First time re-loading for a semi-auto rifle, any way(s) to speed up sizing?

[Detritus]

hi all,

this past week i finally got everything in place to start reloading rifle rounds again. And started in on sizing/de-priming the first 50 of 800 or so .223 cases.
Ok couple of pertinent facts...

1. ALL of this ammo is going to be used in an AR15, so as i understand it it needs to be full length resized. and therefore the cases need lubing.
2. the last time i full-length resized ANYTHING it was scrounged .223 hulls and at least 10 years ago.
3. in light of item 2, 90% of my time at a press has been spent, neck sizing rifle brass, and using Lee carbide dies for pistol ammo. so no lubing brass for those.

all i have to say is if i'm gonna be feeding this AR i GOTTA find a faster method of getting through this step!

I'm using Lee dies and lube, the brass is mostly Radway Green (this will be loaded first) with some older LC headstamps thrown in. with this setup i'm lubing each case by hand (literally, instructions say to use your fingers to wipe the stuff on) running it through the die, then throwing it in a bin till i have 50, then washing the lube off.

this first batch of 50 took me over an hour just of lubing and sizing, and that's less than two magazines worth.

like i said i need to find a more time efficient method of sizing these cases or i'll never be able to keep this rifle fed, much less be able to keep up with two of them (i plan on building a carbine this summer)... and i can't afford to keep buying plinker ammo either.

any all all suggestions are welcome. thank you for your time and any advice you can give

 

[cdrt]

You might try something like this. I've used Midway's brand and it does make it easier and quicker. RCBS and a couple others make a similar product.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=794104&t=11082005

 

[Sunray]

"...needs to be full length resized..." Absolutely essential for a semi-auto. Neck sizing only will give you feeding issues. Lubing is required for resizing any rifle cartridge too.
I'm guessing you have a single stage press? Quick loading with one of them is a matter of technique.
Have the cases prepped. Use either spray lube or a pad. Spraying is obviously quicker. Then, have the lubing pad or whatever on one side of the press and an empty bin on the other, using both hands, into the shell holder with one hand, operate the ram with the other and out of the shell holder with that hand and into the bin while reaching for the next case. Do one operation to all your cases and change dies. Once you have them sized, use two bins until you're ready to powder charge 'em.

 

[zxcvbob]

Try using Dillon Case Lube (pump spray bottle.)

Are you using Imperial Sizing Wax? You shouldn't have to actually wipe it on the cases, just get it on your fingertips and fondle the brass as you load it into the shellholder.

Washing the lube off? Try tumbling it again to remove the lube, either the resized brass or the finished ammo.

(Don't forget the measuring and trimming step )

 

[freakshow10mm]

I use Hornady One Shot.

Put a bunch of cases in a big ass ziplock bag. Spray a good 1-2 second shot of HOS. Shake it up real good. Then load.

 

[Walkalong]

+1 for Imperial. Just lube em as you put em in the press. Plenty fast.

 

[W.E.G.]

Please tell me you are NOT lubing one case at a time and then sizing that one case, and then lubing one more case...

You should be able to lube many cases at once, and size at least one every 15 seconds.

If you use a water-based lube, you can wash it all off en masse with hot water in a spaghetti collander or a milk jug with holes punched in the bottom. Shake off the water, and toss the cases in a cardboard box. I especially like the lids for copier paper boxes. Shake again. Allow to air dry.

Work steadily over a period of days, and you'll be pleased with your progress.

Be sure you REALLY LIKE the load you build.

You do not want 1500 rounds of ammo that "aint right."
AMHIK

 

[Jacka L Ope]

+1 on spray lube.

I use Dillon, though I reckon just about any brand will do, and normally lube up to 250 cases at a time in one of those large turkey roasting pans, then get to re-sizing followed by the rest of the routine.

Cheers!

 

[scrat]

I use Hornady One Shot.

Put a bunch of cases in a big ass ziplock bag. Spray a good 1-2 second shot of HOS. Shake it up real good. Then load.

Thats my method. you can put a bunch of them in different bags spray a lot and shake them up. Then spray a burst up the die. Then i have one single stage press that i use for just the sizing. it goes a lot faster. Then when i start to fell resistance i spray another burst up the die. When im doen i spray the die with Carb cleaner to take out all the lube.

Imperial sizing wax is good stuff but not really meant for speed.

 

[Soybomb]

Run out to walmart and pick up a small spray bottle (I found mine in the soap aisle with the travel containers) and a bottle of 90% isopropyl alcohol. Put about 3-4 ounces of alcohol in the spray bottle and an ounce of the lee lube. Shake the crap out of it. Give your cases a mist over the entire loading block (from an angle, don't forget the inside of the neck needs lube!). Let it dry for a minute or two and size with easy. Should last you quite a while.

I wipe mine clean by hand but if I had a tumbler I'd just tumble the finished rounds.

 

[ocabj]

I use Imperial and do a quick twirl with the thumb and forefinger around the body of the case and size. Sprays or roll pads are unnecessary. I shoot a lot of .223 and therefore process a lot of brass. FL sizing isn't a big deal.

What takes up all your time will be trimming, chamfering, and deburring. That's why I bought a Giraud. Handles it all in one step and I can process 10 cases per minute minimum.

 

[Idano]

Please tell me you are NOT lubing one case at a time and then sizing that one case, and then lubing one more case...

He got to be doing it that way. I just processed 600 rounds of .357 Sig this morning in two hours on my Rock Chucker and that included cleaning the primer pockets. Even though I have a progressive I always process all rifle brass bottle neck pistol brass on my Rock Chucker because I don't want the lube in my case feeder.

Detritus what you have to do is use a spray lube, like Dillon, Hornady, Frankfurt Arsenal, or make your own with one part lanolin to four parts 99.0% isopropyl alcohol. What I do is lay my brass on a cookie sheet and spritz the brass with the lube and then roll them back and forth. I have used all the commercial lubes including Imperial Sizing Wax and I found the one part lanolin to four parts 99.0% isopropyl alcohol to be the best and the most economical. I have never stuck or dented a case and it cleans off within five minutes of tumbling.

 

[RustyFN]

I use Hornady One Shot.

Put a bunch of cases in a big ass ziplock bag. Spray a good 1-2 second shot of HOS. Shake it up real good. Then load.

Thats the same thing I do.
Rusty

 

[mallc]

+ Another of Dillon Spray lube

100 or so on a cookie sheet. Spray and size/trim away.

Scott

 

[rodregier]

I use RCBS spray lube and a Stalwart lube rack. Sold by Sinclair and Precision Reloading last I checked.

Versions hold 40 - .223 Rem cases, and 25 - .308/.30-06 cases.

Clean off anodized lube rack w/dish soap and water afterwards. Has cutouts in case holes to permit cleaning/drainage.

I use Redding dies with carbide neck expander button for bottleneck cases, which means I don't have to mess with lubing inside case necks or cleaning out the lube afterwards. Also results in less expander-induced case stretching, and significantly reduces the amount of force needed to drag the expander back thru the case neck.

 

[strat81]

Dillon 1050 w/ case feeder. There's no other way.

j/k. I use Imperial Sizing Wax with my Lee Turret. Never timed myself for sizing, but it's more than 50 cases per hour. Just a quick rub/swipe and I'm good to go.

 

[kennedy]

put 50 cases in zip lock bag, mix one part lee lube with 4 parts water(1/4 teaspoon of lube)pour into bag, shake it up, lay on news paper and let dry. Then I size and wipe off lube with a towel and then tumble.

 

[feets]

I stand the cases in my shell holder and give 'em one quick pass with One Shot.
I've done this over 1500 times for my 300 win mag alone. Never had any problems.

 

[mswestfall]

I'm with OCABJ. I like the Imperial Sizing Wax. I lube up my right hand and twirl the case with my left hand. I also inspect each case at the same time. I run my finger over the mouth of the case on every 5th or 6th piece for the neck sizer.

It's not the quickest but I like the hands-on approach.

 

[jmorris]

Dillon 1050 w/ case feeder. There's no other way.

The 1050 is a neat machine they just didn't put enough stations on it, for reloading bottle neck rifle rounds. Sooner or later you are going to run into a round that won’t chamber because it’s too long. I use a 650 set up with the trimmer then the brass goes into the 1050, you have to crank 2000 times for 1000 rounds but it’s better than the alternative.

I just keep a cardboard box by the bench to apply the lube. I used Oneshot for a while and decided it didn’t live up to its name and switched to the Dillon lube and never looked back.

 

[HJ857]

I load a lot of .223 and I'm always looking for case prep time savers. I also use the plastic colander method. I stack around 250 cases in the colander so all the necks are upright. Spray with the Frankford Arsenal lube. Then crank away. I think the process start to finish is about 45 minutes.

As has been said, the sizing/depriming is the easy part. Trim/chamfer/deburr/crimp removal are the killers.

 

[coloradokevin]

I'm the newbie reloader, so take this for what it is worth. I am also reloading for an AR-15, and I talked to a few folks about faster ways to do this stuff... Best suggestion I've found so far was:

stand your casings up on end when you have a few minutes... then give them a good spray with Hornady One Shot. Size the batch of them (I was doing 50 at a time), then throw them in your tumbler to get rid of the lube.

It has worked for me so far, but other guys might have recommendations that are faster!

 

[rantingredneck]

Another Hornady One-shot user here.

 

[Detritus]

thank you for all the replies guys.

think i'll try the water/lee lube mix first and see how it does. right now though everything is on hold until i can get some non-match type primers, preferrably CCI #41 "military primers" or similar.

thanks again

 

[lee n. field]

I'm using Lee dies and lube, the brass is mostly Radway Green (this will be loaded first) with some older LC headstamps thrown in. with this setup i'm lubing each case by hand (literally, instructions say to use your fingers to wipe the stuff on) running it through the die, then throwing it in a bin till i have 50, then washing the lube off.

Ahhhh!

That be the hard way.

Ammo into a plastic baggie. RCBS spray lube. A spritz or two into the baggie, close it, tumble it around for a bit. It will be adequately lubricated, and is (per RCBS) powder safe.