How do you prep cases?

Suleiman · Feb 19, 2016

I'm pretty fresh into loading and I've been as cautious as possible with each step. From used brass to loaded, these are the steps I've been doing:
1) Sort cases by caliber
2) Tumble for a couple hours in crushed walnut from Petco
3) Sift media and lube clean cases
4) Run through sizing and depriming die.
5) Swage primer pockets if needed
6) Measure cases to make sure it's within specs
7) Trim if needed, chamfer and debur
8) Tumble again now that primer pocket is open
9) Sift and lube again
10) Run through the 550 to load the cartridges
11) Tumble again to get lube off.

Am I overdoing it? When I decided to reload, never did I think about the time spent prepping. I figured it would be shoot, run through the progressive press, shoot. I'm thinking about picking up a depriming die or a handheld deprimer so that I can have clean primer pockets after just one pass through the tumbler.

What is your process from dirty unprocessed brass sitting in a bucket to loaded ready to chamber.
Also, how do you track how many times you've used your brass? None of mine had been fired more than twice yet, most of it is still just once fired that I've collected over the years.

Thanks for letting me pick your brains again!

Yoshi · Feb 19, 2016

Suleiman said:
I'm pretty fresh into loading and I've been as cautious as possible with each step. From used brass to loaded, these are the steps I've been doing:
1) Sort cases by caliber
2) Tumble for a couple hours in crushed walnut from Petco
3) Sift media and lube clean cases
4) Run through sizing and depriming die.
5) Swage primer pockets if needed
6) Measure cases to make sure it's within specs
7) Trim if needed, chamfer and debur
8) Tumble again now that primer pocket is open
9) Sift and lube again
10) Run through the 550 to load the cartridges
11) Tumble again to get lube off.

Am I overdoing it? When I decided to reload, never did I think about the time spent prepping. I figured it would be shoot, run through the progressive press, shoot. I'm thinking about picking up a depriming die or a handheld deprimer so that I can have clean primer pockets after just one pass through the tumbler.

What is your process from dirty unprocessed brass sitting in a bucket to loaded ready to chamber.
Also, how do you track how many times you've used your brass? None of mine had been fired more than twice yet, most of it is still just once fired that I've collected over the years.

Thanks for letting me pick your brains again!

Sounds about what I do, but I don't tumble for "hours". I use power tools where I can. Especially for trimming, beburring and chamferring. Speeds it up quite nicely.

As far as counting the firings for each brass... Only for my precision calibers. Not so much for pistol or plinking ammo.

Pinecone · Feb 19, 2016

Similar.

I sort, then tumble for 20 - 30 minutes in corn cob with Dillon polish.

Lube, decap and size, IF they need swaging.

Tumble again for 10 - 15 minutes to remove lube.

Swage and load.

If swaging is NOT required, I tumble, lube, load. Then tumble for 10 - 15 minutes to remove lube.

Same about tracking loadings. Brand new, good cases for precision loads, yes. Not at all for straight walled pistol cases. Or for plinking ammo.

Suleiman · Feb 19, 2016

This is very helpful info. I really only have plinking ammo. Right now I'm only loading .223 and .45 with plans to start loading 9mm soon.

Yoshi · Feb 19, 2016

Id like to add, my pistol cases don't even get sorted. Could care less how many times they were fired. I just look for imperfections and thats it.

Traveler · Feb 19, 2016

No real need to clean primer pockets. If I am not bench rest shooting, I don't sort by head stamp. I just inspect for cracks.

Sticky · Feb 19, 2016

I decap first with a universal decapping die, then wet tumble. Lube, size, inspect and go from there... load em up and a brief tumble to remove lube. Same about checking lengths and setting aside to trim if needed.

Rifle brass I sort, pistol brass too, but not so particular about mixing up pistol brass when loading it.

Seems like you are sizing and lubing twice.. why? Just decap em, tumble, lube, load and then a quick tumble to remove lube..

Suleiman · Feb 19, 2016

Sticky said:
Seems like you are sizing and lubing twice.. why? Just decap em, tumble, lube, load and then a quick tumble to remove lube..

I don't have a universal decapping die or a hand depriming tool yet. I don't wanna put cases into the sizing/decapping die without cleaning them first. But then I like the idea of clean primer pockets so I Tumble after decapping.

Sticky · Feb 19, 2016

Get a Lee universal decapping die and skip the sizing step before putting them in your Dillon... it's quicker and easier then lubing to size and decap if you are going to run them through a sizer later anyway...

No need to tumble first, just decap, then tumble... clean primer pockets...

HarCo2ANewb · Feb 19, 2016

I found that my first step usually was to shoot them, then sweep them up and proceed like the rest above.

Pinecone · Feb 20, 2016

Even if I don't shoot them, I sweep them up and process them.

To ME, wet tumbling is the worst of all worlds. You have to deal with extra steps, handle each case to make sure you get the pins out, and then have to dry the cases. And for what? Shiny cases? Do they shoot better?

All I want is free of dirt and grit to avoid damaging the dies.

For precision rifle loads, cleaning the primer pocket may make you feel better, but it is pretty self cleaning, in that it will not continue to build up.

I DO sort rifle brass by head stamp. Especially mil versus commercial. But they can be significant differences in case volume, enough to make a .2 - .4 grain load difference.

Rockzilla · Feb 20, 2016

1. sort caliber if mixed, crimped primers / non crimped
2. de-prime Dillon universal die with extra pins them TAA head-stamps
are a pain.
3. throw in the wet tumbler let spin for a while... on wash cycle
4. rinse hot water on rinse cycle...
5. dry either in food Dehydrator or summer time spread out on black
canvas to dry in direct sunlight.
6. ream out primer pockets if necessary
7. lube a little with Imperial on fingers
8. full length size with CH TiN coated dies .223 or carbide in pistol
9. trim if necessary ..Giraud
10. depending on what caliber..either progressive or ole standby
Rock Chucker(s)
some times just may do them in batches..
1. De-prime like all of one caliber then switch to another
2. Clean
3. Ream
4. Size
5. Prime with hand primer (some-times) bag-em up
then load... mainly until I get tired..

basically dump each batch or progression in ammo cans..stack-em..

bout sums it up...

-Rock

Broncolou · Feb 21, 2016

1.wet tumble 30 min and lay out to dry on towels
2.lube on bath towel home made DCL
3. Run through 1050
1. Deprime & light size
2. Swage station
3. Empty
4. Empty
5.trim & final resize
6. Empty
7. Neck bushing die on my practice rounds that don't go to the giraud/ empty for accuracy rounds
4. Giraud trim for my accuracy rounds /nothing for practice
5. 45 min wet tumble
6. Lay on clean bath towel to dry for 2 days(going to make a screen table later for more airflow and better/faster drying after bath towel dry)

Ready for load after that..... I don't keep track of my 223 brass and it all goes in 5 gallon buckets. It gets handles enough during processing I find almost all the bandaged cases. I get 1-2 per thousand that I notice in the press are NFG.

sgt23preston · Feb 21, 2016

I only reload straight wall pistol cases namely 9mm, 38 Special & 45 ACP & straight wall cases are a lot simpler than necked down rifle cases...

Prepping Straight Wall Pistol Cases:

Separate all brass by caliber before cleaning & polishing.

Tumble & polish for 3 hours using Corn Cob & Dillon Polish.

Remove the brass from the Corn Cob Mix.

Inspect each case under a magnifying glass & lots of light as follows:
#1. Discard all cases that have a crack at the mouth, or wobbly (loose) primer pockets or smashed head stamp lettering (indicating excessive internal pressure).
#2. Next look inside of the case to make sure that no corn cob is covering the flash hole.
#3. Finally Cases with obvious big dents or damage to the case mouth should also be discarded..

At this point the cases are ready to load...

NO CASE LUBE is necessary for straight wall cases as long as you are using carbide dies...

Hope this is helpful...

How do you prep cases?

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