What is the role of the "Rollsizer"?

[AbitNutz]

So I've seen Roll Sizer's here and there but recently tripped over one called, shockingly enough, "Rollsizer". It's really affordable compared to its competition. My question is this: I have seen some people still run the case through the resizing die even after they're made a trip through the roll sizer widget.

They make them in manual, not too expensive and motor-driven, lots more money but it'll outrun any case feeder.

So what is the role of the roll sizer in the reloading process? Is it a niche tool just so you can completely remove the belly from the case at lightning speed? Or is there another benefit?

[JimB..]

Most people do not roll size. I like it because the brass is more uniform and I think it runs better.

I use one to push any expansion of the brass near the base up to the top of the brass where the regular sizing die can handle it. I find that doing this for 9mm and 45acp almost eliminates ftf, I don’t bother to test ammo any more except when I’m working up a new load. It also reshapes the rim if there was an extractor mark of any significance.

[AbitNutz]

Interesting, so it added a step in the process but likely added little if any time or effort since it's so fast. I continue to read that it improves the quality of the ammunition.

[Baltimoreed]

291074
Neat tool, looks $$. I just push my .45acp loads through an old lee bulge buster die. The spring on top of my build pops them into the Dillon box on the wall. They then work in any of my .45 acp guns, pcc’s, 1927Thompson, 1911 autos or DA revolvers.

[243winxb]

Turns scrap in something that will chamber. I would avoid any 5.56 Nato reconditioned brass that the gov sold as scrap.

[JimB..]

Interesting, so it added a step in the process but likely added little if any time or effort since it's so fast. I continue to read that it improves the quality of the ammunition.

I tend to enjoy having prepared brass on hand, a couple dozen ammo cans in each pistol caliber, so I just roll size after wet tumbling (well, after drying). Process 5 or 10 gal at a time. Funny how often I find a 380 in with the 9mm, also watch for that brass that’s stepped on the inside as they pass by. The time isn’t really critical to me, but yeah I’d rather roll size 100 cases than pull down 1 or 2 per 100 that don’t case gauge.

Did have a guy bring me some brass to size once, it was a mess, way puffed up. It was too far gone, but that’s the only time that’s happened.

FWIW, I use a casepro.

[rancher1913]

it sizes the bases, most dies do not do a full length size so this takes care of that. its good for 5.56 and 9 the most, as those are sometimes shot in sloppy chambers and the base gets wonky. since I started rollsizing my 5.56 all my reloading problems and failure to chamber problems have gone away.

[AbitNutz]

291074
Neat tool, looks $$. I just push my .45acp loads through an old lee bulge buster die. The spring on top of my build pops them into the Dillon box on the wall. They then work in any of my .45 acp guns, pcc’s, 1927Thompson, 1911 autos or DA revolvers.

Yeah, I can't argue with the economics of a $25.00 Lee Bulge Buster kit that does all rimless pistol cartridges, and maybe .308 rifle case heads if you push hard enough. The Manual Rollsizer is about $750 with 308-45 case head size. If you add the motor it's about $1,200 without the case feeder. Of course, if you're doing this you already have a Dillon or other case feeder you can borrow when you need to. However, this thing just rocks and the motorized model does 5-gallon bucket loads of brass at the speed of light before it jams up your Mark 7, Dillon 1050, or at the very least, Dillon XR750. So there is the audience the Rollsizer is aimed at. So while the Lee Bulge Buster is a fantastic bargain. It's not suitable for this kind of volume.

[JimB..]

it sizes the bases, most dies do not do a full length size so this takes care of that. its good for 5.56 and 9 the most, as those are sometimes shot in sloppy chambers and the base gets wonky. since I started rollsizing my 5.56 all my reloading problems and failure to chamber problems have gone away.

Which machine are you using for 5.56? I’m trying to decide between new plates for mine or just getting a dedicated machine for 5.56.

I find totally messed up .380acp brass all the time, but haven’t reloaded any of it since I just have one pistol in the caliber.

[rancher1913]

not sure what your asking but I do 5.56 on a dillon s1050 and have the motorized rollsizer from the guy in Australia. I was having a lot of failure to go into battery with both the 5.56 and 9mm. I really like the fact that you just dump brass in the hopper and walk away.

[JimB..]

not sure what your asking but I do 5.56 on a dillon s1050 and have the motorized rollsizer from the guy in Australia. I was having a lot of failure to go into battery with both the 5.56 and 9mm. I really like the fact that you just dump brass in the hopper and walk away.
Sorry for being uncler, question was about which rollsizer and you answered that. One more question, did you get the commercial or DC version from rollsizer.com? I think that the DC version would meet my volume requirements, but the website reads as if it doesn’t handle 5.56 which takes it out of consideration.

[W.R.Buchanan]

This new machine is different than the "Case-Pro 100 which is a reciprocating style of machine where the brass is ran between two dies that work like sliding your hands together.

The Case Pro machine is a take off from Thread Rolling Machines which thread the vast majority of hardware that you use. They use Flat Thread Rolling Dies.

http://www.casepro100.com/products.ydev It can also be automated but I doubt it will ever be as fast as this Rotary Machine.

Roll Sizers size the entire case all the way to the rim and below (Rimless Cartridges) They are much faster than conventional methods of sizing cases.

If you are into recycling brass or High Volume shooting they can save you alot of time.

Randy

[Liberty1776]

I seriously looked at the Roll Sizer. But it's from Australia.

Australians have completely lost their minds. They have "rolled" over to vaccine tyrants and accepted draconian government edicts from idiots, all without a murmur. I'm ashamed of them. It truly is a prison colony. Again.

It may be the martini talkin', but I don't know if I want to support a country that's gone insane.

I realize I've crossed over from reloadin' to politics, but, gee. Australia's lost it.

[oley55]

there are regular folks living in Kalifornia just as I'm sure there are in Australia. If you dig a bit deeper you will see the crazy Australia is by a specific region and other regions have put up barriers against the crazies. Check out some Sky News.

[JimB..]

I seriously looked at the Roll Sizer. But it's from Australia.

Australians have completely lost their minds. They have "rolled" over to vaccine tyrants and accepted draconian government edicts from idiots, all without a murmur. I'm ashamed of them. It truly is a prison colony. Again.

It may be the martini talkin', but I don't know if I want to support a country that's gone insane.

I realize I've crossed over from reloadin' to politics, but, gee. Australia's lost it.

I doubt that they are any nuttier than us on average.

[jmorris]

So what is the role of the roll sizer in the reloading process?


A normal size die/shell holder setup simply cannot ensure all case dimensions are correct, as part of the case is below the die, in the shell holder.

This part can be damaged by extractors and ejectors, and a roll sizer can fix them.

Kind of like people that “plunk” all of their rounds in the barrel but still have “mystery” malfunctions because all rounds plunked. Then a buddy gets a case gauge out of his range back and drops it in there, and it sits proud, due to some imperfection on the case head.

This is the moment “plunkers” come to understand that not only does the round need to fit in the barrel but it also has to slide up the breechface and under the extractor.

If one is a “made in the USA” only fellow they can get a case pro http://www.casepro100.com/ roll sizer (that can iron out the extractor groove or a magma engineering or Lee push through sizer, that just ensures the OD is correct.

[rancher1913]

why stop supporting Australian shooters and shooting companies because of the countries politics, if anything they need our support now more than ever. boycotting a company over its politics makes sense but not hurting a company that is supporting the gun sports.

[kevin c]

My understanding of rollsizing comes out of action pistol shooting, where most everybody reloads pistol brass recovered from the range, sometimes many times. On a time, there were folks who had oversized chambers, or over ramped barrels, factory or otherwise, that tended to over expand brass. Many custom loads were overpressure, especially with the old, higher power factors required, that added to the problem. Roll sizing reconditions the cases below the flare of the standard dies, including the rim. The case still needs sizing afterwards (at least that’s true with my CasePro), but the extra step pretty much eliminates cases that won’t chamber.

Power factors are reduced now, Glock has redesigned their barrels and I think the days of overreamed chambers are gone, so much of the perceived need is gone, and if an action shooter uses once fired brass from major manufacturers, shot through factory guns, the actual need, IMHO, is not there. Multi fired brass, though, still benefits some from rim reconditioning.

[Liberty1776]

My understanding of rollsizing comes out of action pistol shooting, where most everybody reloads pistol brass recovered from the range, sometimes many times. On a time, there were folks who had oversized chambers, or over ramped barrels, factory or otherwise, that tended to over expand brass. Many custom loads were overpressure, especially with the old, higher power factors required, that added to the problem. Roll sizing reconditions the cases below the flare of the standard dies, including the rim. The case still needs sizing afterwards (at least that’s true with my CasePro), but the extra step pretty much eliminates cases that won’t chamber.

In the past five years I've salvaged up literally tens of thousands of 9mm Luger cases back when our range was carpeted with abandoned 9mm, and the only cases I can't use are steel, aluminum and Berdan primed.

No matter what, the vast, vast majority of scrounged 9mm brass can be brought back to reliable reloaded with just my Dillon sizer and other normal dies.

Sometimes a nasty military crimp sneaks by and I mash a primer into the pocket such that I have to decap again, swage the pocket and start again. (I'm getting pretty good at spotting the crimps, though.)

I do gage/plunk-test every round. If a loaded round still stands proud in the Lyman Case Checker, it's usually due to a dinged-up rim.

So I pull the bullet, primer and powder; and toss that case. Maybe one per 200-300 reloads. If the round plunks into the Lyman Case Checker, it will fire in my pistols.

[jmorris]

If a loaded round still stands proud in the Lyman Case Checker, it's usually due to a dinged-up rim.

So I pull the bullet, primer and powder; and toss that case.


Yep, that’s exactly what a roll and push through sizer are for turn that case from trash to pass before you have invested the time loading it and have to invest even more time breaking it back down.