Beginning reloader has questions.

[X-fan]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

I jumped on the stainless bandwagon thing and by my mileage it is Great, Not too bad, and Fugly.

Great,
I love it for a couple thousand 5.56 rounds or a pisspot of pistol cartridges. For this purpose I think nothing does it better.

Not too bad,
Don't mind it for a few hundred rounds of 308 or whatever.
Run them for just long enough to get them clean and all is well. The finish will not impress your friends with sparkle, but are clean enough and you don't have to deal with the primer pocket cleanup.

Fugly,
I would rather eat worms than feed my match prepped Lapua 6mmbr cases into that meat grinder...
Run cases long enough to make them sparkle and you wont want to seat a bullet in the fugly remains of the case neck.
Though you can pose beside you cases.

My 6mmbr cases?
The neck shoulder gets cleaned by 4-0 steel wool right after firing, the primer pocket gets a wipe, then I shoot it again all tarnished looking.
Flitz if it has to be purdied for a the poser block.
Have an ultrasonic....Never even tried it...just can't be bothered.

 

[BuzzBoss915]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

Define "Fugly" for me?

I have not a clue what you mean by that, except that I do get why you wouldn't want to run your carefully culled and processed accuracy brass in a meat grinder.

I think we are on the same page because most of my stuff is geared toward accuracy, and I take great pains, if my Mojo tells me it is worthwhile. Stainless steel ultra polishing just doesn't blow my skirt up the same way. BB

 

[YAOG]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Austan</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why is it ignorant to use a full length sizing die? </div></div>

I don't know. Who posted that it was ignorant to use a FL sizing die?

 

[X-fan]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

Fugly happens to the case mouth when you polish the hell out of them for too long.
At which point the case mouth looks badly beaten enough that I don't want to seat a bullet without squaring and rechamfered again....In a pistol or 1.5 MOA battle rifle who cares, but in a precision rifle?

The stainless media still works, but brass does not come sparkling clean when you run it for short enough durations so as not to peen the crap out of the case mouths.
Plenty clean enough, but not what they show you in the pretty pictures.

I do like getting the insides clean, but readily admit this to be of little real world value.

 

[clmayfield]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

I run mine in SS media for about 40 minutes with Hornady US cleaner and the brass comes out clean with clean primer pockets and clean inside the case. There is some peening on the case neck and I have a Giraud which can take the burr off. I don't believe it hinders accuracy at all.

I don't understand what any of that has to do with this thread, though. I do agree that one should read a lot and understand the point of each step before attempting to reload. If you don't know the difference between NO sizing and FL sizing and the pro's and con's of each, you should not ignite a measure of gunpowder 6 inches from your face.

it took me a while to figure out what "bumping the shoulder back" meant and why you would want to do it, why you need to trim case necks, and why it is important to know where the lands start on a particular rifle. But I had to understand all of these things before I loaded my first round. Hope is not a strategy and while I think praying is a good idea, it is not going to make your loads any safer. Knowledge makes for safer loads.

 

[BuzzBoss915]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

Yes, it could be my fault, using the SS media thing for illustrative purposes. I tried to say that it is a distraction for a newbie, but perhaps the point was lost, if not belabored?

On the other hand, I am not afraid to venture off topic, on occasion. BB

 

[clmayfield]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

I don't really see SS as a "fancy method" nor do I see neck only sizing as a "fancy method." Both cleaning and sizing are goals that need to be accomplished and neck only or SS media are just another way to accomplish this goal.

Primer pocket uniforming, annealing, and turning are "fancy methods" to me in that you can shoot just fine without them. They aren't necessary, but some find them helpful.

 

[BuzzBoss915]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

Holy cow! I see the problem! My opinions are much different.

I do not think SS is fancy. I think it is completely unnecessary

I do not consider neck sizing a fancy method. It is one method, of many.

I consider primer pocket uniforming to be necessary.

I consider neck turning to be very useful, but only if you know what you are doing and many don't.

Annealing? I think we can agree on that one. BB

 

[X-fan]

Re: Beginning reloader has questions.

LOL true that BUZZ!

My take alone and no offense to anyone or any company.

1) Stainless media:
I like stainless for high capacity stuff. Not so much for the rest.

2)Neck sizing:
Why bother when a properly setup full length sizer does the exact same thing in less steps for less money?

3)I consider primer pocket uniforming to be necessary.

4) I consider neck turning to be very useful in a suitably precise rifle, but only if you know what you are doing, and have brass/chamber set up properly so as not to produce excessive clearances.

5)Annealing:
Rocks, but needs to be done right and done the same...Every time. Unless you have timed rig and a way to hold the heat identically for each case, mechanical machines are best.

YMWV!