Decap and load without resizing ?

[Berserker]

With Lee you can flare and add powder same step. I deprime and size same step. But some people like to separate it out.

Handgun don't need to be lubed, so little to gain.

I like to prime in my recliner, and look at each one, and sit in my recliner.

[condor bravo]

Re: post 25
Always resize revolver brass. There is absolutely no good reason not to.
Agreed:

The main issue here is whether it can be done and I think we've shown that it can be if the fired brass and bullets are compatible. In a previous post I indicated that with .38s, my fired brass and bullets would certainly be successful. However we have probably convinced the OP that there is no shortcut or advantage in doing so. You are still going through the same number of reloading steps.

[random guy]

I've read that that is the best way to load .38 HBWC bullets to prevent any crushing of the skirt. You would certainly want to flare and crimp enough to secure the bullet. Never actually tried this though.

My first .44 Mag die set (CH) flared and decapped in die #2 which would be ideal for this method. Pretty likely their .38 set was the same.

In full power loads, you're likely to have bullets pulling out of their cases partway through the cylinder. Could get poor ignition with some slow powders too.

[ShootistPRS]

How many of you have actually tried to put your spent cartridges back into your revolvers?
I have and if I number the brass and chambers I can do it but just taking the fired cases and trying to put them back into the right chamber is, at the very least, frustrating. I was going to try neck sizing my revolver brass like I do with my rifle brass but the chambers are slightly different sizes and the cases only fit in (a) the chambers they came out of or (2) chambers that were larger leaving the larger brass to not fit.

Maybe the chambers on my gun are a special case or maybe it's the load I use but Whatever the case the bullets were all loose in the cases and neck sizing didn't allow the brass to be randomly put into the cylinder.

[.38SPL enthusiast]

If I'm loading Remington full wadcutters I don't resize the case. Those bullets are usually .360" diameter so case tension isn't an issue. It also saved me a little time using my Lee Classic "whack-a-mole" Hand Loader.

[reddog81]

Yesterday while getting ready to load a batch of .38 Special I tested 17 pieces of brass in 3 different revolvers and every piece slid in with minimal resistance. The brass was from a batch of 100 that has been reloaded 19 times and the most recent firings were from a 1960's era S&W model 15, 1990's era model 60 and a Rguer GP100 from 2012. The brass was fired from a combination of these 3 revolvers and tested at random after being cleaned in these 3 revolvers. While not a large sample this definitely shows it is possible to get away without resizing.

[Berserker]

Tanget, I hand some neck sized 30-06 from bolt. Ran out of rounds for pump, and wanted to foul barrell, so shot the neck sized. Chambered fine.

Wet barrel took 4 shots to settle down. Will have to try that gun again with full size, right after a cleaning.

[briandg]

I don't think that you should. You've probably heard every possible thing that I would tell you. I just want to say that it's not a good idea and leave it at that.

[condor bravo]

briandg:

I'm a little lost with your reply that I assume is intended for Berserker. What is it you are telling him not to do and why?

[briandg]

Speaking to like, who wants to reload straight cased pistol rounds without sizing.

Sizing and expanding are how a case neck is returned to factory diameter. It's important. I'm not going to even get started on crimp, that's just an argument waiting for an opportunity.

[jetinteriorguy]

Of course brass that's been fired will slip back into a cylinder, it had to fit loose enough to be ejected. This doesn't mean it shouldn't be resized. You resize the brass to regain the ability of the case to hold a bullet in place under some tension, not just rely on crimp alone. Once again, there is no good reason not to resize straight wall brass for a revolver. You gain nothing and it just serves no purpose. I know I'm being adamant about this, but the idea of not resizing is bad information being put out there and some newbie is going to have a big problem, and possibly be injured because of this. I challenge anyone to explain to my satisfaction one good reason not to resize straight wall revolver brass.

[condor bravo]

briandg:

OK, just wasn't sure who your reply was intended for. The OP must be wishing by now that he had never brought the subject up. Some saying just don't do it, but others like myself saying it can be done depending on compatibility between fired case and bullet but there is no advantage or shortcut in doing so.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Very quickest burning pistol powders scaled to mild target loading's and a light crimp to hold their bullet stationary.
Such loaded brass could last for many years without the need to be resized..

[briandg]

Bravo, you are right.

so many things come down to "sure, it can be done" and they should stop right there.

Sort of like the dude that reworked the plumbing in my house forty years ago.

Sure, he got it done, but oh, boy, he shouldn't have done it. He did just as badly with the wires.

[jetinteriorguy]

Sure you could load light target loads without resizing. But I doubt it would last longer, it's the flairing and crimping that will eventually destroy the brass, not the resizing. I have some .38, .357, and .41 brass that's well over 20 years old and has been resized many many times with light loads and it's still working, mainly because I keep the flair and crimp to a very minimal amount, not because I don't resize them.

[apeks]

New to reloading, as a qualifier. I read a lot and found that it might make sense to remove primers from brass prior to tumbling. I had some dirty brass 45acp, and bought a lee decapping die and a hand held press. It worked really well. I tumbled the brass and now I am ready to reload. I have a Lee turret press. I was also planning to hand prime (lyman hand primer tool). So does it make sense to size, then hand prime and then return to the press to load powder, bullet and then crimp? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[jetinteriorguy]

On my Lee turret, I deprime, tumble clean, and then prime off the press for pistol stuff. I currently only load .41 mag on the turret of my handgun calibers. Then I just size on the press with the decapping pin removed from the sizing die. So my 4 hole is set up like this, 1-size,2-flare and add powder from drum measure,3-seat bullets,4-crimp with collet crimp die. For rifle I deprime, clean, size, clean sizing lube off, trim, and prime off the press. Then on the press,1-drop powder,2-powder check die,3-seat bullet, and 4-crimp with collet crimp die. I load all my 9mm, .38sp, and .357mag on my Load master. I do deprime and clean all brass off the press still since I've had some primers leave a part of the primer ring intact and cause a primer to detonate two times on the progressive. This scared the crap out of me, and since I can't detect this when depriming on the press in order to prevent an accident I'm just depriming off the press for my own peace of mind. It's weird though, I've easily loaded over 10000 rounds on the Loadmaster since getting it without any incident, then two days in a row I had this happen with a primer detonating.

[briandg]

Apex, of course it makes sense.

There are several things that are optional as to which order you follow.

You must decapitate and size prior to priming. You must put powder in before the bullet. Everything else, I guess, is up to you.

[zeke]

Because you decap while resizing at the same time, not resizing doesn't save any time unless you are using steel dies and lubing. It does save effort, especially if you have larger chambers. Adjusting your relation to the press height can also save you a lot of effort, by maximizing leverage.

Yes you can neck size pistol brass. Used to do this for older ruger 45 lc's, where the chamber size was excessive.

Yes you can bell rifle brass. By using a lyman belling kit with the next smaller diameter, you can bell without re expanding the case neck for some cartridges. This an be particularly handy when seating some flat base bullets straight without a comp seating die.

If you have once fired brass that used jacketed bullets, and then using larger dia lead bullets, you may try and get away without sizing the brass. Might depend on the particular brass, bullet and intended use of the cartridge (very low powered target, or higher powered load.

There's always exceptions and things people just never tried.

Personally would just size/decap the brass in one step.