Lyman manual advice?

[Shrinkmd]

I was reading an old copy of the Lyman manual, and it seems to give advice contrary to how a progressive press works. They say clean each primer pocket with a brush. Ok, how can you do that if you use a progressive which deprimes and resizes on one stroke and then primes on the way back? How about measuring each case length after resizing it? The next station will be belling the mouth and powder drop, and the bullet next stage?

From what I've read around here people seem to reuse pistol cases until they crack or are lost and don't trim or measure the brass? Is their advice more suitable to rifle reloading on a single stage vs the way people usually use a progressive for pistol?

Thanks

 

[SASS#23149]

I just ignore any advice that doesn't fit with running my progressive
IE; older manuals say to deprime before tumbleing. NO way do I see this as the way to go,so I don't.

 

[ants]

It takes a little time and experience to discover the imperative tasks you must always perform, versus the optional tasks. And a little more experience shows how much you gain from the optional tasks.

For most straight-wall pistol cartridges, many reloaders skip trimming and primer pocket cleaning. Bottleneck rifle cartridges gain safety and consistency (which means accuracy) from those operations.

In fact, tumbling is not required either. Functionally, it's a good way to clean your cases so sand and grit do not destroy your dies or your barrel, but we didn't tumble for decades before they introduced vibratory tumblers and soft media.

 

[mkl]

For handgun cartridges, primer pocket cleaning is optional until you get to a point where the carbon residue in the primer pocket will prevent seating the primer flush or slightly below the case head.

If your primers start to protrude above the case head, its time to clean the pockets.

Probably take 5 to 8 shots for this to happen; don't know for sure since I use a single stage press and clean the pockets every couple of firings.

 

[Shrinkmd]

That is what I was assuming, but I figured I would ask people just to add to the general knowledge base when someone does a search and asks again.

So for .223 shooters who use a progressive, they really do have more case prep work before they run them through the press if they want to crank out reasonably accurate ammunition, eh? I'll get there. For now I am in the process of batch processing my brass collection, decapping then tumbling. Next up I will resize them all, then bell, then prime. I figure once I have all those steps completed I can begin powder/bullet seating one batch at a time, but at least I can complete the other steps first.

I am looking forward to getting that progressive already, but I want to earn my wings on a single stage first so I have better horse sense for each step of the way.

 

[ants]

Rifle with progressive

I usually load rifle on a single stage, but if I want to use the progressive I do it in two complete runs.

• After inspecting and cleaning cases, I lube them and run them all through the progressive to deprime and size. If I already know that they won't need trimming, I also prime them in that run. During this run I back the charging, seating and crimp dies out of the way (count the turns so you can put them back into adjustment).

• Off the press I wipe the lube, measure length, trim as necessary. Then, I run them all through the progressive to charge and seat and crimp (prime before charging if cases not already primed). This run is with the sizing die backed out, and the others properly adjusted.

 

[The Bushmaster]

And you wonder why the Bushmaster uses Turret presses and Single stage presses. Besides I'm not in that much of a hurry. Nor do I like not being able to play with the case in between stages of reloading. I also hate non-primed or no charge rounds when at the range. Most imbarrassing...

 

[Shrinkmd]

Excellent advice. I am planning on getting the Hornady LNL Progressive, so if/when I get it, I will be able to pop out the dies I'm not using no problem to do a double batch method like ants suggested.

 

[arizona98tj]

Some reloaders use the RCBS X-Die to eliminate the need to trim their rifle brass between loadings. When I decided to use my progressive for .223 reloading, I picked up an X-Die for that specific reason.

.....but we didn't tumble for decades before they introduced vibratory tumblers and soft media

You didn't tumble but that doesn't mean I didn't. I used a rotating tumbler long before the vibrating polishers so common today became popular.

 

[dave from mesa]

Shrinkmd
One more thing.
You don't bell rifle cases unless you are using lead bullets.

 

[Shrinkmd]

I've been reading on the MidwayUSA site, and it seems like there is so much case prep you skip with a progressive. Does it matter? If you want to clean the primer pockets out, deprime before you tumble, brush out the case mouth, it seems like you are putting a big dent in the claimed hundreds of rounds per hour in a progressive.

If you do more meticulous case prep for pistol cases (and is it worth it?) can you still benefit from using a progressive for the sizing, belling, powder drop, seating, and optional crimping? I guess it would be like running two batches.

Do people just tumble primed spent cases, and then just stick them into the progressive and zip on through until they are reloaded again? Obviously much much faster, but the more I read about progressives it just seems like so many places where you can either spill powder or primers all over the place, or have other malfunctions which give you a large batch of improper rounds.

I guess that is why they say to start with a single stage to really learn before trying to go "pro", eh?

 

[Shrinkmd]

Another Question from the manual

The Lyman manual says that carbide dies should NEVER touch the shellholder when you set them up. According to the Hornady dies instructions, they say for the sizing die to make contact with the shellholder before the press arm cams over.

I remember watching the Sierra handloading video which recommends half a dime's distance between the shellholder and the bottom of the sizing die.

So what is the real story here? I don't want to break my new dies.

 

[GP100man]

steel to steel is ok within limits of course ,but never ever touch a carbide ring with a shellholder!!!
it is a very brittle metal ,hard yes but very brittle!!!!
most of my dies are adjusted so i can see a little lite between the shellholder & die , i hate putting anything in a bind!!!

GP100man