Evaluation of stuff

Chris

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Using some $$ I saved, plus a gift from my dad, I'm planning to break out some reloading stuff I've picked up over the years, buy some new stuff, and try doing something with the 223 and Beowulf brass I have. I have not done this since I took a class many moons ago with Walter Roger. Since I've picked up a bunch of stuff cheap on the second hand market, I wanted to see what kind of opinions more experienced reloaders have on some of the stuff and work up a shopping list accordingly. Here goes....

I managed to pick up a hardly used Hornady LnL single stage as a press which I think is fine, but I'm not sure about some of the other stuff I've collected. This is a much better press than the old Lee 'C' style I had. Came with the primer feeder. Should take care of my primer needs.

Forster 223 dies? Came with the press. Woman didn't know anything and I have not heard of this brand. Was all her late husband's stuff. Probably work, but are they closer to Lee or Redding in terms of quality? I just have the 2 dies and the case, no other info. Even the label is gone. All I know is it is Forster by the embossing on the case and there is a 223 marking on the seater. Not the type with the micrometer, just some knurled adjusters. Is there a way to tell if it is a full or just shoulder sizer? That's really my biggest concern since I'll be loading for the AR. There is another set for .308 that is labeled as Bench Rest Full Length. She also said that her husband made ammo for his "Army Guns", so it's likely that they were auto loaders and not bench rest bolt guns. I just need a way to be sure about the neck vs full.

Got a Lee decapper die - worth using? What are the concerns? I think I recall someone saying it has a problem that needs to be modified.

Was given a NIB Hornady ultrasonic cleaner that seems designed for cleaning cases. It is small. I know everyone seems to say buy a tumbler, but would this work well enough? Not seeking to process thousands of cases now. Would love to avoid buying a cleaning setup if I don't have to.

I have a ton of shell holders, but all seem to be different brands. They appear to be built similarly and seem to fit the Hornady press. Are they really universal?

Press came with a couple of trimmers called World Best Trimmer which I don't see a lot of comments on. They appear new and are caliber specific. One is 223 and the other is .308. Is this a decent trimmer, or should I think about getting one of the mini-lathe types? They are not cheap at Midway, and seem to get good reviews, but if I can hear from someone here I'd feel better. Also, there are no directions. From the look, I set a depth and just stick the case in and it is all automatic. Anyone have some tips?

I picked up some Beowulf dies real cheap. They are Lee which seems to be shunned here, but frankly I've not seen any other alternatives. Any reason they won't work? If it matters, it is a 4 die set.

I own a really nice set of dial calipers. Any reason to buy a case gage now, or will these suffice for now?

I'm hoping to not have to buy too much to replace stuff I have so that I can spring for a RCBS Chargemaster and replace the questionable powder drops and beam scales I have. Scales are probably OK, but the powder drops look filthy and I'd eventually want the electronic powder center. I figure I can set up a beam to double check the electronic scale. Other than being an expensive toy, any reason to not do this?

Oh, and I scored a Lyman XPRESS case prep center in the Cabela Bargain Cave for only $45. I figure even if it doesn't work well for me, I can get at least that much back in reselling it. Don't see any parts missing, just didn't have the box. Anyone have any experience with this? I've got an array of hand tools, but the powered tool seemed like a nice upgrade and I'm sure if I gave it another moment of pondering it would have been gone. Seems to run OK. Nice and quiet.

Anyhow, unless someone can think of a reason to toss something mentioned above, my list left to purchase seems to be:

Some kind of powder measure - Chargemaster!!!

Some current reloading manuals

Case cleaning and lube products. Figure I'd just use vinegar and dish soap in the ultrasonic for now. Will get some sizing wax for lube.

Components. Probably keep this simple for now.


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Forster 223 dies? Came with the press. Woman didn't know anything and I have not heard of this brand. Was all her late husband's stuff. Probably work, but are they closer to Lee or Redding in terms of quality? I just have the 2 dies and the case, no other info. Even the label is gone. All I know is it is Forster by the embossing on the case and there is a 223 marking on the seater. Not the type with the micrometer, just some knurled adjusters. Is there a way to tell if it is a full or just shoulder sizer? That's really my biggest concern since I'll be loading for the AR. There is another set for .308 that is labeled as Bench Rest Full Length. She also said that her husband made ammo for his "Army Guns", so it's likely that they were auto loaders and not bench rest bolt guns. I just need a way to be sure about the neck vs full.

Forster dies are good. Closer to Redding than Lee. The best way to tell if it's a FL or neck sizer would be to lube up a case and run it in to the die. If you don't feel any resistance until you get to the neck, it's a neck sizer. If not, it's a FL die. It's probably a FL die though.

Got a Lee decapper die - worth using? What are the concerns? I think I recall someone saying it has a problem that needs to be modified.

They're fine. The pin has a sharp shoulder than can catch on the edge of a small caliber case (like a .223). If you can, grind a radius or chamfer on the sharp edge because if it catches the case mouth, you'll wreck the case.

Was given a NIB Hornady ultrasonic cleaner that seems designed for cleaning cases. It is small. I know everyone seems to say buy a tumbler, but would this work well enough? Not seeking to process thousands of cases now. Would love to avoid buying a cleaning setup if I don't have to.

It will get the cases clean, but you'll have a capacity issue. It won't do very many at a time. Try to keep the cases from touching each other in the cleaner. I have an industrial ultrasonic cleaner (not a Hornady) and cleaned some cases in it. Many of these cases split when I sized them. They were twice fired, and many others from the same batch did not split (even after several additional loadings) when I cleaned them with a tumbler. My only guess as to why is that the cleaner somehow work-hardened the cases. Granted, when I cleaned them, I probably overloaded it and ran it for way too long. You might be fine if you use yours right.

I have a ton of shell holders, but all seem to be different brands. They appear to be built similarly and seem to fit the Hornady press. Are they really universal?

Mostly. In very rare cases I've had a shell holder that was too thick, and would not let me push the case shoulder back far enough before the shellholder hit the bottom of the die (I think it was a Lee shellholder and an RCBS die). It's an easy thing to fix - I just lapped the top of the shellholder on some wet/dry paper stuck to a pane of glass. It took less than 5 minutes.

Press came with a couple of trimmers called World Best Trimmer which I don't see a lot of comments on. They appear new and are caliber specific. One is 223 and the other is .308. Is this a decent trimmer, or should I think about getting one of the mini-lathe types? They are not cheap at Midway, and seem to get good reviews, but if I can hear from someone here I'd feel better. Also, there are no directions. From the look, I set a depth and just stick the case in and it is all automatic. Anyone have some tips?

It sounds like you have a couple of Little Crow Gunworks trimmers. I've never used one, but they have a good reputation. Try it out. You'll need a drill press or some way to bench-mount a power drill.

I picked up some Beowulf dies real cheap. They are Lee which seems to be shunned here, but frankly I've not seen any other alternatives. Any reason they won't work? If it matters, it is a 4 die set.

I'm not a fan of Lee dies, but I have a few sets and the ones in spec work just fine. Lee has also happily replaced the ones I've bought that were out of spec.

I own a really nice set of dial calipers. Any reason to buy a case gage now, or will these suffice for now?

You'll want a case gage so you can make sure you have your .223 sizing die set up to create the proper amount of headspace length on the case. (you can also measure this with a Hornady Headspace comparator, or RCBS Precision Mic).

I'm hoping to not have to buy too much to replace stuff I have so that I can spring for a RCBS Chargemaster and replace the questionable powder drops and beam scales I have. Scales are probably OK, but the powder drops look filthy and I'd eventually want the electronic powder center. I figure I can set up a beam to double check the electronic scale. Other than being an expensive toy, any reason to not do this?

Nope.


Some kind of powder measure - Chargemaster!!!

The Chargemaster is great, but it's slow. If you're going to do anything in volume, you might want to look at a Hornady or RCBS. Of course, by then you'll probably be into progressive territory, and most progressive presses come with a powder measure.

Some current reloading manuals

Try to get manuals from the manufacturer of the bullets that you plan to use.
 
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Sounds like you got a good start...
I tried ultra sonic cleaner for cases...I found just washing them in dish soap to be easier? That said I tumble them in larger batches. Its just easier for me.
 
Ok, added a Wilson case length headspace gage to my shopping list. Reading some reviews reminded me why this is a good tool to have. Thanks Jim for the reminder.

Put a case into the die and it almost got stuck just a little ways in. Gotta get some lube. But it does appear to be a full length sizer.



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Ordered the Chargemaster, a couple loading blocks, the Wilson case gage, a Hornady shell extractor kit, some of the 'official' Hornady case cleaner for the ultrasonic, some sizing wax, some Hornady lock rings for the dies, and more.

Now I just need to get working on a bench.

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