as case trimming. Very poor form in mi esposa's view.

Since our heat here is usually dry, up to about 100*-102* isn't bad out there--a fan keeps things tolerable. With the air getting pushed up from the Gulf of California during our rain events over the past few weeks, humidity is running 50%+ in the late afternoons. 107* and high humidity reminds me of the days and nights near the Salton Sea early in my career--wool pants, body armor, YUCK. That is how it has been here for the past 8-10 days. YUCKY.

 

[Missionary]

You should be growing corn or rice.

 

[CZ93X62]

We grew some excellent sweet corn for several years when we lived in Yucaipa.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

"Spirited lass". Yes, my Castilian Queen might look askance at reloading done indoors--esp. if said operation scattered brass turnings on her floors. I reload in the garage in order to not be obliged to sleep there for perping domestic faux pas such as case trimming. Very poor form in mi esposa's view.

I keep the lady in my life happy and therefore I am happy. It's a very simple equation and one I have little difficulty living with.

Since our heat here is usually dry, up to about 100*-102* isn't bad out there--a fan keeps things tolerable. With the air getting pushed up from the Gulf of California during our rain events over the past few weeks, humidity is running 50%+ in the late afternoons. 107* and high humidity reminds me of the days and nights near the Salton Sea early in my career--wool pants, body armor, YUCK. That is how it has been here for the past 8-10 days. YUCKY.

While our heat doesn't typically run in the triple digits the humidity is brutal.
You can watch ferrous metal rust around here.

 

[fiver]

those necked dash cartridges do run under their own rules.
i had to trim down a 38-40 die for a pair of Ruger revolvers i had.
i was gonna do the shell holder, but it was set to touch for the rifle, easier to use a feeler gauge i figured.
should have thought it through better and just used 2 different shell holders.

 

[CZ93X62]

Yessir, Lamar--shoulder placement in chambers is poetic as %$^#.

ETA--In 32/20, all of my chambers have shoulders closer to the mouth than what my RCBS sizing die reforms the brass to. That's 3 revolvers and one carbine--maybe I should keep discrete brass and size per each gun, but waits until a time I develop more patience. For the worst offender--the Colt Army Special x 5"--my feeler gauge to set THAT sizer die would be somewhere between a nickel's and a quarter's width. Not kidding.

The single-best accuracy enhancement I made to the 22 Hornet, 25/20, 30 Carbine, and 32/20 in rifles came via a primer change recommended some years ago by Urny/Ernie Beller. That mod? Use of Rem #6-1/2 primers in these rifle calibers. The #6-1/2 (per Urny) uses a rifle cup but a smaller and less brisant fuel element matched to smaller cases like these. Use of #6-1/2 primers vs. CCI #400 resulted in instant 30% to 40% reduction in group sizes, no other change made.

In the 32/20 revolver, Ken Water's Pet Load of 6.0 grains of SR-4756 rules the earth accuracy-wise. I will really miss SR-4756 when my last bits of it are gone. Herco seems to come close to similar performance at 5.7 grains, but a head-to-head shoot-off is needed to confirm. Those ventures and other 32/20 shooting awaits the end of summer blast furnace and flash flood entertainments between Indio and Blythe.