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Thread: Bulk 556 Brass prep and reloading process

  1. #1
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    Question Bulk 556 Brass prep and reloading process

    Hi All!
    I am trying to plan and purchase for getting into reloading thousands of 556 for personal use with a Dillon XL650, a couple of corn cob tumblers, a Dillon rapid trimmer, and single presses. I am looking for a procedure that leaves me with no case lube on the finished product. If crimped primer pockets have already been dealt with,
    Tell me if this procedure sounds reasonable:
    1. Lay out range brass and spray with Hot Shot lube
    2. Resize and trim using Dillon rapid trim and die.
    3. Tumble brass in corn cob media.
    4. Run thru XL650 with size die set to neck expand and decap only. Does carbide expander ball needs lube?

  2. #2
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    I always wash/air-dry or tumble semi auto brass before I size it. Dirt/sand is hell on dies.

    Andy

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    Paging Markm! Paging Markm!

    All jokes aside, there will be some extremely well versed individuals along shortly. I can layout my process, but there are still parts I'd like to change, or simply haven't changed because I haven't bought some of the items others use. My current process for 223:

    1. Tumble dirty brass.
    2. Stand 100 at a time un Universal Loading trays and spray from all 4 directions at a downward angle. I do 4 trays at a time.
    3. Run through Hornady progressive press to resize.
    4. Run through again with Lee's Collet Neck Sizing Die. This allows me to feel if necks are cracked or have insufficient tension. I lose about 1/300 to cracked necks.
    5. Tumble lube off.
    6. Trim with Giraud Tri-Way Trimmer.
    7. Swage as needed on Dillon Super Swage 600. I also cull range pick up brass if someone removed too much pocket material.
    8. Hand prime. I mark the cases where the primer has very little resistance being seated and throw them in the scrap bucket after firing.
    9. Load in trays. Check that primer is not obscured by tumbling media.
    10. Drop powder on 300 at a time. Eyeball the 6 trays of 50 to ensure powder is even in all charged cases.
    11. Seat bullets on my Redding Big Boss 2 single stage.
    12. Run them through the progressive press with Lee Factory Crimp Die in place.

    I'm very picky, even at the expense of production because nothing's worth losing a finger or eye. If I don't like something, I toss that piece of brass.

    Each year, I experiment a little, and more of the operation is done by the progressive press. A few years down the road I see about 3 more of the individual steps being folded into the progressive press. Even with my lengthy process, about 20-30 minutes a day ensures I always have a good amount of ammo ready, and I shoot between 5k-10k yearly. I usually get most of my reloading done for the year in the winter months. YMMV.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyLate View Post
    I always wash/air-dry or tumble semi auto brass before I size it. Dirt/sand is hell on dies.

    Andy
    Same here, my first step is to tumble so the brass is fairly clean when I start processing it. I collect a lot of range brass and most of what I gather is filthy dirty. I'll process my brass in batches, when all of the steps are completed I tumble again to remove any residual lube before reloading

    The carbide expander does not require lube.

  5. #5
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    Tumble before sizing here too. I wash the sizing lube off with Dawn detergent and usually follow that up with a soak in citric acid in hot water.

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    My process for prepping 5.56 brass before using a Dillon 550 to prime and load.

    1. Tumble in my initial cleaning media
    2. Take 100 brass and lube with oneshot laid out in flat lines inside a gallon ziploc bag to capture all overspray. Mouths facing out to get lube in the necks. Mix brass around inside the bag, then dump in an old tupperware container to dry.
    3. FL resize/decap on the old RCBS single stage press.
    3.5: clean out primer pockets and deburr flash holes if I feel like it (debatable benefit)
    4. Swage on the RCBS press (if needed) using their swager die.
    5. Tumble in my lube removal media (I use a separate bowl on the lyman turbo tumbler that has clean corn cob specifically for the delube step. Only takes about 15 minutes.
    6. Trim on the giraud tri-way trimmer if needed, otherwise I use a hand deburring tool if it's short brass like federal.

    7. All final load steps done on the Dillon 550b (prime, drop powder, seat and a light crimp with a lee factory crimp die).

    I like once fired federal or lake city brass the best. That's what the cops training at the local range leave on the ground most often.

  7. #7
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    I like to punch primers before anything else. I then tumble in wet/stainless steel media. Dry, lube, size with no expander ball, neck size with a neck expander die, dry tumble in the vibratory.

    Then I trim (giraud) and the brass is ready for whatever priming and loading from there.
    "What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v

  8. #8
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    I am running a 750. My process involves 2 toolheads.

    1. tumble in dry media
    2. lube and let dry
    3. prep toolhead resize/deprime > case trim(mounted on toolhead) > Lyman M die
    4. tumble again to remove lube and help debur from trimming
    5. swage on dillon super swage - I do all my brass
    6. load toolhead universal deprime > prime/powder > powder check > bullet seat > bullet crimp

    Depending on the brass I am using I might clean up the primer pockets a bit more with a reamer tool in a cordless drill. I find most of the problems I have had in the loading process are related to primer pockets, so I tend to spend a bit more time prepping them to keep the reloading process running smooth.

  9. #9
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    Thanks for all the great responses! Looks like I at least need to add a cleaning step first.

    I've loaded many thousands of pistol rounds on the XL650 without cleaning primer pockets. I have to be careful with the priming motion, but it saves a lot of handling.

    Is priming 556 more difficult or sensitive than priming 9mm?

  10. #10
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    I'm stilllll working up to reloading .223/5.56, so this thread is of interest to me...


    Quote Originally Posted by TNTall View Post
    1. Lay out range brass and spray with Hot Shot lube...
    WTH is "Hot Shot"? Why not just use Dillon's lube, or make your own (just lanolin and alcohol)?

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