Quote from Reloader on March 13, 2010, 12:36 pm

New to reloading rifle rounds, lots of experience reloading pistol ammo. Just purchased .30-06 dies for my RL450 manual-indexing, multiple stage reloader. I examined the Dillon catalog literature for the 1200B Rapid Trim case trimmer {Feb. 2010 Blue Press, top of page 19} but I need some more information. What is the outer diameter of the round, plastic, vacuum cleaner attachment? Does the motor stay on the entire time that it is being used to trim cases or is there some sort of limit switch that turns the trimming motor on when the case enters the sizing die? How loud is the Rapid Trim 1200B's electric motor? Is there another way to trim rifle cases without purchasing the motorized trimmer and the special sizing die that goes with it?

H44-22080-@-$224.95 & H44-20108-@-$49.95

Thanks,

Earl

Quote from Reloader on March 15, 2010, 1:09 am

Earl,

You hijacked my topic.  I was looking for someone's experience in reloading .223.  I would like opinion on when in the process do you trim cases.  I did not expect to hear about the 1200 trimmer.

Quote from Reloader on March 15, 2010, 5:19 pm

I load both 223 an 308 for AR15 / M1A.   In my opinion this can be a dangerous activity unless done correctly, which includes case trimming.   This is how I do it:
I first make sure the resizing die is set correctly by use of a wilson (or dillon) case gauge.  This gauge measures several critical measures which ensures the reload will chamber and headspace properly.  It also shows minimum and maximum length.

I also like to clean the primer pocket and final polish the case, so therefore I always run the cases through with just the sizer die in station 1, all other stations empty.
If the gauge shows they need trimming, I use a Gracey Trimmer, which trims based upon the case shoulder.   It also deburrs which is nice.  Any trimmer could be used, including the dillon press mounted one.   One other point is that resizing will increase the case length so trimming should always be done after resizing.

After final cleaning I store the brass until ready to reload, much like new brass.  The final reloading is standard except there is no die in station 1.   I have two heads set up for these two operations.

This may not be the way the press was intended to be used, but I consider it important when loading for semi-auto rifles.   There are horror stories about improperly loaded rounds, the least of which are slam-fires.  Another important step is to taper crimp the bullet.  Again a safety issue.  You do not want the bullet to push into the case when chambering.   You'll never know until you pull the trigger!

Just my two cents...Good luck.
Don

Quote from Reloader on March 16, 2010, 1:44 pm

Trimming is a part of the preparatory process for bottleneck rifle cases. When bottleneck cases are fired, internally brass flows from the bottom of the case towards the mouth. When the case is sized, this excess brass flows forward, making the case longer.

When you trim depends on what type of trimmer you use. The Dillon RT-1200B combines full-length resizing and trimming into one step. Other trimmers require you size the brass first, then trim it. Typically, cases are trimmed to .010" shorter than the listed maximum case length. This usually allows you to fire them 2-3 times before trimming is needed again.

Quote from Reloader on March 16, 2010, 4:54 pm

Thanks for the responses.  I think I was on the right track.  I keep a RCBS full length .223 resizing die in my single stage press and resize and decap.  I measure and trim previously polished brass on my redding tirmmer and finally reload as usual on the 550B with a taper die in station 4.  The only thing I do different is I aslo have a Lee FL resizing die in station 1.  Is this a bad idea to actually resize the brass again?

Quote from Reloader on March 16, 2010, 7:25 pm

re: resizing an already sized case
I did some tests a while back while loading some 220 swift new unprimed brass.
My purpose was to compare inside neck diameter which I have nothing to measure.
I also don't have a wilson gauge for 220 so I adjusted die so it did not change shoulder length but did size the neck and of course then ran the ball through to set the correct inside neck dimension. 
While doing all of this I wanted to see if this changed the case length.  It did ever so slightly in the 1/10,000 range.  My comparative measure of the outside case neck size was the same so I decided that I didn't need to size the factory brass.   As stated in my previous post, I think loading for an auto-loader raises the bar due to safety concerns.   But I'm getting off topic.
My take is that resizing a sized case is not going to change it's length enough to matter.
You're not really resizing the case, just the neck since the shoulder was sized before and presumably your die is still in the same position.  If anything, it will probably shorten the case life.
You should run some through just the sizer and do a comparison measure.
But in any case, I think the best idea is to just remove the sizer for the loading stage.
Get two heads and then you don't have to change the dies.  Just make very sure you never run an un-sized case through this operation.  I'm very paranoid as you can probably tell.   I run every loaded round through the wilson gauge as they are going into the box (308 and 223).
Other than with an old Russian Tokarev I've never had a slam-fire or any reload problems but I know of those who have.

Good luck.

Quote from Reloader on March 20, 2010, 1:45 am

blumenbb, what I do is resize and trim in one step with the Dillon 1200 power trimmer.  It's extremely fast and accurate although a bit pricy, but worth it.  My process is to deprime in the press and then resize/trim in the next hole.  I then remove the brass and if necessary swage the primer pockets of military brass, otherwise tumble to remove all lube and the tumbling, by the way, does a very good job of deburring the case mouths.  I use mostly Wolf primers and I've found they seat easier with an RCBS autoprime tool, just my preference.  Next step is to process the primed brass through the press to charge it and seat the bullet.  I use a Lee Factory Crimp die in the last hole to give a good crimp to the completed round.

 

 

Quote from Reloader on April 1, 2010, 3:38 pm

Loading .223 this is what I have found works for me:

Clean brass in vibratory case cleaner. I use corn cob mix with dillon brass polish (amonia free)

Using my 550 I will then size my batch of cases and knock out the old primer. I do not prime the case at this point. Use your case gauge to insure that the brass is sized to sami specs.

In semi-autos make sure you full length re-size. Do not neck size only, even if the brass has been fired from your semi-auto rifle. I tried to neck size once and the rounds would not chamber in AR-15, so...full length size only for 100% function in semi-auto. If you're using Dillon dies this is a mute point because the Dillon .223 die will full length re-size.

Clean primer pocket and trim the case. I trim on every other loading of the brass.

With my brass all ready to go, I then remove the sizer die from my tool head. The sizer die has been set previously with an adjustable lock ring. This way I can install / remove the sizer die without losing it's adjustment.

Assuming my other dies are already adjusted on my tool head, I insert the case into staion # 1 (sizing die removed) and seat a new primer.

Rotate your case to the next station (powder drop) and continue as normal. I do prefer to use a Lee Factory Crimp Die for the .223 (personal preference).

After loading my batch of ammo, I drop everyone of the rounds into my case gauge to make certain that all rounds are in spec.

Hope these hints help.

Ron

 

 

Quote from Reloader on November 6, 2010, 5:18 am

I've sized and trimmed my brass with the Dillon RT 1200.....

Do I set stage one up to run the expander ball through the case or just load it??

Insight???