Critique me please

[Muchosmangos]

So I received 220 .270 brass. I sorted them into different piles. I then took all the Winchester head stamp brass and lubed them with Lee Re-sizing Lube. Then I put them all in the press and proceeded to full length/neck re-size all of them. I then took a paper towel with a little simple green cleaning compound on it and wiped the lube off. Then I used a clean dry cotton swab to clean the neck of the case of lube. Please tell me if I am doing anything wrong or if there are better ways.

Question 1: What should my tolerance for case length be?

Question 2: Should I individually measure every single case with my caliper to check each case length? What other lengths should I check? (If any)

Question 3: What is the best way to clean the primer pocket before re-priming?

Thanks a lot guys.

[2shotjoe]

1. i go between max length and trim to length
2. they make a cut out ruler for that, if it doesn't fit then it goes in the trimmer bucket
3. i don't clean them unless it has a military crimp from surplus ammo. it goes in the media tumbler before depriming.

[Muchosmangos]

Thanks. Where an I find one of these cut outs?

[gunboat]

Presuming you have a pair of calipers you can set the opening to a few thou under max cartridge length, lock it, and use it as snap gauge --
my tuppence

[2shotjoe]

Thanks. Where an I find one of these cut outs?

case length gage

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/559802/lyman-e-zee-case-length-gage-ii

headspace gage

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/676076/le-wilson-case-length-headspace-gage-270-winchester

[BSlacker]

Then I used a clean dry cotton swab to clean the neck of the case of lube.

This is the part I think you are over doing. Look for neck brushes. I have one that holds a Mica lube and mounts to the bench for easy use. Just stick the neck over the brush and pull back and it is cleaned and lubed. I doubt that a little of the Lee lube left in the neck will kill the powder. Then toss them in the tumbler to clean off the lube.
There are lots of primer pocket cleaning tools out there. Get a case gauge!

[rconnerley]

Bslacker has a good point, a neck brush would be a lot easier and quicker for you. As far as cleaning primer pockets goes, typical hand tools are short metal brushes of appropriate diameter with a screwdriver style handle. Just takes a a twist or two of the brush and the pocket is clean.

Depending on your usage, you may not need to mess with cleaning pockets at all. I usually do so for rifle cartridges because I am mostly loading for semiautos and the crud build up can make it hard to get primers to seat fully (I want mine about .004-005 below flush). If you are loading for bolt gun, unless you are making match ammo, you may choose not to bother with the pockets. Enjoy!

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

Question 1: What should my tolerance for case length be?

Question 2: Should I individually measure every single case with my caliper to check each case length? What other lengths should I check? (If any)

Question 3: What is the best way to clean the primer pocket before re-priming?

Thanks a lot guys.

1. Any good reloading manual can give you that measurement. And there are lots of online resources as well. I would spot check them after step 2.
2. I use the Lee Case trimmer on all of my rifle cartridges to trim all of them, every time, to a consistent length. It's inexpensive and I don't load hundreds of rifle rounds at a time. I finish up with a chamfering reamer.
3. I have a RCBS Primer Pocket cleaner that I use on the particularly cruddy ones. Otherwise, I don't bother.

[Muchosmangos]

Thanks guys!

On my reloading data it say that the "Maximum trim length is 2.540"

Should I be trying to get my cases to this size? I am confused about the trimming part. That is the only part. Thanks!

[Muchosmangos]

I also have a Lee case length trimming tool.

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

Thanks guys!

On my reloading data it say that the "Maximum trim length is 2.540"

Should I be trying to get my cases to this size? I am confused about the trimming part. That is the only part. Thanks!

No. Think consistency. As long as all of your cases are within tolerance, and they should be if you run them all through the trimmer in a consistent manner, you will be good to go. This is particularly important if your bullets have a cannelure and you intend to crimp them. This is not normally necessary in a bolt action but can be necessary for autoloaders and tubular magazines.

[Muchosmangos]

So how long should my .270 Winchester cases be do you think?

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

You have a reloading manual, correct? If not, Google for the specs. They should show a minimum and maximum length. As long as your cases are between the min and max, you should be good.
To be honest, since I use the Lee trimmers, I haven't measured a case length since I bought the Lee tools. But I use them every time I prep a batch of cases so they are all a consistent length. Never have had a problem. The only time I would try to trim to a particular length is if I was into bench rest shooting; and I'm not. I reload to hunt and my methods produce ammo which works very nicely for that purpose.

[Muchosmangos]

It says maximum length should be 2.540 and trim lenght is 2.520. My lee cutter is cutting to 2.533. This is good right?

[Kappy]

It says maximum length should be 2.540 and trim lenght is 2.520. My lee cutter is cutting to 2.533. This is good right?

Makes sense. It is under the max length...