I’ve been reloading precision rifle ammunition for more than half my life now. I keep track of the ammo I load by the number of primer box tabs I have in a small pile in my junk bin and this year I hit 50 CCI 200 Large Rifle, among many, many others.
I’ve probably loaded somewhere in the ballpark of 150-200,000 rounds in my life in addition to the many thousands more that I’ve fired that were factory or military surplus. I’ve done over 20,000 rounds of .38 Special, about 10,000 9mm, 10,000 .45 ACP, and 1000+/- 10mm on the handgun side. I’ve always enjoyed loading for pistols, but I don’t actually reload that much handgun ammo compared to what I load for rifle.
My time reloading for rifle ammo is one of the great meditations of my life. I enjoy it and everything about it — except for the case trimming. I hate case trimming with a passion and thus I hate case prep. Or I did, until I was first introduced to Little Crow Gunworks and their spectacular World’s Finest Trimmer.
The specific model here is the WFT2, which is the same as the original WFT except that it has easily removable chambers (they run $24.95 per caliber) to switch between calibers.
Something to know right out the gate on this product is that it needs a ½” chuck to accept it. Most standard hand drills will need an adaptor for the shank. You’ll want to make sure you get that adaptor after you read the rest of this.
The WFT2 is essentially a rotating cutter that features a shroud and interchangeable chambers. The chamber unit rotates freely on its own, thus allowing the cutter to trim the case mouth. The chambers can be easily removed with a wooden dowel or similar soft punch.
The way the chambers are designed means that you must full-length size your brass before use. For most regular rifle shooters, that isn’t a big deal. If you neck-size only for a precision bolt action, you probably won’t be using this anyway.
Most shooters that shoot rifle in competition do so in great volume, myself included, and we full-length size for reliable feeding. When your gun is hot and dirty, neck-sized only brass, which has a case body that essentially fits the chamber exactly, can jam the rifle.
What you will need to do first is trim a master case. I take a case, size it in my full-length sizing die, and then measure it. I then take the WFT2 and adjust the cutter locking screws in the body the trimmer. I insert the case into the chamber and drop the cutter to touch the mouth of the brass.
Since there is no fine adjustment, I tighten the screws after moving the cutter just shy of my desired length. A little goes a long way here.
After trimming the case, I remove it and check length. I usually trim just below the listed spec by about .001-.003. This isn’t much at all, but for me it ensures reliable chambering in my CMP competition rifles like the 1903A3 Springfield when I’m shooting in matches, including at Camp Perry. Once a master case has been trimmed, you can simply set the cutter to it next time and you’re ready to go.
It used to take me about 1½ to 2 minutes a case to do it with a manual trimmer. I spent countless hours of my life slaving over a hand trimmer and those are hours I will never get back.
When I first set up the WFT2, I realized that I had wasted my life away looking at those little brass chips. My average was about 50 cases an hour with my old method and that was really moving. With the WFT2, I was able to do 50 cases in under five minutes. Let me say that again. Fifty cases in under five minutes. It’s literally as easy as inserting the case into the chamber and pushing forward.
The CMP matches and other competitions I shoot in have me firing .30-06, 6.5x55mm, 7.5x55mm, 5.56mm, .300 Blackout, and .308 Win. I have a WFT insert for each of these and I can accomplish hours worth of trimming in just one sitting. I was able to trim 500 pieces of .300 Blackout in about an hour with this amazing device.
A hidden benefit of the cutter is that it doesn’t leave much in the way of burrs. I found that, particularly on high volume ammo in commercial brass, I didn’t have to do much in the way of deburring. I was able to just trim and load. That’s more time saved.
If you’re a high-volume reloader or just want to make good decisions from the start, go and spend some money on the World’s Finest Trimmer. As a professional and avid reloader, this is a lifesaver and you will probably rethink your reloading practices upon getting one. I no longer have to commit the time and effort to hand trimming and I can instead spend my day at the range practicing.
Ratings (out of five stars):
Ease of use: * * * * *
Once you get it set up, it’s a breeze to use. It converts hours of work into minutes. I put it in my hand drill, tighten it into a vice, and let it spin. Trimming is as simple as pushing forward for a second and then putting the next one in.
Precision: * * * * *
I found that after lots of careful measuring, the cases were just as precise as those from a manual trimmer. The only ones to watch out for are cases like the .300 Blackout, which has a very small shoulder.
Value: * * * * *
At $69.95 for the housing and an additional $24.95 per chamber insert, the WFT2 isn’t exactly cheap, but it is well within the range of other options. And it’s hard to put a price on the hundreds of hours you’ll save by using the WFT2. Looking back at my life, I could have done so much more with all those hours spent trimming brass.
Overall: * * * * *
There was no way that I was going to give this thing anything less than five stars. It works beautifully, plain and simple, and it allows me work at speeds I never imagined possible. The ease and ability to trim piles of brass in a fraction of the time can’t be overstated.
My first step is getting another reloader. Mine burnt up in the house fire. It was a Lee progressive with .243 and 06 dies. I had a few problems with it and the progressive reloaders are more then I want to spend. What I’m wanting now is a single stage starter package on the cheap. I’d like to be able to reload .25 acp – .300 weatherby and a bunch in between if that’s possible. Does anyone have any recommendations for on the cheap side with adequate guality.
Lyman makes a couple of very affordable single stage presses and packages. They’re good people, too.
https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/lyman/presses-kits.html
Thank you both. Decision’s , decisions, I’m flipping a coin. .:)
Well that wasn’t hard. The Lyman Crusher pro it is,,, ,. Ahhhh back in business
Take yer pick – Lyman, Hornady, RCBS all make single stage presses, the cost of which will fade from memory once you start buying bullets, primers and powder. You’ll also need a good scale, a powder drop, dies, calipers, a tumbler for cleaning cases… after you put everything together, the cost of a single stage press is close to insignificant.
Lee Classic Cast. Can technically go up to 50 bmg.
I have the original model WFT for .223, and can’t say enough good stuff about it! I have a $30 Black and Decker drill mounted vertically, connected to a foot switch, and it works like a champ. The tolerances (when I measured) were definitely within +/-0.002, with most less than that. Most of the griping on the message boards about tolerances were from people that hadn’t sized the case first. And, having an air compressor to hit the cutter ever so often to blow out brass shavings doesn’t hurt, either!
The one caution I’ll raise is that, as tempting as it is to leave the trimmer running and shove cases into it, don’t. I found that leaves a shiny line mid-way up the case from something rubbing. But, inserting the case fully, and *then* starting it prevented the problem.
Also, giving the case a quarter twist after you feel it bottom out helps break the burr as well.
The previous one I’d used with that setup was a “Lyman E-ZEE TRIM™ Hand Case Trimmer”
https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/lyman/case-trimmers-accessories/e-zee-trim-hand-case-trimming-system.html
and that worked for a bit, but the cutter dulled quickly, and started leaving a ginormous burr, so I’ll need to pick up a replacement cutting head.
Thanks for doing this review jwt. I have been thinking about picking one of these up for some time. I hate trimming case as well. I don’t mind all the other steps of loading, but trimming is always finicky with my setup and I have to keep a very close eye. I usually adjust the trimmer on every case. When I’m trying to run a batch of 50 full house and 50 subsonic 308s I’m really going to get tired of sprinkling wizard dust on every case to get a decent trim.
Been using my WFT 2 for a couple of years now and I wish they had been around much earlier as it doesn’t get any easier ,luv the darn thing.
Josh, here are two suggestions to blow your mind:
Giraud Tri Way Trimmer: $98, it trims, inside chamfers, and outside chamfers in one step. It is a joy to use. Chuck it into an upside down drill press (take the top part off the stand). Buy it from Harbor Freight for $40-$50.
Lee EZ cutter and pilot: $17. Usually cuts cleanly. Good for calibers that don’t justify the Giraud Tri Way. Chuck it into a drill press, drop it down until the pilot hits the table. Fast, cheap, accurate.
Thanks for the tip about the Giraud 3 Way. I always wanted one of their trimmers but could not justify the $400 + asking price.
I’ve been using a powered RCBS Trim Pro with their 3 way cutters. It is reasonably fast and works ok, but the deburring is a bit uneven. The big advantage it has is that you can trim straight walled cases like .30 Carbine.
I’ve never gone for the other drill trimmers like the Little Crow since they don’t chamfer & deburr.
Been using these for years and love them.
Thanks for this review. I’ve been thinking about this little bauble.
Dillon
I actually made a 300 blk trimmer out of my original wft by boring it out and switching to a bigger end mill. It worked for it’s intended purpose but my wft 2 is much better. At first I used them to cut all the material of a 300 blk case formed from 223 but now I chop them first then form them and it’s a lot easier to trim.
The only gripe I have with the wft 2 is if the brass is tight in the chamber (or the chamber gets dirty) it will stick to the brass and you will pull it out with the brass after trimming.
Otherwise I’ve used it to make a lot of 300 blk brass and I love it!
I recently got one myself, I’m mostly a pistol shooter, Ive never trimmed a pistol case and never plan too. Rifle was a different story though. I was using the Lee setup which works but is pretty tedious if youre doing more than a handful at a time. Right now I have it setup for 223 and 30-06 (I shoot my 1903A3 and Garand a LOT). Definitely trims consistently, though I don’t always have luck with deburring, I have to clean the mouths up sometimes afterwords.
I had the WFT in 223 when it first came out. As soon as I saw they had the WFT out I sold it to a guy that just reloads 223 for half price and bought he second one. I also contacted the company about for some less popular rounds and they said they could make me a new insert for about $10-15? more than the ones they had in stock. I just had to send them the specs if I had it and 3 pieces of brass in the reloading step that I would be utilizing the trimmer. Great product.