9mm resize, decap and swage in separate process?

[Jim Watson]

Agree.  Simplicity and convenience are the watchwords here.  My main store of 9mm brass is agency range recovery, some of it pretty tarnished.  I recently found that it ran through the dies easier when not tumbled and did not need the spritz of case lube I use on cleaned brass.  The only drawback is that this batch is running nearly 2% ringers. 

However, I have some swept up at the indoor range, mostly my own empties but some of the stuff they sell showing up as once fired.  That has to be lightly lubed whether tumbled or not.

 

I am accustomed to the occasional intrusive .380 but this bag is weird.  Somebody did not get back all his .38 Super Comp empties.  

[Speedwagon]

I reload on a Lock N Load and started to prep my 9MM brass a while ago and like doing it that way better. Of course, I'm retired and have enough time to do it the way I like to.

 

For range pic brass I start with a one hour dry tumble to get the dirt off. Then deprime on a Lee APP. Any primers that push out hard are usually swaged and I just discard them and forget about swaging primer pockets. Then I wet tumble and rollsize and set on a shelf, usually in batches of about 1000.

 

Then when I start to load I spray a mixture of lanolin oil and alcohol in a zip lock bag and roll it around and size with a Lee U die, prime and flare. When I do it this way I can feel things better for instance, if it sizes super easy it's probably a cracked casing and it gets tossed. If it starts to prime hard it's probably a staked primer pocket so it get's discarded. Then I put them on a shelf and their ready to load, again, 1000 at a time so that's one case of primers.

 

When I load I generally only like to load 500 at a time but have another 500 already loaded and ready just to have enough on hand. I don't like to load more than that because I might want to change something in my load for some reason.

 

When I load I powder drop, powder check with a AA powder check, bullet feed, seat and then crimp. 

 

Yea, it's the long way to get it done but I feel more confident when I'm done. 

[ColoradoNick]

2 hours ago, shred said:

I find reloading to be a necessary evil to get the ammo I want to shoot.  Thus I am lazy and as long as pistol ammo that comes out works properly, makes PF and is more accurate than I am, it's good to go.  Maybe I'd chuck a couple less mangled cases or my ammo might look shinier or I might drop a couple points of SD if I pre-processed, but those area big don't-cares in my book.

 

 

This. I think to a lot of guys reloading is a second hobby to shooting… Sometimes a primary one with shooting being secondary. I’m not interested in that at all. 

[Chills1994]

On my 650 (hey, don’t laugh at me.  I don’t do nearly the amount of shooting you guys do), I have an RCBS sizing/decapping die in Station #1.

 

Station #2 is an EGW/Lee undersize die with its decapping rod removed.

 

Station #3 is the Dillon Powder Measure which has been retrograded (I use the 2 Dillon tension springs to get the powder bar to return)

 

Station #4 is a Redding micrometer adjustable seating die.

 

Station #5 is a Lee FCD

 

Since I am on a 650, and I have to stop after every 100 primers, I will take a Kroil soaked Q-tip and swirl it around the inside of all the dies (except the powder measure of course).  EDIT:  this is even after tumbling either in crushed walnut or wet with the stainless pins)

 

Getting that grime and grit out sure does make re-sizing go easier on my elbow.

 

Which is why I went to a two sizing die method.  The U-die just by itself in Station #1 was killing my elbow.

 

I am using buckets and buckets of 9mm brass from 10 to 15 years ago, so like ZERO primer crimps.  The last time I had to swage anything was factory Remington/UMC .300 Blackout that actually had “Barnes” on the headstamp.  (Do you remember those “Freedom Buckets” Remington used to sell?)

 

EDIT: which I used the Swage-It tool on one of my 650’s.  And yes, I know it voids the Dillon warranty.  I always check with my 30 year old Lee hand priming tool how well it  took care of the crimps.  If a new primer feels too tight going in,  I just dump the whole batch right back into the casefeeder.  And start cranking, aerobically.  The second trip through does the trick.

Edited November 28, 2023 by Chills1994

[RangerTrace]

1 hour ago, ColoradoNick said:

This. I think to a lot of guys reloading is a second hobby to shooting… Sometimes a primary one with shooting being secondary. I’m not interested in that at all. 

I certainly don't enjoy loading ammo.  I'm just so ahead of the curve with loaded practice and match ammo, that I have time to experiment.  And the crimped primers have been a PITA.  

 

I can buy factory ammo for about what my rounds cost me, but it wouldn't be nearly as good a round.  I looked at Atlanta Arms yesterday and their ammo, which is comparable to mine, is about 60 cents a round.  About double what my rounds are costing me.  I just bought 5k prepped cases from one of our vendors.  Living the good life!!

[sharko]

I completely process my brass before reloading, de-prime, size, roll size and clean. I then sort it for my favorite head stamps and set aside WCC/WMA and the crimped ones for if I ever got that desperate. I load in batches from 2-5K and also prime everything separately, I hate when I get a primer screwup when loading. 

[RangerTrace]

27 minutes ago, sharko said:

I completely process my brass before reloading, de-prime, size, roll size and clean. I then sort it for my favorite head stamps and set aside WCC/WMA and the crimped ones for if I ever got that desperate. I load in batches from 2-5K and also prime everything separately, I hate when I get a primer screwup when loading. 

That is a long process!!

[Maximis228]

43 minutes ago, sharko said:

I completely process my brass before reloading, de-prime, size, roll size and clean. I then sort it for my favorite head stamps and set aside WCC/WMA and the crimped ones for if I ever got that desperate. I load in batches from 2-5K and also prime everything separately, I hate when I get a primer screwup when loading. 

 

I only had 4 upside down primers (Using an RF 100) and 0 crushed over a recent batch 16K using mixed brass on a Dillon 1050 with a mark 7 aurodrive. I do pre process my brass via roll sizing, decap, swage, Dillon size, and u-size before I load. 

 

I see no value in separating primer insertion into its own step unless you are a low volume PRS shooter.... or a commercial reloader. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Maximis228

[ColoradoNick]

17 minutes ago, RangerTrace said:

That is a long process!!

Yea not a chance I have time for all that Everything in one pass and count it as a right arm workout 

[RangerTrace]

12 minutes ago, Maximis228 said:

 

I only had 4 upside down primers (Using an RF 100) and 0 crushed over a recent batch 16K using mixed brass on a Dillon 1050 with a mark 7 aurodrive. I do pre process my brass via roll sizing, decap, swage, Dillon size, and u-size before I load. 

 

I see no value in separating primer insertion into its own step unless you are a low volume PRS shooter.... or a commercial reloader. 

Can you come tune my RF100?  LOL  I just got it back from Dillon and while it will get them up the ramp now, I still get about 1% upside down.  

[Farmer]

8 hours ago, sharko said:

I completely process my brass before reloading, de-prime, size, roll size and clean. I then sort it for my favorite head stamps and set aside WCC/WMA and the crimped ones for if I ever got that desperate. I load in batches from 2-5K and also prime everything separately, I hate when I get a primer screwup when loading. 

Kinda what I do. If it’s a bit dirty I give them a quick 30 sec wash in lac thinner, quick dry, lube, size & decap, swage if needed and then wash/dry. Sort headstamp and ready to go. I like to get all the dirty work done before cleaning so when I’m done it’s like loading new brass. No after cleaning, no surprises, all crimps the same primers seat the same, ect, ect. May take a little bit more time initially but when it’s time to load, just grab a brand and go. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by Farmer
Added

[mechanoset]

Value is dependant upon volume and time spent checking. if you use a good quality / tight gauge and check every round and have a practice bucket, then you may not need it. but its your time. the difference in cadence and smoothness in cycling is not to be underestimated though.

[JoeInTucson]

I clean in walnut...then decap....then swage....then clean again (optional)......then resize and prime. Sometimes I do this in a separate operation...sometimes I do it on the 550. It all depends on how many I am making. After that, all steps are on the 550.