Just when I thought I had as many case trimmers as anyone could possibly want or need, that would be one, I realized the reason it took so long to trim the ever popular, but very short, 17-357 RG case was that the cutter didn’t reach the case mouth. Bummer. In addition, I wasn’t happy with the results of neck turning. I was hoping I could inside neck ream and avoid that sharp transition from neck to shoulder that resulted from outside turning. Eventually, I concluded Forster had the closest to a solution, with enough variety in trimmer configurations to coverer reaming, case length and .172″ bullet diameter cartridges.
I haven’t used Forster products with any real frequency. As a company, they have been around since 1938 and well known to most handloaders world wide. I generally don’t select Forster because I start every press and accessory search with a criteria of handling large Weatherby cartridges, 378 Weatherby Magnum case head. If I don’t see dies set or shell holders with this fit or capacity, I move on to the next manufacturer. This doesn’t mean these rejected product are in any way inferior to what I eventually buy, it only means they didn’t fit my application. Forster seems to be a company with mostly substantial products. Presses, primer presses, case gages and some accessories are made of heavy cast iron; precision machined and uniquely designed. Their trimmer line, as with some of their smaller accessories is a little different.
What’s not green, blue, orange, yellow or red and trims cases? Forster manual trimmers have a cutter shaft bearing or collar similar to the RCBS unit, approximately 1.100″ in diameter and blued steel.
The cutter shaft diameter is .500″; same as RCBS andHornady, and the cutter head on all is replaceable. All use a cutter pilot to locate a case mouth when trimming. The cutter shaft length is quite different across the various trimmers, which is important. The shaft length and the span between case holder and cutter shaft bearing determine the case length range each trimmer can handle. The RCBS cutter, with a 5.6″ cutting shaft and 4″ between the faces of the bearing and the shell holder, can trim lengths between 1.660″ and 3.640″; some travel is lost to the stop collar at the end of the shaft that provides fine adjustment of cut depth. The Original Model Forster has a 3.6″ shaft, 3″ between collet case holder and cutter shaft bearing face and a case length range of .900″ through 3.00″. The Hornady unit can process cases between .480″ and 4.000″ in length. The only trimmer that could handle the short .865″ 17-357 RG case was the Hornady, but it did not offer a neck reaming solution.
Notable Operating Differences
Each manufacturer utilizes a different approach to securing the case while in operation. This is a critical part of the trimmer as this function shares in locating a case when in process. The Hornady has a camming clamp at the end of the shaft that holds a shell holder and also provides adjustment to accommodate differing case length. A case is inserted in the holder, the camming lever is rotated, the locking rod is driven into the case head and against the shell holder, locking it firmly in place.
The RCBS unit uses spring pressure to retain a case in the shell holder. Pushing down on the release lever moves the shell holder away from the face of the assembly and permits removal and insertion of cases. The Forster utilizes a collet to secure the case while the trimmer is in operation. There is a range of collets customers can select from, and each collet is stepped to accommodate a number of cartridge cases. In initial use I thought this would be a weak spot in the Forster unit; too many surfaces to account for to achieve perpendicularity to the cutter head, but this proved not to be true. The collet holder worked well.
Other Nice Forster Features
Recognizing all cases are not created equal and wanting to accommodate as many as possible, Forster offer three base lengths to locate the cutting head closer or farther from the collet. The Original model trimmer comes with a 5.4″ base; optional 6.5″ base and 4.6″ bases are available. The Classic model is shipped with the longest base, but the standard base may be ordered as an option. Optional bases run about $16 through retail suppliers.
There is a price anomaly between $48 Original and $78 Classic Models. While the latter is approximately $30 more, it appears only the base length is different, with the Classic being longer. It would be more cost effective to buy the Original and a $16 option base, which is what I did; standard and a short base. The prices I am referencing are discount online retail, however, the same degree of discrepancy also exists at MSRP.
I believe most manufacturers did not foresee the popularity of .172 cartridges. Consequently, most trimmers ship able to accommodate a .224″ pilot minimum. Forster offers a special shaft and cutter for the small diameter that pops in place of the standard. The shaft and cutter head assembly runs about $12, compared to Hornady’s solution which is only a replacement cutter head and pilot for $16. One problem I did encounter was a .005″ swell in shaft diameter approximately an inch before the cutter that interfered with shaft travel.
A primary reason for selecting the Forster product; a small reamer replaces a pilot in the cutter head and us used to cut the inside to proper diameter just prior to final sizing. In this application I will case neck ream just after final forming, but prior to sizing, and after firing, but prior to final sizing. This will solve my problem of material thickness buildup without resorting to outside neck turning.
There are a number of accessories for the Forster trimmer in addition to those already mentioned, including: outside neck turning, bullet hollow pointer, primer pocket chamfering, and primer pocket cleaner.
The only gripe I have, and it is not a big deal, is related to mounting and the use of non traditional materials. The trimmer has four small base mounting screw holes for 4 small wood screws. Something a bit more substantial for mounting would seem more appropriate as I am able to rip the trimmer off the bench with relative ease. In addition. the base is extruded, anodized aluminum which, as a practical matter is more than up to the job, but as a psycho psychological matter, it just didn’t feel right. A ten pound cast iron stabile trimmer would have been nicer…wouldn’t have worked any better, just nicer.
Thanks,
Joe
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