shibiwan Posted October 9, 2014 Report Share Posted October 9, 2014 Haven't reloaded in about 1.5 months now. Getting lazy. Or busy. I don't know which. Distracted with cerakote. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted October 9, 2014 Report Share Posted October 9, 2014 I DO agree with that statement... <lmao> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONTANA308 Posted October 9, 2014 Report Share Posted October 9, 2014 ^^^^ and doing a fine job I'm in the middle of relocating my bench but I did knock out 25 300wm with the 230 Berger before I broke it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted October 10, 2014 Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 Done... 276 rounds of 300 AAC subs. :D Tomorrow - start on the 308. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sketch Posted October 20, 2014 Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 Finally got some .300 blk dies ready to go. Even found some pow :) Watched a YouTube vid on making brass The guy ran 223 in the sizer before cutting has anyone tried this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted October 20, 2014 Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 The guy ran 223 in the sizer before cutting has anyone tried this? Gonna be hard in the sizer die - very hard on it. I can't imagine running that .22 caliber hole in the brass up into a .30 sizer head. Something's gonna get stuck, or break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sketch Posted October 20, 2014 Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 That's what I was thinking he was laying on that press pretty hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted October 20, 2014 Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) No sense in beating up your gear like that, when you have to cut the thing anyway. Cut it at the shoulder, debur and chamfer it in and out, then run it through the sizer/former die. Making the brass is the hardest part - after that, it's easy, reloading it. I posted up the steps of what I go through on here - I just need to find it again... EDIT - Found it: Steps for my 300BLK manufacture: 1. AR-15s get the $hit shot out of them at the range. All brass policed up. 2. All AR-15 brass (.223 Rem and 5.56 NATO) goes into the tumbler once it gets home. 3. Sort out Lake City 5.56 NATO brass - that's the only stuff I'll turn into Blackout ammo anymore. 4. Run the Lake City 5.56 brass through the mini chop saw. I was cutting it right at the neck, but that leaves ALOT of trimming. I've been cutting it a little further back now, so I have less final-trimming to do. I'll get pics next time I chop a batch up. 5. Chamfer those now-straight-walled cases heavily, with VLD chamfer bits - this is important later, and for the next step. 6. Run them through the tumbler for about 15 minutes, to clear out all the brass shavings from chopping them - don't let that stuff tear up your 300BLK dies. 7. Pull from tumbler, shake 'em out, and lube 'em up on the pad (or whatever you use). You can hit straight-walled 5.56 cases with some pretty heavy lube, and it won't hurt the brass. Typically, if you use too much lube, you're gonna dent in the shoulders of brass that you're just resizing. That's one sign of "too much lube." You can run this stuff heavy and it won't hurt new-made BLK cases - you're forming a brand new shoulder, where there wasn't one before. I've yet to have a problem on a heavy-lubed pad, and any shoulder issues when making new BLK brass. 8. Run 'em through the sizer/deprimer. 9. Leave the lube on there - don't sweat it. There's still alot of steps to go here... 10. Change dies in the press - Run them through the Swager now - get rid of those crazy Lake City primer crimps. Be aggressive with them in this step, because the new Lake CIty primer crimping is a 4-Corner affair. Lake CIty wants to make sure you never blow out a primer in their brass, and they're damn good at the primer crimping process. 11. These things are going in for final-trimming now. Put them in your trimmer - lube still on them - and cut them back to 1.363" OAL. I've been cutting them shorter now so I have less to trim. If you chop them right at the shoulder, they'll be somewhere between 1.900" and 2.000" long when you start trimming - THAT'S ALOT TO HAND-TRIM!!! I chop under the shoulder now - still experimenting - and my initial length, to start trimming, has beenin the 1.800"-something range. That's not bad. 12. You may need to hit them with the VLD chamfer tool (inner and outer) while you're trimming them down. Measure often - if you have alot to go, chamfer those fuckers. It makes it easier to trim them down. 13. Once at final trim-to size, chamfer those bastards again, inner and outer, with the VLD chamfer tool. This must be done in order to make it easier to get a good, light crimp on them later. 14. Once they're all trimmed to 1.363", they go into a small tupperware of hot soapy water. Run them all around in there, make sure you wash them good. They've got lube on them, brass shavings, gunk. The hot soapy water makes that stuff go away fast. 15. Toss in a squirt of Real Lemon, right into the soapy water, for the last 10 minutes. Makes 'em pretty. 16. Out of the water, into a small collander - hot water bath, right under the faucet, to clear all that soap and lemon juice out. 17. Onto the paper towels, out into the AZ sun, to dry out. Takes less than 10 minutes here, in the middle of the day, in the summer... 18. Into the tumbler again. Polish 'em up. 19. Clear them out from the tumbler, take them back inside ('cause it's summer in AZ...). 20. Prime those bastards up. I'm running CCI 400 small rifle primers in mine. 21. Measure/drop powder. I'm running 150 grain Hornady FMJ BT projectiles, so I'm running 16.1 grains of H110 powder under them. It's very, very damn close to a compressed load in this small case. 22. Seat your bullets. 23. Toss on a light taper-crimp, if your dies don't already do this for you. I've been using the RCBS AR-Series 300BLK Small Base Die Set. The seater die has a crimp function built right into it - all in the same motion. Once you hit that final depth on the seating, it crimps it, too. No separate action the their AR-Series Dies. All in one. Saved one step that way... <lmao> There you go. That's the process I take to turn Lake City 5.56 NATO brass into 300BLK ammo. Might seem excessive, but those steps are there for a reason. Edited October 20, 2014 by 98Z5V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sketch Posted October 20, 2014 Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 I have that in my load book thank you for the details ! All I have to do is come up with a way to chop the brass can't wait !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted October 20, 2014 Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 I have that in my load book thank you for the details ! All I have to do is come up with a way to chop the brass can't wait !! Harbor Freight Mini Chop Saw is what most people are using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sketch Posted October 20, 2014 Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 Went to the store they must be an online thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) The HF 2" mini chop saw IS THE $HIT! Picked that one up in-store on sale for about $20. That little thing is perfect for cutting down 5.56 for 300BLK. This is the one: http://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-bench-top-cut-off-saw-61900.html Edited October 21, 2014 by 98Z5V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.308LiteHunter Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 Do you use the 100 tooth blades from HF as well, or can you get blades from somewhere else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 Speaking of 300 AAC, anyone interested in a group buy of Rem 220gr 300 aac subs at < $16/box of 20? No manhandling 223 cartridges to convert them. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 No manhandling 223 cartridges to convert them. :) You know I'm getting a case from you - but I still think you're crazy for being afraid to cut some brass down, man... <outtahere> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Armory Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 Do you use the 100 tooth blades from HF as well, or can you get blades from somewhere else?This is it ... the replacement blades for the Harbor Freight chop saw. Its a cunthair larger in diameter but it works ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.308LiteHunter Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 Thanks Dane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 You know I'm getting a case from you - but I still think you're crazy for being afraid to cut some brass down, man... <outtahere> No, just lazy. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali_Ed Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 This should be pinned. His I what I did today for about an hour decap and resize the lot of free hornady match brass I got :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Armory Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Took me all last week but I. Cleaned,deprimed,sized , trimmed , I/O chamfered , washed ,dryed and primed 40 ~ 300wsm , 61 ~ 308win and 86 ~ 223rem cases. Did it in my spare time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 Reloaded 152 rounds of "match grade" (hopefully) 308's. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Loaded 325 rounds of 168gr hpbt plinking ammo for a buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 I guess my Dillon machine has spoiled me, these small lots you guys load seem strange to me. When I fire up the Dillon it's 500 rnds. or more before I'm done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planeflyer21 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 I guess my Dillon machine has spoiled me, these small lots you guys load seem strange to me. When I fire up the Dillon it's 500 rnds. or more before I'm done! In a couple of hours. I use a Lee Pro1000 for the bulk stuff and, yeah, it will make a person think they have NOWHERE near enough reloading components. <laughs> First couple of session were just really getting used to it. Next couple of sessions "I could've sworn there were another 500 9mm to load up someplace? Hey! Look at all that empty .45acp brass!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mineralman55 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 I'm in the process of cleaning every piece, nook and cranny on my Uniflo, and making sure the press is aligned properly. For some reason the Uniflo decided to start spilling powder on almost every rifle case. Powder is too rare these days to waste even a single grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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