As we toil through our "brass treasures", sorting, polishing, trimming, measuring, neck turning, uniforming primer pockets, forming new, flash forming and deburring flash holes... We come to the realization that it's all in a day's work. But wait, there's more! Look at the list below and tell me if you've encountered any of these:
(Was going to start a new thread and not meaning to hi-jack OP's topic but this is the perfect place for this.)
1) After trimming your brass can actually "grow in length" after chamfering/deburring by as much as .002!
2) Same headstamps, same caliber, same resize but different dimensions (neck, shoulder, body, head, extractor groove, rim thickness). Different lot maybe?
3) Trimming gauging from shoulder can alert you when case hasn't been fully resized!
4) Measuring with calipers requires "rotating" case for accuracy/squareness.
5) "Stuck cases" requires audio isolation from others due to involuntary obscenity's.
6) Acutely over length case trim time can be quickly shortened by chamfer/deburr OR quick run on crimp remover to make the trimming process less laborious. (be cautious doing this!) (credit goes to Three44s for this!)
7)Primers seem to pop out while resizing/de-priming only to find "primer side walls" resist from exiting and only the end comes out.
8) You go to resize a case and discover the case was shot from an over-sized chamber thus exhibiting the "tire" effect.
9)Last but not least, I ran across a few "Wolf" 223 cases that despite being resized 4 times will not trim to 1.75". (Gauging from shoulder)
Oh and after a trimming session, you can easily tell how much sodium you had that day by the indents in your fingers....Have a great week!
The unexamined life is not worth living....Socrates
Pain, is just weakness leaving the body....USMC
Fast is fine, but accuracy is FINAL!....Wyatt Earp
Life is all fun and games until you try to recycle 308 that was shot in a machine gun!
Ain't life grand! Turn the radio up when you gotta get that stuck case outta the dies!
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Well I pretty much submitted the above with minor editing to Lyman with my purchase date and location information. I simply wanted to confirm the oversize issue had been resolved before I purchased again. To my surprise I just got an email containing a zero cost invoice for a new carbide cutter head!!! How cool is that???
Lyman Products
475 Smith Street
Middletown, CT 06457
Tel 860.632.2020
Fax 860.632.1699
www.lymanproducts.com
ORDER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
CUSTOMER CODE ORDER
Customer Code: LYMAN PRODUCTS CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Sold To: LYMAN PRODUCTS CUSTOMER SUPPORT
475 SMITH STREET
MIDDLETOWN, CT 06457
USA
Ship To:
JACKSONVILLE, FL 32226
USA
Order No : 124690 Date: 7/19/21
Ordered By: Phone:
Email: Cust PO No: 32226
FOB: Order Expiration:
Ship Via: Freight Terms: No charge
Terms: Paid MC/Visa Customer Terms Full Description:
Order Terms Full Description: Outside Sales:
Territory: Retail Accounts (customer service) Order Type: No Charge Order - Replace Def or Missing parts
Line
No Ship Date Part Part Product Group Description/Note Quantity Unit Unit
Price Extended
Price
7/26/21 7822204 Carbide Cutter Accessory
Product Type: Carbide Case Trimmer 1 Ea $0.00 $0.00
Sub Total $0.00
Grand Total $0.00
“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.” Ronald Reagan
I escaped that scenario.....just barely....by just by having the fear of such hit me when the sizing got really tuff. Had the presence of mind to stop pushing and thank goodness, a stuck case can indeed ruin your day and my loading room has no noise makers but me. I hate noise when I try to concentrate.
I was using Imperial Wax. So I started experimenting with different lubes.....lanolin included. There was only 2 lubes I tried that did the job without me worrying about a stuck case, STP ..... and the old standby, RCBS lube pad lube. Being water-based, I settled on the latter.....less mess. Imperial wax is great for most things, but not for sizing 308 MG brass in my experience.
Then I processed 500 7.62 (.308 LC MG brass) without a problem or even a slowdown........but I admit, I sized on my single R.C. not the progressive.....it was still harder than commercial brass....as there were crimped primers to push out then wet tumbling and trimming yet to do. Progressive loading came later without a hitch.
Last edited by GWS; 07-20-2021 at 04:32 PM.
Love my LE Wilson trimmers. Hard to beat quality tools.
Time consuming efforts? Depends ... not for me and quality rifle brass for building exceptional long distance cartridges.
Back at it, again!
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Rather than burn up powder and pop primers, I am still cycling through a supply of fired 223/5.56 empties.
I also shoot 7mm TCU, 222 Rem and have been known to make 7.62x25 mm from 223 brass on occasion.
In checking for length, I encounter case lengths in the 223 casings ranging from 1.733” all the way to longer than 1.780”.
After I have my several head stamps segregated, I sort for length.
Lengths shorter than 1.744” are sidelined and left unprocessed for now.
Lengths longer than 1.760” are also set aside as they may be better saved for the TCU. This is because in expanding the case mouths for that conversion, the cases tend to get shorter and it makes little sense to grind off brass and later wish it was still there. I will trim those after the conversion.
My target length post full length sized for 223 is the recommended trim to of 1.750”. My post fired cases grow a few thou and for my bolt guns I use a Lee Collet neck die and they can grow together through several firings before I figure they will need getting cut again.
The cases between 1.740 and 1.750” can just float along as well, they get their primer pockets manicured and by resetting my inside flash holes debur tool, they can still get that as well. There just is no justification in trimming them.
Between 1.750” and 1.760” I have two piles of brass. The cases longer than 1.755” get their mouths deburred prior to trimming for length. Years ago, I discovered that beveled case mouths trim much faster than square ones do and trimming 10 thousandths off in one pass is a real “grind”!
The closer to 1.760” a particular case is, the more I cut with the inside chamfer pass.
All the heavy trimming is done with a Lyman Universal that wears their carbide cutter and by combining the chamfer pass prior to the trim, I can roll off that .008” or .010” generally in one setting.
A re-bevel and then it’s time to lube and full length size. Two Wilson trimmers come out and one is set for beveling the primer pocket crimp (it was swagged prior to this) and the other to cut back to my target of 1.750”.
Once a case is set in a Wilson case holder one might as well make the most of it!
I want the square case mouths that the Wilson trimmer gives me plus the dead length case dimension for the inside flash hole debur tool to index off of are my reason I return to a trimmer as well as a more accurate one to boot.
It’s a lot of work but it beats getting extremely frustrated watching the news. I get worked enough watching it during dinner and then ensconce myself in brass prep/conversions until bedtime.
Three44s
Last edited by Three44s; 08-17-2021 at 10:09 AM.
Quote Originally Posted by Bret4207
“There is more to this than dumping lead in a hole.”
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