Painless load development (mine)

[ResearchinStuff]

A case trimmer is pretty dang mandatory, excessive neck length will cause overpressure. Might not matter if you trash brass after 1-2 firings, but most don't do that.

 

[HighUintas]

A case trimmer is pretty dang mandatory, excessive neck length will cause overpressure. Might not matter if you trash brass after 1-2 firings, but most don't do that.

I know that but I'm speaking about length uniformity between cases

 

[DakotaBPNW]

Single Stage Press (Rock Chucker)
Hand Primer (RCBS or Lee)
Trimmer (RCBS Trim Pro 2)
Balance Beam Scale (Redding or RCBS)
FL Die Set (I like Redding)
Micrometers (Mitutoyo)
Comparator Set for measuring shoulder bump and base to ogive
Brass Tumbler
Manual powder thrower or Lee scoop set and then trickle up
Hornady one shot for lube
Chamfer/Deburring tool

 

[DakotaBPNW]

I know that but I'm speaking about length uniformity between cases

Trim all your cases to the listed trim length, I shoot for basically 0 difference in case length. Just another variable to take out

 

[Formidilosus]

@Formidilosus , since everyone hates trimming brass... Do you have any specific tolerance for varying brass lengths you try to stick to? Does 0.005 make a difference? 0.010?

I do not care. Don’t even have a case trimmer. Most stuff I shoot doesn’t grow much, and I will generally lose the brass before 6-7 firings in any case.

And how often would you rework a load due to throat erosion? Never?

Very rarely. I do not use loads that are seating depth sensitive, I do not chase lands, and I don’t screw with loads. About the only thing that changes is powder charge goes up a bit as the barrel is starting to wear out and loses MV. Anymore I just pull the barrel when MV drops as it’s not worth the headache.

Do you crimp your bolt action rounds?

Generally no.

 

[carsonkeys]

RCBS or Lee single stage press. RCBS FL sizing and seating dies. RCBS electronic powder dispenser. RCBS Hand priming tool.

That's a really helpful starting point, thank you. I noticed you didn't have a tumbler on your list - safe to assume you don't clean your brass?

I do not care. Don’t even have a case trimmer. Most stuff I shoot doesn’t grow much, and I will generally lose the brass before 6-7 firings in any case.

No case trimmer and potentially no tumbler and you're getting 6-7 firings? If so, this counters quite literally everything I've ever learned about reloading.

Honestly, I'm hoping you confirm what I've said above because you may have just blown the roof off of all my hesitations about getting into reloading.

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

RCBS or Lee single stage press. RCBS FL sizing and seating dies. RCBS electronic powder dispenser. RCBS Hand priming tool.

Do you clean brass?

 

[ResearchinStuff]

The 25/06 that got me into reloading would have killed me if I tried to go 6 or 7 firings without trimming. Pressure would rise noticably at the max case length per the books, i.e. 2 firings after the trim to length. Some newer case designs claim to minimize growth, maybe there's truth to that enabling Form to get his highly atypical results. A 25/06 is definitely different than a 6.5 creed or 6XC.

To anyone reading this thread: if you assume that 6-7 firings without trimming will be fine for every case design and rifle combo, you don't use calipers to monitor case length, and you haven't got a chamber length gauge to know exactly how long your necks can get before they hit the end of the chamber: you are taking a tremendous risk.

 

[Formidilosus]

That's a really helpful starting point, thank you. I noticed you didn't have a tumbler on your list - safe to assume you don't clean your brass?

No. It has no issues effect on performance.

No case trimmer and potentially no tumbler and you're getting 6-7 firings? If so, this counters quite literally everything I've ever learned about reloading.

Honestly, I'm hoping you confirm what I've said above because you may have just blown the roof off of all my hesitations about getting into reloading.

Correct. I do not trim, however as I said I lose brass before it becomes an issue generally. A case trimmer is easy enough that if trimming becomes necessary (read- the case doesn’t chamber) it doesn’t take long to do so. However I’d rather shoot Winchester brass and not worry when I lose it then fiddle with inconsequential things just to get a couple more firings out of it.

 

[Formidilosus]

The 25/06 that got me into reloading would have killed me if I tried to go 6 or 7 firings without trimming. Pressure would rise noticably at the max case length per the books, i.e. 2 firings after the trim to length. Some newer case designs claim to minimize growth, maybe there's truth to that enabling Form to get his highly atypical results. A 25/06 is definitely different than a 6.5 creed or 6XC.

To anyone reading this thread: if you assume that 6-7 firings without trimming will be fine for every case design and rifle combo, you don't use calipers to monitor case length, and you haven't got a chamber length gauge to know exactly how long your necks can get before they hit the end of the chamber: you are taking a tremendous risk.

Correct. I don’t shoot many chambering that case stretch much. The 270 does, but I just punt the cases after a couple of firings.

 

[HighUintas]

Cases with more taper in the body and lower angle shoulders will grow more with each firing/resizing than straight body cases with 35* shoulders.

Best thing to do is monitor by measuring to make sure you're not too long.

You absolutely do not need to clean cases. One of the best 1000y competitors and smiths doesn't clean brass and only uses a nylon brush inside the neck.

 

[SouthPaw]

You absolutely do not need to clean cases. One of the best 1000y competitors and smiths doesn't clean brass and only uses a nylon brush inside the neck.

What about after sizing, just wipe off the lube/wax?

 

[Formidilosus]

What about after sizing, just wipe off the lube/wax?

Hornady Oneshot and don’t worry about it.

 

[amassi]

Cases with more taper in the body and lower angle shoulders will grow more with each firing/resizing than straight body cases with 35* shoulders.

Best thing to do is monitor by measuring to make sure you're not too long.

You absolutely do not need to clean cases. One of the best 1000y competitors and smiths doesn't clean brass and only uses a nylon brush inside the neck.

I used to overclean brass, stainless pins do such a wonderful job, but most of my rifles actually shoot much better with used brass. I'll take some very fine steel wool if there's any carbon on the necks and that's it.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[amassi]

What about after sizing, just wipe off the lube/wax?

I wipe them off with some denatured alcohol since I'm using wax and don't want it in the rifle. As posted above when I used one shot I didn't worry about wiping them off

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[carsonkeys]

What about after sizing, just wipe off the lube/wax?

Hornady Oneshot and don’t worry about it.

A stupid question, I'm sure, but idc because I'm learning a lot here and the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

What exactly are you lubing/waxing and why?

 

[HighUintas]

I Remove carbon from outside of casenck if there is any, with steel wool. Don't want it in my die or chamber.

Brush inside of neck twice.

Lube with Lee case lube, wipe off with cloth after sizing.

 

[HighUintas]

A stupid question, I'm sure, but idc because I'm learning a lot here and the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

What exactly are you lubing/waxing and why?

Lube/wax the case body and sometimes neck before sizing to prevent getting a case stuck in the sizing die and to prevent galling of brass

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Inadequate lube on bottle neck cases leads to some real exciting moments, like ripping the rim off of the case that you're trying to extract from a sizing die.

 

[carsonkeys]

Item	Dealer	Price
Summit Single Stage Press	RCBS	$269.99
Electronic Powder Dispenser	RCBS	$299.99
6.5cm Dies	RCBS	$42.99
.223 Dies	RCBS	$42.99
Hand Priming Tool	RCBS	$72.99
Powder Funnel	RCBS	$5.99
Hornady OneShot DynaGlide	Cabelas	$14.99
Hornady Digital Calipers	Scheels	$39.99
RCBS Case Trimmer	RCBS	$129.99
		$919.91

Here's a spreadsheet with links with what's been discussed above for anyone interested. Did this for myself as a way to budget over the next few months, but figured it might help someone else too.