223 brass?

[LongRangeShootin]

got a HELL of a deal on onced fired brass today

i got 500rds of cleaned winchester commercial once fired and 500rds of clean once fired lake city brass today locally for $35.00 total ($15.00 for the brass 20.00 bucks in gas for the 100 mile round trip to pick it up)...brass was all polished, just not decapped and resized.

i went thru and ran the commercial all thru my rcbs X die and dropped in the case cleaner

( if you dont have an RCBS X die, get one. virtually eliminates case trimming. you set it up to the proper length, and it decaps and pressure forms your brass back to the specs you set it or, so no trimming!.....ive got cases ive shot like 25 times and havent had to trim them once)


i have an RCBS trim station ( allows you totake the military crimp out ,clean and deburr the primer pockets in a flash with virtually no effort) so doing the military brass isnt an issue. what i usually do when i get the mil brass is load it all up with FMJBT, either 55 or 62gr and dump it in new 1 gallon paint cans and seal it up for that "rainy day"....i you havent tried them, armscor makes 55gr and 62gr FMJBT that shoot premo out of my ARs and my new model mini 14s.


anyway, i think the guy picks up all his brass at a local range and ratholes it.

[LongRangeShootin]

well, i ound out the military stu is actually at least twice fired.

went out to play with a little o it, and found 106 o them already primed up and sized, and the others have already had the military crimp removed......lol......

[krzgoat]

I will have to check out the RCBS X die. I recently got an RCBS lube die and an RCBS swager die. Awesome things.

I love the armscor 62gr. I buy them from Grafs all the time. Great accurate plinking ammo for my AR.

[LongRangeShootin]

thats where i get mine........

youd love the rcbs x die. its nice to be able to skip the trimming/champhering/reaming stage when reloading bottleneck cases.

[bruceflinch]

Sweet!

[overgoverned]

RCBS X die?

Hello, Im new to reloading.
I got 2k polished .223 mixed cases with used primers still installed.
I looked at the prices of the items needed to build these up (bullets,primers)and kind of turned and ran the other way...
Now im back and wanting to know what RCBS X die are you talking about could I have a part number and any other info on other items that i should need to complete the job of reloading.
what i sort of know is you need a:
1.old primer removing device?..(I have some military brass mixed in)
2.case trimmer?
3.new primer press?
4.powder measuring?
5.bullet crimper?
6. and of course a machine or machines to do the above?
basicaly just want to know what I should buy,part numbers are helpfull. thank you for any help.

[freonr22]

LongRangeshooting, I was under the impression you had to trim 1x??? I dont know

[LongRangeShootin]

freonr22

TECHNICALLY, your supposed to, but i never have ater the very first case). what i did when i set my x die up is i took a brand spanking new case,ran it thru the regular sizer die ( dont forget to lube the cases!), ran it thru the trim die and checked it ( didnt need to be trimmed...i use trim dies rather than a trim machine as to me, its much faster...slap the case in the shellholder, bring the brass up into the trim die, file if needed,ream and chamfer and your done) and then set the x die to that case. havent had to trim any cases that is, until today.plus, i dont max load my ammo, i stay in a good mid-range. i only load hot when im loading above 62gr or long distance shooting. about half of the military cases i got havent ever been trimmed it looks like ( some are at 1.80+ instead of 1.75) so im sorting them and trimming them accordingly. the majority o them though are right at 1.75....


overgoverned.....

the stu your asking would probably take a book to answer. what id suggest you do is to get yoursel a good basic reloading manual and read it and get yoursel a rockchucker supreme master reloading kit. comes with all the basic stu you need to get started, and get yourself some good dies (always get the carbide dies for pistol cases...much easier to use.....i use all RCBS equipment myself.....best on the market IMHO and lifetime replacment guarantee waranty is unbeatable....no one else on the even market compares...)

[overgoverned]

Thanks i'll get one

LongRangeShootin

Thanks for the info...i'll get that kit .
Oh and if you can give me the part number or name of that die you were talking about that allows you to NOT keep triming the .223 brass each time. want to order one of those to.
thanks

[CGT80]

LongRangeShootin

Thanks for the info...i'll get that kit .
Oh and if you can give me the part number or name of that die you were talking about that allows you to NOT keep trimming the .223 brass each time. want to order one of those to.
thanks

Check out Dillon reloading presses. I have the 550 model and it works great for pistol and rifle loading. It is progressive and can pump out 400+ rounds per hour when doing pistol. I also load 223 as well as 243 and 30-06 on mine. The powder thrower is part of the press kit. Also, priming sizing, seating, crimping are done on the dillon. The single stage kits are ok, but many people prefer the speed of going progressive.

I use an RCBS digital scale and am happy with it. It is much faster than the beam scales.

I use a lyman electric case trimmer. It works pretty well, but I would like to have a Giraud. http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm It is expensive but is also supposed to be the best and fastest out there.

If you have any other questions on suggested equipment you can PM me or post back here and I will share more info on what works for me.

[LongRangeShootin]

CTG80

remeber, hes just getting started!

ive been reloading or over 30 years, and when asked, i always recommend that new reloaders get started as simply as possible, and i at all possible, on a single stage, that gives them the oprotunity to work with each round hands on, and also reduces the risk of overcharging and other booboos that can happen quite significantly. then, after they get familiar with the basics, they can work up to a progressive press. also, most guys that are just getting started arent interested in going out and laying down big bucks on a bunch of stuff when they dont know orst hand yet i there even going to like reloading. plus there are other considerations like how many calibers are you going to reload,pistol or rifle,ect......i still load all of my rifle rounds on single stage as i like my rifle rounds to be a bit more precise. when shooting or absolute accuracy, even a tenth of a grain or two can make a world of difference

i use an RCBS chargemaster 1500 myself.

[CGT80]

True. If he can find a single stage and will be happy with it that would be great. And, it does sound like he has a bit of learning to do. I think it would be wise for him to look at what will work now as well as later. Some could learn on a progressive, and others, maybe not. I did start on a single stage, so progressive was an easy transition. I know for me at least, it sucks when I buy something and then realize there was something else out there that was better suited to me. I don't mind spending more the first time or taking a little longer to learn. I know many others may have a different approach. I hope he finds a system that will satisfy his needs for a good number of years to come.

[overgoverned]

thanks for all the info..

Yes Im totaly new to this. I plan on reloading the 2000 .223 cases i got in the garage. maybe 9mm...honestly I added up what it would cost to reload 1000 .223 rounds and Im almost better off just buying new ammo and throw out the cases.
prices added up for .223 1000 rds reloaded
1. 1000-bullets $100
2. 1000-brass $60
3. 1000-primers $50
4. 2lbs. powder $40
----------------------
total: $250
I can buy cheep bear ammo 1000rds for $209 steal or bimetal cases though....
I dont know about the rest of you but I picked a hell of a time to start reloading ammo. I heard back in the good old days(5yrs ago)this stuff was a hell of alot cheaper.
probley gonna start off with simple set up.thanks for all the help.

[LongRangeShootin]

well, if you decide to toss those cases, dont hesitate to give me a shout. ill take them.....

[tamalpias]

heck yeah! spread the lovin!