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So, lets see if I got this right.
coltpax
Member Posts: 8,114
I've been doing some reading, tell me if I've got this process right. Also, reading the topic entitled "question", do you have to wear gloves when you reload? Also, do I need a tumbler to clean the brass? I figured I'd just clean the inside with a wire brush, and the outside with some fine steel wool. But, anyways, here's how I think its supposed to be done (we'll just say, starting with new unprimed brass)
1. Prime brass
2. Add Correct amount of powder
3. Seat bullet
4. Crimp if necessary
5. Shoot
Now, how do I know if I'm supposed to crimp? And what does a re-sizer do, check the brass or the lead? If I was to get the Lee anniversary kit, will it prime and de-prime used brass, or do I have to buy something else to do that? And what exactly is a roll crimper?
1. Prime brass
2. Add Correct amount of powder
3. Seat bullet
4. Crimp if necessary
5. Shoot
Now, how do I know if I'm supposed to crimp? And what does a re-sizer do, check the brass or the lead? If I was to get the Lee anniversary kit, will it prime and de-prime used brass, or do I have to buy something else to do that? And what exactly is a roll crimper?
Comments
You may have missed a step, used on straight wall cases, and that is flare the mouth (prior to inserting powder and bullet). There is another die (comes with the die set) for this.
You want the outside of the brass to be free of dirt/grit. Tumbling is one way, soap and water is another.
Cleaning the inside is not needed.
Steel wool is a bad idea, as it will embed bits of steel into your brass
Crimping is required on revolver, self loading pistol, tube mags and hard kicking cartridges. It's optional on the others
Roll crimping is where you curl the mouth of the case into a groove (canalure) in the bullet. There is a roll crimper built into most seating dies. Taper crimping is used on auto pistol cartridges.
I've only been reloading for 35 years, and I don't wear gloves. But than again when I was growing up we used to play with mercury, ride bikes without helmets, ride in cars that didn't even have seat belts (let alone airbags), drink from the hose and all sorts of other things that they tell you not to do today.
Purchase a Sierra or Nosler reloading manual, read the front part twice before glancing at the data section, than go back and study the entire manual again.
1. Check to see if brass chambers in rifle. If it does, skip to #3.
2. Neck size brass
3. Chamfer and deburr case necks
4. Prime Brass
5. Add powder
6. Seat Bullet
7. Crimp if necessary or desired
8. Weigh and measure finished cartridge. Write down and do the same with all.
Obviously, there are a lot of little things that you need to do during or after these steps. One thing that I find real helpful, is to have a designated "Loadbook".
Jon
It is wise to size ALL new brass. Uniformity is important.
1. In bumping around, sometimes the necks get out of round and you might crumple one on bullet seating.
2. Some brass- Graf's made by PRVI seems to be a common offender- is made by the manufacturer with an undersized neck. Seating a bullet without sizing the case first leads to either a crumpled or bulged neck with the bullet seated off center- which often won't chamber and if it does, is detrimental to accuracy.
My take on your questions would be:
1. Inspect brass for cracks, or other damage.
2. Clean brass. As said, this is to keep dirt, soot, grease, etc. out of your gun chamber. The other reason is to remove lube from spent cases- we'll get to that in a minute. A tumbler isn't necessary per se. In fact, if you get in to neck sizing with collet dies, and the brass isn't dirty, you might skip this step entirely. But otherwise, either tumble, or wash in hot soapy water. Just enough to get any particles off the cases. Soapy water won't polish the brass but it will clean it.
3. Lube case. Everyone has their favorite lube, most work ok.
4. Size case with sizing/decapping die.
5. Now... if you use an oil based lube, which most are, you need to tumble/wash the case again to remove the oil so it doesn't contaminate powder/primers. If you use a water based lube (like Lee) you can opt to just let it dry and start loading (you'll still have to wipe off each loaded case with a rag or stiff brush before firing) but the dried water based film won't contaminate powder or primers.
Now start with your "Number 1".
I think my description answered most of your secondary questions but to add a few thoughts-
Crimp if you are using a magnum handgun cartridge, tubular magazine rifle, or rifle with heavy recoil. Otherwise I don't bother. There are 2 types. A roll crimp curls the top of the brass into the crimp groove on a bullet. A taper crimp just progressively squeezes the end of the case tight against the bullet.
I avoid taper crimps with cast bullets as it squeezes down the bullet itself. Or it can.
In general I never crimp anything, but then for what I shoot, I don't need to often.
The Lee anniversary kit will do all that is needed, though their scale is a bit chinsy. I'd recommend adding a cheap digital model to the kit and you're good to go. Also you'll find that the Lee perfect powder measure comes with a set of complex rotor settings. Use as a ballpark guide only- zero in with the scale for pwoder charge. Also, it works well with stick powders (better than any I'd say) but binds and leaks a little with fine ball powder. Just a heads up. I keep 2 dispensers on the bench- a Lee for stick powder, an RCBS for ball and fine flake powder.
(Do use Firefox, as Internet Exploder usually scrambles the page.)
In the most basic sense, reloading simply returns the case to its original size and replaces the spent components. That's truly all there is to it - except that you can get yourself seriously twisted around your own axle in the arcane details.
Neither gloves nor a tumbler is required. Some people tumble brass cases to make them all "purdy" but it isn't really necessary 99% of the time.
Colton
Thanks for the kind words about my pages.