Cool s*** man.

That is awesome.
I've still not got everything I need to load .223, but I do have the die set, about 500 pieces of .223 brass and powder. I just eed projectiles, and, a case trimmer I think... I guess I need this too?

I have some .223 dies that I don't know if I'm going to use because I want a Lee die set, and I have 1000+ pieces of brass. I'm thinking I'm going to use some small pistol magnum primers I have but really all I need is some projectiles and powder.

It depends on what kind of brass you have. Most commercial is not crimped and most military brass is. I got away with only doing commercial at first. Then I just kept getting more crimped stuff so I bought it.

I don't even know how to tell if it's commercial or military...

The thing you need to know is if it is crimped or not.



This picture shows a piece of brass that has been swaged (left) and one still with the crimp (right). The crimp is the thin ringed circle around the primer pocket.

f*** that thin ringed circle around the primer pocket!

is it possible or adviseable to swage by hand with that little tool that comes with the lee set?

I'm not familiar with that tool. They can be chamfered out but that can be time consuming and inconsistent.

I need to fly Bentley out to give me a hands on training session, I feel even less competent with .223.

Lol. It isnt bad man. There are just a lot more prep steps when loading .223. You can ask 10 different guys how they load it, and you will probably get 10 different answers. The steps, and order of, vary based upon your preferences and equipment. Once you understand the process, you will have your own system. (That will probably evolve)

Here was my prep process before the fancy toys.

1. Tumble brass
2. Separate/inspect looking mostly for crimp.
3. Lube cases using dillon spray lube on a cookie sheet.
4. Size and deprime on single stage.
5. Tumble to remove lube
6. Measure/inspect each case for length.
7. Trim if needed.
8. Chamfer
9. Debur
10. Swage if needed
11. Clean primer pockets.
12. Load
13. Inspect

Now,


1. Tumble brass
2. Separate/inspect looking mostly for crimp.
3. Lube cases using dillon spray lube on a cookie sheet.
4. Size/deprime station 1 and trim station 3 on Dillon.
5. Swage if needed.
6. Inspect
7. Load
8. Tumble to remove lube
9. Inspect

Ok, so when is the video series coming out? Think you can do it on a single stage?

I will start working on it.