[paulosantos]

People often wonder how fast the Giraud Trimmer really is and how many rounds you can load up in an hour with the Dillon 550 B. I was bored today so I decided to find out. I was reloading for the 5.56, but it is no different if I was reloading for the 6.8SPC. The reason I bought the Giraud Trimmer and the Dillon 550b was because of the speed. I considered the Dillon 650, but this was my first press, so I went with the 550b because it is easy for beginners.

Giraud Trimmer:
I had 425 556 pieces of brass to trim. I checked some of the brass prior to trimming and some of them had grown .020", so I wasn't just sticking them in the trimmer and pulling them out. Most of the brass had to be trimmed at least .010".

Here are the results:
425 in 40 minutes. That equals...
637.5 in 60 minutes.

Dillon 550b:
I took those same 425 pieces of brass and then reloaded them. The brass was already primed, so it was a little faster, but next time I reload, I will time myself with the unprimed brass:

Here are the results:
425 in 51 minutes. That equals...
500 in 60 minutes.

 

[Jamesb74]

How many aspirin have you taken so far for your sore arm? LOL!!!!

 

[Tat2]

Paul,

I have loaded thousands of rounds on my 550. All pistol though. Always wanted to try to reload rifle. Sounds great
and much faster than on a singlestage. I assume you are using a ball powder as I would be concerned with bridging
of the powder in the charger with a stick powder. Now that I have switched from Varget to TAC for Highpower
I will have to try the 550 out.

Did you get Popeye forarms w/ the Giraud trimmer? As I understand it you need to twist the brass as you size it.
That seems to be be tireing in the forearm? I am torn between a Giraud and a Dillon trimmer. I have the Gracey
now and it is cool, but I think the Giraud has surpased it. The Gracey works just like a pencil sharpener, just stick it in.

Anyway, thanks for the report, you may cost me some cash on a new trimmer

T

 

[paulosantos]

Paul,

I have loaded thousands of rounds on my 550. All pistol though. Always wanted to try to reload rifle. Sounds great
and much faster than on a singlestage. I assume you are using a ball powder as I would be concerned with bridging
of the powder in the charger with a stick powder. Now that I have switched from Varget to TAC for Highpower
I will have to try the 550 out.
I used TAC powder for the 556, but I've used H322 and Benchmark which are small extruded powders and they work great. As soon as I'm finished with the TAC, I'll be sticking with the Benchmark for the 5.56. I also use the H4198 for the 6.8SPC which is big like the Varget and it meters pretty good. The most I ever got was +-.2 GR when I tested it out. I also used Varget and H4895 and it was like the H4198.

Did you get Popeye forarms w/ the Giraud trimmer? As I understand it you need to twist the brass as you size it.
That seems to be be tireing in the forearm? I am torn between a Giraud and a Dillon trimmer. I have the Gracey
now and it is cool, but I think the Giraud has surpased it. The Gracey works just like a pencil sharpener, just stick it in.
You do have to turn the brass, but it is very fast and easy. After I am finished, it feels like I was typing on the computer for several hours. What I like about the Giraud is that it trims and schamfers the inside and outside of the case at the same time. Also, changing calibers is pretty easy.

Anyway, thanks for the report, you may cost me some cash on a new trimmer

T

I hate the 10 letter minimum thing.

 

[jasonpeterson]

Pretty fast!! I'm going to have to look into one of those trimmers. It takes me forever on my rcbs manual trimmer. Then I have to run them through the rcbs powered case prep machine stations.

 

[borderpatrol]

I've owned all three of the "best" power trimmers, Dillon, Giraud and Gracey. I sold the Dillon with five trim dies for $100 and I am glad it's gone. Their die's neck dimensions are WAY TOO TIGHT. To get your brass back where it belongs requires a seperate operation, either running it through a standard die with an expander of the proper size or using a Sinclair or K&M Tools expander mandrel. As noted previously, it does not chamfer the inside or outside of the case when it trims, One more operation or your bullets gets scraped upon seating.

My Gracey is every bit as good as my Giraud once I purchased "Bob Jones Sights" carbide cutting head for it. Giraud also makes an upgraded cutting blade for the Gracey. Both cutters are a world of improvement over the original and brings the Gracey into the same leage as the Giraud as far as the finished cut is concerned. Both carbide cutters are very easy to adjust, something NOBODY has ever accused the original Gracey cutter of being.

The Giraud remains the pinnacle of cutters in my opinion. It's really a modern work of machining art. The Gracey will do the same job for much cheaper, provided you upgrade the cutter. Nobody complains about trimming once the get these tools. I had to learn to relax and let the tool do all the work. I tried to use muscle when I first owned them just like I did with manual trimmers. Muscle isn't needed. I just relax and trim and twist. It goes fast and I don't get carpel tunnel, tendonitus or a back ache. Anyone considering a power trimmer should spend the money and enjoy the ride. Every day without one is a little like being waterboarded.

 

[billclo]

I found out the hard way that wearing a latex glove on the fingers twisting the brass is quite desireable, unless one likes getting a nasty blister.