Is it worth the cash to buy big

[Squaregrouper]

It's a slightly different process, but not terribly. The main thing is that it requires a case trimmer.

To give you an example, this is how I load pistol and rifle:

Pistol:

1. Tumble brass, get them shiny.
2. Station 1 of Dillon 550 - Size/decap/prime
3. Station 2 of Dillon 550 - drop power, flare case mouth
4. Station 3 of Dillon 550 - seat bullet
5 Station 4 of Dillon 550 - crimp bullet

(note - steps are the same on a single stage press with the exception that priming and powder charging can be done off the press, although some people don't - it's possible to prime on the press, and some people have a powder measure set up on a single stage press.)

Rifle: (specifically 223)
1. Tumble brass, get them clean.
2. lubricate, (I use Dillon lanolin case lube) then Station 1 of 550 - Size/decap
3. Trim - I use a Lyman Universal case trimmer with power-pack combo. I don't think I ordered that, but it's what I have and I can use a cordless drill to power the trimming head, which makes it faster)
4. De-burr - I mentioned somewhere above that chuck my deburring tools into a corded drill and mount that in a vise locked in the "on" position - it goes faster that way. At some point I'll buy a case prep station.
5. Cut out primer pockets - I do this with the inner chamfer deburring tool in the drill

That's all part of the brass prep - once I've trimmed the brass, it really won't need to be trimmed again - it won't stretch enough to warrant it and it will wear out before it needs to be trimmed again. That eliminates steps 2-5 if I know that I've already prepped the brass. If I have, then it's just like loading for pistol - I

Once brass prep is done, I move to the Dillon and run it as a progressive:
6. Station 1 of 550 - lubricate/size (although it has already been sized) and prime
7. Station 2 of 550 - powder charge
8. Station 3 of 550 - seat bullet - on most rifle loading, this is the end of the process.
9. Station 4 of 550 - crimp with Lee Factory Crimp die, very lightly for AR.

People will argue that step 9 is unnecessary, and for any other ammo I'd agree, but most of my 223 loading is to feed my ARs. It could also be argued that I don't need to do step 6, and that argument would be valid, but since I'm doing it on my Dillon 550, I don't see any harm in running the brass up into the sizing die a second time.

It's all pretty straightforward.

Clarifying the post above...
New to you 5.56 brass requires quite a bit of work. Once the crimps are removed and the brass has been chamfered, the only significant difference between that and pistol brass is trimming and re-chamfering every 2-4 firings.

 

[Squaregrouper]

In one of the first posts in this thread, I spelled out how reloading 9mm (and .223/5.56 for that matter) won't save you money unless you load a LOT of ammo. It was reiterated in many other posts.
The bottom line is that by reloading can get you to tailor a load to your specific firearm. If you're planning on loading <2000 rounds per year, get a cheap press and see if reloading is for you.
Yes, the "GO BLUE" (Dillon) folks will tell you to go big or go home, but getting your feet wet for a few hundred bucks is (IMHO) a better idea than spending a mortgage payment on a Dillon as your first press. Hell, you might be like me with a metal detector- spend $800 and only touch it for a month or two.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

This fella makes the process as stripped down as he can. I can think of a few more nit picking checks and massages that can be done to our cases before and during re priming, etc.

But he gives you the gist of things.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

 

[MDRifles]

Thanks for the vids making me think I want a press just for .223

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

MdRifles,

No problem, When we help one, we help many in here.

 

[MDRifles]

In one of the first posts in this thread, I spelled out how reloading 9mm (and .223/5.56 for that matter) won't save you money unless you load a LOT of ammo. It was reiterated in many other posts.
The bottom line is that by reloading can get you to tailor a load to your specific firearm. If you're planning on loading <2000 rounds per year, get a cheap press and see if reloading is for you.
Yes, the "GO BLUE" (Dillon) folks will tell you to go big or go home, but getting your feet wet for a few hundred bucks is (IMHO) a better idea than spending a mortgage payment on a Dillon as your first press. Hell, you might be like me with a metal detector- spend $800 and only touch it for a month or two.

I think I need a little more research to see if it’s worth getting a seperate single stage or turret press given I was informed about a add on to turn a Dillion into a single. A dedicated single for hunting rounds and accuracy and the progressive for volume sounds like what I’m leaning to. Cost effective isn’t as important to me because from what I read they don’t really breakdown as much so eventually I would recoup whether that’s in a year or 3. I’m really interested in the progressive with some fancy prep tools to make 9, 45,40, and 223 rounds being able to be reloaded in a seamless flow while I watch shows during my downtime.

In one of the first posts in this thread, I spelled out how reloading 9mm (and .223/5.56 for that matter) won't save you money unless you load a LOT of ammo. It was reiterated in many other posts.
The bottom line is that by reloading can get you to tailor a load to your specific firearm. If you're planning on loading <2000 rounds per year, get a cheap press and see if reloading is for you.
Yes, the "GO BLUE" (Dillon) folks will tell you to go big or go home, but getting your feet wet for a few hundred bucks is (IMHO) a better idea than spending a mortgage payment on a Dillon as your first press. Hell, you might be like me with a metal detector- spend $800 and only touch it for a month or two.

 

[trickg]

Clarifying the post above...
New to you 5.56 brass requires quite a bit of work. Once the crimps are removed and the brass has been chamfered, the only significant difference between that and pistol brass is trimming and re-chamfering every 2-4 firings.

I'll have to check that a bit better - the thing is, I've collected and reloaded so much 223 brass, I'm not sure I've got 2-4 firings on any of it. I have read that some guys will trim to 1.740, and at that length it never needs to be trimmed again, and that it will wear out before it stretches beyond spec. I'm pretty sure I only trimmed to 1.750, but spec is 1.760, so at least 2 firings, depending on how much it stretches.

Brass prep is a PITA, but a necessary part of rifle reloading.

 

[MDRifles]

I'll have to check that a bit better - the thing is, I've collected and reloaded so much 223 brass, I'm not sure I've got 2-4 firings on any of it. I have read that some guys will trim to 1.740, and at that length it never needs to be trimmed again, and that it will wear out before it stretches beyond spec. I'm pretty sure I only trimmed to 1.750, but spec is 1.760, so at least 2 firings, depending on how much it stretches.

Brass prep is a PITA, but a necessary part of rifle reloading.

Most ranges is ok with collecting other brass while shooting?

 

[BradMacc82]

Most ranges is ok with collecting other brass while shooting?

Varies, but a fair amount of ranges/shooters are okay with it as long as you ask, and aren’t wandering past the firing line/interfering with other shooters

 

[trickg]

Most ranges is ok with collecting other brass while shooting?

Most ranges encourage you to police up your own brass while shooting - it's a safety thing really, so that you or someone else doesn't slip and fall on it. They are little rollers after all.

I shoot a lot at AGC - Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore. They have buckets for people to dump their brass after it has been picked up with the expectation that people are going to clean up after themselves. I'll go down the line and raid the buckets for brass. There's always 9mm brass in the buckets, which lately I've been ignoring because I already have so much of it, but often I'll find some 5.56 or 7.62, so I'll grab that too.

And then there are the guys who don't reload and have no issues with me cleaning up after them so that I can use their brass, but that's not always the norm - at AGC, a lot of folks who shoot there reload.

I probably gain 25-100 pieces of 5.56 every time I go, and sometimes more - it just depends on the day.

 

[BradMacc82]

Delmarva, they prefer to keep the brass as they sell it to offset costs of operating - but they do allow you to keep your own brass.

It varies by range.

 

[Squaregrouper]

Most ranges is ok with collecting other brass while shooting?

A caveat I have is to know where the brass is coming from. If I see a shooter blowing through ammo from factory boxes, I am interested because I know it is once fired. If it is coming from reloading (plastic) boxes and being left behind, I avoid it. There is a reason the reloader is leaving it behind.
If you're "dumpster diving" for brass, inspect is closely prior to prepping it.

 

[trickg]

A caveat I have is to know where the brass is coming from. If I see a shooter blowing through ammo from factory boxes, I am interested because I know it is once fired. If it is coming from reloading (plastic) boxes and being left behind, I avoid it. There is a reason the reloader is leaving it behind.
If you're "dumpster diving" for brass, inspect is closely prior to prepping it.

I check everything pretty closely - I've been tossing a lot of 223 lately for one reason or other.

There is ammo out there with crimped primer pockets where the crimps are these four gouged indents right around the primer, and lately I've been tossing those - the crimps don't seem to either want to swage out worth a dang, or cut out - by the time I've cut out enough material to make it viable, it's almost too much material.

With my 41 and 44 mag ammo, I've been inspecting every case before reloading, checking for cracked case mouths, signs of weakening along the case wall, and that sort of thing. At some point I'll have to replenish my 44 ammo because I've been tossing a fair amount of it lately, and it's all getting to the point where it's coming to the end of its usable lifespan.

 

[MDRifles]

Im looking for a range to join, I’m not sure if I’m going to get another membership at guntry. Preferably one that’s brass collection friendly any suggestions?
And if y’all had to get a handful of prep tools that make it easier what would y’all suggest. I know I seen some suggestions earlier in thread I’m going to go back over but interested to know y’all too 3. I was looking at tumblers but I’m not sure if that would be worth it as a starting extra expense

 

[trickg]

Im looking for a range to join, I’m not sure if I’m going to get another membership at guntry. Preferably one that’s brass collection friendly any suggestions?
And if y’all had to get a handful of prep tools that make it easier what would y’all suggest. I know I seen some suggestions earlier in thread I’m going to go back over but interested to know y’all too 3. I was looking at tumblers but I’m not sure if that would be worth it as a starting extra expense

It depends on where you live, but for me, the only regret I have about not getting hooked into Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore in Marriotsville is that I didn't do it sooner. I really enjoy shooting there.

Other must have accessories, IMO:

--- Tumbler
--- Media separator
--- Digital calipers
--- Scale
--- Manuals - get at least one good one to start

Now I'll bore you with details below:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tumbler - getting brass clean is something you'll want to do, so you'll need some things for that. I recently went through a thing where my 15 year old RCBS died, and I needed to replace it, so I replaced it with a Berry's QD500 tumbler with the quick detach bowl, but you can get the exact same tumbler in green from Bass Pro/Cabela's for a bit less.

This is my thread where I review it:

Berry's QD-500/Quick Detach Vibratory Tumbler Review

Good morning - I thought I'd jump in this morning to write a review on the Berry's QD-500 tumbler I bought this to replace my RCBS tumbler that died last week. Another reason for writing this review is that because this is a fairly new model (the Berry's 400 model has been around for years, and...

www.mdshooters.com

This is the exact same tumbler for $15 less - I'd have bought this one had I known it existed before I bought the Berry's.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-vibratory-tumbler-with-detachable-bowl

My tumbling media of choice is 20/40 crushed corn cob that I get from Zoro - I have a 40 lb box that I'll be using for the next decade or so. Something more accessible and cheap is walnut lizard litter from any pet store, and Nu Finish car polish seems to work about as good as any other tumbling media additive - I cut mine with mineral spirits, but I also use Flitz and Dillon.

Some might push you to wet tumbling. It's "better" than dry tumbling, but it's a different process, and I'm not sold on the process, so I dry tumble.

If you get a vibratory tumbler, you'll need some way to separate the media. The one I find to be most convenient is the one I use with a 5 gallon bucket from Frankford Arsenal - cheap, and gets the job done.

Frankford Arsenal Standard Media Separator

The Frankford Arsenal Standard Media Separator is designed to sit conveniently on top of most 3-1/2 or 5 gallon plastic utility buckets. This allows you...

www.midwayusa.com

Because you want to reload rifle, you'll need a case trimmer. If I had it to do over, I'd get this one, but I have the Lyman Universal Case trimmer with the power pack, and it gets the job done too.

Lyman Brass Smith Case Trim Xpress Case Trimmer

Lyman's Case Trim Xpress gives rifle reloaders the speed and accuracy that they have been looking for when trimming cases! The unit has its own power...

www.midwayusa.com

With my case trimmer, I need deburring tools and I have a separate inner and outer chamfer tool. There are a couple you get get that are 2-in-1. Supposedly the Lyman Trim XPress trims cleanly enough that deburring is not necessary, but I think a light inner chamfer is probably a good thing.

L.E. Wilson Chamfer Deburring Tool 17 to 45 Cal

The L.E. Wilson Chamfer and Deburring tool is perfect for smoothing the inside and outside of the case mouth for easier bullet seating. Universal design...

www.midwayusa.com

Digital Calipers - pick your poison. I have two pairs from Harbor Freight. There are plenty of online videos that prove that the cheapo HF calipers will get the job done when compared to other more expensive models. Others will argue that you NEED to have set of dial calipers. Others will argue that you NEED to have Mitutoyo calipers. I use my HF and I sleep fine at night.

Scale - I have caught flak for this, but my main scale is the Frankford Arsenal digital scale. I did a writeup about it in the FB group "Reload Nation" where I checked it with a set of check weights I bought, and it's more than accurate enough. You may decide on getting a beam scale. I went ahead and got a good beam scale and I still use the FA digital most of the time - go figure. The beam scale will come in handy for trickling up charges though.

Frankford Arsenal DS-750 Electronic Powder Scale 750 Grain Capacity

The DS-750 from Frankford Arsenal is the perfect scale for budget minded reloaders. It delivers extreme accuracy for precise measurements of bullets,...

www.midwayusa.com

I actually made a point to duplicate that post from Reload Nation with the check weights here on the forum because I felt other reloaders might find it relevant.

What did you do at your reloading bench today?

650 Dillion is a killer press, but very $$ I guess... depends on your volume. I shoot 7500-10k 9mm a year, which basically means I'm spending as much or more just on reloading components. The press setup amortizes itself pretty quick after that, especially when the reload to retail price spread...

www.mdshooters.com

Manual - the two manuals I most often see referenced are the Lee Manual and the Lyman Manual. I have both, but I also bought the digital Hornady manual for my phone, and I use that as a quick reference a good bit. From a "this is how you reload" perspective, I think the Lyman explains things very well, although if you use Lee equipment, the Lee manual is tailored to that. The problem with having multiple manuals is that I often find myself cross checking all 3 when I start to work up a load for something - I try to find something middle of the road that comports with all three.

 

[BradMacc82]

Lyman also has a powered case prep station - Amazon product ASIN B0BXSYLMQ9
It’s been working for me since I started reloading.

 

[lazarus]

Erwos posts are spot on, I dont have much to add. Reloading hunting rounds for cost savings will never pay off.

Reloading for high volumes or accuracy usually are the main drivers.

Or high volume of accurate rounds :-)

My price comparison points are different. Cheap blasting .223 is now around, what? 40 cents a round? I can load cheap 55gr .223 for about 29 cents a round with cheap bullets. It’ll generally be more accurate than any manufacturers range ammo.

I can load some nice Varmint or deer (different bullets) .223 hunting rounds that are extremely accurate for about 40-50 cents a round. Factory ammo for that? About $.80-1.00 a round.

Just like I can load some range 9mm at around 14 cents a round rather than the 25 cents a round you can find 9mm factory ammo for. But I can load premium JHP self defense rounds for about 18-20 cents a round, versus 60-80 cents a round.

 

[MDRifles]

Or high volume of accurate rounds :-)

My price comparison points are different. Cheap blasting .223 is now around, what? 40 cents a round? I can load cheap 55gr .223 for about 29 cents a round with cheap bullets. It’ll generally be more accurate than any manufacturers range ammo.

I can load some nice Varmint or deer (different bullets) .223 hunting rounds that are extremely accurate for about 40-50 cents a round. Factory ammo for that? About $.80-1.00 a round.

Just like I can load some range 9mm at around 14 cents a round rather than the 25 cents a round you can find 9mm factory ammo for. But I can load premium JHP self defense rounds for about 18-20 cents a round, versus 60-80 cents a round.

I looked into price comparisons and it doesn’t matter to me at this point eventually I’m going to break even and after that point I’ll shooting with a discount

 

[MDRifles]

Most ranges encourage you to police up your own brass while shooting - it's a safety thing really, so that you or someone else doesn't slip and fall on it. They are little rollers after all.

I shoot a lot at AGC - Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore. They have buckets for people to dump their brass after it has been picked up with the expectation that people are going to clean up after themselves. I'll go down the line and raid the buckets for brass. There's always 9mm brass in the buckets, which lately I've been ignoring because I already have so much of it, but often I'll find some 5.56 or 7.62, so I'll grab that too.

And then there are the guys who don't reload and have no issues with me cleaning up after them so that I can use their brass, but that's not always the norm - at AGC, a lot of folks who shoot there reload.

I probably gain 25-100 pieces of 5.56 every time I go, and sometimes more - it just depends on the day.

To join I would have to join a club then buy a badge?
Thanks man gave me a couple ideas I like the idea of that trimmer possible not needing to debur