? Most hated job in reloading ?

[standles]

Lets see if we can spur some innovation within the ranks.

What is the most hated job you face when reloading, casting, smelting etc.

Lets list them and shy it is hated. Then maybe one of our more innovative folks can provide a solution to the collective.

Please don't list something that is already handled effectively by a commercial product.

Who wants to go first?

[runfiverun]

annealing.

[kelbro]

brass prep

[markinalpine]

...looking for dropped primers!
It's not that I'm cheap...OK, that too :oops:. It's mainly because you can't buy any. :mad:

Mark :cbpour:

[44mag1]

trimming brass, you have to do it after sizing, makes a progresive press not so fast.

[cheese1566]

Trying to justify to the old lady why I just bought another reloading press, when I already have 4...:razz:

Smelting wheel weights into ingots

[HeavyMetal]

I'll post brass prep as the most hated.

This will include not just trimming, but also deburring the flash hole, reaming the primer pocket to the correct depth and other needed case prep.

[MT Gianni]

Cleaning lube from bb boolits stinks, lubing takes time I use an LY 450 and RCBS sizers. There is nothing about the process I dread.

[C A Plater]

Pulling bullets. It usually means I messed up the load somewhere along the line and they need redoing. Sometimes you can recover components but rarely do cast survive the experience intact.

[snaggdit]

Getting my Lee adjustable powder bar to drop the weight I want.

[TREERAT]

cutting off 30-06 cases with a dremel to make 358 win. there has got to be a better way.

I actually kinda enjoy anealing, guess I took to it like a duck to water!

[Tom W.]

I too hate trimming cases...

[d_striker]

I too hate trimming cases...

This...Hands down.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

+++++ Brass Prep and lubing for sizing/cleanup

[mike in co]

emptying the cases............................................. .......................
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,lol( as in shooting so i have empty cases to reload)

[dromia]

It's got to be brass prep, I've really got to work myself up for that chore. :evil:

[Recluse]

I'll post brass prep as the most hated.

This will include not just trimming, but also deburring the flash hole, reaming the primer pocket to the correct depth and other needed case prep.

Without a doubt!

:coffee:

[TREERAT]

for those who dislike lubing cases before sizing, I will share a trick I learned and have excelent results with. please try it and let me know what you think!

find yourself a small container with a lid, ( I use a chew tobacco can ). next locate some felt, and cut to fit the bottom of your container. then pour in enough hornady or rcbs type liquid lube to soak the felt. then to lube your case, lightly wipe your finger across the felt and use your finger to wipe the lower half of the case. now is where the felt really makes things nice, push the case straight into the felt, and it will leave about a 1/16 inch depth of lube inside and outside of the case neck. then run through the size die. since I discovered this it is the only way I will ever lube bottle neck cases again!!!

[nicholst55]

Trimming brass, without a doubt.

[azrednek]

It has to be sorting cases after a day at the range. I used to think keeping 38, 357 and 44 mag, 45 Colt seperated was a nightmare untill I added 9X18 to my list.

[Bigjohn]

For me; Case trimming, so many cases, so little time. :veryconfu

I NEED to add power to the trimmer! :evil:

John

[stubshaft]

Definitely case trimming.

[Tippet]

Looks like case trimming wins. So what's the solution?

[oldhickory]

Yep, it's trimming!

I use the wax lube, (Imperial) that comes in a metal can a little smaller than a chew-tobacci can, just get your fingers waxy and spin a wide ring on the case. I read some folks use furniture wax in a spray can, a light coat sprayed directly on cases and rolled back and forth on a towel...An OLD towel! Don't ruffle any feathers here, remember...Domestic tranquility!:bigsmyl2:

[ihmsakiwi]

Anything in the winter-time when I have to go out in the shed at night to reload.
Otherwise............brass trimming.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I just moved from a rented room and a 10x20 storage unit into a 1 bedroom trailer. I have been here a month and I am still unpacking and trying to set up a decent reloading bench.

Oh I have the bench and all the necessary implemets and such but first I need to clear out a 8' x 4' area. This will probably entail moving about a thousand lbs of stuff out to my single axle trailer parked in the carport. Then buy a set of industrial strength shelves from Costco {60 bucks} and drag them home and set up in the clear floor area. Then organize my treasures and start stacking such on shelves and labeling etc.

Once that is done repeat procedure as needed until I can find the floor in my living room. Long term little use storage is to be in the trailer {enclosed and lockable} and my living room will be a reloading room, tv room and lounge.

I am by nature a slob and neatly organizing and putting away my reloading, shooting, smelting and other toys will give me a great ego boost and elevate my self worth and possibly make my life a lot easier and my home more presentable.

I have a new housemate and I would not want him to get into certain of my more dangerous chemicals, gunpowders, primers, chawing on mold handles etc. He is only 9 lbs and a Chihuahua but he has an insquisitive nature and insatiable appitite.

I am sure that the curious smells I have in the livng room are due to his dragging various alive or dead appealing {to a dog} items for future use and hiding same from me under and behind small areas only open to a small dog.

Once the area is clear I might be able to repair the vacuum cleaner and make use of it and generally make the joint more presentable. I may have a social life in the future and I would want no one to see the inside of this domicile in it's present condition.


All this is directly contrary to my nature but enough is enough. I need to live here and it is big enough if I organize it properly and keep it clean.

Worst of all is that I cannot find anything when I need it and my reloading and smelting/casting operations have ceased due to inability to find anything or make space to do anything. I load and cast for a lot of calibres and weapons and I have brass everywhere. I have thousands of cast boolits which I need to measure and label. The only things that are not mixed up are my propellants and primers. I have molds coming out of my ears.

And my gun safe is still in the garage of the ex. I need to reinforce the floor of the kitchin before I bring a 700 lb safe into it. I only have 5 weapons in the trailer and I probably should have only one but it is a pain to always to go and get the guns from the safe which is not on the way to the range and then bring them back.

So what part of reloading and casting to I hate the most? All the moving, labeling, organizing and the whole magillagh. Once it is under control I will return to being a happy camper. In the meantime pray for me.


Dan

[303Guy]

Not being able to shoot off the loads I just made right there and then!

[waksupi]

cutting off 30-06 cases with a dremel to make 358 win. there has got to be a better way.

I actually kinda enjoy anealing, guess I took to it like a duck to water!

That can be cured, by using .308 Win cases!

[EMC45]

Not being able to shoot off the loads I just made right there and then!

Indeed

[bullshot]

I dislike trimming also!!

[JW6108]

Trimming is the worst,

and I'm with oldhick on the Imperial - best stuff going.

[jonk]

Trimming is right up there, yes. Primer pocket swaging military brass is up there. Hand weighing powder charges.

Gotta love the Lee collet neck dies. Trimming suddenly, well, not a thing of the past but much less often.

[BD]

Brass prep in general. Triming, uniforming primer pockets, deburring flash holes and especially cutting off .284 brass to make .450 B. For some reason I kind of enjoy turning case necks, go figure.

BD

[Fugowii]

Looks like case trimming wins. So what's the solution?

http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm

[Shuz]

Reaching into my wallet to pay for the powder and primers these days!

[462]

I must be the only guy who enjoys the entire process...

[Leftoverdj]

cutting off 30-06 cases with a dremel to make 358 win. there has got to be a better way.



Mini chop saw from Harbor Freight.

[SciFiJim]

+1 on Shuz. When purchasing powder an primers I keep thinking "There's got to be a better way. I may break down and buy a flintlock rifle and learn to knapp my own flints. Other than that. It's a hobby, if I didn't enjoy it I wouldn't do it. If I had to pick one thing it would be scrounging for wheel weights.

[Trey45]

For me it has to be swapping calibers on my Dillon 550, especially if going from large to small primers. Then resetting the powder measure to a new load. I used to dread lubing and sizing until I got a Lyman 4500, now I dont mind it at all.

[housedad]

I guess I'm too died in the wool. I kinda like doing all the different jobs.

But, if pressed, I guess the worst part for me is shooting it.

You see, after all the work to make as near perfect a cartridge as possible,

I still can't shoot straight.

---sigh---

[DLCTEX]

I'm with 462, I enjoy it all, but I am not a high volume shooter (bolts, levers, single shots), but I shoot a lot of different calibers. When I go prairie dog shooting I usually take 5 or 6 guns and shoot 20-40 rounds from each.My son shoots a AR and he hates the case prep as he will load 500-1000 at a setting.

[ghh3rd]

Getting lots of Lee Alox off of my hands (found that hand lotion works).

[Gunslinger]

For me it's also case preping, especially lubing....

And sorting WWs, that's really a pain... probably because I get so many zinc weights.

[Nora]

Sizing primer pockets. YUK!

[Old Ironsights]

Case Trimming.

[leadeye]

Trimming and smelting.

[mike in co]

with the addition of a lathe, there are no steps that are an issue.....

[dmen]

For me it's driving to Denver to resupply. dmen

[Bladebu1]

Brass prep

[Huntducks]

I too hate trimming cases...

Me three along with sizing cast boolets

[dhoutfit]

Brass prep. is a pain in !!! Theres got to be a better way...

[mtgrs737]

This...Hands down.

+1, I hate trimming cases, but it has to be done.

[putteral]

Besides brass prep does cleaning your guns after a range trip count?
:drinks:

[sheepdog]

It has to be sorting cases after a day at the range. I used to think keeping 38, 357 and 44 mag, 45 Colt seperated was a nightmare untill I added 9X18 to my list.

Try a nice dirty bucket of 380, 9x18, 9x19 and 38 supers. Every single headstamp has to be eyeballed.

Prepping military brass for reloading has to be it. I've only done a little but I can imagine doing thousands of 5.56.

[NuJudge]

. . . by far and away, it's trimming brass, but after spending $400 on a Giraud, it's almost fun.

[jhrosier]

cutting off 30-06 cases with a dremel to make 358 win. there has got to be a better way.....

I bought one of those benchtop mini-lathes for $400 on sale.
It will trim a .223 to .300 Whisper length pretty quick.
I tried the old hacksaw and file on five cases before I got smart.

My most hated job is cleaning off the loading bench.
Mine hasn't been cleaned in a dozen years or so.
I'm considering if it might be less trouble to just build a new one.

Jack

[wiljen]

case forming 357 Herrett and primer pocket swaging

[KYCaster]

Everybody seems to dislike case prep. I don't think it's such a big deal. You don't have to do it for every reload. Except for trimming and annealing it's pretty much a one time thing. Primer pocket swaging, flash hole reaming, neck turning....do it once and you don't have to do it again.

Prepping .223 military brass??? I have a friend who does it 10,000 at a time on a Dillon 1050 with a trimmer die. FL size, swage the primer pocket, trim to length in one stroke. He doesn't mind adding my 1 or 2K.

What I really have a problem with is GAS CHECKS. Every thing about them is repulsive to me. Here you have a nice little cast jewel that's nearly free and before you can use it you have to add a GC that costs you 10X what the boolit did, and it takes twice as long to install the GC as it did to cast the boolit.

Makes me mad just to think about it.

Jerry

[Gunslinger]

Besides brass prep does cleaning your guns after a range trip count?
:drinks:

If you dislike cleaning your gun then I guess it does!

I usually enjoy cleaning guns. But I must admit, after I started using in excess of 300 boolits in my 9mm every saturday, cleaning has become somewhat of a dirty job. The gun gets really greasy.

[JIMinPHX]

What I hate most these days is trying to FIND primers to buy.

[sargenv]

Swaging Mil primer pockets for 5.56 and 7.62/51. I assume 7.62/39 would suck too but I don't have one of those.. Trimming isn't so bad.. Dillon trimmer on a 650 is pretty simple and nearly automatic.. It's almost worth having a 1050 with the primer pocket swager for 223/5.56.. almost, but not quite.

[Freightman]

...looking for dropped primers!
It's not that I'm cheap...OK, that too :oops:. It's mainly because you can't buy any. :mad:

Mark :cbpour:How true! used to leave them and sweep them up with the trash not now.

[BlueSmoke]

I Hate cleaning primer pockets after de-capping.

I tried tumbling after de-capping, but then I hate cleaning flash holes of the media.

Regards,

BlueSmoke

[housedad]

Try a nice dirty bucket of 380, 9x18, 9x19 and 38 supers. Every single headstamp has to be eyeballed.

Prepping military brass for reloading has to be it. I've only done a little but I can imagine doing thousands of 5.56.

Sorting. Yes. That is a royal pain. I can tell you stories..... tons (literally) of them. :smile:[smilie=1:

[303Guy]

Ummm... There has been mention of Brass Prepping - what's that?[smilie=1:

All I do is replace the primer, size the neck, put in some powder and a bullet - done! (I do clean the primer pockets enough to seat the primers flush).:roll:

Say, you folks should try casting bullets in one of my experimental moulds! Heat mould, cast, let cool, cut sprew, eject bullet, seat new gas check without burning fingers, reheat mould ..... I get about five done in an evening!:mrgreen:

[Newtire]

Looks like case trimming wins. So what's the solution?

I was having a helleckuva time with deburring all the .256 Win. cases I had trimmed after forming them out of .357 magnum cases and annealing them etc. After looking at the pan-full of cases with big gnarly mushroom burrs on them, it seemed the logical thing to do was to first make sure the case neck wasn't distorted so I put one up into the full length sizer. When I pulled it out, not only was the case round, most of the burr was shaved off like a little gold collar down on the shoulder. Just a flick of the de-burr tool and the case was done.

The other thing is, get a power attachment for your trimmer to get the cutter moving at a speed fast enough to make smoother cuts.

My worst part of the reloading process? Having to stop to go to bed at night I guess or running out of a component.

[standles]

Ok WOW i got way more response than I thought I would.

Above all it seems brass prep is the :groner: of the group
While the eintire gamut seems to be the problem more often it was trimming either to OAL or for coversion to other cartridges.

Although Anealing seemed to pop up to :takinWiz: folks off as well

I saw one gas check thing and I agree on that point as well.


O nthe aspect of trimming to OAL, besides price what is the downfall of a Dillion or Dillon like trimmer that mounts on the press?

Also does anyone have suggestion on possible solutions to the above items?

Steven

[Nora]

Besides brass prep does cleaning your guns after a range trip count?
:drinks:

I'm going to say yes. And change my answer to cleaning lead fouling out of the barrel. Double YUK!

[hedgehorn]

Trimming cases is the least pleasant part for me.

[Shiloh]

As stated many times, brass prep applications.

Shiloh

[Bret4207]

I hate sizing. Hate, hate, hate it. I hate brass prep too, but that's a once in a while thing. I hate sizing and I hate GC's but I need the stupid things on some boolits. I'm also not crazy about slugging and I'd also include inspecting boolits, but I'm too anal to NOT do it.

My most hated job is turning out 3-400 each of something like the Fat 30 and RCBS 180FN and absentmindedly dumping 6-800 boolits on the same blanket as I make them. Then, not only do I get to inspect the boolits, I get to try and figure out if it's a Fat 30 or an RCBS. DUMB!

[mpmarty]

I don't know that any part of the process is repugnant to me. Trimming rifle cases is a snap and a pleasure. I use a Lee trimmer with the cutter chucked up in a DeWalt 18Volt drill on the bench. Put the case in the little holder and slide it onto the spinning cutter. Voila! In less than a second the job is done. A quick spin inside and out with the deburring tool and grab the next case. On the 45/70s most of the cases don't even need trimming for dozens of loadings. 7.62X51 is good for about six or seven reloads between trimming. Sizing wax on the fingers is good but I use Q-tip for inside neck lubing with STP. After sizing / depriming cases go back into one of the vibrator case cleaners for an hour or so to remove excess lube / wax and then it's time to check flash holes for media and sit down with my hand priming tool and boxes of primers. I enjoy every aspect from scrounging lead to chronograph use to measure my results.

[yodar]

...looking for dropped primers!
It's not that I'm cheap...OK, that too :oops:. It's mainly because you can't buy any. :mad:

Mark :cbpour:

At 45 bux a box for primers I GOTTA get the dropped ones , and Yeah ! It's no fun getting down for dropped ones

These old knees don't bend 100 per cent any more (but with 100% PAIN!) and I hafta have help to get up and I live alone ! ;>(

I am going to put some double sided tape on the end of a cane and get Back to work


YODAR

[captaint]

Trimming brass and doing primer pockets. it's gratifying, it just isn't fun. Mike

[Rusty Shackleford]

Trimming brass is the worst.

[geargnasher]

Ok WOW i got way more response than I thought I would.

Above all it seems brass prep is the :groner: of the group
While the eintire gamut seems to be the problem more often it was trimming either to OAL or for coversion to other cartridges.

Although Anealing seemed to pop up to :takinWiz: folks off as well

I saw one gas check thing and I agree on that point as well.


O nthe aspect of trimming to OAL, besides price what is the downfall of a Dillion or Dillon like trimmer that mounts on the press?

Also does anyone have suggestion on possible solutions to the above items?

Steven

I usually load 100 or less at any one sitting and enjoy just about every part of the process of casting and reloading. I can see how certain aspects (triming, swaging pockets, turning necks, checking boolits, etc) could be a pain if you do, say, 2,000 or more at a time. Stuff like sorting huge amounts of scrounged pistol range brass and culling through rifle boolits I save for those cold (or super-hot) days when I'm feeling puny and need a nice, easy, living-room project.

As for trimming cases, I use the Lee trimmers for everything I own (8 calibers) and do them all the same way IN A DRILL PRESS. Chuck the spindle in the press and fit the shellholder in a hole in a block of wood clamped to the platform. Takes about as long as seating boolits on a single-stage, zip, zip, zip, DONE. I don't know about any of those fancy power trimmers, never did any research on them because my $2 Lee trimmers in my $225 drill press work great for me. Also works for hollow-pointing when used in conjunction with a dial indicator for runout and a custom-ground drill bit stuck in a board.

One thing I do absolutely dread is getting my !@#*&^%$*#%$%@#-ing rcbs powder measure to throw the charge I want. Takes me longer to set it up than any other part of the reloading process. I am sick of it and want something better. Anyone have a recommendation for an accurate powder measure that WORKS? I'm willing to buy one of those Lyman automated piggyback units if that's what it takes, but had rather have a volume-type metering device that humans can acually set up in less than an hour that can handle extruded powders and pistol charges down to 3.0 grains.

Gear

[6.5 mike]

It's got to be case trimming for me. Got some I need to do but keep putting it off.
Otherwise I really do'nt mind any of it. Have to case form for 2 t/c bbls, just figure it's part of the process.
I must be lucky, my rcbs measure throws good loads & adjusts easy, or maybe it's be cus I 've used it since 73, & am so used to it I wouldn't know any better.

[Marlin Junky]

Do you guys that hate trimming brass so much use neck sizing dies at all?

MJ

[rockrat]

I think either trimming brass or sizing boolits when I use GC's. PB aren't so bad. Maybe I won't mind GC's once I get my used Star up and running.

[357maximum]

...looking for dropped primers!
It's not that I'm cheap...OK, that too :oops:. It's mainly because you can't buy any. :mad:

Mark :cbpour:

Just make sure you do not pick up a LP primer thinking it is a LR primer and then put it into a HV Jword load in a 7mm/08................ask me how I know.

I now keep my floor spotless and I keep the black/deformed
casing from the load that took the "3rings of steel" to task on that remmy glued to the wall above my bench. The rem 700 ALMOST went unscathed. I still do not know where the small chunk of the collar that acts as the extractor ended up, but alot of "STUFF" hit my cheek. Primers are cheap compared to ones eyesight.

My least favorite handloading "chore" is case trimming when crunching Mil 06 into 7.65X53 even though I get them real close via redneckineering with a tubing cutter. Not too fond of primer pocket decrimping either now that I think about it. I really need to replace my RCBS system with Dillons.

[Ben]

I'm certain there are people sitting in Hell right now being forced to trim cases to their proper length.

Ben

[redneckdan]

I hate sizing bullets. The Star makes it go faster so its much better to me. I don't mind brass prep.

[94Doug]

I recently discovered that mounting an RCBS primer pocket brush in my Shopsmith is a beautiful shortcut to clean pockets.

Doug

[excavman]

Lubing and then cleaning bottleneck cases, gimme carbide any day.

Larry

[Blammer]

I hate picking up the brass. If that don't qualify, I'd have to say, pulling boolits from ammo that's can't be shot.

[fryboy]

trimming mil spec's ...the primer crimp removal is a breeze compared to that

[3006guns]

Let's see.......what do I hate about reloading? Well, long hours of trimming and reforming brass to some ancient caliber, struggling to keep from ruining any cases. Carefully sizing a boolit to a groove size conceived by a lunatic back in the late 1870's and using a recommended "starting load" that are all individually weighed. Proudly looking over 50 or so finished cartridges to make that old blunderbuss speak, and then...........

Looking out the window and realize it's still raining and will continue for the next two weeks at least. ARRGGHHHH!!

[Freischütz]

Cleaning primer pockets and then priming them

[SP101GUY]

Making and installing gas checks.

[scb]

Looks like case trimming wins. So what's the solution?

Here's mine
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L5WNOVlLAU&feature=PlayList&p=A5AB79684E74F0EE&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=5

Well this isn't mine. I don't have video of mine, but Dillons 1200b is great. Only problem is they don't have dies for all calibers.

Worst job is neck turning and reaming 300 Whisper cases made from 5.56 cases

[dudel]

Hands down - brass prep. Trimming in particular. A real pain in the brass.

Shaking fine grain media from each and every 223 case is not high on my list of fun either. And yes, I do have a Dillon media separator.

[Bent Ramrod]

I kind of like case forming (especially to obsolete or wildcat cartridges), and flash hole deburring and primer pocket uniforming don't bother me.

But I loathe trimming. Everything from discovering the cases have grown too long to setting up the trimmer to trimming each case to measuring the cases afterwards to rechamfering them to taking the setup down and putting everything away is done in a stupor of boredom and writhing dislike. The least irritating method, for me, is the Lee trimmer setup and a drill press, but it's still no fun.

Don't know why it should be so unpleasant, but it is.

[docone31]

I pan lube. I cast perhaps 500 158gn .357 castings.
I cannot flip the pan they solidify in, I have to get them loose. I have tried burger flippers, wax paper, now brass tube.
In all cases, some of them reject the lube. I make my lube super slippery.
In the end of the day, sticky, slippery, nothing I can do about it.
I load them with a 310 loader.
Then I get to watch the wife go through at least 500rds next range day.
Hey, at least she is going to the range!
Range time if good time.
Pan lubing, although I can taper my lube to work with either .357, or .38spl, is sticky, slippery, gooey, and a pain.

[gray wolf]

What do I dislike ?

By Sam,

# 1 Trying to find my wifes 32 auto cases that hide under rocks, grass, caterpillars,
grasshoppers, leaves, inside 40 cases, she does a better job than I do, but when I shoot it alone I always come home with less than I started with.
Don't ask me how she knows -- but she does. So now I leave the cabin with some extra empties and add them to the pile before I come home. Then I can say I found some extra. I think I need some counseling on this one. :veryconfu
I hate having long conversations about should we use paper or plastic at the store when I am weighing powder.
I keep my cases and some bullets and lots of other things in little butter containers, They are neatly stacked under my bench. Well Sophie the little Dog keeps stealing them and chews them to Sh%t. ( I live with that one ) [smilie=s:
Trying to talk to people that could care less about reloading.
Waste of time. :violin:

[mold maker]

Having to smelt range lead in 90 degree weather, burns my buns.
Two weeks ago it was still in unopened ammo boxes. In another couple weeks I'll return it to the range.
It's all just a means to an end, and I guess I enjoy all of it, over and over.

[63 Shiloh]

]At 45 bux a box for primers [/B]I GOTTA get the dropped ones , and Yeah ! It's no fun getting down for dropped ones

These old knees don't bend 100 per cent any more (but with 100% PAIN!) and I hafta have help to get up and I live alone ! ;>(

I am going to put some double sided tape on the end of a cane and get Back to work


YODAR

$45.00 for a box of primers:shock:

Yep, I would be chasing every stray one on the ground also.

Case prep for me has been made less troublesome using a Lyman trimmer with a cordless drill and my RCBS case prep system.

I only neck size when I can, saves some grief.

[skimmerhead]

i thought the journey was as much fun as the destination!!!!!:lovebooli

[Rockydog]

I really wouldn't mind much of any of it but there are days when my arthritis makes things like case trimming, chamferring or even emptying the tumbler a chore. Larger cases don't seem to bother but handling 200 - 300 .223 cases in a day leaves me with swollen finger joints the next day. As for getting media out of .223 cases I just hold the cases against the side of the running buzz box and the media runs right out. I drove a small finishing nail in a block of wood and just push each flash hole on the nail as I remove them from the tumbler to check each one. Faster than inspecting every one first. RD

[SciFiJim]

I think my most hated job is cleaning up and putting things away. I don't have a permanent space to reload and have to set up and tear down each time. I am like a little kid. I enjoy getting my toys out and playing with them, but hate having to put them away.

[MJR007]

I hate it when the MRX showes I traded a bunch of firewood for non useable metal. Which also means I gave up my lunch...

[XWrench3]

Smelting ww's into ingots for me. It is messy, and a pita. All the rest is pleasant enough. If i had a second worst, it would be weighing and organizing cases. At least that is not messy.

[Lead Fred]

Boring out military primer pockets. I bought over 5000 LC cases years ago.
Ive done about half.

[pistolman44]

Getting the powder measure to drop the weight you want. Also changing progressive press over to another caliber.

[10 ga]

$$$ I really don't mind paying for the items I need to buy ie... powder, primers, molds, other hardware, etc... it's just that the cash is so precious and hard earned. I would much rather make stuff and scrounge stuff to trade and/or sell for whatever. Like I scrounge brass and when I have a big box full I'll sort and trade for powder/primers etc... I mostly shoot ML and rifle but when I'm at a range I'll pick up every piece of brass I can find, even rimfire. Being retired it gives me a chance to do that stuff and avoid cutting into my fixed income. And I trap too, and with the work that takes I hate to use the NAFA check on stuff that is so expendable. 10 ga

[truckmsl]

I love it all.

[Humbo]

Sorting wheel weights before melting them down, especially when you get 4000 pounds dropped in your lap at once. Anyone have a fast method of getting all the junk sorted out?

[qajaq59]

It used to be trimming cases until I bought the drill adapter for my Forster. Now none of it bothers me much.

[S.R.Custom]

Trimming cases, without a doubt. Not only because it's a PITA, but because it causes even more work. Depending on the caliber, it means I may have to chamfer the inside of the mouth and de-burr the outside as well.

The second most dreaded task is changing calibers on the progressive...

[SciFiJim]

Humbo,
I would love to have your problem.

Build a table out of half a sheet of plywood that you can sit at comfortably. Cut holes with some sort of back stop on the far side of the table. Place buckets under the holes. Have holes for clip on, stick on, and known zinc. If you are right handed, raw WWs enter from the left, get sorted to the holes and trash exits to the left. Keep the zinc for fishing weights, cannon balls, etc.

[mroliver77]

I bought a Dillon for swaging primer pockets. I had to make some shims to help center cases left to right but now it is fast. I use lizard bedding(finely crushed walnut hull) to tumble cases and it does not clog flash hole and actually cleans primer pocket. I use the Lee system with a cordless drill to trim cases but it still sucks. I have two Dillon 550, one for each primer size and two Dillon Square Deals, one for each primer size. I have like seven presses and 6 boolit sizers so that cuts down on changes. There is just not much that I do not like about the whole process. I am a tinkerer and long runs of the same ole thing bore me.I do 5.56 and 7.62Nato in batches to break up the monotony. Oh ya, I use lanolin spray lube and that sure helps with the pain of lubing cases.
I buy EVERYTHING on sale! When there is a good buy on primers I stock up. Last year or so there was an overrun of 2520 powder. It was like $50 an 8lb. I spent all the $$ I could scrounge on it. Wolfe primers were trying to get a foothold here and were $17. per K IIRC and I nabbed a wheelbarrow full. It hurts at the time but sure feels good when prices skyrocket or component becomes scarce. I was raised on the farm where a long term outlook was taken. Sometimes the truck or car set so long the battery would go flat as we didnt head to town for every need and stocked up on basics when on sale.
Jay

[mustanggt]

Trimming cases aint all that great. Use to be lubing with a case lube pad till I went with the Dillon spray lube. More convenient. I don't know how many times while squeezing lube form the tube to the pad I'd have a blowout and spew lube everywhere. That's when my touretts would kick in and well you know how that goes. What I hate the most is picking up my spent brass from my 45 at the range. Not quite reloading related but it does start the process all over again.

[acl864]

My least favorite job is trying to convince my wife that this hobby is really saving me money...

[Humbo]

SciFiJim,
thanks for the tip, I'll try it out. It's not really a problem, it was just a subtle way of telling you guys about my latest great haul :)
Gonna start melting it down and cast like crazy next week.

[Three44s]

Least liked reloading chore:

Removing old crimp from military brass!


Three 44s

[giz189]

I have not used them, but the RCBS X Die is supposed to eliminate the brass lengthening problem after the first time trim. For those with the problem of getting your RCBS powder measure to throw what you want fairly quickly, this is a way that helped me. I bought a micrometer adjustment and when I had some spare time, I sat down, filled the hopper with the most used powder and adjusted micrometer to throw that weight and recorded that number for that caliber with the bullet of choice and powder charge. Did it for all calibers I load for. Now all I have to do is reference my records and go to that number on micrometer. Not always exact, but a whole lot closer than starting from left field. Usually can have it right with just 1 adjustment. I don't dislike any aspect of reloading, really like doing all of it.

[MT Gianni]

I have an X die in 30-30 and have only trimmed cases once. Resizing them doesn't change the dimensions.

[shdwlkr]

most hated or dreaded part of reloading is knowing that I will have to do it all over again when I shoot up what I just reloaded. Wished I could find an automatic reloader so all I had to do was dump in the emptys and end up with loaded rounds.:)

[FISH4BUGS]

For all rifle cases a Dillon Power trimmer on a Dillon 550 is the ONLY way to go. I don't think I have ever trimmed a pistol case.
Since I shoot machine guns, I usually do 5000 223's or 308's at a pop. That takes about 5 hours.....1000 per hour is not unusual. Deburring takes no time at all. Primer pockets? Swage once with a Dillon swager. It is all part of the deal.
Probably the worst for me is smelting. But when that is done you have a pile of ingots....like laying in your wood supply for the winter.....stand back and admire your work.

[qajaq59]

most hated or dreaded part of reloading is knowing that I will have to do it all over again when I shoot up what I just reloaded. I'm just the opposite. Since I load only for rifles I can't shoot them as fast as I can load them. A 100 rounds a week is about all these old shoulders can take.

[shdwlkr]

right now anyone can be me since moving I can't find almost anything and the honey do list is longer than the new state I moved to.:) But one day I will get back into the swing of things but if the weather gets better just might have to go fishing when the kids are out of school in a few weeks.

[Fire_stick]

Running out of time to load more.

[mdi]

My most hated part of reloading/casting is inspecting the last boolit or cartridge when I'm done. Means I gotta stop...

[deerslayer]

I have seen some saying they hate lubing cases. I am curious if you can buy a dedicated tumbler and add some case lube to the media and tumble. I experimented with some JPW (didn't have any nufinish) and just a tablespoon of that in the walnut really left those cases with a slick waxy film. I had to change the media and retumble them I was afraid they were to slick to shoot.

Trimming is the part that makes me groan!!

[Fly-guy]

Personally, I'd rather eat a really greasy cheeseburger than size and lube boolits through my 450 sizer. Let's see, should we add gas checks to the list too?

[Down South]

Brass Prep, it's the slowest and most grudging task of the reloading process.

[Heavy lead]

putting stuff away, primers, powder, etc. and cleaning the boolit lube off the boolit and case
tedious as hell and IMO worse than the case prep
Oh also finite adjustments to dies and especially progressive presses.

[The Dove]

Sortin bulk brass!!!

The Dove

[BlueSmoke]

Cleaning primer pockets......

Regards,

BlueSmoke

[HangFireW8]

Try a nice dirty bucket of 380, 9x18, 9x19 and 38 supers. Every single headstamp has to be eyeballed.

For me it is getting 40S&W cases unwedged from 45ACP case mouths after tumbling together in corn media.



Prepping military brass for reloading has to be it. I've only done a little but I can imagine doing thousands of 5.56.

Had a buddy do that. Put an RCBS 3-way cutter in his drill press, used a Forster case holder with a custom knob handle on the press base, done.

-HF

[Milltown353]

Digging range brass from a couple inches of mud.

[Heavy lead]

Can't forget the shootin', damn shootin' so you can reload again.

[BAGTIC]

# 1. Case trimming.

There is no # 2

[fatnhappy]

worst part to me is digging tumbling media out of the flash holes

[dabsond]

Anything the wife tells me she wants me to do before I start working at the reloading bench.

[knappy]

Standles
I hate preping brass plus triming and cleaning up later

[shootinxd]

Sizing 1k of .223 brass!The rest I enjoy,including casting.I'm still workin on the lead free load.Just part of the fun(sick huh?).:cbpour:

[uncle joe]

Sizing primer pockets. YUK!

thank you I was starting to think I was the only one :holysheep

[XWrench3]

it has to be getting the dirty wheel weights from the bucket into the smelting pot. it always makes a mess of things, and it is smellier than a pro athlete after a game. i could happilly live without either the smell, or the mess. but, since i am way to cheap to buy already smelted lead (and of unknown oragin), i will live with it best i can.:cbpour:

[SciFiJim]

it is smellier than a pro athlete after a game.

I found a fellow caster from the distinctive aroma once. I was out walking one evening and smelled WWs being melted down. I tracked the smell to someone smelting down a bucket into ingots. It takes someone who knows the smell to be able to identify it and track it down.

[azcruiser]

hardest part for me is the bending to pick up the brass. I don't bend or stoop worth a dam anymore and when I do it's taking longer and longer to straighten up. But it still beats being in the ground

[felix]

Yep, me too! Solution: Genuflect and while picking up the brass, say a prayer in thanks to the Boss that you are still able to do both. ... felix

[qajaq59]

After 70 it's time to shoot levers and bolts only. Either that, or get really good at catching the flying brass.

[Moonie]

Bring kids and grandkids for brass patrol, works for me.

[Mal Paso]

Inspecting Boolits for flaws. It's not hard, rolling them from the pile a couple inches and into a bucket, but it's boring.

[blaster]

Brass prep, hands down.

[FAsmus]

Gentlemen;

Lots of folks have addressed case trimming as the most ornery of tasks in this shooting game. ~ I was semi-amazed by that since I have not hunted up my case trimming tools in years .. and I shoot 5000+ rounds annually.

Don't get me wrong, I do measure case lengths and assure that all is well in a timely fashion but trim? Well perhaps in every 25 to 35 loadings on an individual case and this includes things like rear locking actions as in Marlin 336s or SMLEs.

Tell me then, why is it necessary to trim all that much? Hell, my cases just don't grow very fast at all with cast bullet loadings, and the straight cases pretty much hold right on spec for load after load. For example my 444 cases, used in various single-shot actions, have been loaded 60 times apiece and never seen a trimming operation.

The bottle necks do receive some care in that I lube the inside of the necks when I neck size them ( Never, ever does a cast bullet case receive full-length sizing! ) This prevents the case from going through the stretching that it otherwise would do as the expander ball were to pull through a dry neck ID.

So, enlighten me; why is trimming done so much and grown to be hated so greatly?

Me? Well I really do dislike cleaning primer pockets ~

Good evening,
Forrest

[John Guedry]

Smelting by far.

[Linstrum]

Continuing this thread after 3661 days of inactivity - - -

I hate dropping primers on the floor. Why? Because I have to go look for any and all primers wherever they roll to out of sight under the other chairs, or behind the boxes of somebody else's junk that doesn't belong here in MY man cave but had no other place to go. I MUST recover that primer no matter what!

So, you ask why is it so imperative that I find just ONE primer right NOW, and not just look for it later? As of September 25, 2020, primers are next to impossible to find, so losing (actually misplacing) just one primer is close to a catastrophe! That, and the primer count in the box is an aid that helps me keep track of how many cartridge cases I've just processed. Plus one more thing (besides being a bit, uh, hmmm, what was it that they accuse Ronald Reagan of being? Yeah, bad memory. Hey! If it was good enough for Ronald Reagan, then I guess I'm that, too!), if I don't find that primer right now, when I find it later I might not remember what type of primer it is - magnum or not-magnum. The other types - pistol or rifle, and small or large, can be found by quite simply measuring height and diameter, but manufacturer and magnum not-magnum cannot. Find that primer NOW before its identity is lost! When I find an unidentified primer on the floor, I can certainly take it outside and have fun with it by heating it with a propane torch at arm's-length, open-side-down sitting on a brick (while wearing eye protection of course), and watch it disappear, probably skyward, when it pops, but I can't use it in a cartridge because I have no certain way of identifying if it is a magnum, or not.

So, I just LOATH looking for just one stinking lost primer (or actually any number of them), because it means lost time while I crawl around on the floor on 70-year-old-knees, looking with eyes of the same vintage. Doing that ALMOST takes some of the fun and enjoyment out of what those of us who partake of The Silver Stream do.

I've been having fun for 56 years now, I started in 1964 with a 91/30 Mosin-Nagant purchased from Sears and Roebuck for a day's wages working 8 hours a day, at the time $1.25 per hour, and an aluminum mold block with the mold cavity machined in a drill press using a cutter I ground from a 5/16" drill bit that dropped a non-gas check 0.313" wheel weight boolit at about 175 grains. My powder was 10 grains DuPont 700X. I was 14 years old, and one of my dad's machinist buddies at Abex Aerospace Division of American Brake Shoe Corporation, who was an avid shooter, gave me safe loads and procedures. The brass I was using was 1939 and 1940-dated Finland VPT 7.62X54R that I had to drill out the primer pockets and counterbore the cartridge head faces in a lathe to take shotgun primers. The 10 grains DuPont 700X pressure was low enough so the primers didn't blow through. I've tried shotgun primers with full house rifle loads and the firing pin indentations blow through operating at ~50,000 psi. My dad and his buddy were both highly-skilled, first-rate, top-notch machinists doing prototype work on the Gemini and Apollo Moonshot Programs for NASA, and they were good mentors when I was a kid just starting high school!

But I sure hate chasing primers around on the floor or looking for them, but it is just something that has to be done because the consequences of not finding primers are, are, are - - - bad!

[Targa]

Wheel weights!! I hate collecting them, sorting them and most of all melting them into ingots. With that said, it sure beats buying your lead.

[Went2kck]

Picking up fired rounds, looking for them in the grass!

[Mal Paso]

Inspecting Boolits for flaws. It's not hard, rolling them from the pile a couple inches and into a bucket, but it's boring.

10 years and 10 days later I still hate inspecting boolits.

[Bazoo]

Going into tire shops asking about weights. I'm not good at social things like getting some weights and offering a pizza in return. I end up buying weights and going almost empty before I work the gumption to go back.

[Kylongrifle32]

Removing primer crimp from mil brass to use in all my 223 parent case wildcats.

[dragon813gt]

Brass prep, hate it. I’m currently going though about 5,000 5.56 cases. Have almost all of them deprimed. About 800 are completely ready to load. Maybe 1,500 are deprimed and swaged. Normally I’d do one step at a time. But I bought a Lee APP and have been making sure it works. Definitely made depriming easy. Swaging, not so much compared to a Dillon 600. And I won’t even bother trying to FL size on it again.

[Txcowboy52]

I have to agree with dragon , i mortally hate case prep !!

[dragon813gt]

I left out trimming in my first post. Hate that part as well [emoji23]

[MT Chambers]

Case trimming is bad but not as bad as making shot, for the whole day you just watch the shot drop.

[dragon813gt]

Case trimming is bad but not as bad as making shot, for the whole day you just watch the shot drop.

You know you can buy shot, right [emoji6]
Cases, rifle, will always have to be prepped unless you just don’t care [emoji23]

[poppy42]

Well i really don’t dislike any aspect of reloading. But I shoot a lot of Makarov (9x18). Makarov brass is at least five times more expensive than 9 mm Luger brass (9x19). Considering the only real difference is one’s a millimeter longer than the other I make my own Makarov brass out of 9 x 19. And when I say a lot of Makaroff I typically make about 500 cases at a time. Being poor and cheap I’ve tried all the economical ways of trimming brass lime in trimmers Leigh trimmers, As a matter of fact I’ve actually worn out for five Lee trimmers. About eight months ago I would’ve answered this question with trimming brass. But I got a file trim die! All I can now is woohoo! So all the Furrer back to my original statement I really don’t dislike any aspect the reloading.

[lightman]

I hate dealing with primer crimps. I've tried about every method and tool that there is and I've found that no one method will work on every case or crimp. I prefer to remove it vs swage it.

Some of the things that you guys posted that you hate doing I actually enjoy;
I like the successful feeling I get when I score free lead and I enjoy the search.
I also like sorting things and wheelweights don't bother me.
I actually enjoy smelting scrap lead. I usually get together with a buddy once a year and do both of our years scores.
Case trimming doesn't bother me. If I trim more than 100 cases I use my Giraud trimmer. I can do 15 to 16 per minute.
I do hate looking for a dropped primer or a dropped case.

[Hanzy4200]

Luberising. Used to be primer pocket crimp removal until I recently got the RCBS kit from another member.

[Cain]

Easily brass prep followed by dumping my walnut media into the sifter. Duuuuusty.

[dragon813gt]

Easily brass prep followed by dumping my walnut media into the sifter. Duuuuusty.
There’s an easy fix for that. Run it slightly wet by putting in some mineral spirits. It keeps the dust down to practically nothing.

[whisler]

Mineral Spirits or lamp oil will work quite well for dust control.

[flint45]

Brass trimming/ brass prep

[bullshot]

I'm not fond of trimming either.

[abunaitoo]

? Most hated job in reloading ?
Paying for components!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PAndy]

Trimming brass. I have also had some sessions that were a pain because of a combination of neck expander dimensions and flat base cast bullets.

[Jtarm]

It has to be sorting cases after a day at the range. I used to think keeping 38, 357 and 44 mag, 45 Colt seperated was a nightmare untill I added 9X18 to my list.

Doesn’t Dillon sell a separator for that?

[Jtarm]

Trimming, definitely.

For a while it was reloading in general on my Hornady LNL AP. Couldn’t get through 100 rounds without the primer feed clogging. Then discovered it doesn’t play well with Winchester SPPs.

[Walter Laich]

I wet tumble and have switched to SS chips instead of the regular SS media

does a better (quicker) job of cleaning including primer pockets

I get them here: https://www.facebook.com/southernshinemedia/

BTW: I have no interest in business other than being a very happy customer

[444ttd]

trimming and then trimming and..................

[GregLaROCHE]

Cleaning out primer pockets. I clean all my brass by hand.

[fcvan]

Absolutely nothing, I enjoy all parts of this hobby of my past 45 years, passed on to me by my Father. Dad stopped reloading for himself because my brother and I would load all he needed. Last time we reloaded together, the folks were visiting. Mom was in the kitchen making magic, dad was at the press doing some stage in the process, I was on the back porch casting. I went to work and when I returned, Dad had lubed everything and then loaded everything. "Son, I need more, you still have empties."

I will hate it when I know we can't make new reloading memories. Mom and dad are 81, doing fine, but I know I will face that day.

[kreuzlover]

cutting off 30-06 cases with a dremel to make 358 win. there has got to be a better way.

I actually kinda enjoy anealing, guess I took to it like a duck to water!

Have you tried just expanding .308 to .358? Sounds simpler than cutting .30-06.

[fast ronnie]

Trying to justify to the old lady why I just bought another reloading press, when I already have 4...:razz:

Smelting wheel weights into ingots

Only 4? How do you survive?

[fast ronnie]

cleaning lube off cases!!!!!

[44Blam]

There’s an easy fix for that. Run it slightly wet by putting in some mineral spirits. It keeps the dust down to practically nothing.

How much do you put in? Maybe just a capful?

[44Blam]

The only part I really don't like about this hobby is pulling boolits. That's the worst.

[tinsnips]

Paying for reloading, the rest I don't mind as it is my main hobby.

[dragon813gt]

How much do you put in? Maybe just a capful?

Enough that it doesn’t produce dust. Size of tumbler as well as condition of media will come into play. The drier it is the more you will need. You can make it to wet and it will start clumping in the cases. To fix this just let it run longer. The media will dry out and and stop clumping.

[whisler]

I wet about 6-8 38 cal. cleaning patches with lamp oil and add them to my Lyman tumbler. Brass comes out clean and patches come out dirty.

[Texas Gun]

Picking the brass up off the range

[OldBearHair]

I am fortunate to have a Bridgeport Mill 3500 lbs. to do my trimming with a fixture and a spot face tool with pilot and micrometer stop. Next is an old RCBS motorized case prep machine

[44Blam]

Picking the brass up off the range

I've got one of those Caldwell brass retrievers. I found if you just push it down on the cases instead of try to roll it, it works better.

Anyway, makes range pickup much easier.

[waksupi]

Have you tried just expanding .308 to .358? Sounds simpler than cutting .30-06.

Absolutely. The majority of my .358 Win. brass was made from .308, the parent case, and through the sizer once, and was ready to go.

[BrutalAB]

Breaking down known/possible squibs. Possible is definitely worse, since theres good ammo that gets broke down.

[brass410]

taking time from fishing to reload, so that I can shoot in my spare time. LOL its all good time spent, I guess its true if you enjoy what you do there are no bad jobs or days.

[redhawk0]

I've got 2 that tie for 1st place.

1- As a boolit caster....I hate visual inspection after a cast session. I generally will cast 800-1500 at a time. Makes you eyes go a bit goofy after the 2 hour mark when sorting for the "reject" pile

2- Like most other's that have posted...brass trimming. I have to admit...I will generally do neck sizing only on bottleneck cases just to keep trimming to a minimum.

redhawk

[skrapyard628]

I dont know if I actually "hate" it. But I definitely get a little bit of hand cramping when loading 9mm. I load in two stages on a lee turret. First sizing/priming/flaring to fill up ready to load bins. Then powder charging/bullet seating/crimping at another time.

My hand starts cramping up from handling a bunch of those little 9mm cases. I dont seem to have this problem with any larger cases. Just the 9mm cases and bullets. It probably doesnt help that I usually end up doing at least 500 at a time.

And of course those dang 380 cases sneaking in to the mix. At least they get caught during sizing because you can tell its one by the feel of the press. My girlfriend now laughs at me because she will hear me yell "another ******* 380!"

I feel for you guys that are loading on a progressive press when the 380 sneaks in. At least its a quick easy recovery for me on a turret.

[gnappi]

Nothing, zilch. Anything I hate, I avoid.

[2A-Jay]

There isn't any part of reloading hat I don't enjoy. Reloading is my relaxation Therapy besides I have now saved enough on ammo costs that I have paid for all of my equipment and at least one of my hand guns.

[NuJudge]

Trimming brass, so I bought a Giraud trimmer. Now it is not a problem, except for odd brass like the .30 Carbine, which does not have a shoulder.

[HumptyDumpty]

Trimming rifle brass, specifically my .308. I shoot and reload it by the hundreds and thousands of rounds. I have a power drill adapter for my Lyman case trimmer, but the process is always tedious.

[bullshot]

I put all the bullets I cast into a container and cull them as I run them through the sizer and lubricator.

[toallmy]

Trimming rifle brass, specifically my .308. I shoot and reload it by the hundreds and thousands of rounds. I have a power drill adapter for my Lyman case trimmer, but the process is always tedious.
The little crow WFT will make quick work of it .