Forster Original Case Trimmer

Product #: 269638
| Manufacturer #: CT1010
Status: Available
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The Forster "Original" Case Trimmer is the perfect choice for most calibers with bullet diameters from .171" to .459" and cartridge length no greater than 2.94". This trimmer is a fine mini-lathe that uses Brown and Sharpe type collets to accurately hold the rims of most rifle and pistol calibers within the range given above. Standard base (5-3/8") included. Accepts Forster collets #1 through #4. Collets and pilots are sold separately.

Technical Information

Material: Aluminum alloy and steel

Notes:

  • Used to trim cases from 17 caliber to 458
  • Cases are held in a steel collet
  • Collets and pilots are not included

    • Application Charts & Information

    Overall Rating:
    4.7 out of 5
    Used this Product?Rate It
    5 stars
    Greg Spero of Salem, Or
    Date posted: 1/30/2006
    Out of the three I've got (Including an electric) it trims the best without going full tilt expensive. Trims accurately and turns uniformly and cuts smooth. Beats Lyman hands down of which I've got two of.
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    11 found it helpful |
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    5 stars
    Vern Deatherage of Theodosia, Mo
    Date posted: 1/5/2004
    I used a friends and now ordered one for myself. I am handicapped and can use this trimmer with one hand, more products should be this way.
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    20 found it helpful |
    2 did not
    5 stars
    John Newman of reno, nv
    Date posted: 6/4/2006
    Beautifully simple, astonishingly precise. I am amazed by the repeatability of this trimmer. The simple collet design ensures perfect concentricity and fixed indexing of the case rim. The coarse and fine length adjustments each have their own locking set screw. Each case comes out +/- .0005 or better. Zero slop in the design, the cutter shaft rides in it's carrier like glass on glass. Designed to last a lifetime.
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    8 found it helpful |
    0 did not
    5 stars
    Magnum Mike of Western, PA
    Date posted: 2/5/2005
    EXCELLENT PRODUCT! Case mouths are square to the case, unlike other brands. Easy to set up, easy to use. Selecting the appropriate pilots and collets is easy with Forster's on-line tool ( http://www.forsterproducts.com/cgi-bin/order_search.pl ).
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    Yes |
    24 found it helpful |
    1 did not
    5 stars
    John Hart of Columbus, GA
    Date posted: 9/11/2005
    I've owned my Forster Original for more than forty years, and have trimmed rifle cases from .223 to .30-06. Quality is excellent...the tool is still like new. I'm still using the original cutter head. I use a dial caliper or saved trimmed case samples to set cutter length. The collet chuck holds all cases securely...half a T handle turn releases the trimmed case, and tightens the next. Set up and cutting can be one-handed. Highly recommended to get the $10 conversion handle for hand power drill. This combo is FAR cheaper and does the job just as well as other power trimmers I've tested.
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    23 found it helpful |
    0 did not
    5 stars
    Steve Cook of Drumright, ok
    Date posted: 11/5/2005
    Great product!!! Works well,very simple, and very well built. well worth the money.
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    Yes |
    7 found it helpful |
    2 did not
    5 stars
    Dave Jones of Reading, PA
    Date posted: 11/16/2008
    Best manual trimmer on the market, especially for the money. First one I've used that works well with .223 cases. And it trims very quickly and consistently. It's fantastic.
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    Yes |
    4 found it helpful |
    1 did not
    5 stars
    Patrick Leper of North Canton, OH
    Date posted: 7/2/2003
    An extremely good product; sturdy and easy to use. Cuts my 6BR cases to exact length without having to adjust during large groups. I'm very glad I chose it! More help when ordering would be good though. It takes a Phd to figure out what you need and don't need when you buy one.
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    Yes |
    33 found it helpful |
    1 did not
    5 stars
    S Peterson of SD, SD
    Date posted: 3/5/2008
    What a great purchase! Although more of an investment and not as easy to set up as the Lee cutter and lock stud, the Forster product is MUCH easier on the fingers and hands. Cases are trimmed quickly, accurately, and almost effortlessly.
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    4 found it helpful |
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    5 stars
    L. Lathem of Canton, Ga
    Date posted: 5/28/2007
    Excellent tool. I've had mine for over 30 yrs. Works just as good today as it did when I bought it. I have the outside neck turner and hollow-pointer attachments, both are handy accessories.
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    6 found it helpful |
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    5 stars
    John Smith of Golden, CO
    Date posted: 2/5/2008
    This is a very high quality case trimmer. Works flawlessly once the desired case length is set. The only drawback I've noted with the Forster Original trimmer is the base of a .45-70 case, which takes the #4 collet, will not fit through the collet housing without taking the collet screw completely out and inserting the case nose first. Once that's done it works great for .45-70, but it's a slow process getting each case into trimming position. If you have a lot of .45-70 cases to trim, you might want to consider the Forster Classic trimmer with the #8 collet.
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    7 found it helpful |
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    4 stars
    DOUG BUCKNER of WAYCROSS, GA
    Date posted: 7/3/2003
    IT DOES WHAT I WANTED IT TO DO. IT IS SLOW COMPARED TO AN ELECTRIC TRIMMER BUT I AM NOT TRIMMING ALOT OF BRASS. CUTS WELL AND MOUNTS EASILY.
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    9 found it helpful |
    8 did not
    4 stars
    Mike Rodgers of El Dorado, Ca
    Date posted: 1/3/2010
    Finally!!! A trimmer that will actually trim brass accurately and cleanly. This is the 4th trimmer I have tried looking for something that works. The machine work on this unit is good, very tight tolerances and no wobble. The collets work very well holding brass consistently in the same position. The blade cuts as smooth as butter with a minimum of effort. So why not 5 stars? In my opinion the adjusting mechanism is very lacking. The shaft is not threaded and the locking collar simply slides back and forth. Once tightened it stays in place, but there is no way to make a precise adjustment. The only way to make any kind of precise small adjustment is to turn the set screw in the secondary collar so that it rides against the first. Not what I would call solid as the length of your brass is determined by that small of a bearing surface. For now I will use the Forster trimmer because, as I stated earlier, it’s the only trimmer I have found to date that cuts squarely, cleanly, and at consistent lengths. I called Forster and asked if they had any plans to add a micrometer to the trimmer or a new method of adjusting for length and the answer was "no". Good for now but I will keep looking.
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    4 stars
    Glen Hoglin of Downey, CA
    Date posted: 2/15/2006
    I have used mine for nearly twenty five years with mostly satisfactory results but there are at least three points to consider. First, it is slow: for a while I was having to reload 600 30-30 cases a month (there is a downside to getting your family involved in your hobbies). It takes a lot of time to trim 600, or even 100 cases. Second, trim length is affected by the diameter of the case head, albeit only slightly. Sort cases by manufacturer and lot and this point becomes moot, but intermingled cases will very slightly (.001"-.002") in length, after trimming. If you are a stickler for absolute precision, bear the afore mention in mind. Finally, if you want to trim pistol cartridges, you have to get the SHORT base. The standard model will not allow you to trim cases less than about an inch and a quarter in length.
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    40 found it helpful |
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    3 stars
    DON CARRICK of PISMO BEACH, CA
    Date posted: 1/10/2010
    I used this trimmer on 30 carbine cases. The problem I have with it is the collet does not hold the case as securely as I feel it should as you trim it, i.e., the case wobbles slightly. In all fairness the length came out spot on. But I feel that deeper collets specific to the case size would be an improvement. I've decided to try the L.E. Wilson system.
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