Reloading, Step by Step

[sentry1]

I'm trying to fill in all the steps and tweak the process I'll be using for reloading .223, so here goes:

1) deprime brass
2) tumble in SS media (separate, dry)
3) anneal (after first firing, and then every 3rd firing)
4) lube, FL resize
5) trim/chamfer/deburr/uniform primer pockets
6) tumble in walnut media to get rid of lube and any leftover brass shavings
7) prime and powder
8) seat bullet

Am I missing any steps here? Should I do anything to tweak this process?

 

[FamilyMan]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

Depending on your quality of brass and how much prep you really want to put in to it. You could add deburr the flash holes and uniform the primer pockets but those are usually a one time thing and can really be done at any point in the process before priming. I actually use the primer pocket uniformer to also clean the prime pocket out after each firing so that it also keeps it uniform in case brass is flowing. Also you need to add a trimming step after FL sizing. It's not something that will be need every time but definitely will be needed at one time or another.
There are actually a lot of steps we could add but it all depends how OCD/we Want to get and also are we even going to see the benefits for all the extra effort.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sentry1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm trying to fill in all the steps and tweak the process I'll be using for reloading .223, so here goes:

1) deprime brass
2) tumble in SS media (separate, dry)
3) anneal (after first firing, and then every 3rd firing)
4) lube, FL resize
5) tumble in walnut media to get rid of lube
6) prime and powder
7) seat bullet

Am I missing any steps here? Should I do anything to tweak this process? </div></div>

I always clean my brass first and then bag it away until I need to go further.

I'll then lube, size and deprime my brass and depending on how small the batches are, I'll just wipe the Imperial Sizing Wax off, or the RCBS Case Lube II off, with a dry/damp cotton rag.

If I need to trim, I'll trim and then campher/deburr/PP clean, if I don't need to trim, I'll prime them up, charge them with the CM1500 and seat the bullets.

If I need to anneal, I'll do it after trimming.

If I'm doing bulk...~500 rounds and don't need to trim, I'll maybe use One Shot and just process the brass on the 550b, using its powder measure and call it a day.

I use a traditional tumbler and if I use the Dillon spray lube, I'll tumble that off after sizing (don't really like tumbling lube off, as it loads up my media pretty quickly) and finish the process.

Chris

 

[sentry1]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

Right, trimming. Knew I'd forget something in there, but yes, I've got the RCBS Trim Pro with the 3 way cutter head, so trimming/deburring is taken care of.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ChrisGarrett</div><div class="ubbcode-body">don't really like tumbling lube off, as it loads up my media pretty quickly</div></div>

Can you elaborate on this please? Is tumbling off the lube bad for the media life?

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sentry1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Right, trimming. Knew I'd forget something in there, but yes, I've got the RCBS Trim Pro with the 3 way cutter head, so trimming/deburring is taken care of.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ChrisGarrett</div><div class="ubbcode-body">don't really like tumbling lube off, as it loads up my media pretty quickly</div></div>

Can you elaborate on this please? Is tumbling off the lube bad for the media life? </div></div>

Lube can be greasy and sticky/tacky and when you 'tumble' it off in corn, or walnut, it has to go somewhere and that's onto the media.

When you then go to clean your next batch of brass, that lube transfers to the cases and leaves a residue.

If you have a 50# barrel of corn, or walnut, that you got for next to nothing, it's not a problem, but if you buy it in smaller amounts for retail prices, it can get a little bit spendy.

I might get three, or four, cycles tumbling lube off before I feel that my media is used up. I've got 15-20 cycles with media just cleaning dirty cases, so there's a big difference in my experience.

Since you use SS media, that lube gets flushed away with the water that you dump down the drain, along with the LemiShine and dish soap, which you might also be adding to the water.

Chris

 

[JoeBUtah]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

I'll lube, resize, and trim if needed. After that I 'bathe' the brass in rubbing alcohol. That gets all the lube off as well as any brass filings, and residual gunk. Let'em dry and start filling them up.

 

[Mordamer]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

1) Tumble in whatever media you want
2) Deprime and neck size with lee collet die
3) Primer and powder
4) Seat bullet

It really doesn't take that much brass prep to shoot some tiny groups. I have some Lapua brass that I have fired 10 times with only neck sizing. That eliminates a heck of a lot of lubing, trimming, chamfering, and annealing.

 

[RyanMcIntyre]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

These forum I'm linking to is neither professional, progressive, modern, nor courteous, but before I joined here I wrote this tek for their forum to help the newbies sort out the good info from the old timer's tired methods of ridiculing each other and insisting their way is the only right way. Not surprisingly, it wasn't appreciated and I was subsequently mocked and discredited but never banned. Anyway, check it out and see if any of it is of any use to you.

http://www.reloadersnest.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19179


My process changes every time I learn something new, and I would hope yours would be the same too. Never etch anything in stone. Once you get that hard-headed, you would be readily accepted to reloadersnest. That tek was written with basic reloading of all kinds in mind, but I change up my style and order of things as I learn and grow and buy new tools, as well as for which gun or caliber I'm reloading - each has its priorities. Here is my current system for high quality bolt-action ammo:

If cases don't need annealing:
Decap/neck size
Ultrasonic cleaning/dry
Prime/Trickle Powder into the scale/Seat bullets/sort by runout

When they do need annealing, things get a touch more drawn out because of the time to dry cases (in GA) and that I size after everything has been done, including trimming, to ensure better neck concentricity. It looks like this:

Decap w/ universal decapper and ultrasonic clean
Anneal necks, lay cases out with fan running on them for a long ass time to dry them out completely
Trim, clean primer pockets, brush necks, etc case prep stuff
size case or neck (preference)
(if I want shiny brass then they go in the tumbler, but I haven't used it in months for this, lately it's been relegated to moly coating duties)
Assemble ammo
Blast away

 

[Temp9]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sentry1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm trying to fill in all the steps and tweak the process I'll be using for reloading .223, so here goes:

1) deprime brass
2) tumble in SS media (separate, dry)
3) anneal (after first firing, and then every 3rd firing)
4) lube, FL resize
5) trim/chamfer/deburr/uniform primer pockets
6) tumble in walnut media to get rid of lube and any leftover brass shavings
7) prime and powder
8) seat bullet

Am I missing any steps here? Should I do anything to tweak this process?</div></div>

I would move trim/chamfer/deburr after tumbling to remove lube. It makes the brass much easier to work with. Also, I've never had a problem removing lube with untreated corn cob, but then again, I don't do bulk reloading.

 

[RyanMcIntyre]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Temp9</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would move trim/chamfer/deburr after tumbling to remove lube.</div></div>

Each to his own, I guess. As they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat. I personally do all that prep even with sticky, slimy cases because once I tumble and polish, I don't want to handle the cases any more than I need to so they stay shiny and clean. I also will mix up the order in which I size compared to trimming sometimes, depending on the affect it has on neck runout or my sometimes-desire to have chamfered case mouths prior to inserting them in my expensive dies (saves scratches by doing that first).

As long as you're doing all the things that need to be done and doing the things you want to get done and ending up with assembled ammo, you're doing it right. You'll figure out the order that works for you.

 

[gunsnjeeps]

Re: Reloading, Step by Step

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sentry1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">1) deprime brass
2) tumble in SS media (separate, dry)
3) anneal (after first firing, and then every 3rd firing)
4) lube, FL resize
5) trim/chamfer/deburr/uniform primer pockets
6) tumble in walnut media to get rid of lube and any leftover brass shavings
7) prime and powder
8) seat bullet</div></div>

My process:
1) Corn cob tumble (cleans outside of brass for the dies)(Mon)
2) FL size/deprime (Mon)
3) Trim (3 way cutter)/decrimp pocket if needed (Tues/Wed)
4) Ultrasonic Clean (removes lube and a lot of carbon)(Wed)
5) Air dry overnight (or until I put them away)
6) Prime (Thurs)
7) Powder and Seat bullets.

I don't see anything wrong with your process but I think a seperate depriming step is an extra pull of the handle per piece of brass. I generally do brass around 500 cases at a time (count the Sierra box of 500 and prep that # plus a few extra) so I run about 100 at a time in the ultra sonic cleaner. I will prep my brass after work for a couple hours a night, by Thursday or Friday I have brass ready to load. I store primed brass. I load for a couple matches at a time but could do 500 in a week if I loaded 100 a night. I haven't annealed a batch yet but would slip it in after the first tumble. A friend has the Thulmer and an annealing rig. I've cleaned nasty brass in the stainless but don't think it's needed everytime.