progressive press and 223 case trimming

[bandit86]

The 223 needs to be trimmed almost every time it's reloaded, how do you guys with progressive presses do that if stage 1 is deprime and resize? Taking every case out of the press and putting it back in seems counter productive.

What cases should be trimmed every loading? What can be done every few operations?

 

[maynard]

If your .223 cases need to be trimmed every time you load them you have other problems. How much are they growing when you resize them?

 

[Trinimon]

Most bottle neck cases will require trimming every few FL sizing depending on how much you originally trimmed to begin. If you are crimping, you'd want your cases to be the same length. If you're shooing a bolt gun, get a neck sizing die and use only brass fired from your rifle. You can get away with neck sizing only for semi-auto use but that may depend on how picky your rifle is, then FL size and trim on the 3rd-4th firing.

 

[Win Shooter]

This may seem redundant but when I get a 5 gallon bucket full I size them through a single stage separately and then wipe off the lube and then run them through the Giraud trimmer. I like doing it this way for I can go as fast as I can pull the handle on the 1050 but mostly I don't get powder spilling on the shell plate from that little bounce you get when the case pulls out of the sizing die. I trim every reload for I crimp for semi's and if I get some range pick ups I won't need to worry about buckling shoulders.

 

[Al-Sway]

My experience is clearly different from the couple of posters here. I rarely if ever trim my .223 cases. I might do it after the first firing to a common length, if I plan to crimp. Otherwise, I don't need to trim after every firing. As well, in my experience bottle neck cases do not need to be trimmed after every few firings either. I will check my lots as I load, but most of the time I might do it after 5 or 6 loadings to clean up the case mouths.
Everyone is entitled to spend their time as they wish. I prefer to spend it shooting, not on matters that have not affected my accuracy or pressures.

 

[kombayotch]

On my 650XL:

Spray RCBS Case Slick into a big zip-loc bag, fill half way with cases, shake, then dump them in the hopper of the case feeder.

Stage 1: Deprime and expand dented case mouth (Hornady decapper with expander button)
Stage 2: empty
Stage 3: Dillon trimmer
Stage 4: empty
Stage 5: Lee FL sizing die (Dillon die puts on too much neck tension. This expands the neck and re-orientates the burr so that its in line with the bullet. Makes it easier to remove if you want to remove it)

I got a Traxxas axel pin with 'E' clips on each end that I use instead of the toolhead pin on the side the trimmer it on since it blocks the toolhead pin from being inserted.

Just push it up through the bottom, and put the "E" clip on.

 

[hexbasher]

-Hornady case feeder, custom shuttle and extra bushing added
-Station one, modified lee universal decapper, turned into lube die
-Press modified to swage primer pockets
-Station two, lee universal flare die, with custom 22 flare for straightening mouths
-Station three, dillon trim die with rt1200, custom vacuum manifold
-Station four, custom die body to hold Hornady zip spindle, 22 expander
-Station five, custom die body to hold dial indicator

I just need to find a way to automate head stamp sorting

 

[Red_Liner740]

This is what I do. I deprime on lee single stage. I had a custom made arm made that kicks off the brass when the press arm goes back to home position. So all I gotta do is place the brass and pull the handle.

The brass is then ss tumble cleaned, resized on the single stage.

I trim on a modified Lyman trimmer with drill attachment and rcbs 3way trimmer. Although it's quick as he'll with zero deburing needed, I still hate doing it.

I then prime, powder, seat and crimp on Dillon 550.

If I shot hundreds f rounds a week I might think about a fully automated setup.

 

[rodregier]

+1 single stage and Girard trim. Bottleneck brass prep and inspection is the most demanding part of reloading rifle cartridges.

 

[ffgats]

here"s mine
Machine 550
1.Clean brass/tumble, Lube brass( lanolin/alchohol mix), Tumble to wash away the lube
2.Tool Head 1
-- resized/ deprimed

3.Trimmed with Giraurd Trimmer

4.Tool Head 2
-- Decapping Die
-- Powder Drop
-- Seat
I agree its the case preparation that takes your time, so I only prepare all my cases(6k) without loading once a year. and load 2k per batch.
If you pick up range brass, I recommend to FL and trimmed your brass for semi auto.

 

[tjhaile]

I also do it in two passes through a Dillon 550 with trimming with a Giraud trimmer in between. On the first pass, station 1 has a sizing die set up to deprime only with a Lyman M die neck expanding (without flaring the mouth) in station 2. I find that this works more smoothly than pulling the expander ball back through the case and is less sensitive to case mouth lubrication.

The second pass uses a decapping die in station 1 to ensure that no primer media is stuck in the flash hole, as the brass is tumbled after sizing to remove any lube.

 

[ted_dent]

I use the RCBS X die. You trim the cases once to minimum length. After that, sizing in the X die prevents them from stretching more than a few thou and keeps them under the length where trimming is necessary.

 

[rubberdown]

I have reloaded .223 in a Lee Pro, but I only did about 30 rounds and still havent tested them yet. Regardless, this was my procedure.

-1st time around, use a turret head with only the de-primer and sizer die, leave the other 2 holes opened.
-Resize all cases with hand drill and resizer tool
-Remove 1st turret and insert 2nd turret, this time first hole is empty, 2nd hole has powder charge and primer pressed in and 3rd hole seats the bullet to length
-Remove 2nd turret and insert a 3rd turret with the crimp die at the first hole and leave the 2nd and 3rd holes opened.

Luckily I have a ton of these turret heads LOL and although it is a bit tedious, it works.

 

[ffgats]

I also do it in two passes through a Dillon 550 with trimming with a Giraud trimmer in between. On the first pass, station 1 has a sizing die set up to deprime only with a Lyman M die neck expanding (without flaring the mouth) in station 2. I find that this works more smoothly than pulling the expander ball back through the case and is less sensitive to case mouth lubrication.

The second pass uses a decapping die in station 1 to ensure that no primer media is stuck in the flash hole, as the brass is tumbled after sizing to remove any lube.

Curiuos about the M Die, heard a lot of good things about it, maybe you can enlightened us on this, would prefer an actual experience than manufacturer's sales talk, thanks

 

[Thorvald]

Dillon Powered case trimmer here, separate prep and trimming tool head (with RCBS lube die) for my 650 and then a dedicated tool head for reloading. Stupid fast and easy.

 

[tjhaile]

Curiuos about the M Die, heard a lot of good things about it, maybe you can enlightened us on this, would prefer an actual experience than manufacturer's sales talk, thanks

I recently started using it when I found that cases trimmed with my Giraud trimmer sometimes had a chamfer that wasn't uniform, regardless of my trimming technique. I traced the problem to the expander ball causing runout. the M die seems to have solved the problem with the added benefit of removing jerkiness from the expander ball on the down stroke.

The M die can be used to expand the case mouth with a stepped contour to aid in bullet seating, but I just have mine adjusted for neck expansion only, as the chamfer left from trimming on the Giraud serves the same purpose.

 

[ffgats]

I recently started using it when I found that cases trimmed with my Giraud trimmer sometimes had a chamfer that wasn't uniform, regardless of my trimming technique. I traced the problem to the expander ball causing runout. the M die seems to have solved the problem with the added benefit of removing jerkiness from the expander ball on the down stroke.

The M die can be used to expand the case mouth with a stepped contour to aid in bullet seating, but I just have mine adjusted for neck expansion only, as the chamfer left from trimming on the Giraud serves the same purpose.

got it, so you just deprimed and body size on station 1,and neck expansion on station 3. will do some more reading on this M Die

 

[thump_rrr]

The Dillon trimmer die is what sizes the case.
So station #1 to decap. I use a full length die setup only to decap and expand.
I use the Dillon RT-1200 to size and trim.
I then wet tumble in SS pins which removes the burr left by the trimmer.

For precision rounds I chamfer and deburr but for general plinking with Hornady FMJ's I simply load them as is.
The Noveske will shoot almost anything well.

 

[tjhaile]

got it, so you just deprimed and body size on station 1,and neck expansion on station 3. will do some more reading on this M Die

Neck expansion uses station 2, but, that is basically correct.

 

[thump_rrr]

I tried using the RCBS lube die but it was more hassle than its worth.
I now place the casings on a baking sheet and spray them with Dillon case lube which is liquid lanolin and isopropyl alcohol.
I then toss them in the case feeder and I'm good to go.