Here are the steps i go through to make my 17 Pred. brass others may do it a little different.
Step 1
I run the 223 brass through a 223 die to make sure the necks are straight and remove dents around the mouth of the case.
Step 2 I square up the primer pockets and debur inside flash hole.
Step 3 Next i outside neck-turn the brass. Since my rifle has a .196 neck there is to much material that needs to be removed for one pass with the neck turner so i remove about 75 % of what needs to be removed and then finsh neck turning to final specks after fire forming.
Step 4 I run the brass through my 17 Mach-4 neck die and leave a false shoulder.. Make sure you just size the neck a little at a time and then try to chamber it in youre rifle. Keep turning the die down and running a case through it till it will chamber in youre rifle. You want a snug feel to the bolt when locking it up.
223 case on left and 17 Pred. on right with false shoulder.
Step 5 fire form the brass to youre chamber. I use the cream of wheat method. You need to prime the case then add 2.5 gr. of Bullseye powder and work up the charge to about 3.5 gr.. Place a small piece of toilet paper over powder and then fill case with Cream of Wheat, tap case a little so the filler is a little ways down from top of case mouth and then place another piece of T-P into case mouth to act as a plug and pack it down a little. (For this step you may use grease or Liquid glass)
step 6 fire forming. Take loaded rounds outside someplace and chamber one at a time in rifle with muzzle pointing up towards the sky a fire round off.. Look at fired case and see if the primer is flatten a bit and also look at shoulder area and see if it reformed to the Pred... If not then repeat steps above and increase charge of powder from 2.5 and work up .3 at a time untill the primer is some what flat and the case has taken on the Pred. form..
Case ready to be fire formed;
223 case on left. 17 Pred. with false shoulder and 17 Pred after fireforming..
Step 7 I run the cases through a 17 Pred. neck die and then i turn the necks one last time to my chamber spec's -.003. ( chamber is .196 and necks are cut to .193)
When takeing measurements a bullet has to be seated into the case neck and then a measurement taken and then remove bullet and resize neck and then remove material with neck turning tool. Repete steps till you have the right amount of clearance..
I use a hand neck turning tool for finishing up on the necks. You don't need to have more than one neck turning tool, but i like to leave some set and not have to change it back and fourth till i'm all done.
Step 8 Anneal necks. After all the steps are done the brass is pretty springy so it needs to be soften up by the anneal process. After this step chamfer inside and outside of case mouth and then run through a tumbler and clean up.
Step 10 work up a load for youre rifle..
I hope this info helps and gives some of the newer guys an idea of what needs to be done. It takes a little time but i feel its worth it in the end when you have a coyote laying dead on the ground a couple 100 yds out..
( Like i said in the beginning these are the steps i go through and some may skip a few steps or do it different..) Good luck to those that have one built and good hunting.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif
