Beginner reloader question

[OG-danimal]

This might be a dumb question:

After firing a lot of brass (200 pieces in my case), do you prep (anneal, size, set neck tension, case mouth prep) the whole lot at the same time for consistency purposes? Or do you just prep it as you need? Is there any downside to prep it all at once, then let it sit for weeks before reloading it?

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Because you are a new reloader, I'd only do a maximum of 50 cases. This way you can determine if everything worked out as expected before you work on the remaining 150. It would be a shame if you worked on all of your cases before determining that something was done in error or could have been done better by a simple change of process.

 

[Old Rooster]

I agree with Varmint Hunter,keep it simple.
One thing to add,after firing to fireform brass don't run your dirty brass through your clean full length sizing die.I did that and had to send my die back to RCBS and have them polish the die to get the scratch marks out.I bought a cheap Lee decapping die that does not size the case,just decaps most sizes of brass.Many will offer more tips

 

[Mike Matteson]

I agree with Varmint Hunter,keep it simple.
One thing to add,after firing to fireform brass don't run your dirty brass through your clean full length sizing die.I did that and had to send my die back to RCBS and have them polish the die to get the scratch marks out.I bought a cheap Lee decapping die that does not size the case,just decaps most sizes of brass.Many will offer more tips

Can go wrong with the decapping die. Once set up it's easy to use, Then you can clear your brass. The 50 count mention above is a better idea than trying to resize all the brass at once.

 

[Reelamin]

I keep all my brass separated based on fired and prepped ready to load. I just update a list I keep taped to the tubs as to what is in it as I add and use it. I prep mine in large batches as it allows me to keep less "different Brass" for the same rifle. I'm working on a 28 Nosler now. Have my load development brass 50, once fired 200, Practice 50. I then will cycle it in new batches of 100-200 to keep the different brass down to four sorting's if I can. I like to have 100-200 loaded "hunting" rounds for each rifle, and when I get below 50 I load another batch up. I have loaded ammo from the early 2000's for several rifles.

 

[PddPdd]

Not a dumb question at all! Here are my thoughts:

There is a benefit to doing it all at once as you know you prepared all the brass using the same process. If you space it out over time there is a chance you might unknowingly change your process slightly. Also, make sure your brass has been rinsed thoroughly and dried if you exposed it to liquids/chemicals in your prepping process.

 

[budlight]

I resize and decap all my brass. Second I use a wet stainless steel tiny rod media in a wet Thumbers Tumbler for 3 hours with lots of liquid dish soap and a tea spoon of lemon shine. The cases look like brand new and oil free. I let them air dry for a few days or even put them outside on a towel in the hot sun. I threw away or gave away my dry media tumblers. I'd never go back to using that junk other than for bullet coating on VLD bullets.

I bought the RCBS case machine that can do inside and outside neck turning prep along with length cutting. consistancy and accuracy! Mainly because of the tons of 223 rounds I was going through competing in 3 gun matches, PD's days, and my higher calibers in F1 600 yard. Kind of expensive unless you have lots of work to justify it.

Doing 243's

Getting ready for a Parrie dog day. From this my range pickup to shiney new!

 

[Mike Matteson]

You to remember that he just starting out. Depending how deep his pocket are. it's nice to have all the equipment to do a class A job. The reason to only do 50 brass is in case he's doing something incorrect in sizing his brass. Once you have your steps down pat, then you can do all the brass at one. Also once fired case are not totally fireform yet.

 

[budlight]

I agree with only doing small lots at a time! Inside champhering is important in seating the bullet. NO copper scraping going in. I've heard all the debates on case length. My advise on trimming that less is better The longer the neck is the more you have holding the bullet concentric to the barrel. So i tend to keep my cases at the upper SAAMI length specs. Lee dies full length or neck are superior to little phoney decapping pins and pin holders like RCBS.

I have High end precision dies for comp guns. Not required for every day use. I use a single stage for resizing and decapping. I did single stage for many years with balance and then electronic dump scales. I do love my RCBS powder dump knocker. I just weigh a dump periodically to make sure that the amount is correct.

I also to primer pocket swaging (RCBS)on my single stage on range pickup brass unknown to me.

Those bench hand case prep grinders nice. Some models have superior case holding. The electric multi head inside and outside champhering grinders speed up things. I still have my original hand inside and outside tool on my bench in case I missed some.

 

[Mikecr]

I only need 50 and I don't ever have to replace brass, so that's what I prep.

But to get to those, I buy 500+, and measure out the best 50.
Sell off the rest when prices rise.

 

[Eric H]

All are great suggestions. Please don't run dirty brass through your brand new sizing die. My process is:
1. De-prime with a depriming die
2. Clean using teaspoon of Dawn (removes oil and grease) and teaspoon of Lemi-shine to brighten in liquid tumber with steel media and dry. 3-4 hours is sufficient. I use a 1"x6" board drilled and small dowels inserted at an angle holding 60 pieces of brass upside down for the drying process.
3. Once dry, anneal and size. (I check datum and set die to bump shoulder .002 after fireforming before sizing.) Once set, you shouldn't have to adjust unless you have more than one rifle in that cartridge.
4. Trim, chamfer and de-bur. I use a plastic green scouring pad to smooth the mouth of the brass. (Ensure you wipe down your brass to remove all excess wax)
5. Prime and load
Works for me.

 

[QuietTexan]

Is there any downside to prep it all at once, then let it sit for weeks before reloading it

IMO no, it's pretty stable stuff if it's cleaned and stored well. In the past I've bagged and sealed processed brass (with a couple desiccant packs included) to store long term with no ill effects. It's what I typically do when a barrel is burned out - SS pin tumble and wash the brass, give it one last full processing, then store it for if I ever need it in the future.

The only downside to sub-batching a matched lot of brass is keeping it sorted by firings, but you don't have a ton so 4 separate 50-case groups wouldn't be a big deal. 50-100 case batches I usually store in MTM ammo boxes with a note card of all the detail on that set.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Brass prep is bane of every reloader. If you run auto loaders it's really not fun. I'll add:

1. More money, will 95% of the time, get you better components and equipment and usually make your life way easier. When it comes to brass prep, the "buy once, cry once" mantra is correct. Getting every case exactly the same is the goal…for precision work anyway. How much time and money you want to spend to try and getting them there is up to you. I don't get that anal on my "spray" guns.
2. Buy a head space tool. You will size your brass correctly every time. I use the Hornady comparator, and it works great. For my auto loaders I also have case gauges.
3. Really a big fan of Dillion case lube. Lasts a long time and I rarely have shoulder dimples and have never stuck a case with it.
4. Some may scoff at this, but I use a lee factory crimp die on all of my bottle neck cartridges. Works for me.
5. I don't neck size. I only full length resize. Down to SAMMI specs on my auto loaders and 0.002" or so shoulder bump on my bolt gun cases. Some may scoff here too, but this works for me.
6. On all new cases I uniform the flash hole and ream the primer pocket. This is on my precision stuff only. These are a couple of the anal steps if you want to go there. These are a one time processes for the life of the case.
7. I have a reloading journal where I record meticulous notes so I don't forget what I've done. It's my most used reference manual.
8. Yes, you can leave brass at any stage and come back to it when you have time. I have buckets of brass all over the place that are labeled and a small note inside that states which stage of prep I left them at.
9. Buy a die set for each rifle, not each caliber you own. They all shoot differently and you need to set the dies custom to that rifle. The exception here for me is my auto loaders as I set them all to SAMMI specs.
10. I anneal every 3 loadings or so, not every time.

Lastly, I like the idea of working with smaller lots. 25 generally works for me to do a ladder test and then seating depth tests. Once my load is set, I'll increase to 50, 100, 1000 rounds depending on what caliber I'm working on.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I only need 50 and I don't ever have to replace brass, so that's what I prep.

But to get to those, I buy 500+, and measure out the best 50.
Sell off the rest when prices rise.

I buy 500 lots and don't sell anything. You are right on brass prices. I got 500 Peterson brass for $450.00 and now they are $750.00 or close to that.
Just like at the range. If somebody isn't picking up their brass, I ask if I can have it. If yes, I pick it up. Even if I don't have a rifle that shoots it. I store them or a rainy day, or trade them.