I’m looking for something with more distance than 308, I’d like to take it out to a mile if possible. But this is down the road, I still need to stretch the 308 out to 1k+...
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I’m looking for something with more distance than 308, I’d like to take it out to a mile if possible. But this is down the road, I still need to stretch the 308 out to 1k+...
260 remington because you can use the really good 6.5mm bullets and convert easy to find 308 brass.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mbaker78
I'll be sizing and final polishing a bunch of .45 ACP cases, and eyeballing a big plastic jug full of 5.56 wondering if I will decap and run them all through the wet rotary tumbler. It will take me a LONG time to decap them all. While they are running I'll probably size and final polish some .300 AAC and .308 I already ran through the wet rotatory.
Continuing to swap plastic ammo boxes for old cardboard ones with .40 cal. Separated a buch of fully processed .45 ACP cases by headstamp and bagged. Made an awesome trade with SaftyJoe and received from him today 164 7.7 Jap cases and a bunch of .303 Brit. I'm going to start processing those by sizing and final polishing and bag them up. Ordered me some more .40 cal/10mm/.45 ACP 100 round plastic ammo boxes
OK, I know some of you are anal about small details. And, that's fine if you are that way. However, after decades of testing, I find absolutely NO difference in performance between brass that was decapped prior to cleaning, and brass where the primers were left alone during the cleaning process. So, as a RULE, I never decap primers before cleaning in either media or SS pins. The exception to that RULE is when I am dealing with anything that requires removing the primer crimp. Which, in this instance is 223 Rem. Virtually all of even the commercial 223 Rem brass gets crimped primers. So, I have to do those before doing the decrimping with the Dillon S8uper Swage 600.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gandog56
I do the wet tumbling method with stainless steel pins and decapping first does 2 things for me. One is cleaning out the primer pocket and the other is making it easier for the water and soap to be rinsed off. When it comes to most handgun brass I don't bother decapping 1st anymore because I rinse off the soap in a hand crank media separator with the top removed while holding a garden hose that's spraying on the tumbler while I'm turning it. The basin fills with soapy water and I drain it off and repeat the process a few more times until all the soap is gone. Drying my brass is done in my green house on a large mesh drying rack I made that can hold 50 to 75 lbs of brass.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DukeInFlorida
I’m finding about 60% of the 223 and all of the 5.56 is crimped. I used to use a super swage, but I’m too lazy to sort by headstamp and readjust it every time, so I was getting a lot of overswaged cases. Now I just ream the crimps out with a cheap Lyman bit and a cordless drill. It’s faster and seems more consistent.
I have had 2 different swaging tools and a bunch of different cutters. I keep going back to the cordless drill and 45º carbide countersink. I hate all the 223 ammo that has crimped primers. I've gotten where I scrap most of it.
Back to what are you doing on the bench. I just finished resizing over 1000 38 Super cases. These were more difficult to size than most pistol brass so I lubed them.
RCBS makes a decent crimp reamer because it has an over travel stop. I sort my 556 lake city brass to be converted into 300 blk and I use the dillon super swage on those, but I still double check each one with the ballistic tools primer pocket go / no go gauge and if one is not quite done I'll ream it to get it that last little bit. I also started reaming some S&B and herter's HS revolver brass just because those pockets seem to always be very tight.
Attachment 316
I got a TON of rifle brass to process, but I am not doing so well healthwise right now. I may go out to my shed and do a bit, at least get my 7.7 Jap and .303 Brit in the wet rotary.
Really Duke? I have had cases before I got the wet rotary that the soot was so thick the newly inserted primers were either sitting too high, or were VERY tough to even get one in without crushing it. Stainless steel pin media fixes THAT problem. Only other option is to use some kind of tool and scrape the soot deposits out one case at a time, a rather monotonous job.Quote:
Originally Posted by DukeInFlorida
really,
never had any sort of issue with cleaning primer pockets . Or, should I say, never any problems without cleaning them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DukeInFlorida
Well, I DO have some 30 year old .38 cases that have been literally reloaded hundreds of times. Them soot build ups can really build up, you hear where I'm coming from?
Had a front come through and the temps went from mid to high 90's to low to mid 80's and the humidity went way down. So, me and a buddy set up the smelting rig and melted around 400# of reclaimed shot. Ended up with 384 Lyman style ingots and 12 ingots from a bread stick mold. It was still hot and a cold beer was really good after we finished and put everything away. Shoulda waited for winter but its done! Now, to find that Aleve!
I have the soot buildup in 44 magnum cases primer pockets after a couple firings in my revolver.Quote:
Originally Posted by gandog56
What's wrong with swaging it out? While it adds one more step it will get you lots of brass. Plus you only have to do it once. You can use anything from a finely ground screwdriver to a swage die set. I use the RCBS swage die set.Quote:
Originally Posted by lightman
I don't know, I use the cheapest primers possible, usually Wolf or Tula. They leave HARD sooty carbon in the flashholes. When I splurge on like Winchester or CCI it's not so bad.
I guess there are so many different degrees of crimps that I have never totally been satisfied with swaging. And 223 brass is so plentiful that I don't have to mess with crimped stuff. I've swaged my share of it and I agree its not a big deal. The military brass like LC and WCC work well but the FC stuff wears out so quickly its hardly seems worth the work.Quote:
Originally Posted by gandog56
Don't lose sight of the fact that when you deprime the cases, the primer knock out pin goes through the flash hole, and completely cleans that out. ALL of the flame will reach the powder. Like I said, I never have any issues, and never clean the primer pockets.
Well, I have had problems fully seating them from soot built up on the sides and the bottom of the case around the flashhole. I have crushed many a primer before I got a wet rotary tumbler.Quote:
Originally Posted by DukeInFlorida
That was my problem as well in my 44 magnum. I think build up in the primer pocket caused a lot of issues.Quote:
Originally Posted by gandog56
Counting brass for a swap. Continuing to swap boxes with .40 cal and 357 SIG hand loads. Ordered more plastic boxes.
Not much, also counting brass for a swap. Decapping some other stuff. Just hiding out in the loading room.
Packaged up and mailed some brass for a trade. Packaged up and mailed a shell holder for a trade. Started getting the BBQ grill, fish cooker and electric clay target thrower ready for the Dove Hunters that will start arriving any minute now. Looking forward to a fun weekend.
Sorted and decapped some brass that I just picked up. Cleaned a Remington 1100 that I was lucky enough to get dirty over the weekend, Dove hunting. Prolly have a nap after while, the last 4 4am mornings are starting to wear on me.
I think I have about 250 round since the last cleaning on my 930, I’m curious how long I can go between cleanings before it starts messing up.
Just before I got sick I bought me a Lee Loaded in 12 gauge to start reloading shotshells again.
Over the last few days I’ve deprimed and reamed probably 1500 pieces of 5.56 brass that was all given to me... I’m gonna need more bullets, powder, and primers...
I possibly have even MORE .223/5.56 brass to process. I may or may have enough projectiles. I know I have enough powder left.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mbaker78