My "new" decapping setup

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Centurian22

Centurian22

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I have some (about 100 rounds) .308 brass saved up and want to get started with reloading but don't have the money yet. So here is my decapping and primer pocket cleaning setup. For $0 investment I think it's a good way to make some progress. Any potential problems from such a crude method? Next will be my liquid cleaning solution experiments. Any good recipes?
Thanks for any input!

b44ac44c.jpg
 
Nice setup, the only problem I see is that nail looks like it may be slightly larger than the flash hole in the case. You may be inadvertently enlarging your flash hole as you deprime.

While in a pinch before I have used a similar setup with a hammer, wooden block, and 1/16" punch.
 
Well if you really had to you could probably get by with an inexpensive set of dies and a bottle jack.
Nothing wrong with experimenting a little. Just be careful and stick with published data =)...
 
My bad on not showing a better angle. The nail is ground down at the tip to fit through the flash hole. Though of I'm not careful when tapping with the hammer, it can get a little stuck. By a little I mean it takes just a light tap from the other side to free it. How 'sensitive' is the flash hole diameter within reason? I'm not driving through it with force but can a couple 1/1000's make an unsafe difference? I thought about the lee classic loader and may get it but I'm also thinking that's $30+ that can go towards the lee turret kit and does that I really want.

Jcwit, thanks for the advice on saving the spent primers. Hadn't thought of it, too late for the first 26 but will definitely start from here on out. Any couple bucks I can save or make is that many more rounds I can put down range, or use to put meat in the freezer.
 
If your waiting to get a press & dies then the die that sizes also deprimes so your not bring productive.
 
I want to clean my brass before resizing to keep the dies in as good of condition as possible, and since I plan to clean my brass in a wet solution, I want/need to deprime before washing. I also wish to clean the primer pockets. So rather than having to put the case on the press and take it off multiple times, I'm getting the brass as prepped as I can now so I can run it all the way through the turret in one shot for loading.
 
For a liquid cleaning solution---log onto the Cast Boolits web site and run a search for 'Citric acid'. Citric acid is very benign (you can stick your hands in it) and it not only cleans brass cases it will remove rust from metal very quickly.
 
Lemishine and dish soap in hot water, then rinse and sun dry. Won't clean PPs but that is only important in rifle cases. I wash, deprime and rewash, for non-carbide dies. If carbide, just size(decap) and then wash.
 
The nice thing about reloading as a hobby is that you can start pretty cheaply and build your equipment as you go along. A low cost press is the basic Lee that costs under $30. The good part is that money spent will never go to waste, even after you advance to a better press in the future. I have this press mounted to a wooden board that can be c-clamped to a desk for a portable set-up, or used as a depriming station before cleaning my brass like you're doing.

Lee press, $29.99.
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/7537

Lee universal Decapping Die, $11.69.
http://www.grafs.com/catalog/product/productId/7742/inline/1

Lee hand depriming tool, $6.89.
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/7576
 
After you deprime using your setup just give the pockets a quick twist with a small flat screwdriver.
Put the cases in a mesh bag and run them through the dishwasher after this spread them in the sun to dry.
Also be sure to check for crimped primer pockets as they are showing up in some commercial ammo as well as all milspec cases.
Luck
 
JC: that's definitely one of the major reasons that I wanted to give this a try. Due to my work I have relatively limited time home with my family and I don't want to (and know the wife would also prefer if I didn't) just disappear for hours on end to the basement. So far so good with this one as long as I'm careful and feel for the 'drop'.
 
I do it in/on my lap (the nail has no possible way to penetrate the block of wood so I am keeping it safe) which minimizes the noise produced by my decamping operations. But yes she's fine with it. I also make my best effort to time the noises well so they aren't interrupting anything important.
 
Centaur 1 said:
The nice thing about reloading as a hobby is that you can start pretty cheaply and build your equipment as you go along. A low cost press is the basic Lee that costs under $30. The good part is that money spent will never go to waste, even after you advance to a better press in the future. I have this press mounted to a wooden board that can be c-clamped to a desk for a portable set-up, or used as a depriming station before cleaning my brass like you're doing.

Lee press, $29.99.
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/7537

Lee universal Decapping Die, $11.69.
http://www.grafs.com/catalog/product/productId/7742/inline/1

Lee hand depriming tool, $6.89.
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/7576
Click to expand...

And FS Reloading has those for a fair bit less.

$24.98 for the press.
https://fsreloading.com/lee-reloader-press-90045.html

$7.98 for the decapping die.
https://fsreloading.com/lee-decapping-die-90292.html

$3.00 for the hand decapper.
https://fsreloading.com/lee-decapper--base-30-90102.html

:)
 
Don't let the "nay-sayers" :neener: deter you from making your own tools/equipment. You can actually learn a lot about reloading and how each tool works and why by fabricating your own tools. If you just bought a tool and you used it, you may not learn why the tool does what it does. Now you've learned more about depriming/flash holes by making your own set-up than if you had purchased a similar tool! I say good for you, keep it up!
 
Thanks for the encouragement and the lower price advice. MDI thats a very good point that I hadn't thought about. Now you've got me thinking if there's anything else I could fabricate on my own.... Hehehe.
 
Hey guy, there's nothing at all wrong about learning how to save some cash. It seems to be a trait long lost with many folks in todays society. Further for many it has turned into how much they can spend to supposedly impress their friends.

I commend you!
 
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