I'm new to reloading and trying to figure out if these are safe to load, I know consistency would be down, but I honestly just need trigger time at the moment.

I'm using an rcbs trim pro 2(powered), it has a little wobble so the neck isn't being cut completely square. The OAL of the brass is varying from 1.990-2.020 with most being 1.995-2.015, I was shooting for 2.005-2.010.

I understand neck tension and all won't be consistent, but would these be safe to load and fire?

Why is it wobbling? Mine is close to 25 years old, and cuts brass square and clean down to less then a .001"(normally under .0005").. it is extremely consistent at producing quality brass... as for weather the brass would function properly, sure as long as it is short enough to not get into the throat where it necks down to bullet caliber...accuracy will suffer....Does your trim pro use the universal case holder or the plates? you can upgrade the plates to the universal holder and it works excellent if you run it right..Also a RCBS caliber specific 3 head cutter is worth its weight in gold...

1) With that kind on inconsistency and out-of-squareness, YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG.  Figure it out and fix it.  Your ES shouldn't be more than 0.002"... maybe 0.003" if you're sloppy.

2) Interesting that your first post is in the Precision Rifle Reloading sub-forum...  You might consider the "regular" reloading forum for starters...  LINK.

3) Reloading is a fun hobby but don't ever loose sight of the fact that we are all playing with things that go BOOM!...  Think 2 or 3 times if you are inclined to take shortcuts so that you can move on to something else (like shooting)...  ESPECIALLY if you are inexperienced.  You want it right...  not necessarily right now!

Best!

It's a trim pro 2 apparently they have that issue from what I've been reading and rcbs says they can have the issue as well. I've used another rcbs trimmer without the universal holder with no issues in the past.

Everything's tight, I'm using the correct pilot.  What's the secret to getting the universal case holder to work? I can watch my brass wobble while it's cutting.

1. Rcbs and all over forums says it can have issues with not cutting square and the brass wobbling due to there holder. Parts are inbound supposedly. I'm trying to figure out why it does it, but don't want to waste 100 cases if they are safely able to be used.

2. Thanks, shoot out to 600(all I have available) so it seemed like the right place.

3. I understand that, I'm asking because worried about it being safe before I go any farther and other searches have been little to no help.

When you let go of the lever on the motor, try pushing down on the lever on the holder and using your other hand to squeeze on the sides of the shell holder as you then let up on the lever for the holder..I ran into that once on some beat up 308 brass a buddy picked up at the range... An easy check if the brass is straight is to lightly push the holder lever so the brass releases and spins in the holder while the cutter is engaged, the brass should spin straight...Also, verify the bolts holding both the holder and the shaft bushing are square and tight, I have seen the bolts get loose and cause issues for another buddy...You access the bolts from the bottom side...

Thanks, I'll double check everything.

I use a cheap trimmer that I mount onto a drill that I clamp in a bench vice and get more accurate results than that.  Sure, my results vary +/- 5 thousandths, but that is only a total of 10 thousandths.  As long as I am under 2.010 (2.015 is max recommended trim length) I'm happy.  I want to avoid going over max length because that could raise pressure in the rounds.

With the way I trim brass my normal standard deviation for velocity is 2-18 fps...usually around 7 fps which is plenty good enough for my purposes.    Much of the consistency depends on how I use the trimmer.  Technique for the way I hold cases and introduce them into the trimmer has to be consistent.

Well I got my trimmer out and really got to looking, and it seems the cutter, pilot. and possibly the shaft aren't concentric. I don't have a dial indicator to check the shaft.

Also is the back and forth play in the thrust bearing normal?
https://youtu.be/8XwOYpsISts
https://youtu.be/Gt_6OUnpA6c

Hmm, yeah mine doesn't wobble like that, I would contact RCBS and let them watch the videos...The end play on the motor mine does do, never been an issue...





Mine works just like this one...



Of course I use 3 head cutters...

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That's my next purchase.  That would save some time de-burring case mouths.

The case to case consistency is excellent...

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Different brands of brass resize differently and need to be run in batches based on head stamps.  The die needs to be adjusted up or down for each brand. This rarely results in more than .003"+/- difference between brands.

Any trimmer that uses the case shoulder as the guide will exhibit overall length variations based on the brass headspace measurements.

Not rotating the case 360° in the trimmer will increase variations by the amount the cutter is off from being perfectly square.

The numbers you are posting are very bad and you may have multiple issues going on at the same time.

Dirt or brass chips in the case holder can block the case from fully entering the trim unit. This will lead to very long cases. Canned air or a low pressure air hose will quickly clear the debris from the case holder.

You should be able to "feel" each case being trimmed and develop a sense for when something isn't the same.

I'm using Gracey MatchPrep and Giraud trimmers and no longer hate the process. Good tools are worth every penny.