dissect my loading process

[ken158]

Lots of good info here but I do several things in different order. I shoot a lot of varmint rounds and a few big game rounds. Fired brass gets the universal de-primer die treatment. Then the brass goes to the pin cleaner where the solution gets all clean including the primer pockets. I shoot some wildcats so they are always annealed after the new case is formed. Annealing prior to sizing defeats the purpose. You want the heat to relieve the stress of sizing. Annealing before sizing is a waste of time. I use an anneal eze machine and have the turning rate at 5 seconds. Some feel like they have to quench in water but that really does nothing but make a mess. I will then anneal about every third or fourth firing. I then size, chamfer and debur necks, prime, powder and seat. If I don't use the pin cleaner, I tumble all fired brass in media. I would never put a dirty case in one of my dies. There is too much of a chance something would scratch the die surface by running dirty brass in and out thereby increasing contaminants into the die.

 

[Dave Zander]

​

When to anneal?​

What is the correct sequence - anneal/resize or resize/anneal?
If annealing brass that has had multiple reloads or is unknown history, we would strongly recommend annealing first followed by resizing. This is because the harder the brass, the more likely it is to resist conforming the resizing die and "springing back".
Our settings target an annealed neck hardness consistent with virgin brass, (some cartridges are a little higher or lower). Because the process anneals both the neck and shoulder, die conformity will be correct when resizing. Note: we have found that the target annealed hardness is reached reliably regardless of the starting hardness i.e. it doesn't matter if it starts at 20% harder or even 70% harder, it will still come back to the same hardness.
If, as we recommend, annealing is done every reload, the brass is always soft enough in the neck and shoulder to resize accurately either before or after annealing. We have, however recorded consistently more uniform hardness test results by annealing beforeresizing, and we therefore recommend that sequence.
We find that the best results are obtained with this sequence:

• De-prime - optional depending on your cleaning sequence)
• Clean - tumble or ultrasonic etc. – again optional. Cleaning won’t affect annealing
• Anneal
• Lube - this is vital even with nitrided dies. (Imperial wax or spray such as Hornady One Shot) – note: Dry media graphite tends not to adhere well to annealed cases. We do not recommend its use.
• Resize - after annealing, THE SIZING DIE MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED for both shoulder bump and neck OD to account for zero spring back. See FAQ 3, 5 and 6. De-priming can be done as part of the resizing process.

For more detail, see our Annealing under the microscope articles.

 

[NateHaler]

Being new to this I would say yes I am happy. Running 3085 for fps. Have shot steel out to 600 yards and my Dallsheep at 535 and 5x5 Elk at 100 yards. Both one shot kills. Just looking to see if people with more knowledge feeI am doing it correct.

Shoot for groups, i.e. multiple 5-shot groups, or at the least multiple 3-shot groups, on paper, starting at 100y and going out as far as you can. Anectdotal results aren't statistically significant.

I have shot rams at 500 meters on various occasions, from the standing position (no tripod!), with a 7-08. Metallic silhouette. But I needed to know the load would group sub-1/2 MOA before I would use it in a match.

 

[Ccrider]

Never heard of annealing after sizing for “stress relief.” That’s a new one. Guess it’s ok if it works for you.

 

[cw308]

The difference between a hunting rifle and a benchrest rifle and the differences in reloading . You will hardly ever have to change a barrel on a hunting rifle do to the round count . They sight in before a hunt , fire a few rounds to check your zero hasn't changed . The rounds have to feed , chamber and eject property in all weather conditions.
Benchrest will have higher round counts , mostly from finding the perfect load , firing more at the bench , I've changed two barrels with over 4000+ on each , and I'm shooting 30 rounds per range trip , shoot every Sunday with temps 50° and above. If the the OP followed the load book , found a round that hit what he was aiming at , cleaned his rifle after shooting . He wouldn't have to worry about barrel changes and would enjoy rolling his own ammo. For Hunting keep it simple . Benchrest shooting and reloading , trying to shoot that one hole five shot group will drive you nuts . Been there , I have a round that shoots a ragged one hole , that's where I'm staying until my barrel starts to wear again. I only shoot benchrest , trigger is too light for hunting.
Chris

 

[Artisan]

ok guys pretty new to reloading, so i am going to layout my process any comments good or bad would be appreciated. I start by de priming my brass. Then I anneal my brass. Next I run a caliber specific nylon brush in my necks. Then clean primer pocket. Resize with Redding body die using Hornady unique case lube. Fire formed brass is 1.818 resize to 1.816 to give me.002 shoulder bump. Tumble with ss media. then trim,debur and chamfer cases. Next I size the neck with a Lee collet die that I had a custom mandrel made when I sent fired brass to Lee. It gives me .002 neck tension. Next I prime my brass,then charge it with powder and seat with Forester micro seating die to 2.466 which puts it .025 off the lands.

Being a beginner, you are ahead of the game. Learn from your mistakes and what other's have to offer. Fine tune it and tune it again, if you seek perfection, you just might find it.
We all have our flavors.
What do I do, differently?
After sizing, trimming, deburring and chamfering, I tumble in dry media to remove any and all lube, but more importantly, remove any small brass shavings from inside the case.
To give an example, processed 5.56 cases for a friend. Here's a pic of brass trimmings, from just 367 cases. Last thing I want is to get any shavings, mixed in with my powder and on top of a primer.

With lube still on and inside the neck, these little gold pieces will stick like Velcro, inside the case.
When deburring/chamfering the case necks, shavings can be as small as a dust particle, these concern me, with the same caution, as larger shavings.
After trimming the case,these shavings were still in the neck of a case.

 

[Nuclear Worker]

Being a beginner, you are ahead of the game. Learn from your mistakes and what other's have to offer. Fine tune it and tune it again, if you seek perfection, you just might find it.
We all have our flavors.
What do I do, differently?
After sizing, trimming, deburring and chamfering, I tumble in dry media to remove any and all lube, but more importantly, remove any small brass shavings from inside the case.
To give an example, processed 5.56 cases for a friend. Here's a pic of brass trimmings, from just 367 cases. Last thing I want is to get any shavings, mixed in with my powder and on top of a primer.
View attachment 1238518
With lube still on and inside the neck, these little gold pieces will stick like Velcro, inside the case.
When deburring/chamfering the case necks, shavings can be as small as a dust particle, these concern me, with the same caution, as larger shavings.

What do you use for dry media ? Would using air compressor and blow them out accomplish the same thing?

 

[Artisan]

1/3 Corn-Cob, 2/3 Walnut (Cleans & Polishes). No reason you can't use an air compressor. Might want to wear your hearing protection, the cases can get load, blowing air into them.