$0.15 cent Hull Trimmer
 

After spending much, too much, money over the years buying various and sundry hull trimming devices, I found the one that makes sense from all aspects. The search for a hull trimmer than will produce uniform lengths is ended. And, it's capable of salvaging components by making one to suit the job. For only $0.16 cents.

The photo tells it all. I bought a 24" piece of 3/4" ID plastic water pipe at the Home Depot store, measured and cut 2 1/2" and 2 9/16" length hull trimmer bodies, chamfered one end to flush fit the hull rim into, trimmed the hull material sticking through the other end using a box cutter and have finished 2 9/16" 12 gauge hulls for my Parker guns. I ran the bunch in the photo while watching TV tonite.

The same store produced a Schedule 80 electrical conduit pipe that lets me make short 16 gauge hulls with the same accuracy.

Any luck on the paper Hull 12ga loads yet.

I did find a sight with some light loads for plastic hulls that looks pretty good. Just tyoe into your serch bar Hodgen reloading data center. I couldnt find any for paper hulls that matched my componants that I have on hand.

Wayne, use the same data for paper as you do for plastic. You'll need a wad for straight hulls which is different than tapered hulls. Federals are straight, Remington and Winchester are tapered. The rest I don't mess with. Good luck.

John, good idea for doing it by hand. I use either the wooden dowel with a single edge razor stuck in down in my basement it or if doing a bunch by my band saw in the shop. I have a piece of wood cut the correct length clamped down. The shell rim can stick over the edge of the board. My last 100 10ga shells were cut 2 7/8" in about 5 minutes or so.

Paul - the fault I've found with all the cutters I have that use a mandrel seating on the basewad is that the basewad is not always uniform. It makes sense to use the base as the point of departure in measuring to the mouth of the case and then making the cut. With the case entirely inside these devices and making the cut at the mouth end the degree of accuracy hull to hull is improved.

John, I found the same problem. On the dowel type I have in my basement shop I've added a machine screw in the end so it can be adjusted for length. That usually means a couple of wrong cuts and discarded shells. Your idea ends that problem. The dowel rod with razor is still good for paper shells because it supports the paper as you cut. For anyone without a band saw, your idea is the best I've seen so far for plastic shells.

Trimming plastic hulls
 

Paul - here's all that has to be trimmed from a factory STS plastic hull, which is the reason I use a box cutter with just 3/8" of the blade exposed for the cutting.
Besides which, I have only primitive and a very lean tool box around here. For those reasons I am always looking for the simplest way of getting something done that needs modification.

I once built a 16' sailboat with only 5 tools - a straight and Phillips screwdriver, a palm size rasp, a carpenter's saw and an electric drill. And, it sailed - except it always wanted to go to starboard because that side was a bit shorter than the port side.

Know what you mean about hand tools - the wife and I roughed in our two story house with no electricity. Finally bought a gismo to go on the alternator so I had 110 when cutting the 3/4" plywood flooring. That was 35 years ago. Now I've been lucky enough to be able to buy tools to make life easier. Nothing wrong with doing it the simple way by hand.

I've advanced to a frame held carpenter's hand saw used for fitting mouldings around the perimeter of interior rooms. My hull holders are now uniform no matter the length needed. I'm able to cut both 12 and 16 gauge hulls - either plastic or paper - to very close uniform lengths. Now that I've got the method down, I have to figure out how to sell off those that have tumbled off the saw and been finished into hull trimming devices.