Stupid progressive loading question...

[Bogie]

Guys, how do you trim brass or wipe off case lube when loading on a progressive machine? I've been using a bud's 550 for my .223, and I've been sizing 'em on my turret press, then cleaning 'em, trimming, chamfering, etc., then priming 'em with a hand prime, then it's off to the progressive to stuff 'em and crimp 'em...

[yankytrash]

I don't use a progressive loader, but here's the order I do:

Clean
Trim what can be trimmed (the bent ones have to go to the sizer first, so I put'm aside in a seperate coffee can to mess with them when I'm bored)
Chamfer
Lube
Decap/Size
Wipe'm Off
Clean Primer Pockets or just throw'm back in the vibrator (I trust cleaning them by hand better though)
Stuff full of goodies

This is how I was taught. I've found that trimming before sizing doesn't make a real difference in case length - perhaps .003"+-. Some books and other reloaders may say different, but this works fine for me. When I'm on a roll, I do about 500 at a time and it takes me about 3 hours or so.

[Troy]

My process:

Part 1:
- Decap with Lee Universal Decap Die
- Clean primer pocket
- Tumble in walnut w/ammonia-free car polish

Part 2:
- Trim/Chamfer (pistol brass measured, rarely trimmed)

Part 3:
- Lube (rifle only)
- Resize
- Tumbled in corncob

Part 4:
- Run through Loadmaster

Often, the various parts are done on different days, depending on my free time.

-Troy

[Hutch]

Since I rarely trim brass, I'll address your "how to de-lube" question. I called Dillon about this, since I had bin-full of fully loaded, lube-sticky .223's. They recommend tumbling them in untreated corncob for 15minutes or so. I swallered hard (Alabama expression, meaning "bravely undertaking a dubious task") and did as they recommended. No problems, and the ammo is fine.

[Bogie]

Well, I'd prefer to avoid tumbling loaded rounds - I think I'll stick with my semi-progressive method...

[Rottweiler]

I tried this once or twice.... put a few hundered freshly loaded and still oily cased loaded rounds and a handful or two of old tumbler media in an old pillow case, sat down on the couch, turned on the TV(via remote control) placed the pillow case on the floor at my feet and "rolled" the ammo around in the pillow case. I got some strange looks from the wife along with a comment similar to "That better be an old pillow case or your a$$ is grass"

Needless to say, it was, old so I survived, and more importantly it worked well enough to try again. The pillow case and media lasts about 2-3000 rounds until they get too much oil in them at which time the media gets tossed and the pillow case lands in the washing machine.

[El Rojo]

I have my sizing/decapper on station one of its own toolhead. I also have my size/trim die on the same toolhead in station three. Sometimes I trim, sometimes I don't. I lube up all the brass, run through a couple hundred or more at a time. When I am finished with the deburring/chamfering, I run all the brass through for its second cleaning. Then I have lots of processed brass laying around that I run through a seperate toolhead that has everything needed to load except the size/decapper. My ammo is clean and non-sticky and it is an easy process.

[Trigger Jerk]

Howdy.

I'm a post tumbler, so that's how to remove lube from brass. It's the least labor/time intensive method.

Why don't you want to tumble loaded rounds. It's perfectly safe.

[WalterGAII]

For bulk .223 reloading, I use an RCBS X die. Only have to trim the first time. I remove lube by tumbling the finished rounds for a few minutes.

[Steve Smith]

You guys are makin' this hard.

Lube cases.
Run through Dillon, beginning to end.
Wipe them down with a towel.
Shoot.
Clean.

Repeat.

[Hal]

Ditto to what Steve says above.

I use the wipe down part to visualy inspect each loaded round.