I purchase 1000 pcs of 1x fired Federal brass for my .38 Special. All is between 1.145"-1.151" in length. I just finished trimming, deburring/chamfering and expanding 500 pcs of it, which took 2.5 hours. Is it worth it to have them all trimmed to the exact same length, or is within .006" "close enough"? They will be fired in a K38 Masterpiece with wadcutters and 158 gr RFN cast. I'm thinking that if I have 500 done, I'll mark them as such and use them for wadcutters and the other 500 I'll just expand and shoot with RFN bullets. What are your thoughts?

My practice has always been to trim to minimum spec. This allows for uniform crimping and bullet seating with any bullet selection, and the cases can be used for several reloadings before anything else needs to be done.

Did you size them before trimming??

It doesn't hurt to trim and can help with uniform crimping but I never trim any handgun brass.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I like to trim my 38 brass, so you get a uniform crimp on all. I especially paid close attention to my match brass, when I shot PPC matches. It's a real pain, but once done, you should get pretty good groups/results.

I sort by headstamp and call it 'good enough.'

The only handgun brass I have ever trimmed was my .44 special brass for use in my NVB Blackhawk, and it was mainly for consistent crimps and a square mouth.

I'm with Lobo on this one, I trim all of my revolver brass when I get it. That being said, especially in 38 SPL, I shoot mostly range brass, so the lengths tend to be all over the map. If your brass is only varying by .006", I would think you've got more than that in 'slop' on your trimmer.

Just my .02

-Klaus

Never trimmed a revolver case in my life and never had an issue. If you're loading ultra accurate match ammo and are OCD, trim away.

Trim away if you feel the urge.....to me it is a colossal waste of my time.

Randy

PS. I shoot .38 special in all kinds of matches and am well aquainted with the accuracy needs.

I agree with everything said, above. I will try to summarize:

IF you are shooting in sanctioned matches for ratings or score, then it is prudent to trim your brass (after sizing), sort by headstamp and case varieties (some .38 brass has a cannalure for 110gr or 148gr, etc.) What you want is consistency with regard to case dimensions, case length, and case wall thickness. That way, all seating crimps will be uniform, all case capacities will be uniform, and (if bullets are sorted by weight), loads will be uniform. In other words, omit all "determinate" error!!!! Then the error in shooting is YOURS!.
However, for Sunday at the range….don't bother…clean, size, decap, prime, charge, and seat & crimp…..shoot away!

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Terry
SWCA, SWHS, IWLA, NRA

First - I'm am a bit OCD with my reloading practices. I have tens of thousands of rifle and single-shot pistol and shotgun loads under my belt, not much in the way of revolver or semi-auto loading. My trimmer has zero slop in it - Forster case trimmer - and I trimmed the first 500 pcs to 1.145". I suppose for consistencies sake I should really trim the rest of it as well, but I might set my digital caliper at 1.146" and only trim the pieces that exceed that length. And this is for shooting at the range - no sanctioned matches or anything like that. But I also sort my 200 gr. cast bullets into +- .1 gr. Which isn't all that hard when casting sessions and alloys are consistent...

If you are trimming your new brass , size them first. Personally I have never sized any handgun brass and have not had any accuracy concerns. Sizing after trimming may change the case length but not as much on new cases as with fired cases.
Rifle cases always get trimmed, chamfered and deburred .
Good luck, Have Fun!
Jim

Yep, rifle cases are always trimmed, chamfered, and deburred. These are not new brass, they are 1x fired from a law enforcement training facility, seller says they are roller sized, so I have not sized them. I ran a few through my RCBS carbide sizer to compare lengths before and after - no change, and no change in I.D. of the case mouth.

I don't trim any of my handgun brass. Yeah, in theory this does cause a variation in the crimp from case to case and that could theoretically have an impact on accuracy. However, I don't think I could shoot well enough to see any measurable difference even if I used a scope and good sandbag rest.

Oh, not trimming definitely causes a variation in crimp - that's not theoretical, it's simple geometry. The only other straight-wall cartridges I have played with are the .454 Casull and .357 Max in the TC Encore platform and the amount of crimp definitely has an effect on accuracy - but only with bags and an 8x pistol scope.

It also depends on what bullets you are using. I guess I have trimmed some 38 Special I have to Remington target brass I use in a M 52 wadcutter gun. As I seat those flush I trimmed that brass.

For regular 158 gr LSWC bullets measure the size or width of a the cannelure. There is a lot of room there, so a few thousandths difference in case length is not gonna matter especially when you roll crimp it over.

If you use FMJ or plated without a cannelure then the case length really doesn't matter.

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Still Running Against the Wind

All bullets used will be cast - wadcutters and Lee 158 gr. RFN for starters. There forgiveness in using the crimp groove - several thousandths at the very least.

I've never trimmed my brass, but I have never bought new brass either. Mine is all saved from commercial ammo I've bought.

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Common sense isn't so common.

I'm almost done trimming the other 500...

The question is: "Good enough for who?"

Not passing judgment on anyone's loading practices in particular, but a lot of guys are content w/ "minute of deer" groups. You on the other hand, sound like a guy that would sell a rifle - if it wouldn't turn in 0.5 MOA.

I think you know the answer to your own question. Size it, trim it, & be done with it. If you are shooting target level loads, chances are the brass will remain fairly consistent, & last a long time.

Personally, I always try to work up the best "one ragged hole" accuracy load practical (even for a short barrel .38), before I ever do much else - w/ a new to me handgun.

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Regards - GCF

That's the best answer right there

I was just going to say, I don't measure 357 or 38 special cases. I can trim, debur and chamfer in less time than it takes to measure the cases and mess with adjusting a crimp die and I don't like to adjust a crimp die batch to batch.

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I'd like to agree with you BUT

I finished trimming over an hour ago. I'll debut and chamfer another day. I wouldn't have enjoyed having one set consistent and the other inconsistent. Rifles that don't shoot .75 MOA or better at two. Hundred yards don't stay in the stable. I've got a .30-40 Krag barrel for my Stevens 44 1/2 that only shoots cast billets that I make and exceeds this criteria with at least 8 different load combos. I will work toward ragged holes at 25 yds with this K38.

Spoken by the trim champion of the world!!

AKA ForestTrim

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Still Running Against the Wind

If you are shooting 38 Spl brass in a 38 Spl revolver, trimming to minimum case length is a good idea. Trimming 38 Spl brass for a 357 mag revolver is a waste of time. You will have more fun going to the range and shooting your revolver.

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S&WHF 366

But if I did I would trim it once and forget it. It only takes me a few seconds to trim a case with my setup.

Its ForestCrimps, buddy. As you apply named me awhile back. Its the crimps that matter, trimming just gets you there.

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I'd like to agree with you BUT

You are a man of just so many Talents

You probably look at a forest and obsess that all the trees are not the same height!

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Still Running Against the Wind

If it's mixed brass, trimming is not going to make a noticeable difference in accuracy. If you're sorting by headstamp, weighing every charge, weighing bullets and sorting by weight, then by all means trim them too. But just trimming without doing that other stuff is fruitless other than giving you the personal satisfaction that OCD demands.

Trim .38 brass ???? Never trimmed a one in my life. Used to shoot 20,000 + a year back in the 80's, still shoot around 150 a week. I shoot them until they split.

The variation will give you inconsistent crimp. The consistency of the crimp is one of the factors in accuracy. If your type of shooting can be done within the accuracy variation don't bother about it. If you shoot bullseye or other "precision" shooting, you would want to have the most consistent crimp possible.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

For my 39s, I use "range brass" - I have never trimmed and never had problems - it works well for the type of shooting that I do. I mainly kill cans, punch holes in paper and maybe face off with a nasty woodchuck once in a while. All I shoot is bullets I cast - SWC, WC and two different RN.

If you are a "serious" shooter and shooting competition - then yea, trim away if you feel the need. I think its a "personal thing". Since you have trimmed a quantity - try the trimmed versus the un-trimmed - see if you can actually see a difference in the accuracy - that will give you your answer. Good luck and have fun!

When I first started reloading for my Ruger Redhawk in 44 magnum and using H110 (when you could find it) It was stated in the loading manual to use a good crimp. Well really learned something as the first 50 cases I reloaded had varying case lengths. crimps were all over the place. So sized them, trimmed them and reloaded them. Crimps were much more consistent. Frank