Ok guys, so here it goes.  I spent the weekend painstakingly reaming the primer pockets and chamfering the necks of around 400 .45acp cases and i'm remembering all the youtube videos of people using progressive presses, no reaming, no chamfering.

 

Am I going overboard on this?  Am I overdoing it?

Yes for calibers where it headspaces on the case mouth like 9MM, 40, 10MM and 45ACP.  If I get once fired brass, the first time I will deprime and tumble clean the brass.  This cleans the primer pockets enough for me.  I will then go through the brass for length and chamfer the case mouths if necessary.  Most do not get anything, as the 45ACP headspaces on the case mouth.  From then on tumble with old primer in place and reload until the brass wears out.  45ACP will go a long time for reloading. I do not push loads over 170PF and my bullseye loads are very light.  Still using Winnie match brass from 1988.  Only thing I know that will kill 45ACP brass is a steady diet of hardball loads.  I cycle my brass through the different loads and everything goes fine. 

On 45ACP you don't Chamfer case mouths you bell them slightly then in your last station taper crimp

As far as reaming primer pockets, it's only necessary if they were crimped.  There are loads of tools for that to make it easier.

I have never ever trimmed to touched the case mouths of any pistol case, and I've loaded some of them until the headstamp is unreadable. Primer pockets only get touched if they were crimped.

Chamfering pistol cases can ruin them. You can either cause them to shave lead, coated, or plated, or you can cause splits to start easier.

i don't clean primer pockets,  ever !    Never had a problem .

On 45ACP you don't Chamfer case mouths you bell them slightly then in your last station taper crimp

As far as reaming primer pockets, it's only necessary if they were crimped.  There are loads of tools for that to make it easier.

 

 

 

I have never ever trimmed to touched the case mouths of any pistol case, and I've loaded some of them until the headstamp is unreadable. Primer pockets only get touched if they were crimped.

Same here. I use a Lee Primer tool to clean the primer pockets. Takes less than a minute to clean 50.

I tumble to clean the brass after sizing and depriving in a carbide die. There is no need to chamfer the neck of a straight wall case.

 

I ream primer pockets on .308 and .223 brass if it's crimped and of course trim after sizing if necessary. I don't measure each piece because I have a giraud trimmer and it takes less time to run it through than to see if it's need. Trimmed, chamfered and ready to load.

Thanks for the advise guys, I guess I was going way overboard.

Thanks for the advise guys, I guess I was going way overboard.

 

Just remember, A rimless cartridge like 9mm. 45acp, 380 headspace between the case mouth and case head.  A square case mouth is necessary.

 

If you externally chamfered your case mouths it would be detrimental to headspacing.

Although that also depends on the gun. I'd argue in a 1911 if headspaces off the extractor

I was using the lee deluxe quick trim which if set to the minimum setting using the quick trim die will trim all .45 cases to .898, any cases that are already shorter will just be chamfered with the built in spring loaded blade and since it's done thru the die it will be square so I wasn't worried about that.

Be careful about what terms you use. Trimming the cases is not that same as chamfering, and deburring trimmed cases. If your chamfering a case your putting an angle on the mouth. Like stated rimless pistol rounds should not be chamfered. But trimmed cases should be deburred if needed

Although that also depends on the gun. I'd argue in a 1911 if headspaces off the extractor

 

Not by design!!!  If it does it's out of spec.

Be careful about what terms you use. Trimming the cases is not that same as chamfering, and deburring trimmed cases. If your chamfering a case your putting an angle on the mouth. Like stated rimless pistol rounds should not be chamfered. But trimmed cases should be deburred if needed

Good point, I was deburring the cases.