RCBS Trim Mate?

[Cazach]

Anyone have any experience with this rig? My hands are starting to complain when I do more than 50 of any rifle cases.

Online reviews seem good but I saw it recently on TV and it seemed cheap.

Your comments are appreciated. THanks.

[PistolPete75]

i have one. i like it. might want to wear gloves or use a paper napkin to hold the brass if you got issues. if i had to do it all over again. i wouldn't have bought my dillon 1200 trimmer, and case mate. should have gone straight to the giraud trimmer.

[psriley]

I have the RCBS TrimPro, which I guess is a motorized Trim Mate. The motor's a little slow, but it works just fine. I got the cutting head that trims, chamfers and deburrs simultaneously. I stick a case in the trimmer, trim it, then swage the primer pocket while the next one is trimming. I can do about 500-600 cases/hour using this method.

Having said that, I wish I'd known about the Giraud unit, first, though. People rave about those.

Cheers.

[ocabj]

If by Trim Mate, you mean RCBS's manual trimmer, I have one. It was my first trimmer (part of the Rockchucker kit).

It's fast to use as far as manual trimmers are concerned (simple shell holder design). It won't trim as square to the head as you would hope, but most manual trimmers don't. My second trimmer is the LE Wilson with the Sinclair mountable base. I still use it for more precision trimming (specifically the bolt guns). I reserve the RCBS trimmer for the ocassional pistol brass trimming and some autoloader ammo (i.e. Garand ammo).

My third trimmer (most recent) is the Giraud and that's specifically setup for .223 (since I shoot HP Service Rifle).

Anyway, the Trim Mate is a decent trimmer. I'd go used if you can to save a few bucks. I'm sure there are quite a few available on the private market.

[Cazach]

Thanks for the info. I guess I'm still in a bit of a fog as I meant the motorized version that has stations for flash hole deburr, primer pocket uniforming, chamfer, etc.

Basically I want to take the wear and tear off my hands when doing large batches of rifle rounds so anything that gives me a mechanical advantage would work.

Although I have also been drooling over the Giraud trimmer and giving subtle Christmas hints to the wife. .

[ocabj]

Ohhhh. *That* Trim Mate. The only thing I would use on that if I had it is the inside and outside chamfering tool.

Assuming you can put non-RCBS tools on it, like the Sinclair VLD inside chamfering tool, then I would probably say go for it.

Becareful when using a motorized chamfering tool. Experiment with a few pieces of brass to see how long you need to keep the brass pressed against the tool. You want to find that time just right because if you chamfer just a second too long, you can take too much brass off the neck. I sometimes run a chamfering tool in a drill press on very low speed.

[Cazach]

Good point! This was one of the reasons I was hesitant. I currently use a pretty light touch when chamferring by hand as I know it can easily strip away quite a bit from the neck.

When I saw this machine on TV it seemed a bit wobbly and imprecise.

I think I might just build some jigs and do a lot of stuff on my drill press.

Thanks again for the feedback.

[ocabj]

Yeah, if you have a drill press, try and use that. That's what I do. Just set that thing on a slow speed and you're good to go. I think the generic Craftsman press I have in the garage goes as low as 400rpm. Maybe yours can go lower.

[supersonic]

Thanks for the info. I guess I'm still in a bit of a fog as I meant the motorized version that has stations for flash hole deburr, primer pocket uniforming, chamfer, etc.

Basically I want to take the wear and tear off my hands when doing large batches of rifle rounds so anything that gives me a mechanical advantage would work.

Although I have also been drooling over the Giraud trimmer and giving subtle Christmas hints to the wife. .

I have the "motorized" TrimMate & I am working on an invention w/ it that will allow you to use it as a case trimmer/chamfer/debur, etc. with the cost being only about $5 for caliber change-overs. If it works, it'll be AMAZING. HINT: there are LEE parts involved. Stay Tuned, as I will post pics, results etc. in the next week. I'll call the thread something like:"Reloaders Rejoice: DON't spend $$$ on a Giraud or Dillon-Check THIS out!!!" If you don't hear from me within a week, I failed miserably. BUT, it is NOT likely!!!

[PistolPete75]

I have the "motorized" TrimMate & I am working on an invention w/ it that will allow you to use it as a case trimmer/chamfer/debur, etc. with the cost being only about $5 for caliber change-overs. If it works, it'll be AMAZING. HINT: there are LEE parts involved. Stay Tuned, as I will post pics, results etc. in the next week. I'll call the thread something like:"Reloaders Rejoice: DON't spend $$$ on a Giraud or Dillon-Check THIS out!!!" If you don't hear from me within a week, I failed miserably. BUT, it is NOT likely!!!

if you get this done, that'll be one great invention.

[supersonic]

if you get this done, that'll be one great invention.

Thank you for the kind inspirational words. I worked on it today, and I'm almost finished. Let's cross our collective fingers, 'cause I think this is going to work.

[ARMALITE A2]

Did you fail miserably on your "invention"? I am currently using the lee setup in a hand drill. The drill chucks the case holder and you have the hand held trimmer and id/od chamfer tool. Looking to speed things up a bit.
I am eyeballing the RCBS Trim Mate simply because of the price. I will adapt it to be able to trim the case as well by tapping the back side 8-32 and install a stud that will screw into an empty driven station. If your invention is a go I would probably be interested.

[masterkwan]

I too have the motorized version of the Trim Mate. Love it and has saved me plenty of time to do other things. I recommend giving RCBS a call and see if they might have one that is a 2nd (I believe that is what they are called). The 2nd units are basically the same unit as you get in the store except they might have been display models or have slight blemishes, but most times the cost out weighs the blemishes etc ..

My unit was a 2nd and I believe I had saved close to half the original cost and shipping/handling was only $7.xx Call frequently though because stock is changing everyday. I originally called on Monday and was told they didn't have anything in stock, called 2 days later and they just so happened to get some. Good Luck.

[PistolPete75]

looking forward for the updated mod on the trim mate.