Which case prep tools do I want?

[jetman624]

I am getting into loading .223, and the press (Dillon 550) and dies are about an hour away at my uncles house. To make sure I can get as many rounds done while I am there I would like to get some case prepping equipment, but am not sure exactly what I want.

I am pretty sure I want a tumbler-- that seems to be the biggest time hog, but not sure where to go from there.

I am thinking I want an inexpensive single stage press, a universal decapper, and a bench mounted swager, but I am not sure if I can swage the cases before they have been in a sizing die.

He has some really nice dillon carbide dies, so that is why I was thinking just a decapper vs. sizing and decapping. Does that make sense, or should I get a die that does both?

I know the cases need to be resized before I can trim them, but was thinking I could go through all the brass and measure them and set aside the ones that will need to be trimmed, or can they only accurately be measure for that after the resizing die? I don't REALLY want to by a nice case trimmer right now... I am hoping I can do the decapping, tumbling, and swaging prior to going to his house, and hopefully have a few cases that need to be trimmed.

I hope that all makes sense-- any guidance is appreciated.

This is what my midway shopping cart looks like right now. What do I need to get the most out of my time with the Dillon press without breaking the bank?

[jdmstuff]

Lose the tumbler. You can get one from Harbor Freight for around $35 with a coupon. The rest of your list looks good. You can swage before sizing, but after decapping.

[GeoffLinder]

You want to resize before trimming, necessary step, cases do not grow in length until they have been resized.

If you want to get full prep done before running the loading on the Dillon progressive, you need to run them through a size die in a single stage press as first step. That will decap them too.

Might as well get a Dillon size die to start with, the Dillon decapping pin in the size die is mondo and will not break and Dillon dies are best way to go IMHO. Do not bother with carbide for rifle, plain steel is just fine, you need to lube rifle cases when sizing even if using a carbide die. Get the Dillon spray lube while you are at it, best for rifle lube I have found.

You can get a cheap collet type manual case trimmer for about $60 but you might as well get a decent one to start. LE Wilson one is good choice.

http://www.lewilson.com/casetrimmer.html

If you plan on trimming thousands of cases, you may want to invest in a motorized one. The good ones like the Gracey or Giraud take care of chamfer and deburring as they trim. Collet type hand trimmers and cheaper motorized ones do not.

I like the Gracey motorized trimmers, others prefer the Giraud, both are top quality IMHO.

You can only buy the Gracey right from Gracey Match Prep.

http://www.matchprep.com/trimmer.htm

You can only buy the Giraud right from Giraud.

http://www.giraudtool.com

Giraud has a 12 week wait time for trimmers right now, Gracey will take less than a week (I just bought another one and it arrived 5 days after I ordered it). Gracey is also about a $100 less than the Giraud

What level you go to here will be determined by what level of commitment on bulk reloading for .223 you plan to make. If you have thousands of cases and plan to use them all multiple times, the top grade power tools are the only way to go in my opinion.

Either way, you need to size first before trimming. Once cases have been trimmed, you can go a couple firings before trimming is needed again. You will get about 5-6 loadings per case, maybe more if you keep shoulder bump minimal and don't load them really hot.

BTW, did I mention that you need a swager too. Yes, you can use a deburring tool to ream the crimp ring out, but swaging is a little bit better process.

I recommend the RCBS bench mounted swagger.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/319662/rcbs-bench-mounted-primer-pocket-swager

Also, don't bother with the flash hole uniformer, not needed unless you are trying to prepare ultra-precision ammo for extreme long distance shooting. Use less step without a lot of other steps too. You don't need the case loading trays either, not when loading on a progressive.

Hope this helps your process, it certainly won't help your wallet LOL

[gemoose23]

My Suggestions and reasoning: (All assumptions are you are loading for an autoloader in .223Rem)

• Honestly, If you are buying a single stage.. just spend another 40 bucks for the Lee Classic Turret
• If you are on a budget, buy a set of .223 Rem dies and skip the universal decapper. Like others said, trimming happens after resizing. Adds the ability to be self sufficient, if you cant make it over to the uncles house.
• Skip the uniformer unless you are making "match" ammo, I have one of those lyman prep tool kits that includes the primer pocket uniformers and chamfer/deburr tool, never use it due to not experiencing any improvement in my rifle loads.
• Add the Lee Qwick Trim and .223 Guide to your list, this would go in your turret press nicely. If you go single stage.. i'd look at WFT or Possonhallow chucked to a drill.
• Add a 4 dollar counter sunk bit to your list from the local hardware store, now you can process Mil Surplus Brass....

[seasnake]

Check out some of your items on Amazon , I have found a lot of my stuff there generally cheaper .

[jetman624]

That Lee Turret would definitely be up for consideration except I can't find it in stock anywhere-- and I want to get this going now

And here is the thing, I have a bolt action in .223 as well as an autoloader. In addition to prepping the brass I wish to run on the Dillon 550, I would eventually (in the next month or so) like to get some dies for myself and do a few hand loads for the bolt action. Small runs, maybe 200-300 rounds a month.

[Davisje011]

Trimmer = $73 shipped. 20 cases per minute... Best trimmer I've bought so far.

http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html

Skip the Lyman 1200 and get the 2500 for $80, you can tumble 1000 .223/5.56 at a time. Oaktree has them in stock if you can't find them online.

Don't buy the harbor freight one unless you like tumbling 175 cases at a time and taking monthly trips to Harbor Freight to exchange it every time the bolts strip.

Buy a second toolhead for your 550 to resize with, they are only $25 and it makes it much faster than using a single stage.

Eventually, you can get a Dillon trimmer that goes right on the press, it's like $250, but makes life soooooo much easier.

You can also buy a Hornady Sonic Cleaner, it will clean out the lube and primer pockets. The Hornady cleaning solution works wonders too, but is optional. Skip the harbor freight one, as it is only $20 less than the Hornady and is far weaker.

I only speak from experience buying the cheaper items. When I do a run on my 550, this is the most efficient way I have found while still being as meticulous as my ADD hyperfocus superpowers require.

[gemoose23]

Couple dollars more than Midway, but instock and free shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-Classic-Turret-Press/dp/B003BWTF1E/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372348224&sr=8-2&keywords=lee+turret

Reloading for an Autoloader in the mix, assumes Full Length Dies & trimming.

If you just using bolt action, you can get away with neck bumping and no trimming (you'll trim the 1st or 2nd time), after they have been once fired in your bolt gun. (As in everything, your milage may vary)