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Case prep stations

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I'm considering a case prep station and looking for feedback. I've just started researching and am looking at the Frankford Armory trim station, and the Lyman prep station. I've been using a Lyman rotary trim station for 30+ years. Also use a Lyman manual prep tool with screw in bits. I like the thought of motorized trimming which the Lyman station doesn't do, but the Lyman appears to be a bit better with crimped primer pockets. Practical advice appreciated gents.
 
Nothing worse than trying to prep a big batch "talking thousands" of rifle brass, maybe the reason I don't load 223 anymore, by the time you factor in the time it's not worth the effort.

Having said that, the best trimmer out there is the Giraud, pricey but you wont have to chamfer the case mouths since it is all done in one step. A close second is the Dillon RT1500, again pricey, but has the advantage of using your press as leverage instead of your fingers for pressure into the cutter when trimming brass. I use the Dillon, it helps with the arthritis in my hands.

As for crimped primer pockets, swage it using a Dillon primer pocket swage or what I do "cheap way" get a 30 degree sheetmetal chamfer bit, chuck it in a drill and ream them out, the chamfer also makes seating primers a lot easier.
 
The Hornady 3 tool prep station works just fine. I always have the deburring tool, champher tool and the primer pocket cleaning tool. You just have to switch out the large primer tool with the small primer tool depending on the brass you are loading. Really you can get by with just the deburing tool, champher tool, large and small primer pocket cleaning tools. I just use the deburing tool to remove the crimp if it has one and that also makes it easier to install the primer. " DON'T GET TOO AGRESSIVE WITH THE DEBURING TOOL ON THE CRIMP ". The idea is to remove the crimp and give it a very small cut oversized to help line up the primer and make install a little easier. It makes the process a whole lot quicker than doing it all by hand. I can't even imagine that. I started off using the Hornady 3 tool prep station. I have reloaded a ton of 6.8 ammo and I would have never done all that by hand. Works like a champ!
20180708_133854.jpg
 
I picked up the one from Frankfort arsenal. Really like it!
Jcountry, do you any more information on this?
Perhaps a link and/ or cost?


The Hornady 3 tool prep station works just fine. I always have the deburring tool, champher tool and the primer pocket cleaning tool. ..........Works like a champ!View attachment 1692542

Greg, what is the cost of something like this?
Very nice for rifle brass....
Would you provide any more information on this unit?
(like a link and/ or cost)?
It looks expensive.
 
It's right about 100 bucks. Varies about 10 bucks depending on where you buy it from. It has three turning units that can accept a host of screw in bits. I have the deburring for inside the case mouth, a chamfer for the outside, a crimp remover for the primer in military brass, large and small, a primer pocket cleaner, large and small. What I usually do is remove the crimp, do the chamfer and deburring tools. Then I change out crimp remover and change it out with the pocket cleaner. After you get done with the crimp remover you could probably get by with just that. However, I am severely OCD and I have to have the pockets gleaming clean. LOL Each piece of brass takes probably 10 seconds total. Sometimes after I de-crimp if there is one is just use the hand tool with the pocket cleaner in it. It only takes 3 seconds to get the bottom clean.
I like it because it's compact and can be easily moved to the side and doesn't take up much room at all. It's about 6 inches long and 3.5 inches wide and 2 and some change tall. It has rails on both sides with sliding nuts in the rail so you can store the bits you aren't using there.https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-050160-Lock-N-Load-Case-Prep/dp/B007TNXAGM
 
giraud if you are mainly shooting one or two calibers (or doing a lot of prep on those main calibers).

I have the Frankford Arsenal prep station. Like z-chance, I swapped out the cutter for an RCBS carbide one, and swapped out some of the other tools for large and small crimp removers (again, RCBS, the threads are all industry standard), so I can prep 5.56 and 308 brass. I reload a lot of different calibers, so when I have enough brass of a specific caliber, I can make some simple adjustments and the prep that caliber. Everything from 218 bee to 348 winchester. It's very versatile and for the money works very well.

81m3F8zD%2BzL._SL1500_.jpg
 
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