The ZEN ART OF BRASS

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Rule3

Rule3

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Your methods, mileage may vary;)


Sweep up brass
Put brass in bucket
Sort brass in shell sorter
Put brass in separate bucket
wash brass
dry brass
tumble brass
Sort brass by headstamp
Place in more buckets/bags
label bags
Examine each piece of brass
Cull bad looking brass
Deprime brass
Check brass for ICHS with probe
Uniform primer pockets.clean primer pockets
Debur flash hole
Lube brass
Size all brass
Trim brass
Check brass length
Chamfer and debur
Measure again
Check brass in case gauge
Tumble brass again to clean off lube
Place in more buckets/bags
Mark bags/buckets
Prime brass
Record number of times brass reloaded

Who said reloading is not fun?

Take a long NAP and maybe,eventually,actually load some and go shooting!:D

Have a Safe Memorial Day and REMEMBER what it is all about!
 
Yep, I do 95% of those steps with my brass, in pretty much the same order...:cool:
 
The above is why I load mostly pistol calibers. Sort, tumble, resize/deprime and throw in bucket with the other same-caliber shells. Ready for when I need to load some up. Rifle is too much work to do very often. When I do, I load up enough to last several shooting sessions so I don't have to do all that stuff again for a good while.
 
When I get into the "groove" when preforming one of these tasks, I get very relaxed, almost nirvana...:cool:
 
OCD?

For .308 brass prep, need to add internal water volume measurement step. ;)

And where are neck turning and annealing steps? :D

I do have to agree with the "zen" thing. When I am processing and reloading rifle cartridges single stage, handling one case at a time slowly but deliberately is sure "calming" ... almost therapeutic and I prefer to listen to Bach's Air in G for some reason :uhoh:

Here's version I like

[YOUTUBE]w_pkJc7dKvA[/YOUTUBE]
 
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Other than the fact that I,

  • Decap the brass prior to tumbling
  • Use a micrometer to check diameter of the case at head (web), shoulder (if present) and neck
  • I don't clean the primer pockets (relying on tumbling to do most of that)
  • I don't do anything with the flash hole
  • I pack my brass in MTM style (or equivalent) plastic boxes rather than buckets (but that's probably just a factor of the smaller volume I load).

Your steps pretty much mirror my own.
 
bds, that's a sweet version of Air! Wow, somehow I've missed that, thanks for sharing! As a bassist/musician, I thought I'd heard all the arrangements before...

As to the brass prep, well, what must be done, must be done. :)
 
bds said:
OCD?

For .308 brass prep, need to add internal water volume measurement step. ;)

And where are neck turning and annealing steps? :D

I do have to agree with the "zen" thing. When I am processing and reloading rifle cartridges single stage, handling one case at a time slowly but deliberately is sure "calming" ... almost therapeutic and I prefer to listen to Bach's Air in G for some reason :uhoh:

Here's version I like

[YOUTUBE]w_pkJc7dKvA[/YOUTUBE]
Click to expand...


Dang, I forgot those steps! I need to make a flow chart!:D

I like Bach also:)

Remember "Switched On Bach"?
 
Mushin is not advisable when reloading. However, I do perceive a kensho-like sense while reloading, where all is right with the world. The OCD does not go away, however. ;)
 
I'm not OCD. I'm CDO. It is the same thing, but in alphabetical order. :D

I have not been loading for rifle very long, but I've gotten into a routine (subject to change) of doing some things in different order, or combined steps.

I tumble just long enough to get the outside clean (protect the sizing die).

Lube.

Resize/decap.

Wet tumble with SS pins. This gets the pockets clean and washes off the lube.
 
Zen is simplicity in thought and act, calm within chaos, deliberation within confusion.
Sort of like my reloading bench :eek:
 
Hmmm, in homage to the movie "Circle of Iron", Rule3 you must ascend the hill of brass and look into the holy (reloading) book! :)

Or, another way to say it is: "Use the force, Rule3"! :)
 
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