Mass resizing techniques

[IRY]

Well I did a little experiment today to see how long it might take you to prep your cases from start to finish. I too have a few 556 cases to prep and load.
I preped about 1200 cases today and it took most of the day or about 7 hours. I started with clean deprimed brass and mass lubed them and ran them through my FL die(I have a case kicker on my press!). Then set my calipers to 1.75" to see how many I had to trim. I then trimmed about 1100 and swaged nearly all of the cases. Some were 223 and didn't need a crimp removed. This process was mind numbing! I did it all in batches of about 200 cases. That is trim 200 then swage/debur inside and out rinse and repeat.
This whole process made me realize that I need to invest in a faster trimmer and possibly a case prep center.
I used three battery drills. Two with the inside and outside chamfer tool with the triggers wired closed. The other was on my RCBS trim pro2. With the trim pro when I was in a really good rythem I could trim about one case every 7 seconds.
With the cases cut to 1.750 I should get a few firings out of them before I need to trim again.

 

[umrek]

I set up two swappable boards with a swager and trimmer....still tedious and time consuming.

Dillon


Modified bench grinder from Harbor Freight with a WFT head

 

[IRY]

I set up two swappable boards with a swager and trimmer....still tedious and time consuming.

Dillon
View attachment 487770

Modified bench grinder from Harbor Freight with a WFT head
View attachment 487771

I think that the WFT is the way to go for mass trimming! To bad you couldn't utilize that other side of the grinder for chamfer station.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I set up two swappable boards with a swager and trimmer....still tedious and time consuming.

Dillon
View attachment 487770

Modified bench grinder from Harbor Freight with a WFT head
View attachment 487771

Nice trick with the trimmer.
I will have to see if I can incorporate my bench drill press for trimming.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Well I did a little experiment today to see how long it might take you to prep your cases from start to finish. I too have a few 556 cases to prep and load.
I preped about 1200 cases today and it took most of the day or about 7 hours. I started with clean deprimed brass and mass lubed them and ran them through my FL die(I have a case kicker on my press!). Then set my calipers to 1.75" to see how many I had to trim. I then trimmed about 1100 and swaged nearly all of the cases. Some were 223 and didn't need a crimp removed. This process was mind numbing! I did it all in batches of about 200 cases. That is trim 200 then swage/debur inside and out rinse and repeat.
This whole process made me realize that I need to invest in a faster trimmer and possibly a case prep center.
I used three battery drills. Two with the inside and outside chamfer tool with the triggers wired closed. The other was on my RCBS trim pro2. With the trim pro when I was in a really good rythem I could trim about one case every 7 seconds.
With the cases cut to 1.750 I should get a few firings out of them before I need to trim again.

I like to put all my shot brass into a tub labeled as MY FIRED BRASS. I can move quickly through it when processing them.

Yep, prepping cases definitely takes the Lion's Share of reloading time.
Good thing I'm retired because this hobby takes quite a bit of time, but it is rewarding.

 

[umrek]

I can't take full credit, I found a few videos on YouTube after getting tired using a hand drill.

I'm thinking of putting a fan blade on the other side for cooling....the grinder gets pretty hot after trimming a bin full.

 

[DizzyJ]

For mass trimming and chamfering, the bench top Giraud is hard to beat.

 

[IRY]

The OP was worried about the resize process, but that will be easy compared to the trimming/chamfer process. I think it will take him about 40 hours to get all 4000 cases to finished cartridge and most of that time will be trimming!

 

[Caveman Jim]

For mass trimming and chamfering, the bench top Giraud is hard to beat.

Yep the old by once cry once mentality comes to mind with those, they are pretty expensive but save a few steps....

 

[ageingstudent]

I still think Mrs. Student would be the most efficient way to get all my brass prepped while I'm out shooting it all up. Even better than a WFT or a Giraud and she makes me dinner to boot. I'll let you all know how that's going just as soon as she stops shaking her head at me.

 

[DizzyJ]

Yep the old by once cry once mentality comes to mind with those, they are pretty expensive but save a few steps....

It really depends on the qty you're processing as to whether or not it's worth the price.

For me, I'll never go back. Don't understand how I got along without one once I actually sat down and used it for the first time!

1,000 cases at a time is no problem. Well, your fingers might get a LITTLE sore, but nothing like trimming by hand and then having to chamfer both the inside and outside of the case!

After doing just 100 in a row the old way, I though my hand was crippled for life!

 

[Caveman Jim]

The OP was worried about the resize process, but that will be easy compared to the trimming/chamfer process. I think it will take him about 40 hours to get all 4000 cases to finished cartridge and most of that time will be trimming!

I do believe you are correct about that.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I still think Mrs. Student would be the most efficient way to get all my brass prepped while I'm out shooting it all up. Even better than a WFT or a Giraud and she makes me dinner to boot. I'll let you all know how that's going just as soon as she stops shaking her head at me.

Hahaha, I've got this cartoon in my head of the wife standing there tapping her toes with her rolling pin in her hand. LOL

 

[Caveman Jim]

Ok, back to resizing.
In the past I had used a dab of RCBS lube in the case mouth when the expander comes out of the case mouth and gets sticky. I have heard that some use a silica powder.
What are your preferences for this task?

 

[DizzyJ]

Ok, back to resizing.
In the past I had used a dab of RCBS lube in the case mouth when the expander comes out of the case mouth and gets sticky. I have heard that some use a silica powder.
What are your preferences for this task?

I dip the necks into a shot glass full of lanolin/alcohol mix so that the inside gets lubed up well.

I then tumble in stainless media and dawn dish soap and hot water to remove the lube prior to priming and charging the cases.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I changed to the lanolin/alchohol mix too last year & spray some in the mouths but I do not wet clean, just tumble in corncob media.
I did notice that after resizing I tumbled & when I was checking cases there was accumulations of media inside the case which prompting me to use my air compressor to blow out the excess media.
It was unsettling, maybe I should go to wet cleaning

 

[ageingstudent]

Ok, back to resizing.
In the past I had used a dab of RCBS lube in the case mouth when the expander comes out of the case mouth and gets sticky. I have heard that some use a silica powder.
What are your preferences for this task?

I use the powdered mica on the neck. Works like a champ.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I use the powdered mica on the neck. Works like a champ.

Do you dip each case?

 

[ageingstudent]

Do you dip each case?

Yes on the way to the press. Dip, tap, size. I keep a 500 s&w case full of the mica and just dip the neck in. I like it better than graphite because it's white and clean and doesn't migrate all over the place.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Yes on the way to the press. Dip, tap, size. I keep a 500 s&w case full of the mica and just dip the neck in. I like it better than graphite because it's white and clean and doesn't migrate all over the place.

Sounds like that is the ticket versus getting media stuck inside the case from the lube and have to use the air compressor to blow out each case.
Thanks Bro!