Time to Kick Some Brass!

[TripleThreat]

I've been picking up my brass for the past few years and I have an assortment of 9mm, 45, 357, 44 Magnum maybe totaling 1,500 rounds. For Christmas I'm getting some Lee loading products and wanted to start reloading for the first time. I'm getting a couple of Lee Loaders as well as a Turret Press Kit, bench, powder etc.

I told a friend of mine about my plans and said you can have my brass too! Well to my surprise he has 3,500 rounds of brass in 9mm, 357, some 45LC and some 460. There is another friend that shoots 45LC so, I'll give those rounds to him, but it looks like I'll be busting my rear for a year or so sorting, cleaning and reloading all this brass!

Triple

[John Browning]

Welcome to a whole new world. Enjoy your shining, shimmering splendour.

Reloading is the best decision you will ever make when it comes to shooting.

[stilly]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Introducing-the-Shell-Sorter-Sorts-mixed-range-brass-/250412913697?hash=item3a4dc5d421:m:mHkLsTaLk_QufJUzXuvjbLw

IF you go kind of fast and have places for your brass to go, one of these sets will cut through a 5 gallon bucket in about 1-2 hours depending on your needs/ speed.

As a general rule of thumb I have three large (27 gallon perhaps) rubbermaid totes that I have painted large spots on to match the sorters. About 8 handfuls of brass into the yellow (they are stacked yellow, blue and then black) gets me started.

MAybe stop to pick out any 44 mag or .308, then the rest (usually mostly .45 acp) gets dumped into the bin, then the second one I will pick out all of the .38/.357 and dump all of that into the blue bin (no spot since my bins are all blue) then the black gets any leftover .223 removed and all of it gets dumped into the yellow spotted bin. It will mostly be 9mm/.380. What is left will fall through to the bottom is .32 acp, .22 and .25. Hearing protection is nice cause it gets loud. latex/nitrile gloves are nice too.

When I am done I essentially have three bins, one holds .45, one holds .40 and 10mm, and one holds 9mm/.380/ 7.62 tokarev.

Most all other calibers get sorted out and put in seperate bags. If I ever need more .380 at this point I can scoop out the 9mm and sorth it out by placing it all onto a flat surface and pulling out the short shells...

[Moto]

You make it seem like thats a lot of brass....



And congrats on your new to be addiction.

[TripleThreat]

Too much of a good thing?

^^^
That's funny.

For someone that has never reloaded a single-bullet (me), it went form "can't wait" to "holy crap." It is a bit overwhelming.

As Stilly mentioned, I need to put a system together. However, I don't even have everything, not even a brass cleaner. The good news is I have lots of spare time on my hands. I'm looking forward to having ammo cans full of bullets, but I admit, that may be a year or so off. We will see.

I'm looking for suggestions on a tumbler? I originally wanted to go with wet media and steel pins, then my friend suggested going with a corn fed type of system, stating wet brass and wet pins suck. But now I need to consider time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Triple

[MarkG35]

I just take a bag and start sorting by hand into other bags or containers.If you spend an hour or two every couple of nights you'll have it done.It's a good way to get out of the house.

[stilly]

I just take a bag and start sorting by hand into other bags or containers.If you spend an hour or two every couple of nights you'll have it done.It's a good way to get out of the house.

Yup...


Also, one thing that you can do with a wet process tumbler is be lazy when you make PC pills...

You can also throw in rice instead of pins and water. You might even be able to use the corncob/ walnut in a rolling tumbler. I have not tried it yet.

Whatever you do, think ahead and think expansion.

[TripleThreat]

The good news, all brass is separated. I want to start by depriving it all. I may have my daughter help me that part. If I can get away with rice in a tumbler that would be a win-win.

The bad new, I don't know what are PC pills?

I just put 2 & 2 together and realize that I have about 500 pieces of 45LC, 454 and 460 brass. Now I've always thought it would be cool to get a 460 but held off due to the price of the ammo, but now I may have a consider getting one. But damn that ammo is expensive!

Triple

[rsrocket1]

Yup...

You can also throw in rice instead of pins and water. You might even be able to use the corncob/ walnut in a rolling tumbler. I have not tried it yet.

I use a vibratory tumbler. $17 for 50# crushed walnut which will last forever.

I tried the rice in the wet tumbler once. Even though the rice was freshly cooked, what came out was a soggy goopy clumpy mess and the rice tasted terrible afterwards.

"PC pills" is slang for powder coated cast lead bullets. By baking powder coating onto the lead, you don't need lube, they do not lead the barrel and you get near-plated performance at a cost of about 1-2 cents per projectile for the lead (5-7 cents per shot total).

[Divernhunter]

There is also another metal shifter than separates 9mm luger and 9mm Mak from 380. It is handy. That is not much brass to work on. I did three 55gal barrels a few months ago.
I just finished cleaning/resizing/recleaning/trimming/chamfering about 3000 rounds of rifle bras in 257R/25-06/308win/30-06/300win mag/264win mag/6.5X55/7mm-08. Next I have about 7000 rounds of 223 to do.

[uechikid]

I usually separate my brass after each trip to the range. Not necessarily the same day but before I go the next time.
With 9mm there is and extra step for me. I separate the nato brass. The primers on nato brass are crimped and can cause problems if the primer pockets aren't cleaned up. I de-prime then use a Lyman primer pocket tool and a variable speed drill.

Nato Brass.jpg

[CGT80]

The good news, all brass is separated. I want to start by depriving it all. I may have my daughter help me that part. If I can get away with rice in a tumbler that would be a win-win.

The bad new, I don't know what are PC pills?

I just put 2 & 2 together and realize that I have about 500 pieces of 45LC, 454 and 460 brass. Now I've always thought it would be cool to get a 460 but held off due to the price of the ammo, but now I may have a consider getting one. But damn that ammo is expensive!

Triple

460 with cheap ammo


They are PC, but they are not pills..............STILLY ..........they are Boolits

[stilly]

460 with cheap ammo


They are PC, but they are not pills..............STILLY ..........they are Boolits

OMG so much FAP!



THEYS PILLS! BOOLITS HAVE NO COATINGS! YOU COAT THEY ARE PILLS! NO!

I MADE A WHOLE 13 PAGE DOCUMENT DESCRIBING THE PROCESS! PILLS PILLS PILLS!

[rosenbaumtravis]

That looks like a way to get my wife into relaoding...honey bring your nail polish! I need my bullets painted.

[Capybara]

...but it looks like I'll be busting my rear for a year or so sorting, cleaning and reloading all this brass!

Do you have kids? I have been having my 17 year old son doing all of my decapping, next will be showing him how to use the tumbler, then we'll move onto rifle brass prep. Allowance will be tied into doing brass prep for Dad. Do it.

If you don't have any kids, adopt some, they are an essential source of cheap labor ;-)