1050, do you pre-process your brass first?

[GregJ]

I know some of you with automated 1050s (AmmoBot, Mark7, etc) pre-process (decap & resize, not cleaning) your brass before reloading.  I can see the benefits, in that if it helps to ensure a trouble-free reloading session, it might be worth it. I've had a couple of times when the decapping pin was not quite tight enough, and this caused a real mess, and is a PITA to clean up.

I guess this alone might be worth it, I just hate handling brass more than I have to.  Maybe after the learning curve flattens out, things will be better. 

Have you found it worthwhile? or not?  

EDIT: My question is primarily for pistol brass, especially 9mm.  

Edited January 17, 2017 by GregJ

[RichJacot]

I process my brass .223 first (because I trim it), but not 9mm.  

[Shadyscott999]

I only pre procces brass that needs to be swaged.  While not necessary when using a Mk7 and I don't on supercomp or 40, I do on 9mm.  I like to use a Lyman M die to expand and by doing so I can load at 2100rph with 9mm.  

[DWFAN]

I only pre procces brass that needs to be swaged.  While not necessary when using a Mk7 and I don't on supercomp or 40, I do on 9mm.  I like to use a Lyman M die to expand and by doing so I can load at 2100rph with 9mm.  

M die on the processing or loading pass?

[Shadyscott999]

On the loading run.  You need to run the dillon backup expander on the process run to swage.  

[DWFAN]

On the loading run.  You need to run the dillon backup expander on the process run to swage.  

Thanks. I was envisioning it after the backup rod on the processing pass.

[MeatPuppet]

I have a 1050 toolhead I use for just processing 9MM brass.

(1) Lee Universal Decapper (in place of Dillon) with Squirrel Daddy decapping pin.

(2) Dillon primer pocket swage station

(3) Empty (typically primer station)

(4) Empty (typically powder drop)

(5) Dillon Size die with decapping pin removed

(6) Empty

(7) Lee U-Die with decapping pin removed

I use the F&FB heavy duty shellplate, Level 10 shellplate bearing upgrade and the Ammobot autodrive.  I can process brass at around 2000 pieces an hour with this setup.

Pre-processing my brass definately helps when doing long runs of loading.

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by MeatPuppet
specify 9MM brass

[DWFAN]

My process nearly mirrors meatpuppet's

[Expflier]

I'm a firm believer that it makes a difference prepping 9 range brass. I use a similar setup to MeatPuppet. Also helps to justify the cost of mark 7. Now if I was doing it manually God forbid I might have to rethink things!

[GregJ]

16 hours ago, MeatPuppet said:

I have a 1050 toolhead I use for just processing 9MM brass.

(1) Lee Universal Decapper (in place of Dillon) with Squirrel Daddy decapping pin.

(2) Dillon primer pocket swage station

(3) Empty (typically primer station)

(4) Empty (typically powder drop)

(5) Dillon Size die with decapping pin removed

(6) Empty

(7) Lee U-Die with decapping pin removed

I use the F&FB heavy duty shellplate, Level 10 shellplate bearing upgrade and the Ammobot autodrive.  I can process brass at around 2000 pieces an hour with this setup.

Pre-processing my brass definately helps when doing long runs of loading.

 

Nice.  Do you do any primer check for ringed primers?

I just got some Squirrel Daddy pins.  They are tough.

Edited January 18, 2017 by GregJ

[MeatPuppet]

1 hour ago, GregJ said:

Nice.  Do you do any primer check for ringed primers?

Well, yes.  I have an audible alarm system.  Essentially it is a loud "Bang" at the primer seating station. Twice followed by a chain reaction of the remaining Federal primers in the tube.

The swage station usually locks up the shellplate on a ringer and the Ammobot stops after sensing the resistance. Ususally.

To be fair, I have only had a few ringers in over 70K loaded last year (amazing how many friends you suddenly have when you get an autodrive). I only learned about cleaning out "primer dust" after my first detonation, got lazy and re-learned it after the second one.  Spectacular! But not really something I worry about.

The Super 1050 is a great machine, but when you add an autodrive you start expieriencing problems that the machine was never designed to handle. Aftermarket parts definately resolve a lot of them (F&FB, Level 10, etc...)

[GregJ]

25 minutes ago, MeatPuppet said:

Well, yes.  I have an audible alarm system.  Essentially it is a loud "Bang" at the primer seating station. Twice followed by a chain reaction of the remaining Federal primers in the tube.

ROFL   Damn new spewed my coffee on this!!!    That would definitely get my attention!I

When I was running some of my first rounds though my 1050/Ammobot (still learning), I had a primer go PFFFFFT.  Not quite a regular detonation, but enough to give me papations!!!  I can not image how badly I would mess myself if I had a chain fire. 

 

29 minutes ago, MeatPuppet said:

The swage station usually locks up the shellplate on a ringer and the Ammobot stops after sensing the resistance. Ususally.

I have my swage adjust up pretty good for the occasional crimped primers (verified with GO-NOGO primer gage), and when I have had a still primed case make to the swagger (if the primer pin gets pushed up) it just gets smushed up even more into the pocket, and the press continues.  Needless to say this can cause a mess, as well as several useless rounds. Not sure why mine doesnt stop on this.

[MeatPuppet]

Make sure the Dillon swage station is set up right.  I had to use a Dremel cut-off wheel and slice a case in half to see that the Dillon Swage Hold Down Die was not supporting the case web as the swage rod pushed up. This allowed the web to flex upwards when the swage rod pushed up.  If there was a smushed primer, the flex was enough to allow the plate to index without sensing the smushed primer.

Once adjusted, it works pretty good.

[GregJ]

10 minutes ago, MeatPuppet said:

Make sure the Dillon swage station is set up right.  I had to use a Dremel cut-off wheel and slice a case in half to see that the Dillon Swage Hold Down Die was not supporting the case web as the swage rod pushed up. This allowed the web to flex upwards when the swage rod pushed up.  If there was a smushed primer, the flex was enough to allow the plate to index without sensing the smushed primer.

Once adjusted, it works pretty good.

I had done just this when I first set mine up, but I was getting an occasional smeared primer.  I recently got a primer GO/NOGO gage from Ballistic Tools to verify crimped primer cases are adequately swagged. That seemed to help a lot with the occasional primer getting smeared because it failed to seat completely in a crimped case. Finding the sweet spot for the supporting rod is the trick.  tks

[MeatPuppet]

Boom!  Placed an order along with a powder baffle.

[Laxman2809]

I am welll process my brass, Doing this in 2 steps helps to smooth the loading operation.

[ddc]

On 1/18/2017 at 6:19 AM, MeatPuppet said:

 I had to use a Dremel cut-off wheel and slice a case in half to see that the Dillon Swage Hold Down Die was not supporting the case web as the swage rod pushed up.

 

I'm going to try to remember that little trick... thanks.

[Laxman2809]

16 hours ago, ddc said:

 

I'm going to try to remember that little trick... thanks.

They also sell some premade ones if you wanted to go that route. 

 

https://www.ammobrass.com/product-page/ammobrass-swage-setter

[RiggerJJ]

I clean brass before running, but find that processing pistol brass before loading a total waste of time and extra wear and tear on the reloader. And cleaning primer pockets before loading? No need...

So what you can process 2k an hour? You still have run it thru again to load it, so your time on machine has doubled...so you are only "loading" at 1k per hour, the very same rate I can do without automation or even a bullet feeder....

rifle brass, different story...

[ultimase]

Right now just pistol reloading on the 1050, but yes I pre-process everything as I wet tumble. I actually have a single stage less press with a universal decamping die that I deprime everything first, then wet tumble. When it comes time to load I just put the wet tumbled cases into the case feeder and away we go. I do use a undersized die right now for sizing and admittedly there is a bit more effort needed when sizing wet tumbled brass. It's not as labor intensive as it sounds at this point, as I have several bins of brass that's been deprimed and wet tumbled ready to load. Fairly mindless task to do while watching something.

[jnr88]

On a 650 and 1050 loading 9 i just use Dillon lube. No problems at all.

[Gviz]

On 1/17/2017 at 12:30 PM, DWFAN said:

My process nearly mirrors meatpuppet's

I just got an ammobot rev3 and would like to build a tool head for processing 9mm what have you come up with that works for you? Thanks in advance 

[DWFAN]

I just got an ammobot rev3 and would like to build a tool head for processing 9mm what have you come up with that works for you? Thanks in advance 

Depends. If it is 100% 9mm and doesnt need swaged or 38 super removed, i'll do this:

2. Lee decapping die
3. Ammobot pocket probe
Anywhere else: dillon sizing die

If it needs swaged or 38 Super sorted out:

2. Lee decapping die
3. Swage rod/backup (if no swaging i'll use judge die and ammobot extractor here)
6. Judge die
Anywhere else: dillon sizing die

[Gviz]

9 hours ago, DWFAN said:

Depends. If it is 100% 9mm and doesnt need swaged or 38 super removed, i'll do this:

2. Lee decapping die
3. Ammobot pocket probe
Anywhere else: dillon sizing die

If it needs swaged or 38 Super sorted out:

2. Lee decapping die
3. Swage rod/backup (if no swaging i'll use judge die and ammobot extractor here)
6. Judge die
Anywhere else: dillon sizing die

I buy once fired brass. I use a shell sorter in 9mm it takes out the 40s&w I get 1 or 2 of those every 3000rounds. then sort it again with the 380 plate I get 5-6 every 3000 rounds from a company I order my brass.

 

Once I’m done i pass a big speaker magnet to pick up the metal cases rarely get those. Then I rollsize them this is where I catch maybe 1 38sc. When I fill up a gallon container I wet tumble with brass juice then dry and lube.

 

on my current  reloading tool head 

EGW U die

redding expander

EG primer hold down

dillon powder funnel

redding comp seating 

redding comp crimp

 

Planning to build a processing toolhead I already have the dies but still holding off with the toolhead. Planning to do this if it makes sense?

 

2 lee universal  decapping with squirrel daddy pin and AB berdan sensor 

3 dillon hold down

4 none

5 none

6 lee standard sizing die no pin 

7 none

8 EGW U die no pin

 

pls advice and thanks in advance 

 

 

 

[GregJ]

11 hours ago, Gviz said:

I just got an ammobot rev3 and would like to build a tool head for processing 9mm what have you come up with that works for you? Thanks in advance 

 

Congrats on the AB, and welcome to The Borg.    

 

Thanks to DWFAN, and others, I have now what I feel is now a very good processing setup, and very closely mirrors DWFAN.  This is for 9mm primarily but also for 45ACP.

 

2. Lee uniersal decapping die with Berdan Sensor.
3. The Judge die
6. Dillon die minus decap pin

7. EGW-U die

 

The decap die obviously decaps, and catches Berdan primers.  The Judge die is awesome, as it will catch 38s, 357Sig, etc, as well as foreign material inside the case that the decap pin might punch through.  Case in point, I had a lot of brass that came from a shoot house, and almost all of them had rubber chunks inside that did not come with dry media tumbling.  The pin punched through, but The Judge caught them!!!  If they had made into the loading process, the results would not have been good.  So I am a big fan The Judge die.  

 

Edited July 5, 2019 by GregJ