[Taurus1965]

Taking a lot of steps to get brass ready for reloading and need some advice to make it easier. In what order should I prep my .223 brass. Lube, de prime, trim and swage then clean? etc. How do you prep them? Thanks

 

[william]

1. Deprime, using a universal deprimer and a dedicated single stage press
2. Clean, I use wet stainless steel pins
3. Sort by headstamp and store.

Done at my leisure (often as I watch TV)
1. lube
2. size
3. trim if needed
4. Chamfer and debur
5. Swedge primer pocket
6. Clean and store

Just prior to loading
1. Prime (done at my leisure, TV included) I use a hand primer, because I like the feel

At the press (NO T V)
1. Powder drop
2. Check for double or missed cases
3. Bullet Seat
4. Check overall length of cartridge with calipers
5. Factory Crimp
6. Box with pertinent information

2¢

ymmv

 

[Taurus1965]

1. Deprime, using a universal deprimer and a dedicated single stage press
2. Clean, I use wet stainless steel pins
3. Sort by headstamp and store.

Done at my leisure (often as I watch TV)
1. lube
2. size
3. trim if needed
4. Chamfer and debur
5. Swedge primer pocket
6. Clean and store

Just prior to loading
1. Prime (done at my leisure, TV included) I use a hand primer, because I like the feel

At the press (NO T V)
1. Powder drop
2. Check for double or missed cases
3. Bullet Seat
4. Check overall length of cartridge with calipers
5. Factory Crimp
6. Box with pertinent information

2¢

ymmv

Any issues when depriming without lube? I have a heck of a time with my deprimer/resizing die with lube and clean brass.

 

[texastaurusguy]

Everybody has a different way, most likely. I clean the brass first, a vibratory tumbler, then size and deprime the cases, all of them. Then, I measure them and the ones that need to be trimmed get that. Then, I run the cases through the case prep center I have, I clean the primer pocket, run a brush through the neck, and ream each case. Then they are ready for priming and then powder charging and then seating.

 

[william]

Any issues when depriming without lube? I have a heck of a time with my deprimer/resizing die with lube and clean brass.

Step 1. Deprime using “universal depriming die”.

I deprime all range brass and sort by caliber before doing anything else. I don’t want range dirt or carbon in my resizing die. I don’t resize until after I clean. Lube is only on long enough to resize.

Actually, I’ll lube about 10 cases, run the fingers of my left hand ( right hand runs the press, left hand handles the brass) all over a lubed case, resize it, pickup an unlubed case left handed, run my fingers all over it and size it, and then size 3 more unlubed cases ( the total is five cases now) before I pick up another lubed case. Works pretty well for me, 50 cases lubed and sized by only lubing 10.

Then the lube is removed with 15 mins. in stainless pins, water and 2 Tbs. of dawn, 2 pounds at a time.

 

[darbo]

1. Deprime, using a universal deprimer and a dedicated single stage press
2. Clean, I use wet stainless steel pins
3. Sort by headstamp and store.

Done at my leisure (often as I watch TV)
1. lube
2. size
3. trim if needed
4. Chamfer and debur
5. Swedge primer pocket
6. Clean and store

Just prior to loading
1. Prime (done at my leisure, TV included) I use a hand primer, because I like the feel

At the press (NO T V)
1. Powder drop
2. Check for double or missed cases
3. Bullet Seat
4. Check overall length of cartridge with calipers
5. Factory Crimp
6. Box with pertinent information

2¢

ymmv

This is very similar to what I do. Exception is that I load on progressive (geez I hate using that word) press but I size on a single stage. So my first step on the AP is priming.

 

[gbusmech]

My first step is to sort the 223's and 5.56 putting the cases with crimped and non-crimped primers in separate containers. then do pretty much the same as Darbo or William.

 

[olfarhors]

inspect for damage, lube, resize-deprime at the same time, clean, check case length, swage primer pocket, store in coffee cans to await loading.

 

[Yissnakk]

With .223 brass I often wet tumble (Steel pin in a Frankford Arsenal Platinum tumbler) before de-priming. I then then lube with home made lube (liquid lanolin and 90% alcohol), resize/decap/prime (two motions on the turret press)and trim (using either a Lyman universal trimmer or the Lee EZ-Trim which also deburs, depending on how many I'm doing and which application - bulk reloading, the Lee, load testing and accuracy, the Lyman and manually debur). I usually run about 50 through like this at a time, then run them through the rest of the turret press stations.

If I'm not planning on reloading, I'll most often do the universal decap and wet tumble them.

 

[Taurus1965]

I think the answer is to get a dedicated universal depriming die. 1.Deprime 2.Trim 3.Swage 4.Clean then lube and resize.

 

[tobywan45]

I think the answer is to get a dedicated universal depriming die. 1.Deprime 2.Trim 3.Swage 4.Clean then lube and resize.

Put #2 after # 4

Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk

 

[Yissnakk]

I think the answer is to get a dedicated universal depriming die. 1.Deprime 2.Trim 3.Swage 4.Clean then lube and resize.

As the other gentleman stated, you want to trim after resizing, as the resizing process will stretch the brass. Very little neck elongation takes place during firing, just primarily brass expansion.

Just to contrast, my prep for 6.5 Grendel brass is quite a bit more in depth as I am generally looking for better and better accuracy (the .223's are more for fun!):

1. decap (universal decaping die)
2. wet tumble for 2 hours (dawn and lemishine)
3. inspect brass, then lube and resize
4. trim
5. chamfer and debur
6. dry tumble for 30 minutes with walnut/corn cob medium and a little bit of liquid car wax
7. run through the reloading process on the turret (manual rotation and powder weighing; lots of cartridge length measuring during the seating process)

 

[NativeTexan]

I don't do many. Cheaper just to buy 'em already loaded. No money in reloading unless it's with a special bullet or something. I've loaded about 50 rounds with 62 grain TSX, but don't really use the gun to hunt that much. I've got REAL hunting rifles/calibers for that which put things down quicker/better.

But, as with ALL rifle calibers I reload from 7 mag down, I size/deprime, trim and chamfer, clean with pins, dry, prime, and load. I do crimp auto-loading rounds.

 

[NativeTexan]

I've been reloading rifles, my .257 Roberts, for 56 years. I'm pretty much set in my ways, but I can still learn new tricks, like cleaning with pins. THAT is impressive. Corn cobs and walnuts are ineffective by comparison. I didn't even clean brass for 20 years, then got a vibratory cleaner and wondered why I bothered. The pin method, though, really CLEANS and it's even MUCH quicker. I could leave 'em in corn cob all night and they still look nasty. When they come out of the pins, they look NEW after just an hour or two.

 

[Steyr]

this is a subject that will have as many different steps as opinions at the voting booth

 

[Taurus1965]

Ok. I think i got it.
1)Decap
2)Wet tumble
3)Swage primer pocket's
4)Lube and resize
5)Trim
6)Wet tumble
7)Load

Think I need to write it down before i forget.

 

[Czechbikr]

As tobywan45 says...the trim length must be checked after resizing. My process is similar to all of the above, except for the lubrication for the die. I started by wiping the Lee resizing lube on each case and it is a MESS. Uses more than necessary and gets all over everything. I take the white Lee lube and squeeze a portion of it into a small spray bottle that was re-purposed from eyeglass cleaner. Adding 90% isopropyl alcohol to make about a 50/50 mix and shake well and during use. The proportion doesn't have to be exact, but you can tell after you spritz the cases if there's enough lube as there should be a scant transparent white film on the cases after the alcohol flashes off (that's why 90% is best). Put the cases in a large plastic bag...spritz them and shake...repeat maybe three times. Put in the container for loading...not even necessary to wait for them to all dry.

 

[NativeTexan]

Ok. I think i got it.
1)Decap
2)Wet tumble
3)Swage primer pocket's
4)Lube and resize
5)Trim
6)Wet tumble
7)Load

Think I need to write it down before i forget.

You simply MUST be an Aggie. :rofl:

 

[markr6754]

Ok. I think i got it.
1)Decap
2)Wet tumble
3)Swage primer pocket's
4)Lube and resize
5)Trim
6)Wet tumble
7)Load

Think I need to write it down before i forget.

I generally decap off the press using the Frankford Arsenal Hand Deprimer. I try to keep dirty brass away from my press...but it depends on how much brass I have to decap, and especially if I’m back from the range with multiple calibers. Another variable depends on whether I’m cutting the .223 down for .300 Blackout. Of all the steps, I hate 3 the most.

 

[ihillside]

Such steps are necessary