Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Recommend me a portable drill for case trimming/prep functions

Hi All,

Have not had a need to own one of these before this. What type/brand/specs portable drill would you all recommend for taking care of case prep functions(trimming with a WFT or Lee cutter - appx 1,000 cases at a time max). Outside of using it for case prep, I'd have very little usage for it. Looking to spend appx $100 or less? Not sure of "power rating", chuck size, battery type Lithium vs Ni-Cad, etc. Specific name brand and model would be greatly appreciated if possible to help with my purchase.

Go to home depot and get what they have on sale.

I used a cheap Skill for years, then moved to a Dewalt 12v, but wasn't satisfied with battery life. I'm now using a small B&D lithium from Walmart. It's small, but plenty powerful and keeps a charge for quite a bit of case prep.

Here's a link:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Black-and-Decker-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Drill/14971641

That is exactly what I use. It replaced a Ni Cad Porter Cable that would not hold charge.

Think light and small. I have used a 19.5 volt Sears for a long time but it gets heavy after a while. Thinking on something smaller and lighter. miles

+1 on the suggestion regarding light and small. I have used a B&D power screwdriver to power my trimmer and other case prep tools.

Being a woodworker, when I'm reloading I use the same stuff I use for woodworking. I started off years ago with a 9v Ryobi. That was junk. Then, not being much smarter, I went to 12v Ryobi. Not junk, but not great. Then I worked up to bigger stuff (18v) and on a whim got the Ryobi 12v Lithium. Real light and handy, but no grunt power. Whew! So I then got smart and got the Milwaukee 12v Lithium, and that is good gear, with plenty of power and handy. Might be a bit more than $100, but it's good to have around the house if you need any drilling done.

+1 on the Milwaukee, I used one as a Custom Machine installer to drill holes in lots of heavy duty angle iron and other materials in the field. Performed flawlessly, plenty of power and run time.

Aren't you making this stuff hard and expensive? Why don't you just buy a corded drill? They are cheap, don't have the weight of a battery to haul around, and are always charged.

You do not want great speed. I have an old Skill that has a speed stop on the trigger. I'd imagine that about 500/600 RPM would be plenty, and you certainly do not need great horsepower. I think my old drill is only 3.5 amps.

Just saying: why make it expensive. Spend the money on more brass. If you don't use those cordless tools much the batteries, the charger, or the tool goes bad. For me the last time it was the charger. It was also obsolete, and unavailable.
I can still plug in "Old Paint" and she still purrs!

That was my first thought too.

I've used corded drills that were over 50 years old.

I've never had a portable last more than just a few years before the batteries died, and they generally cost more than a new drill, IF you can even find them, since they tend to become obsolete rather quickly

+ 2 on corded drill

I've used a cordless screwdriver. Slow, controllable, and cheap. I don't do 1000 cases at a time - i would go stir crazier! But I have turned 50 necks with it, and have used it on my Forster case trimmer to trim 100 .308's at a time with no issues.

I also have, and occasionally use, a cordless drill. 18 V lithium Bosch 1/2 inch drill. Once you get it you will wonder how you lived without it. Not to offend anyone, but the Ryobi and most others < 12 volts are toys, at least if offered in a 1/2 inch version. They may be heavier and larger, and the right angle handle may make them more awkward than a straight power screwdriver.

my $0.02