Ammo Reloading - Trials and Tribulations

[myhondas]

So having over 35 years go by without doing it, I have just gotten back into the reloading mode.  Updated the old Rock Chucker Press with a new Rock Chucker Supreme single stage one. Went out and ebay ordered the Speer Reloading Manual #14. Have some old powder (Bullseye pistol, IMR4064) and bought some new Bullseye.  Trying to get some new IMR 4064, Blue Dot, & 2400. Mostly going to reload the following calibers: 9mm, 38special, .357magnum, .45ACP, .30 Carbine, .223/5.56, .308/7.62, 30.06. So far, I have only reloaded a handful of 38 & 357. I don't see many problems with the straight wall reloading with the exception of some of the 9mm where it looks like there is a primer lining or a crimp ring in the primer pocket which makes priming with a new one difficult and hard on the primer arm. Also, I have been corncob tumbling the used brass and wonder how to clean the interior of the casing of the residue after tumbling. Is there an easy way to "wash" the brass? One thing I will say is that RCBS is fantastic for their customer service. I somehow lost the expander plug in the die for the 38/357 and they are sending one out free of charge. I expected to pay for it, but they stated that it is warranty so no charge. WOW!   Price of ammo is low these days with some exceptions, but I wanted to have the ability to save a little more with the reloading. Plus it eliminates the necessity of relying on stores for purchasing ammo when there are shortages. Really looking for any suggestions, opinions, and useful helpful info to get me back into the swing of things.

[kiggy74]

Most people are using tumblers with an ultrasonic soap wash and stainless steel tumbling media. I have the Frankford Arsenal tumbler and have had great results,  mostly with necked rifle brass. Brass looks new when done. 

In terms of removing crimps, i typically reem them out but i know a lot folks that swage them out instead with one of these. http://www.rcbs.com/Products/Case-Preparation/Accessories/Primer-Pocket-Swager-Bench-Tool.aspx

[vf1000ride]

I can honestly say I don't bother to clean the polish out of the inside of the brass.  I used to run them in the dishwasher loaded into plastic colanders.  It turned into too much hassle as it never got all of it and then I had to worry about getting them dry before they started to tarnish again.  After you use the tumbler media for 5-600 hundred cases the amount left behind diminishes and it's less of an issue.  Once the media stops polishing (2-3000 cases) I add some of the Frankford Arsenal liquid brass polish to the mix to try and get a little more life out of the media.  I fortunately (or unfortunately) depending on your view, reload a lot of ammo on an annual basis. Last year was somewhere around 10,000 rounds reloaded.

 

As for crimped primers, I swage with an RCBS 9495 swaging die. They are only $29 on https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-Primer-Pocket-Swager-Combo-2/dp/B0063IDAX2

You put it into the rockchucker and it works just as good that the standalone units without taking up more desktop space for another piece of gear.