Case trimmer, case prep, case cleaning recommendations needed.

[Jfjfrye]

I have a the rcbs rockchucker supreme kit and need just a couple more things to get started.
I need a case trimmer, and case cleaner. Im
Going to go with Rcbs trim pro I believe. But do not know which way to go with case cleaning. I will also be ordering hornady comparator and headspace measuring sets along with a couple digital calipers.

And help advise be appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[long hunter]

I use a RCBS vibrating cleaner and treated crushed walnut hulls, works fine for me, my hunting buddy swears by the chemical cleaning solution, Me I do not trust that route. As to trimers I use a hand cranked type. I am a slow loader take my time and double check everything, the digital calipers are really the only thing I use that could be considered more modern. Check your local Harbor Freight type place their digital calipers work well and a lot cheaper than a known brand name.

 

[Jfjfrye]

I use a RCBS vibrating cleaner and treated crushed walnut hulls, works fine for me, my hunting buddy swears by the chemical cleaning solution, Me I do not trust that route. As to trimers I use a hand cranked type. I am a slow loader take my time and double check everything, the digital calipers are really the only thing I use that could be considered more modern. Check your local Harbor Freight type place their digital calipers work well and a lot cheaper than a known brand name.

Thank you for the input. Greatly appreciate it. It’s quite a journey for a beginner. But thankfully there’s a lot of good information out there and great reloading manuals.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I use a FART, Franklin Arsenal Rotataing Tumbler for cleaning brass, wet tumbling with steel pins produces great results.
Trimming I use the FA case trimming station. I hate doing case prep these 2 machines have cut that time in half.

 

[Brendan]

Are you talking rifle reloading? Lower volume?

There's one school of thought that you don't need to clean cases at all beyond a wipe-down with a rag with acetone, and a quick bore brush to inside of the necks. You can actually get better consistency that way.

I like Mitutuyo digital calipers. One set should last you a lifetime if you take care of them.

Get a comparator for the calipers and whatever calibers you're reloading. Just know your measurements aren't comparable to anyone else's unless you're talking OAL. There's too much variation in comparator inserts.

Headspace can be measured by disassembling your bolt, and gradually seating a bullet deeper until you don't get resistance:

Finding Lands - Video

Case trimmer, I'll leave to others for recommendations. I like the Henderson Precision, but expensive.

 

[Gargoyle]

20yrs I have been using the Lee case length gauge & shell holder cartridge specific kits you chuck into a cordless drill. $8 a cartridge.

 

[Jfjfrye]

Are you talking rifle reloading? Lower volume?

There's one school of thought that you don't need to clean cases at all beyond a wipe-down with a rag with acetone, and a quick bore brush to inside of the necks. You can actually get better consistency that way.

I like Mitutuyo digital calipers. One set should last you a lifetime if you take care of them.

Get a comparator for the calipers and whatever calibers you're reloading. Just know your measurements aren't comparable to anyone else's unless you're talking OAL. There's too much variation in comparator inserts.

Headspace can be measured by disassembling your bolt, and gradually seating a bullet deeper until you don't get resistance:

Finding Lands - Video

Case trimmer, I'll leave to others for recommendations. I like the Henderson Precision, but expensive.

Yes low volume hunting ammo. I think I would like to have a system to stick by when it comes to case prep so everything is 100% clean and the same each firing. I watched the video about headspacing that Cortina did. Seemed like an easy way to figure it out.

Thank you.

 

[Brendan]

Yes low volume hunting ammo. I think I would like to have a system to stick by when it comes to case prep so everything is 100% clean and the same each firing. I watched the video about headspacing that Cortina did. Seemed like an easy way to figure it out.

Thank you.

Cleaning can make accuracy and consistency worse. Generally it's easier if you don't clean the inside of the necks to bare brass which means no wet tumbling.

You can dry tumble if you want, but it's not needed.

 

[wind gypsy]

I haven't purchased in 2-3 years but frankford arsenal made the best bang for $ options in both rotary and vibratory tumblers last i looked. Stainless wet tumbling will make your brass look the prettiest but i went away from that and vibratory tumble in rice now. There was a school of thought that SS wet tumbling dinged up case mouths and cleaned the carbon out of necks making seating pressure less consistent. I can't say my ammo shoots any better since changing but it's nice not having to dry. There is a primal rights article somewhere if you google dry rice tumbling. You don't get all the dust with the rice that you do with corn cob media.

For trimming, chamfer, debur - I'd not go without a process that just does all 3 at once again. Forster makes 3 in 1 cutting heads that are more budget friendly but a giraud or henderson trimmer is really the buy once, cry once, solution. I have the RCBS case prep station too for quick one of chamfer/debur/flash hole touchup but I typically just try to buy quality brass up front and then never touch the primer pockets or flash holes.

 

[seand]

Headspace can be measured by disassembling your bolt, and gradually seating a bullet deeper until you don't get resistance:

Finding Lands - Video

That’s not headspace, that’s bullet jump, or base to lands. Bullet jump is an accuracy/tuning thing. Headspace is max base to shoulder datum in your chamber. Dialing in headspace extends brass life and Excessive Headspace is a safety thing.

You can feel headspace if you resize without pushing the shoulder back enough times that you get resistance on bolt close. That’s zero headspace. Alternatively you can use a comparator on the shoulder on fired brass. But understand the fired brass may not grow enough to match chamber length until the case is fired multiple times.

Agree that a tumbler is not necessary. I didn’t use one until I started processing range pickup brass. A wipe with a rag is fine for reloading your own fired cases.

The WCT trimmer is 20 bucks. Pair with a hand chamfer tool and you are golden.

 

[Gila]

I recently got into rifle reloading but didn’t buy a kit. Calipers are one thing not go cheap with. I bought the hornady digital and they are, well not so good....Get the Mitutoyo or some quality calipers if you can swing it. You can find good ones on sale for about a hundred. Hornady bullet comparator and headspace gauge is ok, but there are better out there. I do the case prep by hand because I don’t process very many cases at a time. The Lyman orange tool for neck chamfer. I use RCBS hand tool for cleaning primer pockets. The K&M flash hole de-burr tool. I like the K&M neck tools also. I am going to try the Century 21 neck tension mandrels.

The Frankford arsenal tumbler kit cost me $60 and although it is noisy, cleans the brass well in an hour or two. I anneal by hand with a pencil torch and a hand drill. The Hornady reloading manual 11th Edition is about as useful as teeth on a chicken, don’t waste your money like I did. The Hodgdon reloading data center/manual is one of the best I‘ve seen so far and it’s free:

Reloading Data Center

www.hodgdonreloading.com

https://ramshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB.pdf

 

[long hunter]

A tip for cleaning the primer pockets, take the brush out of the handle and chuck it in drill (I use a cordless one) A few seconds and job done beats turning it by hand and a lot cheaper than a case prep center for the primer pockets.

 

[Brendan]

That’s not headspace, that’s bullet jump, or base to lands. Bullet jump is an accuracy/tuning thing. Headspace is max base to shoulder datum in your chamber. Dialing in headspace extends brass life and Excessive Headspace is a safety thing.

You can feel headspace if you resize without pushing the shoulder back enough times that you get resistance on bolt close. That’s zero headspace. Alternatively you can use a comparator on the shoulder on fired brass. But understand the fired brass may not grow enough to match chamber length until the case is fired multiple times.

Yep, fingers were moving faster than brain

I agree with the second comment too, I don't measure headspace. Similar process to lands measurement:

 

[Gila]

Head space is “loose” in factory ammo. The shoulder gets blown out to whatever dimension your chamber is when firing the ammo. Rather than working your brass to an early death you only need to bump the shoulder (resize) back .002. As long as it chambers without sticking after being re-sized.

My chamber in my 300 win mag blows the shoulder out to .275 so I “bump” the shoulder to .273

The bullet comparator measures CBTO (Case Base To OGIVE). What you are trying to do is to find out how far the OGIVE of the bullet has to travel in the barrel to contact the lands. This to find out what the seating depth should be given a particular bullet for a particular rifle.