Technicians

Daily Operation

Monday - Friday: 9 mm Reloading Service

1. Cleaning.

Equipment: FA Case Tumbler Kit. 

Material: 9 mm cases (600 pcs), FA Brass Cleaning Solution (10 oz), Walnut Hull Media (4.5 lb).

Duration: 60 mins.

Progress: None.

Procedure: Throw the range brass cases on a tumbler to clean dirt, grime, and burnt carbon. Add walnut shell media and brass cleaner. Optional, add dryer sheets and towels bits. Fine carbon dust sticks to the sheets, bigger dirt to the towels. 

2. Sorting.

Duration: 30 mins.

Progress: Cases cleaned.

Procedure: Filter cases from media.  Keep brass and nickel cases. Throw aluminum and steel, these cases cannot be reloaded. 

3. De-capping and resizing. 

Equipment: RC Press, RCBS 3-Carbide Die Set, Hornady Lock Rings, caliper.

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted.

Duration: 5 mins. (setup), 40 mins. (de-cap, resize)

Procedure: Setup die. Run each case through die. Straight-walled, pistol caliber cases do not need lubrication against carbide die. 

4. Brushing and reaming. 

Equipment: RCBS Handle, RCBS Primer Pocket Brush, RCBS Military Crimp Remover. 

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted, unprimed, resized. 

Duration: 40 mins.

Procedure: Brush case primer pocket by hand. If military case, remove crimp. Rotate tool against primer pocket. 

5. Measuring and trimming. 

Material: RCBS Trim Pro & Dial Caliper Kit, McJ Case Trimmer Cutters.

Duration: 150 mins.

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted, unprimed, resized, reamed. 

Procedure: Measure each case length against the SAAMI spec. If too long, trim so it would not exceed past the standards. Find a common shorter length and trim all the case to that. For cases too short, separate and find the common length on that batch. 

6. Chamfering and deburring. 

Equipment: Debur Tool, RCBS Handle.

Duration: 40 mins. 

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted, unprimed, resized, reamed, trimmed.

Procedure: Hold the case, rotate the chamfer tool to the case mouth, and then the debur tool to smooth the bullet seat. 

7. Polishing.

Equipment: FA Case Tumbler Kit.

Material: FA Brass Polish, dryer sheets, towel bits. 

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted, unprimed, resized, reamed, trimmed, deburred.

Duration: 60 mins. 

Procedure: Mix tumbler with dryer sheets, bits of paper towel, and brass polish (0.3 grams). Then, throw in the cases. Leave for an hour. 

8. Priming

Equipment: RCBS Hand Priming Tool. 

Material: Fiocchi Small Pistol Primers

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted, unprimed, resized, reamed, trimmed, deburred, polished.

Duration: 50 mins.

Procedure: Use a hand primer and caliper to seat primers .003-.005 mm below flush. 

9. Belling.

Equipment: RC Press, Hornady Lock Rings, RCBS 3-Carbide Die Set. 

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted, resized, reamed, trimmed, deburred, polished, primed.

Duration: 10 mins. (setup), 50 mins. (bell)

Procedure: Setup press and die set. Die deep enough to widen the mouth but not scrap the copper off the bullet when seated.

10. Loading and seating. 

Equipment: RC Press, RCBS Scale, Uniflow-III Powder Measure, Hornady Rings, RCBS Case Loading Block, caliper. 

Material: Alliant Unique Gun Powder, Zero 9mm FMJ

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted, resized, reamed, trimmed, deburred, polished, primed, belled.

Duration: 40 mins. (load), 5 mins. (setup), 40 mins. (seat)

Procedure: Set up press, measure powder dispensed (5 grams), fill each case. Fit a bullet in the case mouth by hand, press, pull out, and measure. Start long and repeat the process to exact length according to SAAC specs. Repeat for all the case. 

11. Crimping. 

Equipment: RC Press, RCBS 3-Carbide Die Set, Hornady Lock Rings. 

Progress: Cases cleaned, sorted, resized, reamed, trimmed, deburred, polished, primed, belled, loaded, bulleted.

Duration: 5 mins. (setup), 40 mins. (crimp)

Procedure: Replace the seating die with the crimp die, set it for your round length, raise the ram, and check the crimp. Adjust if necessary. Repeat for all. 

12. Testing and Packaging.

Material: Heckler & Koch VP9.

Progress: Cartridge complete.

Duration: 15 mins.

Process: Test a magazine of each batch on the gun range. Measure accuracy and precision based on the printed targets. Bin the batch. 

Production Rate: 680 mins. (11.3 hrs.) per batch of 600 pcs.