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Posted: 5/16/2015 9:35:43 PM EDT
| I was going through my normal routine this morning for prepping .223 brass when it dawned on me that I may be adding an extra step thats not needed. Generally, I check the headspace of each piece of brass in a chamber gauge after I resize them. I also measure the case length after I trim the brass in my WFT trimmer. Since this trimmer uses the shoulder of brass to determine trim length, shouldn't I be able to see any inconsistencies in headspace when I measure the case length after trimming? It would save a lot of time to eliminate that step. Thanks in advance for any answers! |
| I don't usually check every piece of brass after trimming. I do check my more of my rifle brass with a combo of the Wilson case gage and the Hornady heads space gage on my claipers after sizing. For trimming I set up the giruad and check the first 10 or so than move to checking one every once and a while. |
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For volume .223, you might be spending a lot more time than you need to.
With a good die and good press, you should not have to check each round after resizing. When properly adjusted, you should be able to size a big batch once you've measured a few in the beginning as you set your sizer die to be where you want. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and check the headspace on every 20 or so (I do that, but after doing so over a couple hundred rounds, I just dig in and do the rest without stopping). Then when I'm almost done with the batch, I'll go ahead and check the headspace on the ones near the end of the batch (trust, but verify). Same thing with trimming. If you have a good trimmer that registers on the shoulder that has already been headspaced (you DID buy one you can trust, right?), then the routine is the same. Measure each one until you get your measurement, then one every 20 or so, then finish the batch but measure the ones near the end. If you end up with variation during those routines, then you need to take a closer look at either your equipment or your technique. |
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For mass produced stuff... I check in the beginning a handful... every once in a while I check mid batch.. When the tray gets full of sized brass (progressive), I check the last few if I am going to pour it into a large batch of brass. Then I know if something were to go wrong during that lot of brass, I don't mix it in the entire batch.
For match stuff, I check everything... Each piece. |
| Thanks for the quick reply guys! That makes a whole lot more sense than what I'm currently doing. Even when checking every single piece of brass, I never get more than a few thousandths variance after trimming anyway. Checking just a handful of rounds per batch should speed things up a lot. |
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Identical headstamp brass usually resizes within +/- .001". Drop in gages aren't accurate enough to see any difference.
I never check every case after trimming. I check the first few that go through, then periodically thereafter (like one every fifty). Separating brass by headstamps and using the same amount and type of lube will give you very consistent results. |
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Like the others have said, check one once in a while just to make sure something hasn't changed.
When loading for a semi-auto gun I always drop every round in the gauge after it's been loaded. It's quick...just drop it in, drop it out. My reasoning is that if it fits the gauge it will fit the gun. When loading a cylinder on a revolver you can feel if one is a little tight or won't fit at all. A semi-auto doesn't give you that luxury. It feeds from the mag and rams one home, the only time you know it didn't fit right is when it doesn't go BANG like it should have. |
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Quoted:
Like the others have said, check one once in a while just to make sure something hasn't changed. When loading for a semi-auto gun I always drop every round in the gauge after it's been loaded. It's quick...just drop it in, drop it out. My reasoning is that if it fits the gauge it will fit the gun. When loading a cylinder on a revolver you can feel if one is a little tight or won't fit at all. A semi-auto doesn't give you that luxury. It feeds from the mag and rams one home, the only time you know it didn't fit right is when it doesn't go BANG like it should have. That makes a lot of sense. I would be able to work through the rounds pretty quick just dropping in to make sure they will chamber. It was slow going looking at the go/no go line for each round, but like others have said, checking a handful of rounds each batch for that will be much easier. |
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I will check the first 3 or 4 sized cases and then run the rest of that headstamp. I am very comfortable with my sizing and lube and get consistent results. When I change headstamp, I will again check the first 3 or 4 sized cases as different brass can have a different springback. |
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