Processing brass in Bulk

[Gnzrme]

I OD ground the die to remove the knurling and create a journal that I can seal against.
The block is actually black delrin.
It clamps around the die body, allowing the flow rate adjustment screw to meter lube from the piece of plastic tubing down into the lube die body through the inlet on the side of the die.
I also re-profile the aluminum insert to increase flow rate.
I also enlarge and add more lube holes in the aluminum insert.

Dude, you have got skills...I really wish that I could machine stuff...Something satisfying about watching chatter (I think thats what you call it) form and then creating something...

[Gnzrme]

My only question is...

... do you rent out your setup? What's your hourly rate?

I can see the sign now: "Randalls Reloading Recreation Dreamland"

Just think of it!

+1 !! But he lives too far away...You need to get a trailer and set up at the spot shoots or anywhere else there is a gathering of shooters.

I went to APS the other day and there was a guy I met (Devin), he had his Arbor Press, Redding powder dispenser and all the dies and was reloading rounds as he shot them...Now that is ultimate load development! He machined a catch system at the bottom of his decapping die to catch the spent primmers. It was a cup that screwed onto the bottom of the die that had threads so fine that when it was done you could'nt even tell that it was 2 pieces...something like 50/inch...

Hey, but then again, I helped perform an emergency Cricothyroidotomy the other night and litterally saved a man's life, so we all have a skills/gifts.

Randall, seriously. You should consider renting out your Reloading Room....

[Gnzrme]

Ok, I am re-reading your process and I was wondering if I could do a different thing...I assume that seating bullets without tumbling off lube is bad for your seater die as it will gunk it up...Too avoid media getting stuck in the primmer pocket can you prime immediately after you re-size?

I just hate having to return cases back to the tumbler because I am going to tumble after I seat a bullet anyway...(OCD)

Also, for 308 rifle, I am loading on a Redding press and I didnt want to manually prime brass so I wanted to use my casefeeder and dillon primming system but I do not have a shellplate for 308, so I tried using my 45ACP shellpate (Large Primmer) and it fits!! So I am resizing on the Redding, finish that batch and then transfering to the 650 for primming and then seating bullets after wiping down the cases on the Redding again...

[Texas Boy]

For all of you drooling over Randall's setup but don't have the $$$, or aren't sure if reloading is for you, here is the poor mans setup using a single stage press:

1. Tumble brass

2. Separate from media

3. Using a full length resize/deprime die in my single stage press, I dip a case mouth in synthetic motor oil, then deprime/resize in the press. I only lube every 6th or 7th case as there is enough extra lube. I don't see any rippling this way, and a quart of oil will last you thousands and thousands of cases. Time to process 100 cases is 15 min.

4. I swap out the dies for an RCBS swager and run the brass back through the press. Takes about 15 min, including time to change the dies.

5. Back into the tumbler to remove the oil.

6. Using a shell holder mounted to my micro lathe and a hand held trimmer/case gauge, I mount a case on my lathe, trim and chamfer/debur. I then run a bent wire inside the case to check for case head separation. Remove the case, give the primer pocket a quick check and clean with a hand held primer pocket tool, and on to the next case. Takes about 30 min to process 100 cases. If you don't have a small lathe, a drill press or even a hand held drill would be just as fast.

So, using the poor boy setup, you can decap, re-size, swage, trim, and inspect 100 cases in about 1 hour of working time. Contrast that with Randall's setup where he can completely process 800-1000 cases in that same time period - and all he has to do is pull the handle. However, just buying a 650 with a case feeder and the trimmer will set you back over a grand. The relationship is pretty linear - 10x the output for 10x the $$$.

-Mark

[jdberger]

Thanks for the trimmer comparisons. One of the original reasons I wasn't going to get the Dillon is because it lacked the deburr feature.

[freonr22]

ok i dont have the $ and am on the cheap. Tumble brass, ( i had already done it otherwise i may have done it later on), deprime/size, (beacause i didnt have a swager so i thought i would get that out of the way 1st, then I had a ch4d press mounted swager, then realized it would work on my progressive, and did not want to process 4k on a single stage swaging them, I stopped, 2 unkown to me fellow cal gunners offered the use of their super swager and that was very nice, but inconvient to me as I am at my shop most of the day. I pondered different ideas and came up with this. put a #2 or #3 phillips bit in the drill press and burnish the crimp holding the case in your hand! Today I processes 250 in about 10 minutes!! Yess! it worked great. imho.

[ar15barrels]

put a #2 or #3 phillips bit in the drill press and burnish the crimp holding the case in your hand!

A 3/8" countersink would work better in a drill press than the bit.

[freonr22]

it was a start, thanks for the size! i may have one around. The swager probably does a better job Randall? for plinking/stfh storage for later use will it matter? or will there be a reduced amount of uses? thank you in advance

[ar15barrels]

it was a start, thanks for the size! i may have one around. The swager probably does a better job Randall? for plinking/stfh storage for later use will it matter? or will there be a reduced amount of uses? thank you in advance

Either the swager or the countersink are better than burnishing with a philips bit, both from a time perspective and from a primer pocket quality perspective.
The phillips bit is pushing some brass into the primer pocket as well as pushing a burr at the opening.
The countersink just cuts it away.
The swager rolls it like the phillips bit, but it rolls it both away from the primer pocket AND keeps the case head flat.

You may have to countersink those phillips-bit cases after all...

[freonr22]

well they are primed... and loaded. but i will get a 3/8 counter sink for the next 3750rounds

[shock]

hey randall, do you give tours?

i'm heading to culver city on monday and would love to check out your goods

so far, all i have is a tumbler and some brass to tumble lol

[Viagrow]

Great post, thanks a million for the input. Are you using a commercial tumbler to clean the brass? I suspect you must be using something other than a vibratory case cleaner for that sort of brass volume.

I process quite a bit of brass for reloading and have found the frugal method that meets my needs is a simple cement mixer filled with 50 lbs. of crushed walnut purcahsed from the pet store for $11.00. I feed the mixer .223 brass by the bucket full, tumble then sift with a homemade separator.

You got me on the primer pocket swage, I have to swage them one at a time. Some day I will live life in the fast lane and buy a 1050.

I envy you sir.

[freonr22]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=169056&highlight=tumbler

[ar15barrels]

Great post, thanks a million for the input. Are you using a commercial tumbler to clean the brass?

I just use the big dillon and run it in batches.

[ZakAttackMan]

Is it possible to set a Lyman "M" Die up to not flare the brass and still size the entire length of the neck???