Bulk 556 Brass prep and reloading process

[TNTall]

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?

[AndyLate]

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

Andy

[Black_Sheep]

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.

[jsbhike]

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.

[opngrnd]

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.

[TNTall]

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.

Thanks for the great post! Very helpful tips. I like your idea for feeling for the neck tension to check for cracks.

So besides low or high powder charge what reloading issue can cause you to lose a finger or an eye? The XL650 has a powder check station to alarm for that condition.

[opngrnd]

Thanks for the great post! Very helpful tips. I like your idea for feeling for the neck tension to check for cracks.

So besides low or high powder charge what reloading issue can cause you to lose a finger or an eye? The XL650 has a powder check station to alarm for that condition.

To my knowledge, squibs and overcharged cases are the issue here. I'd probably be happy with the powder check if things look good on the chronograph.

[TNTall]

To my knowledge, squibs and overcharged cases are the issue here. I'd probably be happy with the powder check if things look good on the chronograph.

OK. I really only have experience single-stage loading for bolt guns, so I don't know how much to be concerned about bullets unseating or primers blowing out.

[B52U]

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.

[markm]

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.