SmallCaliberCentral

For years I have been using the Lee length gauge and cutter to trim all my cases. Unfortunately they do not make one in 204 Ruger, not even a custom one.

Anyway what do you guys use? I am looking for the cheapest setup because I will only be using it for this caliber only. Thank you

I 2 always used lee case trimmers, I got a redding trim die for the 204 and am very pleased with it. you can use a trim die alot quicker than you would think.

Excellent idea. BTW what type of file can one use for a trim die? Thank you

Fine mill bastard file, about a 8" or 10" works well. Be sure to put on the wooden handle prior to starting.

Thank you

I only reload for two rifle calibers,,,,.204 and .223,,,, and I picked up two Lyman trimmers (used) and replaced the cutting heads with new carbide cutters, mounted them to the wall and converted them for use with a cheap cordless screw driver....One is set for each case length and I will only have to spot check about 1 out of every 100 with my dial caliper to insure the locking collar hasn't slipped ...

I also have a brass trimming question. I just ordered a forster case trimmer and I am trying to figure out what length to trim my cases to. My hornady book says case trim length 1.840, and max case length 1.850. I plan to do the trick with a slit in the case neck to get a measurement as to where the lands are on my M77 Mark II and then set the bullets back .002. I have a hornady headspace gauge and will make sure all of my cases are consistent. Assuming my headspace is the same for all rounds, it does not seem to matter to me where between 1.840 and 1.850 i trim my cases, as long as I am consistent. Am I missing something?

I think you have it right. You want all of your cases trimmed to the same length, not a variety of lengths.

Are you talking new unfired brass or maybe once fired brass. The way to find out is to check all your brass and trim to your shortest case length. If your brass is new unfired, you will probably find that most are shorter than 1.840. If thats the case, wait until they are fired and resized, then check the brass again. a lot of the brass "growth" comes from resizing, but new brass will grow to your chamber when fired. Thus a fire formed case. Once all of your cases are trimed to whatever length you desire, you may not have to trim again for a few firings, as the 204 cases don't seem to grow like most other cartridges. And if you just neck size you will get more firings before you have to trim. But keep in mind that with just neck sizing, eventually you will have to bump the shoulders back at some time, so they will chamber again. but just neck sizing will allow you to reload those cases a lot more times, as you don't work the brass near as much. Then we get into annealing, and that is whole nother story!

I've been using a Possum Hollow, works great.

The brass I am working with now is twice fired hornady. 30 percent were at 1.840, and the rest were around 1.848. I guess I will reload the ones that were at 1.840 and then trim the rest down to that level once my trimmer gets in.

I've been using a Possum Hollow, works great.

Which one are you using? I looked at their site and it doesn't appear they offer a .204 trimmer.

POP wrote:For years I have been using the Lee length gauge and cutter to trim all my cases. Unfortunately they do not make one in 204 Ruger, not even a custom one.

Anyway what do you guys use? I am looking for the cheapest setup because I will only be using it for this caliber only. Thank you

Several years before the 204 Ruger landed, I was shooting a Tac 20 and no one made made a trimmer for 20 caliber. I made my own trimmer for the Tac 20 using a 223 Rem Lee Trimmer gauge and one of their standard cutters.

If you turn a .224" Lee trimmer gauge down to 20 caliber, it will thread into the Lee cutter and just barely clear the inside diameter of the cutter blades. I turned a 223 Rem gauge down to 20 caliber and screwed it into a cutter with epoxy on the threads. When I reached Tac 20 trim length, I let the epoxy set up and I had a permanent trimmer for 20 caliber Tac 20 cases.

When the 204 Ruger came along, I did the same thing using a 22-250 Rem Lee gauge. I machined it down to .204" diameter and screwed it into a cutter to 204 Ruger case trim length depth and let the epoxy on the threads hold it in place permanently.

I still use both of them if I'm not trimming a large number of cases...



-BCB

If a person has both new unfired Nosler and Winchester brass... Would you trim to the Nosler lenght because they are the shortest!

Trim length don't mean squat. Just trim everything close to the same length. Main thing is to square up new case mouths. As long as everything is somewhere under the maximum case length, how far isn't all that important, within reason of course. I go about .010" as maximum. If you find a new case that is way under what you've been trimming to, just use it, it'll soon elongate and need trimming, rather than adjust everything else to it. Accuracy won't suffer all that much, if at all. Pressure inside the case will expand the neck away from the bullet and act as a gas bearing before the bullet moves more than a fraction of a thousandth of an inch, minimizing the effect of length variation. Wacky bench rest shooters are the exception, there isn't enough Valium to calm their nerves if they detect a neck .0001" short or long.

Cases that reach or exceed maximum length can cause chambering problems and when forced into battery can effectively crimp the bullet against the barrel lead raising pressures. That's the only reason we trim.

Mainly don't agonize over trim length, only folks that crimp into a canelure will have to be more finicky, as case length determines crimp strength. This is especially true with handgun ammo, even more important with rimless handgun ammo and taper crimps (length and crimp sets the headspace). Many magnum handgun cartridges depend on consistent (and heavy) roll crimps for ignition consistency with slow heavily deterrent coated ball powders.

Remember that trim dies are also full length sizing dies, some wildcat forming dies use a trim die as a full length sizing die, before being processed in the final sizing die that includes the neck expander ball used for loading. If you want to neck size only, then use a lathe type trimmer.