I learned to reload 20 or so years ago, been using the same method since then, with very good results. But I wonder sometimes if my method is "normal" or if I'm taking unnecessary steps, or if I'm missing something.

What steps to you normally take in reloading? Resize, trim, de-burr mouth etc. do you always trim to size? Or do some of you skip that step? With new brass, in some cases, I have found it to be very uniform in length. Just curious.

Thanks.

I shoot bolt and single shot rifles almost exclusively so I do not fire the number of rounds the pistol or black rifle shooters.

I use a lot of once fired brass that I buy from indoor ranges and it has been fired in numerous different rifles. This brass needs more attention than new brass.

1. I use a hand punch to knock out the original primers.
2. During the deprime I examine the cases for any defects. I am also able to tell if any have loose primer pockets using this method. The hand deprime also smashes any flash hole "crown or funnel" burrs flat.
3. The cases are washed in hot soapy water to get all the dirt and grit off of the outside and inside. This is to protect the sizing die from being scratched.
4. The wet cases are rinsed in 90% IPA to absorb the water. They are rolled out on a towel and are placed into loading blocks upside down and placed in front of a fan. In 15 minutes they are bone dry.
5. The cases are sized to exactly fit the chamber or chambers of the rifles.
6. Primer pockets are cleaned and uniformed if needed. The flash holes are deburred if there were large burrs mashed flat by the deprime punch. The cases are trimmed only if they are really ratty. I try to avoid trimming any case if I can. Some of my chambers are .040 longer than SAAMI standards so they only need to be uniform. Many cases that I form are left the full length of the chamber. Those cases get shorter when fired.
7. The trimming and uniforming chips are rinsed out of the cases with alcohol and they are dried again.
8. Cases are stored for later use.

Those steps are always done at my leisure and represent 85% of the total work yet tie up no other components.

When it is time to load I may prime the cases a few days ahead of time.
Then it is simply charge and seat a bullet.

New brass is examined for case mouth and other defects. I expand those case mouths that need dent removal. Then all cases get about half the neck sized and the neck expanded to uniform all the case mouths. The cases are then deburred and are washed to remove the chips.
These cases are stored for loading later. After the first firing they get the full deprime and uniforming routine. Again I avoid trimming if the cases are uniform.

For semi-auto rifle:
1) Corn cob tumble, cleans the brass for the die.
2) Spray lube, FL size, deprime.
3) Trim. (Deswage brass if once fired military).
4) Ultra Sonic Clean to remove lube, trimmings, cleans brass. (Could be another tumble but I don't like gettig crap in flash holes again.).
5) Prime.
6) Powder ans seat.

I do large batches, 500 at a time. Sometimes I'll prime and store so all I have to do is measure powder and seat bullets. Once in a while I may store prepped brass, properly labeled.

For bolt action:
Same except,
2) Neck size if from same rifle, full length if not.

I usualy FL resize and remove spent primers first unless the cases are unacceptably dirty to run into a die. Then I use a little Lee primer pocket cleaner. Then I tumble them. Then inspect the cases, I found that after tumbling a little Lee trimmer stem works great for poking any stuck media out of the flash hole. Then trim. Weight sort. Then move on to the loading up process.

I recently moved from Lee trimmers to a Herters (Forster) because I think the Lee trimmers are great, but I also think they take off too much of the case neck. From now on I intend to just trim enough to keep them safe and uniform.

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
I learned to reload 20 or so years ago, been using the same method since then, with very good results. But I wonder sometimes if my method is "normal" or if I'm taking unnecessary steps, or if I'm missing something.

What steps to you normally take in reloading? Resize, trim, de-burr mouth etc. do you always trim to size? Or do some of you skip that step? With new brass, in some cases, I have found it to be very uniform in length. Just curious.

Thanks.

1. I don't resize or trim new brass with one exception and that with loads for a 460 S&W Magnum. If I don't resize those, the bullets move in the revolver under recoil.

2. I only trim if the cases are longer than they should be.

3. I only deburr if I've trimmed the case.

4. I don't uniform primer pockets.

I do use stainless steel media to clean my cases. I'll be the first to acknowledge that pretty cases don't necessarily shoot better but I like pretty cases.

I resize, trim/deburr, put in my ultrasonic cleaner for 3 8 minutes cycles, dry in a 170 degree convextion oven, and then prime and reload.

I'm completely anal about loads that will see hunting use and from my perspective consistant, reliable loads start with a case that will deliver the same results every time under all hunting conditions.

Criteria:
1. reliability
2. power
3. accurate
and I can pretty much eak that out of all the hunting cartridges we use.

I do not:
1. Neck-size
2. Seat bullets too close to the lands
3. Weigh cases
4. Re-weigh bullets (that's the manufacturers job and I get a batch (some good or better) with every box anyway.
5. Outside Neck Turn (this is for specialty Rifles & Loads only).

With the use of a drill press or electric screwdriver I do the same thing every time.

1. Re-size (as close to F/L sizing w/o touching or pushing the shoulder back)
2. Check length w/Lee Gauges
3. Clean primer pockets (Sinclair tungsten tool)
4. Inside primer de-burr (only inititally)
5. Inside/outside chamfer
6. Tumble
7. Wipe-off the media residue, inside neck brush to remove (or perhaps spread residue around evenly - Dunno?) residue (inspect case again - it happens in every time I handle one)
8. Prime
9. Charge
10. Seat bullet
11. Crimp with a Lee Factory Crimp die for bullets with a cannelure, relief or crimpng groove
12. Test a random portion (say 5 of 50) of the batch to ensure reliable chambering

Yeah, intensive and many will consider this a total waste of time; Whatever Floats your Boat.

BUT my Buddies and myself refer to this ammo as GC Gold 'cause we never have hickup with it, it's accurate and Delivers the Goods every time.

I also seldom load less than one MTM (or whatever brand) 50 box of ammo, mostly 100 at a time (batch).

We also do alot of hunting; as an example, one 50 box of 300 Weatherby went to Namibia in June, thru a Fall hunting season here and I've 6 rounds remaining in the box - so they don't get old, either.

Good Hunting.

I think everyone gets set in their process, may even change slightly over the years. I try and be as consistent as possible and try and make each round the same. My process is:
1. Universal Deprimer
2. Clean in Thumblers Tumbler with SST - eliminates primer pocket cleaning
3. Close to a Full Length Resize, check chambering, etc.
4. Check length, trim only if too long.
5. Inside/Outside chamfer.
6. Drop Powder and seat bullet, measured off ogive.
7. LFCD - light crimp, no gorilla strength required. I run two presses, as soon as bullet is seated it gets the crimp.

Most in batches between 100 and 300. Works for me, YMMV.

Since I am usually loading for a particular firearm, I try to work the brass as little as possible (and I am lazy). For Bolt guns I typically neck size, trim and deburr only if needed and go from there. Sometimes I will size then tumble if the brass is too cruddy.

Hmmm, I noticed something. A number of members first size their brass, and then tumble. Maybe I'm off base, but why run dirty brass in your dies? Seems to me chances of contamination/scratching inside of the dies with an abrasive are much greater.

Is it to remove the "lube"?

Better mousetrap for me is since I use Imperial Die Wax, a paper towel seems to remove the very minimal amount of wax just fine. A smudge of Imperial between my fingers last 3 or 4 or 5 cases. After sizing, inside neck over a brush, and a couple a twirls with a paper towel while inspecting for cracks or bulges and done. Just curious.

If you are not familiar with Thumblers and SST, after a 3 1/2 hour tumble, the cases are like new, inside and out, as well as the primer pockets. Makes inspection easy, and the main reason that sold me is NO more cleaning the primer pockets

When at the range, I always wipe off every cartridge case after shooting before putting it back in my ammo boxes. Getting the soot off immediately seems to keep it from setting. Then when I reload, I simply lube and size, then tumble to remove all grease from inside and outside the case.

After placing in loading blocks, I measure every fifth case for safe and consistent length, trimming only if they are overlong or more than .002" spread in length. Then chamfer case mouths.

De-prime
Tumble if necessary
Clean Primer pocket
Resize
Wipe case inside and out (yes inside to remove the one-shot)
Trim
Deburr
Store upside down in box to indicate all steps were done

Along the way I check for issues.
If it's new brass I uniform the flash hole
I measure each case with calipers as I trim them

when i first started reloading i started with 1k of 9mm and 1k 223. i bought a universal de-priming die and de-primed them all first. then tumbled and i was then disapointed. the primer pockets were not clean. so now
tumble
size/deprime
rifle trim/chamfer/debur/clean primer pockets
pistol expand mouth
hand prime
charge
seat bullets
crimp as needed
i attempt to stay ahead on brass prep but it usually doesn't work. i like to tumble/resize/deprime and expand the case mouths and have them in a labeled container. that way when im ready to load all i have to do is prime/charge/seat the bullet and crimp.
for low volume rifle rounds i normall do all the brass prep and seat primers and store them in mtm case. i prefer not to load a ton of rounds at one time in case i decide to try seomething new so i normally keep 20-30 rounds loaded and then the rest of the box will be primed cases ready to load.