newbie question case trimming handgun loads?

fight4yourites

I,m new to reloading and just wondering how often if any do you trim your straight walled handgun brass such as 9mm,357mag and 44mag. ddoes it really stretch that much after firing? Is a case trimmer something i can get away with until i start rifle reloading?

Mr. Lobo

The general consensus is that pistol (Straight Wall) cartridges do not need to be trimmed. A rifle, necked cartridge should always be measured to see if trimming is necessary. Jim

Toyboy

There are always exceptions to every rule. Our family hase many pistols in many calibers and the only time we have resorted to case trimming a straight wall pistol case is for the S&W mod 52. This critter is a .38 Special target pistol. Accurate target shooting demands concistancy. The only way to get this pistol to perform to it's potential was to trim all brass to the same lenght, to seat the lead wadcutter tip to the case mouth, so all have the same roll crimp. Unless you have this type of requirement don't bother with case trimming.

TaiChi

I have to disagree. All loading manuals list a factory/SAAMI length for the case. If you reload a case more then a couple of times it will lengthen. This changes the crimp, seating depth and more important overall length. Many semi-auto pistols headspace on the case mouth. This makes case length critical for proper functioning and possible over pressure conditions.

Iconoclast

Typically, IME, straight wall *revolver* brass will fail in some way before trimming is required - loose primer pockets, incipient or actual case mouth cracks, etc. I run this brass through a no-go gauge after inspecting. TaiChi is 100% right that many semi-autos headspace (locate) on the case mouth so a consistent crimp from a consistent length case can be critical. I try to keep batches of semi-auto brass together, loading all rounds in a given batch the same way. As long as the case length is in spec, a single adjustment of the seating / crimping die or dies handles all the rounds in a batch w/o further effort on my part. In either case, I usually trash any that are too long - which usually aren't that many that haven't been culled for another reason first. Unless it is an exotic caliber, IMHO it's simply not worth the effort to squeeze out the very last drop of usefulness from handgun brass - 9mm, especially! Buying in bulk, one can pick up brass for under $0.01 (9mm) to at most $0.10 (.44 Mag) 1xF or virgin, if you are patient. For example, I just bought 4K commercial .45 ACP 1xF, in boxes, at a show for less than new *empty* boxes would have cost me from Midway and 1K virgin .44s for less than the best price I've seen for 1xF. Bottleneck rifle brass, check and trim, absolutely. Straight wall handgun, in the absence of special factors . . . never! One final exception - a youngster who wants to 'help' you can be put to this task while you concentrate on more critical steps in the process.One of the below posters makes a critical point - it is important to *start* with brass that is relatively consistent. If you mix lots, especially in a caliber such as .44 Mag such that you have virgin brass mixed in with cases which have seen several maximum loads, there could be problems. And mixing brands of brass sometimes has the same consistency issues. Check them before starting, segregate if needed, and then forget it. Note also that certain specialized circumstances such as he described do necessitate investing the trimming time. But if one is making up specialty loads, this might be only one of the extra steps required.[This message has been edited by Iconoclast (edited 03-17-2002).][This message has been edited by Iconoclast (edited 03-18-2002).]

badboybob

I have been reloading for more than 40 years and have never trimmed a straight wall case. A .45 brass case (or any other caliber) will fail after x number of reloadings. If any of you want to check the length of your pistol cartridges you will probably find that they get SHORTER due to sizing, expansion and crimping rather than longer.

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PC=BS

joeaf1911a1

As far as trimming straight walled handguncases it is not needed. First, the amount of crimp would exceed or be less than the given specs for trim too specs after crimped.In a auto pistol I, and a lot of others havefound out most autos headspace on the extractor, not on the chamber. Of course, ifMUCH too long, which I have never found, willnot chamber properly. If in doubt, cycle them through your gun if you depend on them.

bwa

The general consensus is, as you can see, that revolver calibers don't require trimming the brass; but I've been reloading just-acquired .44 mag. brass and decided to trim them the first time, for the following reason: they vary in length and therefore will not crimp the same with the standard Lee seating die I'm using(some barely crimp at all without an adjustment of the die). This is important in my case, because I'm using bullets with no cannelure or crimping groove. Too much crimping pressure and the case buckles, too little and I risk bullet slippage during recoil. I don't want to make too much of this, but I certainly would rather avoid both problems if possible. I don't quite follow Joe's comments above on crimp specs; this is what I'm finding, for what it is worth to you. Enjoy the process!

ATF

I find trimming straight walled pistol cases a waste of valuable time.I started reloading in 1956 and reload over 40 different cals.

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ATF[This message has been edited by ATF (edited 03-18-2002).]

ref44

I have reloaded about 125,000 rounds since 1980 on a single-stage press. Have never trimmed a single handgun case and have never had any problems.

bwa

I should add to my previous post that I'm only going to do this on the first loading, to the couple hundred cases which aren't the same length. It is very time consuming, and I won't argue with the voices of experience you read above. My hats off to them for remarkable patience!