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Posted: 4/13/2024 10:10:33 AM EDT
[#1]
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Posted: 4/13/2024 12:19:17 PM EDT
[#2]
After my first overnight cleaning, the media turned really dark and there was a lot of condensation on the inside of the top of the tumbler. I'm taking the to mean the media is used up and it's time to replace it. So I did. What a difference. After all the tumbling I did with the first batch of media, it had only turned a deeper shade of tan. After one batch of 300 223 range brass, it turned this color.
Should I be using walnut media for this first cleaning? I seem to recall something about that during our training. Thanks!  
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Posted: 4/13/2024 12:58:58 PM EDT
[#3]
All sorted. It's an impressive haul of brass. I can do this.
Three bins on the right (large yellow, small yellow, and food service tray): 9mm. Blue bin: 223 brass waiting to be cleaned. Clear bin: Cleaned 223 brass. Four food service trays in upper left, from left to right: .22 rimfire (scrap), 7.62 x 39, .308 (I think), and .300 BO. Across the bottom, from left to right: 10mm, .45 ACP, and two trays of .40 S&W. I was pleasantly surprised by how much 10mm brass I got, since I plan to get a 10mm pistol some day. I was surprised how much .40 S&W I got but I know a lot of cops practice at my range. The quantity of 9mm doesn't surprise me. I see more people shooting PCC ARs on the rifle range than I do ARs chambered in rifle calibers. Long barrels seem to always go on the rifle range regardless of caliber. I'm not at all surprised that I didn't find any Grendel brass. I'm as happy as a claim in deep mud at high tide to have added 800 or so 223 cases to my brass stockpile. That should put me in the range of 1,500 223 cases total. From what I've read about typical range brass hauls, 400 cases of 223 is typical for 50 pounds of mixed brass. Though that's bound to be a wildly variable number. Also added 110 .300 BO cases. I was hoping to get some but I didn't expect to get that many. I have no idea how many 9mm cases there are but I'm guessing 2,500 or more. The interwebs says there are 113 9mm cases to the pound and I'm guessing all that weighs 25 to 30 pounds. That would be 2,825 to 3,390 cases. 9mm shooters sure seem to like to pull the trigger. All in all, I'm pretty doggone pleased with my new brass connection. 
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Posted: 4/13/2024 1:04:00 PM EDT
[#4]
Bonus freebies.
 A .380, several 9mm, including one really nasty-looking round I assume to be a flesh-tearing defense round, and some .223/5.56. And a screw. Only one of them was a squib. All of the rest have smooth primers. 
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Posted: 4/13/2024 1:17:58 PM EDT
[#5]
I measured the neck, case length, and base diameter and they match perfectly to .308/7.62 x 51, according to Lyman 51. The headstamp tracks to Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos, Sâo Paulo, Brazil.
Very heavily discolored.  
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Posted: 4/13/2024 2:57:58 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: After my first overnight cleaning, the media turned really dark and there was a lot of condensation on the inside of the top of the tumbler. I'm taking the to mean the media is used up and it's time to replace it. So I did. What a difference. After all the tumbling I did with the first batch of media, it had only turned a deeper shade of tan. After one batch of 300 223 range brass, it turned this color. Should I be using walnut media for this first cleaning? I seem to recall something about that during our training. Thanks! https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/Used_Corn_Cob-1-3186697.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/Used_Corn_Cob-2-3186698.jpg The condensation is from the case polish you added. Ya, maybe you didn't take notes when I mentioned dry tumbling. Walnut is a better for cleaning, corn cob better for polishing. So just dry tumbling, walnut with polish for cleaning. Size, use plain (as in no additive) corn cob to remove the lube. The bling that was lost during sizing will return after lube is removed. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 3:02:14 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: I measured the neck, case length, and base diameter and they match perfectly to .308/7.62 x 51, according to Lyman 51. The headstamp tracks to Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos, S o Paulo, Brazil. Very heavily discolored. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/CBC_Headstamp_308-3186754.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/CBC_Headstamp_308_Gray-3186753.jpg Crimped primers here. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 3:02:46 PM EDT
[#8]
Do you have a 9mm?
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Posted: 4/13/2024 3:10:15 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Dark doesn't matter, when media quits cleaning, then it's done. The condensation is from the case polish you added. Ya, maybe you didn't take notes when I mentioned dry tumbling. Walnut is a better for cleaning, corn cob better for polishing. So just dry tumbling, walnut with polish for cleaning. Size, use plain (as in no additive) corn cob to remove the lube. The bling that was lost during sizing will return after lube is removed. I did have a note but I was writing too fast and it wasn't very clear. I went back through this thread earlier this morning and found our discussions about cob and walnut too. Walnut and more cob on order. Thanks. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 3:11:23 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Use the Lee deprimer and feel around for the flashole with the punch ensuring it dropped into the flashole before hitting the punch when decapping. Crimped primers here. Will do. Lee de-primers are in the house. Thanks. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 3:15:05 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Do you have a 9mm? Not yet. A pair of them for the wife and I is on our 2024 to-do list. Or a 9mm and a 10mm. Even so, if I keep getting this much 9mm brass, it won't be long before I have more than I'll want to stockpile. Gee, if I only knew someone who uses a big Dillon progressive to reload 9mm in mass quantities. 
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Posted: 4/13/2024 4:42:30 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Cascade-Dude]
[#12]
I sorted the the first batch of 300 223 brass to come out of the tumbler by headstamp. It's mostly mostly Lake City (blue bin) and Federal (plastic box next to green bin). The middle plastic box holds PMC, PSD, and AP, from the Philippines. The far left plastic box has AMMT, which I couldn't find in any resource, Fiocchi, and one Norma case in the lid. I like that so much of it is one type, and that type is Lake City.
I figure I'd better sort them as they come out of the tumbler to keep the job from seeming overwhelming. I'm not looking forward to sorting 2,500 to 3,000 9mm cases by headstamp but I'm going to do it anyway. 
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Posted: 4/13/2024 9:07:22 PM EDT
[Last Edit: dryflash3]
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: Not yet. A pair of them for the wife and I is on our 2024 to-do list. Or a 9mm and a 10mm. Even so, if I keep getting this much 9mm brass, it won't be long before I have more than I'll want to stockpile. Gee, if I only knew someone who uses a big Dillon progressive to reload 9mm in mass quantities. My Christmas present to myself last year was a 10mm M&P, it joins 2 Glocks and an AR pistol in this caliber. I'm not really a Glock guy. But it happens, you fall into a deal and....there you are. I used to be a 22LR or 45 ACP covered any semi auto needs kind of guy, never failed to badmouth 9mm. Then came the obozo shortages and 45 ACP became expensive to load. So decided to try a 9mm. So I picked up a CZ-85 (same as a CZ-75, but the target steel frame version.) and began my 9mm journey. 9mm AR are lots of fun.  |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 9:19:03 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: I would suggest the S&W M&P in 9mm. They come in 3 frame sizes. I have the medium, it carries well. My Christmas present to myself last year was a 10mm M&P, it joins 2 Glocks and an AR pistol in this caliber. I'm not really a Glock guy. But it happens, you fall into a deal and....there you are. I used to be a 22LR or 45 ACP covered any semi auto needs kind of guy, never failed to badmouth 9mm. Then came the obozo shortages and 45 ACP became expensive to load. So decided to try a 9mm. So I picked a CZ-85 (same as a CZ-75, but the target steel frame version.) and began my 9mm journey. 9mm AR are lots of fun. Thanks! The S&W M&P EZ is at the top of the list for my wife to try. I carry my S&W model 19 .357 in a chest rig for bear protection. I don't really ever expect to have to use it but I carry it anyway. I've encountered dozens of bears while hiking with it and never felt the need to un-holster it yet. I carried it on my hip but went with the chest rig for concealment. One too many unfriendly encounters with anti-gun types in the mountains. The big revolver form isn't ideal for chest carry though, so I'm thinking a 10mm for me. In an deal world where money were no object, I'd get a 9mm version of the same pistol. I had kind of gotten away from the idea of 10mm until I started reloading, due to ammo cost. I've been wanting a couple of .22 LR uppers for the wife's AR and mine but haven't gotten around to it yet. The more I think about it, though, the more I've been thinking about a 9mm upper instead. Especially now that I'm going to be reloading and even more especially if I'm going to be awash in a sea of 9mm brass. To validate your point, I only found 23 .45 ACP cases, compared to 2,500 or more 9mm cases. I was hoping to find more of them. My instincts tell me .45 ACP brass makes good barter material. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 9:20:40 PM EDT
[#15]
Second tumbler batch sorted. The last of the .223 and all of the small amount of .308 are in the tumbler now. After that, I'll do the .300.
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Posted: 4/13/2024 9:33:56 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: Thanks! The S&W M&P EZ is at the top of the list for my wife to try. I carry my S&W model 19 .357 in a chest rig for bear protection. I don't really ever expect to have to use it but I carry it anyway. I've encountered dozens of bears while hiking with it and never felt the need to un-holster it yet. I carried it on my hip but went with the chest rig for concealment. One too many unfriendly encounters with anti-gun types in the mountains. The big revolver form isn't ideal for chest carry though, so I'm thinking a 10mm for me. In an deal world where money were no object, I'd get a 9mm version of the same pistol. I had kind of gotten away from the idea of 10mm until I started reloading, due to ammo cost. I've been wanting a couple of .22 LR uppers for the wife's AR and mine but haven't gotten around to it yet. The more I think about it, though, the more I've been thinking about a 9mm upper instead. Especially now that I'm going to be reloading and even more especially if I'm going to be awash in a sea of 9mm brass. To validate your point, I only found 23 .45 ACP cases, compared to 2,500 or more 9mm cases. I was hoping to find more of them. My instincts tell me .45 ACP brass makes good barter material. 2. 22LR in an AR is a hoot. Lots of fun. 3. Correct. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 9:36:47 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: Second tumbler batch sorted. The last of the .223 and all of the small amount of .308 are in the tumbler now. After that, I'll do the .300. The 223 necks will enter into the 308 necks. You can pull them apart to find the 223 necks still dirty. Remember tumble like calibers only. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 9:46:22 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Cascade-Dude]
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Oh no. The 223 necks will enter into the 308 necks. You can pull them apart to find the 223 necks still dirty. Remember tumble like calibers only. Roger that. I'll go pull them out. I "test-fit" them and it didn't seem like they'd mate but evidently, I was wrong. Thanks! ETA: All fixed. Piece of cake. Thanks! |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 10:18:04 PM EDT
[#19]
Headstamps from range brass:
Left to right: Norma: Sadly, only one. I'll add it to my collection. I think I have six now. Good to go. Lake City: More of these than all the other 223/5.56 headstamps combined. Works for me. Good to go. AMNT: I couldn't find anything about this headstamp. Just a lot of speculation. Not good to go.  PSD: PMC military X-TAC. Good to go. GFL: Fiocchi, should be good to go? PMC: PMC civilian X-TAC. Good to go.  AP: "Arms Corporation of the Philippines" or "Unknown Factory, France." Not good to go. FC: Federal. Barter locker. 
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Posted: 4/13/2024 10:21:45 PM EDT
[#20]
I have several hundred Lake City brass with the headstamp on the right. I have four or five Lake City with the headstamp on the left. This means they're identical for all intents and purposes, doesn't it? Is there any need to keep them separated or should I toss them in with the rest of the Lake City brass, please?
I'm getting better at taking macro pics of headstamps. It's all about the light. And the cool case holders.  
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Posted: 4/13/2024 10:41:17 PM EDT
[#21]
Wow, you are truly blessed with this brass connection!
Yeah, I always find more 9mm than anything, pistol-wise, at shooting spots. Very fortunate for me, been a 9mm guy since around 2016 or so, went .45ACP to .40 to 9mm. Yaknow, I never really sort range pickup 9mm by headstamp, I'm only looking for NATO type stuff with primer crimps that'lll need removing, and NORMA 9MM BRASS, with it's unusual small flasholes, which can break a decapping pin. I've been known to drill those out and use them, but it's tedious. Nice bench, coming along just fine. I keep learning new things from this thread...been reloading for what, around 20 years now....never knew about those brass sorting trays. Or maybe I saw them and forgot about them somewhere along the road....what a cool product! |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 11:35:22 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JoeDevola: Wow, you are truly blessed with this brass connection! Yeah, I always find more 9mm than anything, pistol-wise, at shooting spots. Very fortunate for me, been a 9mm guy since around 2016 or so, went .45ACP to .40 to 9mm. Yaknow, I never really sort range pickup 9mm by headstamp, I'm only looking for NATO type stuff with primer crimps that'lll need removing, and NORMA 9MM BRASS, with it's unusual small flasholes, which can break a decapping pin. I've been known to drill those out and use them, but it's tedious. Nice bench, coming along just fine. I keep learning new things from this thread...been reloading for what, around 20 years now....never knew about those brass sorting trays. Or maybe I saw them and forgot about them somewhere along the road....what a cool product! Thanks! It's an amazingly technical hobby, this reloading stuff. Fortunately, when I'm actually doing it, all I have to think about is that one thing I'm doing right then. It's very similar to working out in the gym in that regard. My approach to reloading as a newbie is to isolate as many variables as I possibly can until I've got several thousands of reloaded rounds under my belt and down-range. Sorting by headstamps also forces me to handle each case. While I don't inspect them, I can usually spot any obvious or blatant problems or potential with the case and set it aside. Also, once I settle on a particular load for a particular use, if I load a bunch of them into the same headstamp to stockpile, and don't use that headstamp for any other loads, I'll be able to identify the loads by the headstamps. And lastly, I feel this strange need to pay my reloading dues, so to speak. Sorting by headstamp feels like a task that would be assigned to an apprentice to further their education. My enthusiasm for it may be tempered by the time I get through this monstrous pile of 9mm brass, though.
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Posted: 4/14/2024 12:41:03 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: Roger that. I'll go pull them out. I "test-fit" them and it didn't seem like they'd mate but evidently, I was wrong. Thanks! ETA: All fixed. Piece of cake. Thanks! |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 12:45:08 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: Headstamps from range brass: Left to right: Norma: Sadly, only one. I'll add it to my collection. I think I have six now. Good to go. Lake City: More of these than all the other 223/5.56 headstamps combined. Works for me. Good to go. AMNT: I couldn't find anything about this headstamp. Just a lot of speculation. Not good to go. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/Headstamp-1-3187269.jpg PSD: PMC military X-TAC. Good to go. GFL: Fiocchi, should be good to go? PMC: PMC civilian X-TAC. Good to go. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/Headstamp-2-3187270.jpg AP: "Arms Corporation of the Philippines" or "Unknown Factory, France." Not good to go. FC: Federal. Barter locker. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/Headstamp-3-3187271.jpg AP, kinda want to say I've seen it before. Can't remember if it went into the "mixed cases blasting load" pile or not. FC, good for trading. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 12:48:48 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: I have several hundred Lake City brass with the headstamp on the right. I have four or five Lake City with the headstamp on the left. This means they're identical for all intents and purposes, doesn't it? Is there any need to keep them separated or should I toss them in with the rest of the Lake City brass, please? I'm getting better at taking macro pics of headstamps. It's all about the light. And the cool case holders. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/Headstamp-4-3187272.jpg If you wanted best accuracy, I would use the LC on the right and not mix in the other LC 223. Pics are great, brass holders are not bad either. (they are loading blocks I made for OP when he was in training) |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 12:55:06 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JoeDevola: Wow, you are truly blessed with this brass connection! Yeah, I always find more 9mm than anything, pistol-wise, at shooting spots. Very fortunate for me, been a 9mm guy since around 2016 or so, went .45ACP to .40 to 9mm. Yaknow, I never really sort range pickup 9mm by headstamp, I'm only looking for NATO type stuff with primer crimps that'lll need removing, and NORMA 9MM BRASS, with it's unusual small flasholes, which can break a decapping pin. I've been known to drill those out and use them, but it's tedious. Nice bench, coming along just fine. I keep learning new things from this thread...been reloading for what, around 20 years now....never knew about those brass sorting trays. Or maybe I saw them and forgot about them somewhere along the road....what a cool product! I use a Lee Universal decapper and every case or every other case touch the decapping pin with cases sizing lube from my finger. This swages the flashole larger, and the pin is unharmed. I have drilled flasholes before, then I saw this technique in this forum, tried it, and now pass it on to those who will listen. Like drilling, this is a one time operation. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 12:58:50 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: Thanks! It's an amazingly technical hobby, this reloading stuff. Fortunately, when I'm actually doing it, all I have to think about is that one thing I'm doing right then. It's very similar to working out in the gym in that regard. My approach to reloading as a newbie is to isolate as many variables as I possibly can until I've got several thousands of reloaded rounds under my belt and down-range. Sorting by headstamps also forces me to handle each case. While I don't inspect them, I can usually spot any obvious or blatant problems or potential with the case and set it aside. Also, once I settle on a particular load for a particular use, if I load a bunch of them into the same headstamp to stockpile, and don't use that headstamp for any other loads, I'll be able to identify the loads by the headstamps. And lastly, I feel this strange need to pay my reloading dues, so to speak. Sorting by headstamp feels like a task that would be assigned to an apprentice to further their education. My enthusiasm for it may be tempered by the time I get through this monstrous pile of 9mm brass, though. Also pick out the few Norma, Lapau, and any other high end brass. Everything else is for bulk range ammo. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 12:27:07 PM EDT
[#28]
Finished tumbling and sorting the 223 brass from the range haul. A couple of 308 cases and one .40 S&W case found their way into the 223 brass. No evidence of the 308 causing problems but that one 40 case must have spent time on top of a dozen or so 223 cases. That's how many I found with the neck, shoulder, and part of the body not as blingy as the rest of the cases.
I haven't added it all up yet but my goal is to get at least 400 .223 cases from each batch and there are at least twice that many here. 
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Posted: 4/14/2024 1:55:28 PM EDT
[#29]
Suggestion, get those sorted cases in Ziplocks. Keep the dust out and bling in.
Blue masking tape label on outside of bag with the headstamp on the outside of the bag written with a Sharpie on the tape. I store my sorted bags in ammo cans, but a cardboard box labeled will do. Or a clear plastic tote. Of course they will have a brass history card inside. Then in the future when you have a small amount of time, take a bag and size all the cases. Tumble lube off, return to bag. Update card with sized checked off. Same with crimp removal and trimming, then update card. RTL (ready to load) can now be written on the card. Then some day when you have more time and you want to load and you can grab a bag of RTL brass. Loading is so much faster with RTL cases. Right now I have about a dozen or so ammo cans ready to go. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 5:49:00 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Suggestion, get those sorted cases in Ziplocks. Keep the dust out and bling in. Blue masking tape label on outside of bag with the headstamp on the outside of the bag written with a Sharpie on the tape. I store my sorted bags in ammo cans, but a cardboard box labeled will do. Or a clear plastic tote. Of course they will have a brass history card inside. Then in the future when you have a small amount of time, take a bag and size all the cases. Tumble lube off, return to bag. Update card with sized checked off. Same with crimp removal and trimming, then update card. RTL (ready to load) can now be written on the card. Then some day when you have more time and you want to load and you can grab a bag of RTL brass. Loading is so much faster with RTL cases. Right now I have about a dozen or so ammo cans ready to go. Sounds good to me, thanks! I'll get them in bags today. All of my previous cleaned and de-primed cases went into bags the day I was finished with it. I noticed how you did it during training. I bought a bunch of plastic "30-cal" ammo cans from HF last week for that exact purpose. They were on sale for just shy of three bucks each. Laser printer, Avery labels and software will help keep them organized. Question, please: Regarding the the Lake City and PSD brass I saved from my own range visits: Should I keep them separate from the Lake City and PSD cases I separated out from this batch of range brass? Most or all of them have the military crimp still in them, which seems to tell me they are once-fired like mine. I can make sure they all have it before I mix them. I'm not going to do it now in any event; the stuff already in bags has been de-primed. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 10:53:05 PM EDT
[Last Edit: dryflash3]
[#31]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: Sounds good to me, thanks! I'll get them in bags today. All of my previous cleaned and de-primed cases went into bags the day I was finished with it. I noticed how you did it during training. I bought a bunch of plastic "30-cal" ammo cans from HF last week for that exact purpose. They were on sale for just shy of three bucks each. Laser printer, Avery labels and software will help keep them organized. Question, please: Regarding the the Lake City and PSD brass I saved from my own range visits: Should I keep them separate from the Lake City and PSD cases I separated out from this batch of range brass? Most or all of them have the military crimp still in them, which seems to tell me they are once-fired like mine. I can make sure they all have it before I mix them. I'm not going to do it now in any event; the stuff already in bags has been de-primed. I would keep the LC/year brass for accuracy loads myself. If you have previous bag of LC/year, yes the new batch of LC/year can go together. Don't remember the PSD headstamps. To me that headstamp gets loaded in mixed case blasting loads anyway. If I have a large enough batch of brass, I skip the bag and pour cases in the ammo can. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 11:48:18 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Already said not to mix LC 223 and LC/year. If you want the best accuracy. I would keep the LC/year brass for accuracy loads myself. If you have previous bag of LC/year, yes the new batch of LC/year can go together. Don't remember the PSD headstamps. To me that headstamp gets loaded in mixed case blasting loads anyway. If I have a large enough batch of brass, I skip the bag and pour cases in the ammo can. Thanks. My question was about putting LC/year with LC/year. LX 223 is separated and will not be mixed. PSD is a PMC headstamp, presumably for the military ammo. I'm planning to use it for my 55-grain v-max loads once I get it dialed in. I got a total if 849 .223 cases total. I am extremely happy with that number. IT's the 223 and .300 BO cases that are my highest interest. Of that, 305 (35%) are Lake City/Year cases and 151 (18%) are PSD cases. With what I already have, that gives me 492 Lake City cases and 490 PSD cases. I'll be getting more range brass around the first of the month. I can do this. I can definitely do this. I took the .300 BO brass out of the tumbler and will sort it tomorrow. I loaded up the tumbler with 9mm brass but barely made a dent in the pile. I'm interested in seeing how many different headstamps are in there. I'm running it overnight. |
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Posted: 4/15/2024 1:22:45 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: Thanks. My question was about putting LC/year with LC/year. LX 223 is separated and will not be mixed. I have a large amount of LC/year, so I sort to the year. Probably not necessary, but it's what I do. LC 02 being a favorite of mine. PSD is a PMC headstamp, presumably for the military ammo. I'm planning to use it for my 55-grain v-max loads once I get it dialed in. Didn't know that, good plan. I got a total if 849 .223 cases total. I am extremely happy with that number. IT's the 223 and .300 BO cases that are my highest interest. Of that, 305 (35%) are Lake City/Year cases and 151 (18%) are PSD cases. With what I already have, that gives me 492 Lake City cases and 490 PSD cases. I'll be getting more range brass around the first of the month. I can do this. I can definitely do this. I took the .300 BO brass out of the tumbler and will sort it tomorrow. I loaded up the tumbler with 9mm brass but barely made a dent in the pile. I'm interested in seeing how many different headstamps are in there. I'm running it overnight. |
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Posted: 4/15/2024 1:38:37 PM EDT
[#34]
I'll need a whole lot more LC brass to start sorting by year but who knows. Maybe I'll get there some day.
I took the cleaned 9mm brass out of the tumbler and grabbed a handful to see how many different headstamps I have. Out of 15 cases, there were 13 headstamps. I can see why you use the strategy you use of culling out the stuff you really want and treating the rest like a mass. I'm still going to sort this big pile by each headstamp because I told myself I was going to do it. Who knows if I'll ever do it again. Cleaned and polished 9mm brass are very blingy. Even more so than the rifle cases. I have the 308 cases and the 7.62 x 39 cases tumbling together now. I played with them and couldn't find any way to conjoin them. I checked out the 308 cases with the Brazilian head-stamp and I do not believe they are Berdan. The Lee hand de-primer pin seemed to go straight into the hole. Though it was a tight squeeze through the neck and there was almost no wiggle in it to verify it was in the hole. I took some macro pics and didn't expect them to turn out but it actually worked pretty well. One round hole in middle = Not Berdan, right? Thanks! 
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Posted: 4/15/2024 3:40:08 PM EDT
[#35]
112 .300 BO cases, across 6 headstamps. All factory 300 cases; no converted 223 cases.
Not bad considering I wasn't expecting any. In order of quantity: GFL 200 BLK LC 300 BLK EXTREME 300 BLK *^* 300 BLACKOUT (It has two stars with an arc in between them) GORILLA 300 BLK 
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Posted: 4/15/2024 3:41:46 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Cascade-Dude]
[#36]
*^* 300 BLACKOUT (It has two stars with an arc in between them) From what I just read online, this means Starline brass and it's supposedly good brass. Verified on Starline's web site. |
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Posted: 4/15/2024 3:50:30 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: I'll need a whole lot more LC brass to start sorting by year but who knows. Maybe I'll get there some day. I took the cleaned 9mm brass out of the tumbler and grabbed a handful to see how many different headstamps I have. Out of 15 cases, there were 13 headstamps. I can see why you use the strategy you use of culling out the stuff you really want and treating the rest like a mass. I'm still going to sort this big pile by each headstamp because I told myself I was going to do it. Who knows if I'll ever do it again. Cleaned and polished 9mm brass are very blingy. Even more so than the rifle cases. I have the 308 cases and the 7.62 x 39 cases tumbling together now. I played with them and couldn't find any way to conjoin them. I checked out the 308 cases with the Brazilian head-stamp and I do not believe they are Berdan. The Lee hand de-primer pin seemed to go straight into the hole. Though it was a tight squeeze through the neck and there was almost no wiggle in it to verify it was in the hole. I took some macro pics and didn't expect them to turn out but it actually worked pretty well. One round hole in middle = Not Berdan, right? Thanks! https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/582146/308_flash_hole_check-3188635.jpg Check 9mm cases for a step inside the case. Sort into a separate pile. |
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Posted: 4/15/2024 3:51:57 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Cascade-Dude: From what I just read online, this means Starline brass and it's supposedly good brass. Verified on Starline's web site. If you are buying, it's the brand to get. Unless you want to spend Lapau/Norma money. |
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Posted: 4/15/2024 5:35:33 PM EDT
[#39]
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Posted: 4/15/2024 10:27:13 PM EDT
[#40]
Hope you have some sturdy shelfs for when your brass supply grows.
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Posted: 4/16/2024 12:18:00 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Hope you have some sturdy shelfs for when your brass supply grows. If not, I can make these sturdier.
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Posted: 4/16/2024 11:48:39 AM EDT
[#42]
.40 S&W bagged and tagged.
288 total. Not bad. I have no plans for this caliber so I'm hoping it's good barter currency. Speaking of barter currency; is there a number of cases in a bag that is normally used? Such as 100 cases per bag for pistol ammo and 25 per bag for rifle? Or 100 per bag for both? I have small batches of 45 ACP and 10mm brass to clean and then all that will be left is the monster pile of 9mm brass. I'm guessing it will take another 5-6 loads to clean them. I'm going to the range today. I think I'll bring home another 60 pounds or so. My first goal is to get 1,000 cases of PSD 223 for my 55-grain v-max load, assuming that development works out, and then another 1,000 cases of Lake City for a 75-77 grain TMK/SMK/etc. load yet to be developed. I'm thinking two more batches should get me there. I have about half that much LC and two-thirds of the PSD. And I'll be another 100 cases closer with the PSD by the time I get done at the range today. 
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Posted: 4/16/2024 2:20:27 PM EDT
[#43]
Bags of 50 or 100 is the way brass is normally sold at the gun show.
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Posted: 4/18/2024 2:08:31 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Bags of 50 or 100 is the way brass is normally sold at the gun show. Thank you! |
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Posted: 4/18/2024 2:23:16 AM EDT
[#45]
I didn't get much time to work on the bench but I was able to lay out the final steps to complete the entire frame.
The front is to the left. Legs 7 and 8 are not this picture but will be in the same position as the two interior legs on the front. The lumber sitting n the floor roughly demonstrates where the edge of the lower shelf will be. In the near corner is the location for the press.  Closeup of the press location. I offset the interior legs to create a box around the press mount, to minimize flex. The pencil lines indicate the edge of the cast body of the press. With this design, the steel press plate will have to be on top of the bench surface. Alternatively, I could chisel out a notch in the top of the frame and mount in underneath. I think it would be stronger overall on top, though. The top overhang on the front is 2.5".  The part of the front lower frame with the x on it, will be sawn out once the legs are attached. The pieces on the floor will be cut to fit to frame the lower shelf for the leg opening. Then I'll cut a couple short braces to brace the narrow section at the rear. I need to remove about half a kerf from each the cross-braces so they'll fit without any percussive influencing. As soon as my hard-working night-shift wife gets up in the morning, I'll fire up the miter saw.  |
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Posted: 4/18/2024 11:28:09 AM EDT
[#46]
Looks good.
One comment, the back lower brace with the very visible knot, too bad you are not cutting that out. Can we get a side shot of that knot? If if is any where near 1/2 the depth of the board, I would put a doubler or steel plate to reinforce it. |
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Posted: 4/18/2024 12:26:50 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dryflash3: Looks good. One comment, the back lower brace with the very visible knot, too bad you are not cutting that out. Can we get a side shot of that knot? If if is any where near 1/2 the depth of the board, I would put a doubler or steel plate to reinforce it. Thanks for catching that. There's no reason I can't make that side the front and cut out that knot. I haven't attached the legs yet. Easy peasy. Consider it done.  |
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Posted: 4/18/2024 1:47:07 PM EDT
[#48]
Ya, that's too much knot. Cut it out. Win.
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Posted: 4/19/2024 12:24:47 AM EDT
[#49]
Top frame is done. The other two legs are still in the garage. All square, straight, level, true, and wobble-free. And oozing sap ...
 The "Press Box." The man said "No flex!" and that's exactly what I tried to do. 
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Posted: 4/19/2024 1:44:49 AM EDT
[#50]
Looks good.
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