do you have a case prep station and do you like it?

[rustybayonet]

Title says it all. I just got done doing 200 5.56 cases with my old tools from the 1980's and it just don't cut it anymore. The hands don't work like they used too. Just wondering which one to go with, pros, cons, etc...

[Nugget]

Little crow worlds finest trimmer is fantastic for trimming. Just chuck it up In a drill or drill press.

[ToddKS]

I had one. Quit using it. If you are without a Dillon 1050 then I would recommend getting the Giraud tri way trimmer that you run on a drill and a Lee expander die. That takes care of trimming and chamfering. I quit manually cleaning primer pockets altogether which ended the usefullness of the machine for me.

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[rustybayonet]

I'm thinking about the setup with 5 heads rcbs, lyman, and hornedy have them.

[darkvibe]

I used the rcbs one for my 308 cases. I deburr flash holes, chamfer and deburr case mouths and brush primer pockets. Works fine and saves a little time.

[armydad]

I have a 550 setup specifically for 5.56. I have a prep head with size/decap and RT1200 and then a head for loading. It trims cases clean, with no need to de-bur or chamfer. I love this press! I use Dillon's Super Swage. I'm very new to reloading and a Super 1050 is a ways out, if ever. So far, 5.56 has loaded and shot great.

[rustybayonet]

I have a 550 setup specifically for 5.56. I have a prep head with size/decap and RT1200 and then a head for loading. It trims cases clean, with no need to de-bur or chamfer. I love this press! I use Dillon's Super Swage. I'm very new to reloading and a Super 1050 is a ways out, if ever. So far, 5.56 has loaded and shot great.

I collect old military weapons, the 550 is the way to go for me. I don't think the 1200 would work for me since I reload lotsa different calibers. Not sure but it might have some setup time between calibers. I was thinking the lyman case prep station, 5 heads and easy clean up.

Edited May 15, 2016 by rustybayonet

[techj]

I have and use the Hornady prep center for 308 & 30.06. Works well and I like that it is heavy/bolted to the bench. Works quite well...FYI I have the LNL AP for my press.

It is a bit expensive and if I were to do it all over again - especially now that I'm not loading that much 30 cal anymore) I would have gotten the 1050 with the trimmer.

[tcoz]

I have the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Case Prep Station. I like the fact that it has a trimmer and three additional stations, one for deburr, one for chamfer and one for primer pocket cleaner, military crimp remover or whatever attachment you want to screw on. The trimmer is very repeatable but it's a little cumbersome to set up for each caliber. The cases are indexed off the shoulder using collets. They're plastic instead of metal so there can be a little bit of variance in trim length if you don't apply the same amount of pressure. Also, because they index off the shoulder, I can't use it for straight walled 30 Carbine cases.

In spite of these drawbacks, I really like the compact size and being able to do almost all of my case prep on one device.

[314shane]

I have the Lyman and like it a lot. I also use the Lyman trimmer and also have the neck turning head and use both with a cordless drill. It's a little time consuming to set up and process lots of brass but seems to be consistent and was the least expensive option I found at the time I was looking.

Edited May 15, 2016 by 314shane

[Rieckman]

I have the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Case Prep Station. I like the fact that it has a trimmer and three additional stations, one for deburr, one for chamfer and one for primer pocket cleaner, military crimp remover or whatever attachment you want to screw on. The trimmer is very repeatable but it's a little cumbersome to set up for each caliber. The cases are indexed off the shoulder using collets. They're plastic instead of metal so there can be a little bit of variance in trim length if you don't apply the same amount of pressure. Also, because they index off the shoulder, I can't use it for straight walled 30 Carbine cases.

In spite of these drawbacks, I really like the compact size and being able to do almost all of my case prep on one device.

I also have the FA unit and like it. I put a RCBS military crimp remover in one station and it's worked out well for 223.

[tcoz]

I also use the RCBS military crimp remover on one of the stations. I switch it off with the RCBS primer pocket cleaner; the one that has the little wire brush.