case trimming different brands of brass

[BillyGoatMachine]

Thanks for everyone who will help me. I'm completely new to reloading, but I have everything I need to get started. I just don't have the knowledge yet. I'm reading every day. In all my reloading manuals, they offer the right size to trim the case for a specific brand of brass. I've found the correct size for remington and lapua brass, but not federal, which is what I will be reloading at this time. I'm loading 7mm remington magnum. Basically, do different brands of brass need to be trimmed accordingly to their manufacturer specifications????? thanks again...

[Sheldon]

I thought everyone's trim length was whatever the SAAMI minimum length was. If you're bothering to trim at all you will usually just trim to the minimum length so that it will take the longest time, hopefully, to stretch before you will need to trim again. That shouldn't vary between any brand of brass cases.

[rksimple]

No. You'll have a given "max" for case length for a given caliber. But that really doesn't mean much as max case length is really dependent on the individual chamber.

[rayra]

don't know where this trim by manf brand comes from. You trim to SAAMI spec.
And then if you are savvy enough or your weapon is far enough out of that spec, you trim accordingly.

[bohoki]

i trim all my 223 to 1.750"

[BillyGoatMachine]

I have two reloading manuals that I recently purchased. One Lyman, and one Speer. Both manuals tell me to trim 7MM rem magnum to 2.490". The lapua website info tells me to trim to 2.492" It's not much of a difference, but it is different.

[762cavalier]

That's just a difference in how the manuals were written. You will also see variations in powder charges for same weight bullets, and variations in overall length. Just trim all your brass to the same length.

[rayra]

Well the spec is 2.5" for 7mm Remington Magnum. And that's what my 20yr old Speer reloading manual says. Sounds like the newer manuals are fudging it to ensure easy chambering.
But as long as your headspace is correct it shouldn't matter safety-wise. But I'd think they'd want to avoid making the neck too short and contributing to increased throat erosion do to the case neck not reaching where it should.

Repeat: Trim to SAAMI spec. And if that doesn't work properly, then something else is wrong with your firearm's chamber or bolt.

[ar15barrels]

Well the spec is 2.5" for 7mm Remington Magnum. And that's what my 20yr old Speer reloading manual says.

The MAX spec is probably 2.5"
Most manuals will tell you to trim 0.010" shorter than the max spec.
That's why you see figures like 2.490" listed.

Same thing with 223.
The max spec is 1.750" and you usually see 1.740" listed as the trim length.
ANYTHING in between those specs is certainly fine.

MOST factory chambers will accept brass 0.025" to 0.050" over that length too.
It's wise to make some accurate chamber length measurements and then subtract 0.010" from THAT length.

[jandmtv]

Randall, I tought 1.750" was the trim length for .223, and 1.760" was the max!?!?

[ar15barrels]

Randall, I tought 1.750" was the trim length for .223, and 1.760" was the max!?!?

Different manuals show different figures.
I could be off on the SAAMI spec.
I don't have my drawings nearby and I am working from memory which has been known to be faulty at times.

[stphnman20]

Same thing with 223.
The max spec is 1.750" and you usually see 1.740" listed as the trim length.
ANYTHING in between those specs is certainly fine.

Randall, I tought 1.750" was the trim length for .223, and 1.760" was the max!?!?

So which is it?

I have some brass that are in the 1.740 range..

[rksimple]

1.760 max oal. But thats really dependent on the individual chamber.

The 1.740 stuff should be fine. Are you using it in an AR? I have a picky savage 223 that likes to only extract cases in the 1.770 range.

[stphnman20]

1.760 max oal. But thats really dependent on the individual chamber.

The 1.740 stuff should be fine. Are you using it in an AR? I have a picky savage 223 that likes to only extract cases in the 1.770 range.

Yes i'm using it on an AR..

[rksimple]

You really shouldn't have a problem with the short stuff at all.