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Brass prep


SgtDog0311

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My brass preparation for everything.

Punch out primers using a Lee universal depriming die.

Wet tumble in a FART    https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Separator-Polishing-Reloading/dp/B00HTN4R6O using hot water, Dawn dish soap, and a teaspoon of citric acid powder (available at organic food places, its the main ingredient in brass polish) with the stainless steel pins for about an hour.  Pour out black water and rinse brass until clean.

Dry the brass in a food dehydrator.  A garage sale find.

Lube cases and resize.

Remove lube.  Mine is water soluble (Lee case lube mixed 10:1 with water  https://www.amazon.com/LEE-PRECISION-90006-Case-Sizing/dp/B0013Z7S6K  ) then its back into the FART with just hot water and Dawn.

Dry cases again.

Check size in case gauge.

Trim, chamfer and debur as necessary.  Remove primer pocket crimps on LC or other military crimped brass.

Finished brass then goes into a vibratory tumbler with ground walnut lizard bedding and a capful of Nu-finish car polish.  Cases come out looking brand new.

https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Reptile-Terrarium-Bedding-Substrate/dp/B000OQRGF2/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=lizard+bedding&qid=1659977828&sr=8-7

One bag will last you forever.

Edited by dpete
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That’s perfect dpete.  
I just figured I should review something that answered a few questions. 

I have:   RCBS dies (small base and standard), wet tumblers, Case Prep station for for chamfer & beveling, Charge Master or Harrells (but thats for powder), Wilson for trimming.   I use a taper crimp die but see I don’t have a Lee product you guys seem to favor.  Don’t have a Wilson case gauge but do have a Whidden Gunworks gauge.

Not so different than my levers and Ballards then.   I usually deprime with Universal deprimer and hand prime.  But I get exact neck tension with custom straight-walled expanders rather than use the deprimer spindle from the resizing die.  Easier on necks but this is a different world.   Don’t repeat the tumble though.
 

Most of my questions were about the need for champher/bevel and the sequence for trimming.   And lubing necks… I guess that drives the need for the second tumble in your media??   Right?

 

 

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1 hour ago, SgtDog0311 said:

Most of my questions were about the need for champher/bevel and the sequence for trimming.   And lubing necks… I guess that drives the need for the second tumble in your media??   Right?

 

 

 

For lubing necks I'll stand the cases up in a loading block and give them a couple passes of Hornady spray case lube.  Size, trim, chamfer/debur, done.   My trimming setup does all 3 at once.  It chamfers the inside, deburs the outside and trims the case neck at the same time.  If a case doesn't need trimming I'll still give it a chamfer on the inside of the neck to help ease the bullet in.  My second tumble in the wet tumbler is only to remove the sizing lube which is water soluble.  Tumbling them in the lizard bedding and Nu-finish is simply to shine them up.  It does have an added side benefit I've discovered in that it also helps prevent or delay the brass getting dark due to age and sitting in storage waiting to get loaded

Edited by dpete
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59 minutes ago, Sisco said:

I can vouch for DPete’s procedure. I have used his 308 cases. They are as clean and spec as new OEM cases, if not better.

Thanks Al.  Those were part of my personal stash that I liquidated.  Since Covid hit almost everything I can get my hands on goes to a buddy of mine with a manufacturing license.   Although some does manage to go to AZ to a simian we all know.   :hornet:      :evil:

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1 hour ago, SgtDog0311 said:

Any thoughts for most efficient way to remove crimps.   The RCBS attachments for the Prep Center like it’d be be a better approach for 4-500 cases.  Am I right?

https://palmettostatearmory.com/rcbs-tm-military-crimp-remover-2-la-90387.html

I put the crimp reamer on a cordless drill, and hold the brass with a workglove. It is crude but it works and is quick. Then I pop a shell holder in the drill, pop the cases in, and quick deburr and chamfer the case mouths.

Edited by Sisco
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Thank You again.   Evidently I appreciated the logic of preserving the brass in the primer pocket a decade ago.   Just found the RCBS swaging die.   My recollection was it was slow.   I’ll reacquaint myself.   If I don’t like it I reckon I’ll spend $16 to experiment.   

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I use the reamer method too, except I chuck mine into a small table top drill press and then lay the press down on my bench.  Left hand picks up a case from the bucket, gets it facing the right way, passes it to glove wearing (for better grip) right hand that pushes the primer pocket into the constantly spinning reamer.  A case might take 10 seconds to do but its still a royal pain in the azz and I'm glad it only has to be done once.

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16 hours ago, SgtDog0311 said:

My recollection was it was slow.

Slower but easier on the hands for me, no grandkids in that reloader helper age group right now, too young or too busy. If speed is what your looking for many of the progressive presses can be set up with a swagger and trimmer, I've been contemplating some of that gear lately, bunch more zeros behind that price to experiment though :laffs:

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Right jtallen, especially about the 0s!   And I’m winding down not up.   Spending more time with my grandson’s High School wrestling than I am in the gun room.   

Another question that indicates my overthinking.   Over in the Service Rifle forum I followed some instructions to set up my sizing die for my M1A.   It involved removing the extractor paw from the bolt and slowly adjusting a sizer die down till the bolt lugs latched freely closed on a case from the latest adjustment.   Aim I guess was to achieve minimum headspace with the die setting.

I’m thinking with the AR, that would be programming in potential failure as fouling increases.   (Perhaps with the M1A too. I didn’t question the technique offered by one of the seasoned gurus).   Anyway, I’m thinking getting as close to the “GO” on this gauge as my die allows is the thing to do here.   You fellas agree?
 

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Ok, another one.  Could be stupid but I have to ask.

I don’t like the button expanders for a couple reasons.   Was thinking the straight-wall expander, even if adding a step would eliminate two (lubing the neck and maybe even tumbling afterwards).   They go in easy and hardly put any stretching tug at all coming out.

Bonehead idea or does it have possibility?

And if it has possibility, for neck tension on a .308, you think .004 neck tension (.304) diameter would be the tension I’d want.  Wouldn’t think More but perhaps Less??

 

 

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Well that works like a champ.    No difference in shoulder/datum measurements with or without lube between standard die/expander vs a custom NOE expander.

But I don’t think it saves time by avoiding a second tumbling since you are either tumbling or wiping each case on the outside with a cloth.   Probably a wash on time.

Only advantage would be if you wanted a specific neck tension that a custom sized expander would provide.

Satisfied my curiosity anyway!

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I’m done sizing 850 cases (600 LC & 250 Commercial).    The Lee factory crimp die is more of a collet die, right.    So how much effort is recommended to bring all of them to the same case length?   If they need to be chamfered and bevelled then I’m already handling once, but would there be a range within which you’d consider it unnecessary?

Looks like mine vary anywhere from 2.004 to 2.015.   Say maybe trim everything over 2.010 and not worry about those under??

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On 8/10/2022 at 9:26 AM, jtallen83 said:

Slower but easier on the hands for me

Well an answer wasn’t hard to find for trimming.   ‘Trim it all’ is gonna be brutal with the Wilson.   Always loved it, but too much of a good thing is possible.

Retested the swager and it won’t be so bad.   Assume you guys uniform primer pockets so I added that.   

I can see the ‘volume’ nature of the semi-auto changes $$ equations for automation. jtallen’s words reverberate!

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