TexasCHLforum.com

olafpfj wrote:I have been using the Lee trimmers. I like that they require no real setup and they are pretty much brainless. If the case is too long it gets trimmed, if not then not. I don't need to measure each case and make a determination. Haven't had any issues but I'm also not loading Camp Perry match rounds either.

http://leeprecision.com/case-conditioni ... ing-tools/

I'm not sure which trimmer I'll buy but right now the selection is limited. There is no place I've been that doesn't have bare shelves. When looking at Cabela's they didn't have all of the parts for the Lee. They had the $250 RCBS and a ~$75 Forster and I passed on both of those. I'll probably kick myself when I end up waiting for a month or two before some the items are back in stock.

I saw a post touting the ease of the WFT from Little Crow Gunworks. Problem with that is you need one for every size. If I were loading 1000's/mo it would be worth it. At my volume not so much.

Thanks for the feedback.

Larry

javieljb wrote: Here's a good read for reference :
http://www.6mmbr.com/223rem.html

Thanks for the link but it's missing the trailing "L". I fixed it for you.

I've assessed each and every one of the cases with a micrometer and magnifying glass. I cannot find anything wrong with them aside from the length. I think I'm going to reuse most of them. I did find a couple of oddballs that stood out as unsafe but overall I'm suprised at the uniformity of them.

javieljb wrote:I trim mine to 1.75. When they get out to 1.76+
I've found that most dents will come out when I de-prime and size.

Since the factory length is 1.760" I assume they would get trimmed after the first firing. Then you should have several firings before it is needed again?

Thanks,
Larry

I'm new to reloading and I've got some concerns about some .223 brass. I've reloaded several hundred rounds of .45 Auto but this will be my first bottlenecked case. I originally bought this as reloaded ammo a couple of years ago before I started the reloading endeavor. At the price of new ammo I decided it was time to shoot the reloads. At the range I picked up all of my brass, brought it home and cleaned it up.

After I removed them from the cleaner I started my inspections. The primers are all flat and flush with the face. They look to me like what all of the books I've read warn about excessive pressure. Nominal length is 1.760" and "trim to" length in Lymans's is 1.750". Some that I've measured are as long as 1.780", .020" longer than nominal.

Couple of questions...
Given the length of some of the brass I'm guessing they weren't trimmed last time since some are only ~.005 longer than nominal. Does that sound right?

I'm sure there are many variables that would affect the case but what is the typical growth of .223 at each firing?

In the context of this conversation (.223's), at what length do you start trimming since the nominal length starts out longer than the "trim to"?

Most importantly, are these safe to reload? I see no bulges, splits or other damage to the case other than small dents caused by ejection of the case.

Thanks for your input.

Larry