What did you do today in the world of reloading?

I am also still chasing a load that my 22/243 likes.
I banished the rifle to the safe 4 or 5 years ago because it didn’t shoot the way I thought it should.
Now that I retired I don’t have anything else I need to do. So here I am again!
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A buddy and I were at the range Sunday, I had made up 204R test loads for his rifle. So yesterday I finished his reloads, he and couple other friends want to go on a coyote night/day calling trip. I will be the caller,probably backup shooter, until they all get one. Should be interesting how they react to difference between day sets and nights(thermals). Never sure how people will react to walking around in the dark in the winter.
 
DiRTY DOG said:
Today I annealed 200 pcs 6.5x47L on my Ugly Annealer and wet tumbled them.

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What is your process?
1) deprime and with what?
2) anneal
3) wet tumble....and with what?

I have just started annealing. Been reloading for 35 years. I am about to be able to afford upgrading my process. Only have two of six kids left to raise. ;) I won't do a massive amount of shells but there are 8 of us that I could reload for especially if I can speed up my process.
I am also getting sick and tired of dry media dust ending up on everything....even after I swear the brass are cleaned off.
 
bluedog69 said:
What is your process?
1) deprime and with what?
2) anneal
3) wet tumble....and with what?

I am also getting sick and tired of dry media dust ending up on everything....even after I swear the brass are cleaned off.
Click to expand...
1. Deprime with Mighty Armory PUA Decapping Die (comes with 0.57 pins for small flash hole Lapua brass). Currently 50% off!
2. Anneal.
3. Wet tumble with a Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler kit. Currently on sale. Not necessary at all for rifle, I only bought the wet kit for nasty muddy range brass to sell. I only wet tumble good brass for 30 min, with pins, and with Brass Juice. After rinsing, I tumble 5 min with water and car wash n wax, then rinse again. I tumble them in a Frankford Arsrnal media separator submerged in water to shake out all the pins, then again out of the water to shake out all the water, then dump and rub on a bath towel. I dry with a food dehydrator for 2 hrs @ 130 degrees. Wet tumbling is more complicated, and takes more time. But like I said, I only got it for nasty free pickup brass to use/sell. I do use it for my good rifle brass mostly just to make it bling.

Dry media tumbling works fine for "clean" brass and is easier. I only use Pet Smart lizzard media with Flitz liquid brass polish. To keep dust down, I regularly add cut up old dryer sheets or paper towel strips. They absorb the dust pretty well. After tumbling dry, I pour it all out into a Frankford media seperator and spin it to get the media all out. Then dump onto a dry towel and rub to get the dust off. I don't have dust problems this way.
 
William Suter said:
Still searching for a good load for my 6.5 PRC. Trying some H4350 and have some N560 to try
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DiRTY DOG said:
1. Deprime with Mighty Armory PUA Decapping Die (comes with 0.57 pins for small flash hole Lapua brass). Currently 50% off!
2. Anneal.
3. Wet tumble with a Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler kit. Currently on sale. Not necessary at all for rifle, I only bought the wet kit for nasty muddy range brass to sell. I only wet tumble good brass for 30 min, with pins, and with Brass Juice. After rinsing, I tumble 5 min with water and car wash n wax, then rinse again. I tumble them in a Frankford Arsrnal media separator submerged in water to shake out all the pins, then again out of the water to shake out all the water, then dump and rub on a bath towel. I dry with a food dehydrator for 2 hrs @ 130 degrees. Wet tumbling is more complicated, and takes more time. But like I said, I only got it for nasty free pickup brass to use/sell. I do use it for my good rifle brass mostly just to make it bling.

Dry media tumbling works fine for "clean" brass and is easier. I only use Pet Smart lizzard media with Flitz liquid brass polish. To keep dust down, I regularly add cut up old dryer sheets or paper towel strips. They absorb the dust pretty well. After tumbling dry, I pour it all out into a Frankford media seperator and spin it to get the media all out. Then dump onto a dry towel and rub to get the dust off. I don't have dust problems this way.
Click to expand...

So I do it a little differently and found a way to save a little time.

I deprime first with a FART deprimer then tumble in the FART wet tumbler. I then separate the brass from the stainless media and rinse well with water.

I then load the brass on the Giraud annealer and let it do its thing. The leftover water on the brass gets evaporated off during the annealing process so this saves a step of having to dry it.

There are arguments to anneal before or after sizing but I prefer to anneal before sizing.

I then lube with Hornady One-Shot spray and size it. I have clean paper towels I one hand and give each piece a wipedown .

It then gets ran through the Giraud trimmer and is cut to uniform length, chamfered and deburred.

Now its primed with a hand primer.

I have various different powder throws, RCBS CMs but I've moved to the V3 auto trickler to charge everything. Everything is sized and loaded on single stage Forster Coax presses.

I consider everything I load a precision load, I don't deviate for hunting or training ammo.

Hope this helps someone, this process has produced some very accurate ammo over the years.
 
DiRTY DOG said:
1. Deprime with Mighty Armory PUA Decapping Die (comes with 0.57 pins for small flash hole Lapua brass). Currently 50% off!
2. Anneal.
3. Wet tumble with a Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler kit. Currently on sale. Not necessary at all for rifle, I only bought the wet kit for nasty muddy range brass to sell. I only wet tumble good brass for 30 min, with pins, and with Brass Juice. After rinsing, I tumble 5 min with water and car wash n wax, then rinse again. I tumble them in a Frankford Arsrnal media separator submerged in water to shake out all the pins, then again out of the water to shake out all the water, then dump and rub on a bath towel. I dry with a food dehydrator for 2 hrs @ 130 degrees. Wet tumbling is more complicated, and takes more time. But like I said, I only got it for nasty free pickup brass to use/sell. I do use it for my good rifle brass mostly just to make it bling.

Dry media tumbling works fine for "clean" brass and is easier. I only use Pet Smart lizzard media with Flitz liquid brass polish. To keep dust down, I regularly add cut up old dryer sheets or paper towel strips. They absorb the dust pretty well. After tumbling dry, I pour it all out into a Frankford media seperator and spin it to get the media all out. Then dump onto a dry towel and rub to get the dust off. I don't have dust problems this way.
Click to expand...
Is this what you use????

Thrive Ground Walnut Shell Reptile Bedding

Buy Thrive Ground Walnut Shell Reptile Bedding at PetSmart
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DiRTY DOG said:
That's works. I like to tumble after sizing to get the lube off. I just don't like traces of lube on my cases, my OCD hates dirty fingers...
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My OCD would rather have a little leftover lube than risking a dented or unround case mouth from banging around in the tumbler! Not sure that happens as I'm to OCD to try!!
 
Kino M said:
My OCD would rather have a little leftover lube than risking a dented or unround case mouth from banging around in the tumbler! Not sure that happens as I'm to OCD to try!
Click to expand...
Wet tumbling DOES introduce very tiny dings on the case mouth. However, a light chamfer/debur removes it even without trimming. I trim/debur every time anyways whether it "needs" it or not, so no biggie.
 
I wet tumble, but no pins or chips. I just use hot water, jungle Jake cleaner and a shake of lemi shine. Perfectly clean, no mouth damage. For small batches,less than 50, I use a Hornady ultrasonic cleaner. Hot water, one drop of Dawn, light shake of Lemi-shine. 2 -480 seconds cycles. Rinse with HOT water for both methods. Annealing before sizing. I use a decapping die before washing. If you wash/ultrasonic, you must lube inside necks before seating or the velocities will be inconsistent.
 
Kino M said:
So I do it a little differently and found a way to save a little time.

I deprime first with a FART deprimer then tumble in the FART wet tumbler. I then separate the brass from the stainless media and rinse well with water.

I then load the brass on the Giraud annealer and let it do its thing. The leftover water on the brass gets evaporated off during the annealing process so this saves a step of having to dry it.

There are arguments to anneal before or after sizing but I prefer to anneal before sizing.

I then lube with Hornady One-Shot spray and size it. I have clean paper towels I one hand and give each piece a wipedown .

It then gets ran through the Giraud trimmer and is cut to uniform length, chamfered and deburred.

Now its primed with a hand primer.

I have various different powder throws, RCBS CMs but I've moved to the V3 auto trickler to charge everything. Everything is sized and loaded on single stage Forster Coax presses.

I consider everything I load a precision load, I don't deviate for hunting or training ammo.

Hope this helps someone, this process has produced some very accurate ammo over the years.
Click to expand...
What hand primer do you use?
 
I use Berry's tumbling media. It comes in 5 gallon buckets. If you order over $100 it ships free.

www.berrysmfg.com

Brass Polish | Brass Cleaning Reloading | Berry's Bullets

If you are looking to restore your brass to its original, shiny form, you need Berry's brass polish and corn or walnut media. We will have your brass shining.
www.berrysmfg.com www.berrysmfg.com

I use Walnut for range pick up, and or cases that were fired suppressed. Corn for my premium cases that came from bolt rifles.
 
I have been working on the guns in the safe that never shot well also. One being a Ruger M77 M2 chambered in 7x57 Mauser,

I am having ok'ish luck with IMR-4350 and Horn 154gr SP Interlocks. I think i may have a rifle bedding issue? Seems When the bore is cold, or very cool it throws the 1st shot an inch high or so...
 
Rugers have a reputation for being finicky ... or worse. Especially the 77s. I have a Hawkeye Predator 6.5 CM (not the American) that was a total pain to get under MOA. I had to shave the magazine well and the action screws had to be tightened in a certain order (with one left practically finger tight) go get it respectable.
 
Threw together some 6.5x47L 130gr Hybrid OTMs and they shot amazing first try with 36.5gr Varget.
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