Reloading beginner - observations and questions

[randy]

Another question:

Tumble, deprime/size, clean primer pocket, deburr, or
Deprime/size, clean primer pocket, deburr, tumble, or
some other order?

Since I use a progressive press, I tumble, deprime/resize and then on to prime/powder/bullet for "plinking" ammo. Add trimming and neck deburring after tumble if required.

For times when I was shooting matches (mainly .30-06), I'd deprime/resize, tumble, clean primer pocket, trim (as required) de-burr (both ends), then prime on the progressive when I loaded. Don't know if it helped my scores, but it made me feel better.

Tumbling first also makes it easier for me to pick out cases with cracks or neck splits and other deformities and saving the steps for that piece for the rest of the process

One of these days I need to get a basic single stage press for depriming, or another toolhead for the Dillon with only a de-primng die mounted.

[randy]

Oh, I've also been using Dillon's Rapid Polisher for years. Works well and lets me extend the life of the media in the tumbler.

Not necessary, but I liked the results

Shiny cases look good, and as I stated above, it's also easier to spot problems with cases.

[First Shirt]

I rarely tumble pistol cases, since I'm using carbide dies, and don't have to lube them first. (And because I'm lazy.) I do inspect them, and trash any that look suspect.

For rifle cases, I resize, deprime, trim, chamfer and debur (and clean primer pockets), tumble, and then prime and load on the progressive. I'm using a Dillon RL-550, so this routine makes more sense to me. (I may be wrong, but I'm not uncertain.)

[Windy Wilson]

One of these days I need to get a basic single stage press for depriming, or another toolhead for the Dillon with only a de-primng die mounted.

A few years ago I got a "free" press from Lee for buying their reloading hand book for $35, which I use for depriming.

[Precision]

I tumble, deprime, trim /deburr if needed, prime, powder, press in bullet, measure OAL

I tumble first as I like working with clean cases and don't want to get my dies dirty or get media in the primer holes.

I deprime on my Forster co-ax, quick and easy. Then clean the primer pockets.

then for rifle, measure and separate between those that need trimming and those that don't. trim those that do, the chamfer and debur.

Then prime. Lee hand primers SUCK especially the new one. SUCKS - double feeds, spilled primers, flipped primers, sideways primers. Utter CRAP... buy almost anything else.

then powder, checking the powder weight manually and trickle charging for precision rifle. Or for pistol, checking each 25 or 50th throw after the first 5 are consistent. Then visually check each to make sure they are visually close. ( I use a single stage so I am working from a 50 round tray. Quick once over.

Then I seat the bullets. For precision rifle, I start with my COAL a bit long, then measure each round and group them by length, then I shorten the length a bit. This sometimes takes a few bumps to get some of them to the correct length by seating the longest first and working down to the shortest so they are all exactly the same. For plinking, I just make sure none are over mag length or ridiculously short (possible over pressure).

That is how I do it and it seems to work good for me. many other options would work well too.

[Captain Wheelgun]

Everybody else has given very very good advice, so now I'm going to give you mine.

Decapping is the perfect job for the Lee Hand Press. I keep a universal decapper installed in mine so I can de-prime brass while watching the idiot box or surfing the web. Oh, and I usually de-prime before tumbling so the primer pockets get cleaned. This seems to work better on large primer brass rather than small primer brass, I guess it's easier for the media to get in and clean. You do have to check your brass afterwards to make sure there isn't any media stuck in the flash hole or primer pocket.

I think hand primers generally are better than priming on the press, you have a better feel for correct seating. I have two of the Lee Deluxe hand primers, but I haven't had any of the problems Precision had with his. I keep one set up for large primers and the other for small primers because switching sizes is a pain in the tail assembly.

For lubing rifle brass, I like the Hornady One-Shot aerosol lube. I put the brass in a small plastic bowl or tub, spray some lube in and shake the tub to spread it around on the brass. This gave sufficient lubrication to allow full-length resizing of .223 & 7.62x39 brass with my Lee Hand Press, though a bench mounted press is much better for that task. For larger brass like your .308, it would probably be better to use Randy's cookie sheet method, stand the brass upright so you can spray both outside and inside the case neck.

For measuring powder, I have a Lyman digital scale/measure combo, an RCBS Uniflow powder measure, and an RCBS balance beam scale. For rifle loads, I like to set the measure to throw 1 to 2 tenths of a grain short, then trickle up to the exact charge. I also do this for fiddly pistol loads, like .32 ACP, where the difference between not working, working, and KABOOM comes in tenths of a grain. The digital scale/measure is pretty much a luxury item, it basically just automates the measure & trickle process. As JustinR mentioned, both digital and balance beam scales are sensitive to air currents, so be careful with fans and A/C vents.

Well, there you go, advice that's worth almost as much as you paid for it.

[First Shirt]

I've found, especially with rifle primers, that if I seat the primer (whether on the press, or on the Lee hand primer), back off very slightly on the lever, rotate the case 180 degrees, and seat it again, that I get more consistent primer seating. Don't get crazy with it, just enough to feel if there's any movement.

It might just be a feel-good thing, but it seems to work for me.

[Captain Wheelgun]

I've found, especially with rifle primers, that if I seat the primer (whether on the press, or on the Lee hand primer), back off very slightly on the lever, rotate the case 180 degrees, and seat it again, that I get more consistent primer seating. Don't get crazy with it, just enough to feel if there's any movement.

It might just be a feel-good thing, but it seems to work for me.

This. I sometimes do it three times, with about 120 degrees rotation.

[blackeagle603]

I must be doing something wrong. Love, love, love my old Lee Hand primer.

[PawPaw]

I must be doing something wrong. Love, love, love my old Lee Hand primer.

I"m with you there. I bought mine back in the last century, and have never seen a reason to look back, especially for rifle brass. There have been thousands of rounds (tens of thousands?) thru that thing and it still works fine.