reloading reutine - opinions to get it better??

[Sniper338]

Lets start with new lapua brass here..

1. Full length resize - redding body die/or redding fl size die
2. Uniform primer pockets - sinclair hand tool
3. Debur flash hole - sinclair flash hole deburing tool
4. Trim all to same size - wilson micrometer trimmer
5. Debur case mouth inside and out - hand tool
6. Neck turn to take off high spots - rcbs micrometer neck turner
7. Neck size - redding type s neck bushing die
8. Check neck concentricity sinclair guage
9. Prime brass - rcbs hand priming tool


Rcbs chargemaster powder dispenser
wilson and redding micrometer seating dies...
21st century arbor press

what am i missing, where could i hone up quality? Im not shooting benchrest so i cont want to throw away any brass that dont weigh out exactly right and such... dont want to get that nit picky...

 

[Joe Salt]

One thing I don't do till after the first firing is Uniform the primer pockets, They clean up a lot better and your Extreme spread will be better over the Chronograph.

Joe Salt

 

[Chappy]

Lets start with new lapua brass here..

1. Full length resize - redding body die/or redding fl size die
2. Uniform primer pockets - sinclair hand tool
3. Debur flash hole - sinclair flash hole deburing tool
4. Trim all to same size - wilson micrometer trimmer
5. Debur case mouth inside and out - hand tool
6. Neck turn to take off high spots - rcbs micrometer neck turner
7. Neck size - redding type s neck bushing die
8. Check neck concentricity sinclair guage
9. Prime brass - rcbs hand priming tool


Rcbs chargemaster powder dispenser
wilson and redding micrometer seating dies...
21st century arbor press

what am i missing, where could i hone up quality? Im not shooting benchrest so i cont want to throw away any brass that dont weigh out exactly right and such... dont want to get that nit picky...

Here's what I do when it comes to case prep on new .308 Winchester Lapua brass.

1. Trim to length to within +/-0.001"- Sinclair/Wilson Micrometer Trimmer
2. Chamfer/Debur Necks- Lyman Outside Deburring Tool, RCBS VLD Chamfer Tool
3. Expand Necks- Sinclair Expander Die
4. Clean up necks- Sinclair Neck Turning Tool
5. Cut all of the primer pockets to the same depth/uniform- Possum Hollow Foot Tool
6. Ream the flash holes to 0.081"- Sinclair Flash Hole Reamer Tool
7. Debur/Chamfer flash holes with a Possum Hollow Foot Tool
8. Weight sort brass into 1/2 gr. groups using a RCBS 750 Digital Scale (I buy in lots of 300 pieces)
9. Load up with a stiff charge that won't alter the primer charge and fireform the brass.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

First, I'd et a better hand priming tool that is more consistent than the RCBS. Lot better ones out there.

Next, no need to have a body die and a neck sizing die. Just get the Redding Type S Full Length bushing die. Bump the shoulder a couple thou and get neck tension right in one step. Even better would be a Whidden bushing type FL sizer. Only costs a little more than a Redding Type S and can have it specifically reamed to size a case with YOUR chamber dimensions. Just have to email them a copy of your reamer print.

All the different bushings from various manufacturers are interchangeable with most any bushing sizer die. Probably have to recommend either Redding nitride bushings or Sinclair bushings. Get about four of them where you can step neck tension up and down from the normal factory FL die.

Should probably get into annealing too. This will help with consistent headspacing and neck tension a great deal. If you can afford a machine, they are the ticket. Have a Vertex and it makes annealing a breeze.

The Wilson and Redding micrometer seaters are excellent and should give vey consistent seating.

Could get a better weight scale, but that depends on the type of shooting you plan on doing and what type of cartridge you are chambering for. In a small case, you may see a difference at long range with a variation or .05 grains that the RCBS wont be able to detect. But in a large magnum type case, that might not make much difference at all.

A good press for your 7/8" threaded dies is key as well. A Forster Co-ax is hard to beat and has an excellent primer seating unit on top of it that is VERY consistent. So that can eliminate the need for a hand priming tool.

The 21st Century Arbor press is about as good as it gets. Everything they make is top shelf.

Which brings me suggest a 21st Century neck turning tool. RCBS will be fine for getting high spots, but I would trust the 21st for anything else. 21st cutters have perfect shoulder angles to cut down onto the shoulder which help avoid any 'donut' forming as the neck grows.

Everything you have listed actually looks really good and it will all make great ammo. These are just suggestions and they might not make anything better. Just take your time and make the best ammo possible with whatever you have. Once you make a few hundred rounds with your new tools, you'll figure out a lot of tricks and you'll be racking out ammo like a machine. Good luck

 

[Sniper338]

First, I'd et a better hand priming tool that is more consistent than the RCBS. Lot better ones out there.

Next, no need to have a body die and a neck sizing die. Just get the Redding Type S Full Length bushing die. Bump the shoulder a couple thou and get neck tension right in one step. Even better would be a Whidden bushing type FL sizer. Only costs a little more than a Redding Type S and can have it specifically reamed to size a case with YOUR chamber dimensions. Just have to email them a copy of your reamer print.

All the different bushings from various manufacturers are interchangeable with most any bushing sizer die. Probably have to recommend either Redding nitride bushings or Sinclair bushings. Get about four of them where you can step neck tension up and down from the normal factory FL die.

Should probably get into annealing too. This will help with consistent headspacing and neck tension a great deal. If you can afford a machine, they are the ticket. Have a Vertex and it makes annealing a breeze.

The Wilson and Redding micrometer seaters are excellent and should give vey consistent seating.

Could get a better weight scale, but that depends on the type of shooting you plan on doing and what type of cartridge you are chambering for. In a small case, you may see a difference at long range with a variation or .05 grains that the RCBS wont be able to detect. But in a large magnum type case, that might not make much difference at all.

A good press for your 7/8" threaded dies is key as well. A Forster Co-ax is hard to beat and has an excellent primer seating unit on top of it that is VERY consistent. So that can eliminate the need for a hand priming tool.

The 21st Century Arbor press is about as good as it gets. Everything they make is top shelf.

Which brings me suggest a 21st Century neck turning tool. RCBS will be fine for getting high spots, but I would trust the 21st for anything else. 21st cutters have perfect shoulder angles to cut down onto the shoulder which help avoid any 'donut' forming as the neck grows.

Everything you have listed actually looks really good and it will all make great ammo. These are just suggestions and they might not make anything better. Just take your time and make the best ammo possible with whatever you have. Once you make a few hundred rounds with your new tools, you'll figure out a lot of tricks and you'll be racking out ammo like a machine. Good luck

i got the rcbs hand priming tool yars ago... i know its not the best but i love the primer tray feature to help knock out priming cases faster... instead on loading it one by one.... if theres a good priming tool that has a storage tray on it i should probably get it..


i anneal every 3 firings.... just didnt list it here because i was talking new brass... i use a torch and the yellow templaq...

i noticed im getting a donut on the neck of the brass after neck sizing it... i was thinking it may be a little too tight of bushing.... i was wondering if i should trim it off.. but didnt want to thin out the neck real bad right there either... its not horrible... but there is a little one that forms...

 

[jcampbellsmith]

With new brass, I run a mandrel through it to take the dings in the neck out, then load it and shoot it. Regards JCS

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Priming tool isn't that big of a deal. I just know from having an RCBS hand tool in the past that you can seat them average pressure on the handle and they might end up flush or barely below, or you can mash the handle down hard and it will seat them deeper and tighter than the other primed cases. There's really no way to fully control it unless you squeeze as hard as you can every time. At that point it may damage a primer cup. A good tool will have a stop set at the right depth so you won't have much, if any, variation and won't be able to smash and expand the primer in the pocket. Never tried Sinclair's hand priming tool, but I'd bet it's a good one. Perhaps others here can attest to it's quality. I just use my Forster Co-ax press primer seater now because it has a good stop that only allows a certain depth and pressure of seating every time.

I usually don't like to go below 0.0125" on neck wall thickness if I can help it. But that's just me. Some will go less, some like more than that. Really actually depends on your chamber and what is required with a bullet seated in the case. You take your bullet diameter plus double the thickness of your neck wall and that lets you know how tight you are in the chamber. So if I have a 6.5mm round with a .292" neck, I would take the .264" of the bullet (best to measure the bullet with a caliper to be sure and use that number), then with a measured .0125" neck wall thickness I would add .025" and I end up with .289". So I have .003" clearance. Which is actually only .0015" around the whole neck. Once this math is figured out, that's when you decide which bushings to buy for your sizing die. In that instance I would probably buy a .285", .286" and a .287" bushing to play with. The last only being for if it was a light recoiling rifle used in benchrest or something like that because .002" tension isn't much holding it in. For a hunting rifle, a minimum of .004" neck clearance and .004" neck tension would be best.

Like I mentioned earlier, a good neck turning tool like a K&M or 21st Century set up will have cutters that you can buy with your cartridges shoulder angle. They make 30 degree, 40 degree, and some others too I'm sure. Those are all I use though. When you turn the necks down, it will actually cut into the shoulder a little bit just below the neck. As your necks grow with firing the cases, you won't have the thicker brass trying to push up into your necks. That thicker shoulder wall getting into the neck area is what creates the 'donut' pinch point. If using a NO TURN neck chamber, it's not as big of a deal, but it really matters with tight necked chambers where you HAVE to turn the necks fully in order to chamber a round.

 

[dkhunt14]

On my RCBS priming tool I can take out the little thing that holds the primer and it has threads to adjust the depth. I shorten it and keep seating and adjusting till I get the seat I want. I also don't size the cases, I just run a mandrel in to even out the necks. I have shot a lot of little groups at 1000 yards doing this. I never seen a need to fireform and waste the barrel and bullets. The only way I fireform first is if like a Dasher where you really have to blow the case out. Matt

 

[Ackman]

Lets start with NEW LAPUA brass here..

1. Full length resize - redding body die/or redding fl size die *** NO
2. Uniform primer pockets - sinclair hand tool *** NO
3. Debur flash hole - sinclair flash hole deburing tool *** NO
4. Trim all to same size - wilson micrometer trimmer *** NO
5. Debur case mouth inside and out - hand tool *** YES
6. Neck turn to take off high spots - rcbs micrometer neck turner *** NO
7. Neck size - redding type s neck bushing die *** YES
8. Check neck concentricity sinclair guage *** NO
9. Prime brass - rcbs hand priming tool *** YES


Rcbs chargemaster powder dispenser *** FINE
wilson and redding micrometer seating dies... *** YES
21st century arbor press *** NOT NECESSARY

what am i missing, where could i hone up quality? Im not shooting benchrest so i cont want to throw away any brass that dont weigh out exactly right and such... dont want to get that nit picky...

You're caught up in all the buzzword / buzzphrases associated with accuracy......."don't want to get that nitpicky" but you are. Lapua is very uniform, excellent brass. Just necksize with a die that has an expander ball, inside neck chamfer, then load the stuff and shoot it.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

You don't have to get nit picky if you don't want to. Just depends on how concerned you are with every shot going where you expect it to go. I get pretty picky with hunting rifles because a long range shot on a buck or bull of a lifetime means a lot to me. Of course you HAVE to be VERY picky if competition shooting. For varmint rifles, who cares if you miss a few times. Most of those rifles are accurate with just about anything you throw in them anyhow. So how deep you want to get and how important your shots are is all up to you. I'd imagine you take it pretty seriously judging by the equipment list you provided and asked us to evaluate. Hope it all turns out great for you any which way you go. Good luck

 

[Sniper338]

You don't have to get nit picky if you don't want to. Just depends on how concerned you are with every shot going where you expect it to go. I get pretty picky with hunting rifles because a long range shot on a buck or bull of a lifetime means a lot to me. Of course you HAVE to be VERY picky if competition shooting. For varmint rifles, who cares if you miss a few times. Most of those rifles are accurate with just about anything you throw in them anyhow. So how deep you want to get and how important your shots are is all up to you. I'd imagine you take it pretty seriously judging by the equipment list you provided and asked us to evaluate. Hope it all turns out great for you any which way you go. Good luck

lol i do take it seriously... but i dont go as far as weighing cases all the time, h2o capacity bs, sorting bullets and primers.... etc etc... thats too much for me... i do what i can though... ive been kicking out fairly good rounds in the past... just always wonder what i could do better within reason...

 

[22DASHER]

You seem to be doing a lot of work to brand new casings. Have you tested the difference between just a load and shoot vs your complete routine? ...to see if all that work is even necessary?

But then again I don't know the specifics of the rifle and what it's purpose is...

 

[Sniper338]

You seem to be doing a lot of work to brand new casings. Have you tested the difference between just a load and shoot vs your complete routine? ...to see if all that work is even necessary?

nope. Havent had to buy new brass yet for some rifles and others i just kept the wheel going cuz it seemed to work so well when i did get new brass...

 

[Sniper338]

Long range stuff... hunting... working on load work up for the mile and 1.5 mile steel shootin right now.


Beer can past 1000 yards... that kinda stuff tickles my fancy...

 

[Joe R]

lol i do take it seriously... but i dont go as far as weighing cases all the time, h2o capacity bs, sorting bullets and primers.... etc etc... thats too much for me... i do what i can though... ive been kicking out fairly good rounds in the past... just always wonder what i could do better within reason...

IMO weighing brass is a lot like urinating on yourself while wearing a dark suit. It makes you feel warm cozy, but no one notices the difference. But sorting bullets IMO is worth it.

 

[Phil]

FWIW..............

Here is the priming tool that i use....http://www.midwayusa.com/product/457599/rcbs-automatic-bench-priming-tool

Super fast and easy to use, it gives a good feel for seating the primers too....

If you feel the need for some adjustability you can try.... Holland's Perfect Primer Seater...........http://www.hollandguns.com/

Go to the reloading page there,and scroll down...

Just a thought.


Phil.

 

[CatShooter]

FWIW..............

Here is the priming tool that i use....

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/457599/rcbs-automatic-bench-priming-tool

Super fast and easy to use, it gives a good feel for seating the primers too....

Phil.

I use the same tool and have for ~40+ years. It is outstanding.

 

[Phil]

I WON`T be getting rid of mine any time soon......... ;D

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Long range stuff... hunting... working on load work up for the mile and 1.5 mile steel shootin right now.


Beer can past 1000 yards... that kinda stuff tickles my fancy...

I find it interesting that you would do a bunch of unnecessary steps to prepare virgin Lapua brass, such as F/L sizing, weighing and so on, yet you're content to use a Chargemaster by itself to measure the powder.

Why would you even deburr the flash hole of Lapua brass? The holes are drilled, no chad to remove.

 

[JAnderson94]

I'm doing close to the same regimen as you are. I have only been loading for two years, but what I have seen is that when you shoot a good group from your rifle, and have a hard time maintaining that size due to fliers, excessive vertical or whatever.

The fix has been to do more brass prep to stack odds in your favor, because when I started getting picky in my brass prep, my groups didn't necessarily get smaller, but they got to be more CONSISTENT. My Mossberg MVP Varmint went from a solid 3/4" shooter at 100 down to 3/8-1/2" after I did the brass prep you where doing. The limiting factor now is how I'm shooting the rifle (bi-pod) and myself. Not the rifle or ammo