Is a case prep station necessary
- Thread starter Necro Monger
- Start date
I have been reloading pistol for 8-9 years and rifle for 2 years now,
Here is my take on it, while others may not agree it's the way I see my press uses and am set up.
All my high volume pistol ammo is done on my Dillon 650,
My occasional pistol ammo, and semi-automatic ammo rifle ammo is done on my Dillon 550.
The reason being is that conversions are cheaper on the 550 to set up for multiple calibers,
I find the 550 to be a tad more accurate for rifle ammo,
For rifle ammo I have 2x tool heads, one has the resizer and the automatic trimmer, the other is for powdering, seating, crimping.
All my bolt action precision ammo is on a single stage.
Are you going to reload for other calibers?
Is your 308 a precision rifle or a semi auto plinker?
If your 308 is a precision rifle, I would make both of these calibers on a single stage for the moment, i'd be surprised if you shot more than 100x .50AE per week.
If you also had let's say a 9mm and a 223 I would look into making them on the 650.
Only an opinion here you may get many different versions...
Edit : I don't have a case prep machine, what's done for semi auto get's automatically trimmed and resized on the 550, what's done for bolt action has many different individual prepping stations to process the brass with.
Here is my take on it, while others may not agree it's the way I see my press uses and am set up.
All my high volume pistol ammo is done on my Dillon 650,
My occasional pistol ammo, and semi-automatic ammo rifle ammo is done on my Dillon 550.
The reason being is that conversions are cheaper on the 550 to set up for multiple calibers,
I find the 550 to be a tad more accurate for rifle ammo,
For rifle ammo I have 2x tool heads, one has the resizer and the automatic trimmer, the other is for powdering, seating, crimping.
All my bolt action precision ammo is on a single stage.
Are you going to reload for other calibers?
Is your 308 a precision rifle or a semi auto plinker?
If your 308 is a precision rifle, I would make both of these calibers on a single stage for the moment, i'd be surprised if you shot more than 100x .50AE per week.
If you also had let's say a 9mm and a 223 I would look into making them on the 650.
Only an opinion here you may get many different versions...
Edit : I don't have a case prep machine, what's done for semi auto get's automatically trimmed and resized on the 550, what's done for bolt action has many different individual prepping stations to process the brass with.
You need to check case length after sizing. Every time. How you plan to correct case legth and process your brass is up to you.
They will go bang if you dont clean the inside of the case. But if you try to chamber a cartridge that is too long the gun and cartridge go kaboom.
They will go bang if you dont clean the inside of the case. But if you try to chamber a cartridge that is too long the gun and cartridge go kaboom.
RangerPark
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That's why I use the World's Finest Trimmer 2 with inserts for all rifle calibers I load. I set the trimmer to .010" under max and run every case through. Some get trimmed, some don't. It's quicker to run them all through than to measure which ones need trimming.
With all due respect, i do not know of anyone who trims straight wall pistol cases to length, as they do not stretch significanltly from being resized, unlike bottleneck cases, which undergo significant stretching and require triming and chamfering. So you are correct, as far as bottleneck rifle casings go. I beg to disagree as afr as straight wall pistol cases go.
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With this information in hand,
50AE yeah no need to trim a straight wall casing if it acts anything like others.
Id say have at it on a 650 if your heart desires and load 9mm (or other common caliber) while at it.
Precision 1000 yds .308 ammo, im right in there doing that right now.
Yes you will have to process your brass every firing, which includes trimming.
Ideally everything is done single stage, and the deeper you get into the process the better is your ammo.
If you buy the Forster 3in1 trimming station for 308 with power adapter,
You can hook it up to a cordless drill, and will trim/chamfer/deburr 3in1 all in 1 quick pass.
A real time saver.
For any bottle neck rifle cartridge you should fully prep every piece of brass every time.
If it's for precision you're better off using a quality single stage press than a progressive but at least you've got a quality progressive if you're using it for your precision loads. Probably not as consistent as a single stage but better than other progressives.
I have the RCBS case prep center which I will be putting up for sale one day because I also bought the Fulton case prep and trim center which also takes care of my trimming needs. I use it for all my rifle cases every time.
Do you need an automated station? Definitely not, everything can be done with hand tools but it does speed things up if you're prepping a lot of brass.
I hate case prep and I rarely shoot long long range so I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to reloading. My methods have found me many great loads but I know I leave some room for improvement which I would pursue if I was shooting long range more often.
The further you plan to shoot the more precise your prep should be.
It all depends on your budget, purpose, amount of time available, and level of OCD as to what tools you "need" to prep your brass to a level you're satisfied with.
You can easily do everything needed without the powered prep station, it just speeds things up a bit which I find handy for me when I'm prepping 223 or 308 which I have hundreds and hundreds of pieces of brass I have to prep.
If it's for precision you're better off using a quality single stage press than a progressive but at least you've got a quality progressive if you're using it for your precision loads. Probably not as consistent as a single stage but better than other progressives.
I have the RCBS case prep center which I will be putting up for sale one day because I also bought the Fulton case prep and trim center which also takes care of my trimming needs. I use it for all my rifle cases every time.
Do you need an automated station? Definitely not, everything can be done with hand tools but it does speed things up if you're prepping a lot of brass.
I hate case prep and I rarely shoot long long range so I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to reloading. My methods have found me many great loads but I know I leave some room for improvement which I would pursue if I was shooting long range more often.
The further you plan to shoot the more precise your prep should be.
It all depends on your budget, purpose, amount of time available, and level of OCD as to what tools you "need" to prep your brass to a level you're satisfied with.
You can easily do everything needed without the powered prep station, it just speeds things up a bit which I find handy for me when I'm prepping 223 or 308 which I have hundreds and hundreds of pieces of brass I have to prep.
I also have a .50 DE. Anything .50 is a hassle to reload compared to other straight wall cases, because there's no carbide dies available for them. So you'll need to lube the cases before resizing, and clean them afterward. So you can't really make them on a progressive like you can with "normal" calibre. Well, you can use a progressive to make them, but you won't get the whole benefit of the progressive like you would with the smaller calibres.
For me it's faster to make my 50AE on a single stage than it is to make them on a progressive. When using a progressive, normally what you would want is just to clean your cases, then reload them, with all the reloading done in one shot on the progressive press. With 50AE, you lube them, then size, then you have to clean the lube. If you're on a progressive, it means you can't do anything else on that run, so you only use one station. Then you clean, get back on the press, and then you do the actual reloading (primer+powder+bullet). Given how long it takes to convert from one calibre to another, and how I make only small batches of 50AE, it's faster to use the single stage.
RCBS makes a 50 AE lube die. I assume you could set up your dies for lube, size, flare, powder, seat. Then wipe the lube off the finished rounds.
Never loaded for 50 AE so just a theory.
RCBS makes a 50 AE lube die. I assume you could set up your dies for lube, size, flare, powder, seat. Then wipe the lube off the finished rounds.
Never loaded for 50 AE so just a theory.
Won't work, priming is between station 1 and 2 on most press, so you would need to deprime prior to that. Those lube dies are made so you can speed up production but still in 2 passes on a progressive press. First pass, you lube, size/deprime, and if it's a rifle case, you then trim and chamfer/deburr. Then you clean the lube off press, and you have prepped brass, all you have to do is prime, powder and seat on the 2nd pass. In the case of a 50ae or 500sw, you do the same but no need to trim/chamfer/deburr.
The real problem with .50 ammos is that they can't make carbide dies. They would be too brittle and break. The Hornady titanium are supposed to be as good as carbide dies, but they really are not, they need lube just like steel dies.
The lube die deprimes, too. I'e used them for 223
SO in theory you could lube/deprime same as the regular size/deprime- then prime on the downstroke, size without a decapper, flare the case mouth, charge powder, then seat
So for 5 station-
lube/deprime
prime on downstroke
size (no decap pin)
flare
charge
seat
RCBS must have made a lube die for some reason, I think!
Or pre lube like Marty says
SO in theory you could lube/deprime same as the regular size/deprime- then prime on the downstroke, size without a decapper, flare the case mouth, charge powder, then seat
So for 5 station-
lube/deprime
prime on downstroke
size (no decap pin)
flare
charge
seat
RCBS must have made a lube die for some reason, I think!
Or pre lube like Marty says
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The lube die deprimes, too. I'e used them for 223
SO in theory you could lube/deprime same as the regular size/deprime- then prime on the downstroke, size without a decapper, flare the case mouth, charge powder, then seat
So for 5 station-
lube/deprime
prime on downstroke
size (no decap pin)
flare
charge
seat
RCBS must have made a lube die for some reason, I think!
Or pre lube like Marty says
Would work then.
I don't see a problem for a large case mouth like .50, but for a small case mouth like 223, doesn't the powder stick to the lube and make a mess?
Powder doesn't stick to the toxic Hornady 1 shot lube!
It's safe for powder but unsafe for humans, where my Dillon lanolin is safe for humans and unsafe for powder!
Can you tell I have a love/hate relationship going on here?
For a straight walled .50 pistol case, doesn't work for 223, maybe deal with it like I do for my 9mm?
Not sure if it would work, but I dry tumble my 9mm casings for 8-9 hours with a crap load of liquid media polish in the tumbler.
Brass comes out slippery and just cycles in the 650 (so smooth I can operate with 1 finger) with no additional lube, .223 I still got to Hornady one shot lube so I don't bother with the extra tumbling.
I don't reload rifle rounds, except a very small quantity of 300WSM that I do on my single stage. I don't have a dry tumbler, only a wet one. I was just asking out of curiosity. If I end up reload 223, I'll sell my brass on the EE and buy processed brass from Black Sheep Brass, so it'll be like I paid someone else to prep my brass.
You might wanna try the Lee lube. It's water based, safe for both humans and powder (once dry), but you gotta dry tumble the rounds afterward.
Lubing cases with a progressive press is no big deal. Start by tumble lubing cases in a bag or other suitable container. Remove lube from loaded rounds by laying them on a towel, spraying with brake cleaner or isopropyl alcohol, and then pick up the towel by the ends like a hammock and roll the rounds back and forth in the towel.
