buying processed brass?

[straitnate14]

Anyone ever get lazy and order pre-processed brass? I feel as if paying $100 for 1000 pieces of .223 brass is worth it, I have a bunch of brass but I just look at the buckets of brass and my fingers start to hurt. So I took the plunge and bought some from Hi-tech ammo. I just hope I don't have to do anything with it.

 

[woodsoup]

When I purchase .223/5.56 brass, I prefer it to be MilSurp unprocessed. Reason is Then I know it has only been fired one time. Once any brass is processed, it's hard to tell. Same goes for all my other used brass. Besides it gives me something to do nights when the wife is PO'ed at me.

 

[ljnowell]

So, whatcha gonna do with those buckets of unprocessed brass?

 

[LiveLife]

Besides it gives me something to do nights when the wife is PO'ed at me.

It's much better to get your wife excited about shooting/reloading so that she helps you with processing/depriming/priming and reloading (hint hint - quality hubby/wifey time together - our marriage counselor highly recommended it).

Now our date night is spent in the reloading room ... (put your favorite thoughts/comments here) ... so we can go shooting together.

 

[billybob44]

It's much better to get your wife excited about shooting/reloading so that she helps you with processing/depriming/priming and reloading (hint hint - quality hubby/wifey time together - our marriage counselor highly recommended it).

Now our date night is spent in the reloading room ... (put your favorite thoughts/comments here) ... so we can go shooting together.

Our "Date Night" is The Wife in the sewing room and me in the Man Cave..

 

[woodsoup]

This woman can go to the range with me and burn through 500 9mm rounds in one session. I reloads'em she shoots'em. Somewhere in there she cleans the Ruger P89 and while she waits for the thing to cool down beforehand, she burns thru some .22lr and .17HM2. Occasionally she'll sneak into the cave while I'm down there and help me pop primers.

 

[LiveLife]

Occasionally she'll sneak into the cave while I'm down there and help me pop primers.

Our counter-parts call depriming/resizing cases "resistance exercise"

Many presses have ambi-ram lever mounts for full upper-body work out.

Time to size those .223/5.56 cases.

 

[medalguy]

I never buy processed brass for the reason given above. I want to SEE what I'm starting with. Once fired or whatever. However I use a lot of milsurp brass, and I send it to Custom Brass Processing in Abilene Texas. He takes MY brass, deprimes, full length sizes, swages primer pockets, trims to length, and tumbles bright for .03 per round. I can buy 5.56 brass for .04 to .05 sometimes less, pay .03 to process, then end up with what I know is once fired processed brass ready to load for under .08 sometimes for .06 per round.

 

[Maj Dad]

Our "Date Night" is The Wife in the sewing room and me in the Man Cave..

Life is good...

That's when I do my brass processing, and like woodsoup & Medalguy I like it unprocessed so I know it's once-fired. I've been burned on mail order "once-fired" pistol brass before so I tend to buy it new or from someone I know (or that I can inspect first).

 

[Canuck-IL]

I always buy still crimped milspec rifle brass for the obvious reason cited above. Once fired in a particular rifle, the brass stays with that gun for the duration of its useful life...with a minimal shoulder bump per the chamber's needs and an X-die for FL resizing (semi-auto) or neck sizing (3 out of 4 times and then a FL) for bolt guns, I don't have to buy all that often.

It's the trim/deburr/chamfer that drives me nuts - the X-die helps that a lot. The Dillon Super Swage replaced an RCBS decrimp die to make that task reasonable. Someday, there's a Giraud in my future.
/Bryan

 

[straitnate14]

I just got done proccesing 1000rds of .223 about 2 weeks ago and I did to much at one time I think, I got burnt out and my fingers were soar for a day or two after... I just feel as if I'm spending more time loading that I ever get to spend shooting and I have a hard time shooting the ammo I just loaded. I look at it as hours of hard work that can be wasted in a couple of hours. Oh and the buckets of brass that I have are going to get used it's just a matter of time before I prep them.

 

[Randy1911]

Man, you guys are lucky!!!

My wife likes to go to the range with me but it is a raw deal. All she does is shoot and pick up brass. I have to clean all the guns, sort the brass, polish it. reload it. Basically all she does is show up and shoot. She says that all the rest is my job for the privailage of getting to go shoot.

I got burnt out and my fingers were soar for a day or two after.

I have a dillon super swage 600 and a power deburr/dechamfer tool. I hope to have a power trimmer one of these days. Life will be a lot better then

 

[243winxb]

Roll Sizing

http://www.wolfbullets.com/rollsize.htmSome say roll sizing can damage the web area of the brass causing case head fracture on firing. Round (photo) was fired in a bolt action rifle.

 

[Rico567]

So, whatcha gonna do with those buckets of unprocessed brass?

You're talking military brass here:

1. Deprime the cases. After much experience, I use the cheap Lee depriming tool with a hammer. I found the RCBS Universal Depriming die to be unserviceable, after too many broken pins and bent spindles.

2. Remove the crimp from the primer pocket. There are a number of tools for doing this. I have the RCBS Primer Pocket Swaging Tool, and it works....to a degree. I don't believe it leaves sufficient radius on the primer pocket, so I also give the pocket a whirl with my chamfering reamer.

3. Clean the cases according to your regimen of choice...lots of thread in lots of forums on this subject. For normal brass that's just dull, with no heavy tarnish, I just use the vibratory tumblers with corncob media and NuFinish auto polish. When the tarnish gets heavy, I've used white vinegar & water, and I'm about to try Lemi-Shine.

4. Now you're ready to load!

 

[MMCSRET]

I've purchased, loaded, and fired several thousands of rounds of fully processed brass from Scharch, never had a problem. They add about 5% to the bag so that if you do find a bad one you are not out anything. Scharch is the best company I've dealt with on the product. Some others are not quite a meticulous as they should be; you pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

[Glock20]

I agree with MMCSRET, I've bought 223 Rem processed & new pistol brass several times from Scharch - Top Brass and am completely happy with the product and service.

 

[ReloaderEd]

I totally agree that process brass looks good but you don't really know what your geting. I process 1000 rounds of 223 yesterday while watching football games including sizing/decaping, primer pocket cleaning and about 20 percent trimming. The case were cleaned using a tumbler. I will prime these some evening this week.
My wife of 43 years almost 44 years if she is lucky or I m lucky, would not touch reloading but like to shoot up ammo. She complains when I clean primerpockets in the den wile watching the tube.

 

[ljnowell]

You're talking military brass here:

1. Deprime the cases. After much experience, I use the cheap Lee depriming tool with a hammer. I found the RCBS Universal Depriming die to be unserviceable, after too many broken pins and bent spindles.

2. Remove the crimp from the primer pocket. There are a number of tools for doing this. I have the RCBS Primer Pocket Swaging Tool, and it works....to a degree. I don't believe it leaves sufficient radius on the primer pocket, so I also give the pocket a whirl with my chamfering reamer.

3. Clean the cases according to your regimen of choice...lots of thread in lots of forums on this subject. For normal brass that's just dull, with no heavy tarnish, I just use the vibratory tumblers with corncob media and NuFinish auto polish. When the tarnish gets heavy, I've used white vinegar & water, and I'm about to try Lemi-Shine.

4. Now you're ready to load!
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Oh, I know what needs done, I'm just wondering whats gonna happen to them if op doesnt want to process them. I know lots of vultures who would love a crack at buying them.