Finally did something with my press.

[Sugarbug]

The semester is over, classes are passed, and a huge amount of stress has been removed.

So I grabbed about 100 223 cases that had been tumbled and trimmed, deburred, deprimed and cleaned the primer pocket. Really like the Wilson case trimmer.

Trimmed them to 1.750". I was really surprised at the number I had that were below the trim to length after being fired.

For those of you that reload, how close to the trim-to length do you find adequate. I'm just getting the hang of it so I'm trying not to be overly anal if the case is .002" too short, but I'm curious what the cut off is.

When I'm putting my actual precision loads together, I'll be a little more careful. It's not hard with this trimmer anyways.

 

[lachef]

Ammosmith reloading on YouTube has some good vids on reloading precision rounds.

 

[Jimbeaux82]

Stated maximum length for 223 is 1.760". Normal trim length is 1.750". I have reloaded cases as short as 1.740" without problems. So long as you have enough neck to provide proper bullet tension, it doesnt hurt to be a bit short

 

[buzzworm]

Not uncommon to find some cases a bit shorter than expected.

Are you trimming before resizing? (Didn't see any mention of that.)

 

[Sugarbug]

Not uncommon to find some cases a bit shorter than expected.

Are you trimming before resizing? (Didn't see any mention of that.)

I didn't. Then it occurred to me that was probably the wrong order to do it.

 

[Booseman]

I didn't. Then it occurred to me that was probably the wrong order to do it.

I still have all that brass for you plus some more that I have blasted through. We will figure out a way to meet up. Otherwise I will ship it to you when I get back on land. It is just that I had to make a 6 day turnaround for this hitch that is going to last about 28 days or so. Should be home by the end of the month.

 

[Barney88PDC]

If your not resizing then trimming your doing it wrong.

 

[Sugarbug]

If your not resizing then trimming your doing it wrong.

Ok. That's how I did it, but I didn't know that that was the right way. Can someone explain the two separate sizing/decapping dies? It's a redding 3-die set, but no explanation was within the set as to the difference. They probably didn't intend this die set for someone as ignorant as me

 

[CATS]

Do you have enough 223/5.56 cases that you can sort by head stamp? Some brands such as Fed seem to have more short from the factory cases. If you are going to reuse the same cases, be sure to check them for case head separation as part of your re-inspection process.

 

[HiCapMag]

Please see Barney 88's sticky thread at the top of this forum....all you need to know is there.

 

[Jimbeaux82]

The proper way is to resize, then trim, as resizing will stretch cases, particularly if you do not lube the inside of the case mouth. So it wouldnt be good to trim first , then resize and then be back again over max length.

 

[kk5fe]

I need to get rid of my RCBS trimmer and get one like yours. I find its drifting as I trim. Of course the thing is over 25 years old too.... but even in its best day it was never as precise as the Wilson.

 

[Akajun]

I wouldnt worry about the variance of your oal. Your shooting this out of a gas gun, its not that important like a benchrest gun, and even then I think +-.002 is acceptable. all you are doing is giving enough clearance for the case to open up and release the bullet. Its more important to size uniformily than trim, and even then as long as you are getting the shoulder back enough to function properly its fine.

Also be carefull measuring the oal, look at the base of the case, you will often see extractor marks, bolt face marks, etc, each one of these has a burr raised up around it and will give you a "false measurement" as compared to the actual base of the case. Thats why, in my opinion trimmer that index off of the shoulder such as a gracey or giraud are more accurate.

 

[FTRrookie]

Ok. That's how I did it, but I didn't know that that was the right way. Can someone explain the two separate sizing/decapping dies? It's a redding 3-die set, but no explanation was within the set as to the difference. They probably didn't intend this die set for someone as ignorant as me

I know that Redding sells a 3 die set that contains a Full Length resizing die, a Neck resizing die, and a Seating/crimping die.
For shooting through a semi-auto I would use the Full Length die. Especially if your going to be reloading brass fired from other guns.

 

[longshot308]

I know I'm repeating, but 10thou under is where I usually have mine. if you measure all of mine, the average is probably .008. If its just for plinking, its fine. If I'm reloading for distance, I keep it within .001.

 

[Ritten]

Please see Barney 88's sticky thread at the top of this forum....all you need to know is there.

This..........again...

I know I'm repeating, but 10thou under is where I usually have mine. if you measure all of mine, the average is probably .008. If its just for plinking, its fine. If I'm reloading for distance, I keep it within .001.

If you're bumping back your brass .008 to .01" then look for cracked necks or case/head separations before long. Even in a semi-auto you only need .003-.004" MAX bumped shoulders. You're working your brass way too much otherwise.

 

[Log Island]

"If you're bumping back your brass .008 to .01" then look for cracked necks or case/head separations before long. Even in a semi-auto you only need .003-.004" MAX bumped shoulders. You're working your brass way too much otherwise."

Yes....as I can attest to..

 

[Sugarbug]

Thanks for the advice, gentlemen.

Tossed the prepared brass back in the tumbler for about 20 minutes.



Using untreated corn cob media so I was interested in what I could add to it that won't break the bank. Watched some youtube videos on Ammosmith's channel. He uses a metal polisher that has ammonia in it. As you all probably know, ammonia can make your cases brittle so I didn't understand why he was using it. As he explained it: ammonia evaporates (yes, of course). Well I have about 64 oz of brass-o (also with ammonia) so I added that to it, then let it dry for a few hours until I could stick my face next to it and not smell any ammonia. Worked very well. Much cheaper than using the treated media (especially with all the brass-o I already have).

The ones shown are all WCC head stamped. LC and FC were the other two most common from my mixed brass so far. Done about a hundred, but my projects took up most of my time today.

 

[HiCapMag]

get some Dillon cleaner. Cases come out nice and shiney and has a bit of silicon (I think) so cases are nice and slipery. Get corn cob from Powder Valley for cheap (comparatively).

 

[gasanchez84]

I found this recipe from the Internet using untreated walnut media spiked with some additives. You can get the walnut media from PetSmart for about 1/2 the cost of name brand tumbler media. It is used for bird cage and reptile cage litter. Fill your tumbler and add 3 caps full of Nu Finish car polish. This stuff is real abrasive so use it in your brass and not your car. Add 1 or 2 ounces of mineral spirits to thin out the car polish and tumble for about 15 minutes to mix the polish into the media. Add your brass and a Bounce dryer sheet to control dust and tumble. Tumble time is your preference but I let mine go for 4 to 8 hours. After tumbling, rinse the cases in hot water to remove the rouge residue stuck to the cases then dry. They come out shiney!