What's YOUR Reloading Process/Ritual?

[brett1868]

i find it soothing, you get into a rhythm and just plod along

Same with me, it's my mental therapy, relieves stress and gets the mind off work problems.

The wife / girlfriend / partner interruption give's me an idea for a thread....

[rsj223]

I didn't see anyone using ultrasonic cleaning just tumbling any reason?

[sandgroperbill]

I'll exclude the basics that we can take for granted.

Before I start I always check and cross check my load data across a couple of manuals (even though I remember the load).

When I start, I'll individually weigh each charge, check case and overall length for the first three or four rounds, make sure everything is perfectly consistent.

I'll then check again every 7-10 rounds.

I use a turret press, and I full length size (yes, I know the arguments for and against, but I'm comfortable with full length sizing).

Checking everything manually as often as I do takes a bit longer, but I'm not in a position where I'm shooting hundreds of rounds every week, and I'm OCD when it comes to safety and consistency.

[brett1868]

I didn't see anyone using ultrasonic cleaning just tumbling any reason?

Brass prep routine
LR Target
New - Neck turn, Neck ream, FL Resize, Ultrasonic clean, Dry, Primer pocket uniforming, Flash hole uniforming, Trim, Chamfer, De-burr, Tumbled, Weight sort, Case wall thickness tested and indexed - Loaded and concentricity corrected - Labelled and boxed.

I have 2 ultrasonic cleaners, a 4L one for small batches of brass and a 15L for the bigger batches. Brass is very good at absorbing the ultrasonic waves so it's important to keep the case quantity down when cleaning. I generally do 20-25 50BMG cases at a time in the big cleaner running a 40:1 mix of water to Hornady Ultrasonic case cleaner. Does a good job inside and out though I still need to clean some primer pockets. Looking to invest in a rotary tumbler some day and switch to stainless pin method as it's better with primer pockets. Ultrasonic is good for cleaning and I still tumble the brass to essentially polish it.

[bluerob]

A lot has been discussed on rifles, so, I'll throw in my procedures for handguns (I'm loading .38sp, .9mm and .357 mag). I'm using a Dillon 1050 and exclusively using ADI powder. I'll be loading .44 mag once the paperwork is dealt with.

1. Check brass for splits/cracks
2. Throw them into a 1000 capacity tumbler with a bit of Dillon case polish - 3 hours later, shiny & sparkling brass
3. Throw brass into media seperator
4. Check brass again
5. Throw clean brass into brass hopper on the 1050
6. Check that primer tube is full and enough powder in place (I don't leave powder in the hopper).
7. Start playing the poker machine for 1-2 hours (depending on back pain levels) with all brass going through the various stages for each die installed (deprime and case form, etc through to bullet seating). I manually seat the bullet. Not worried about using a bullet feeder as I can see into the case from where I'm sitting.

With the 1050, I check each case (powder amount) on every 10 round, just to make sure. I've got the no powder/double charge alarm station/die, but, I still like to make sure that the Dillon is on the mark. Best auto (as such) press I've ever used.

As for rifle, basically what the other posts have said, except I'm not using any ultrasonic cleaning on brass (until funds are available for decent unit) and powder throwing is via a Redding 3BR until I can afford the RCBS charge master.

[Usurper]

I close the door to my "mess room" but she still butts in.

That's why they invented locks

[Gwion]

Been thinking a lock on that door wouldn't be a bad thing.

[AusC]

I didn't see anyone using ultrasonic cleaning just tumbling any reason?

Just a bit newer in the scheme of things I think, not as much pickup yet.

I don't use one myself but you can see from other guys experience/pictures that they work.