System for truing aspects of a cartridge case

A method of truing a cartridge case including:

• providing a cartridge case having a mouth, a neck, a body, and a base opposite of the mouth, the cartridge case having an exterior surface on at least the body and the neck of the case;
• providing an apparatus including:
• a frame defining a chamber and having a central axis passing through the chamber;
• a cartridge sleeve having a cartridge passage defined by a passage surface;
• a tool extending along the central axis of the frame and having an insertion portion with a tip end extending into the chamber of the frame;
• a tool mandrel portion having the tool mounted thereon in a manner preventing rotation and translation of the tool with respect to the frame;
• and
• a sleeve mandrel portion defining a sleeve passage configured to receive the cartridge sleeve;
• inserting the cartridge case into the cartridge passage of the cartridge sleeve;
• contacting the mouth of the cartridge case with the tool by:
• rotating the cartridge case in the sleeve passage of the sleeve mandrel portion about the central axis with respect to the tool;
• and
• translating the cartridge sleeve in the sleeve passage along the central axis to move the cartridge case toward the tip end of the tool;
• wherein the translating of the cartridge case is performed substantially simultaneously with rotating the cartridge case;
• and
• advancing the cartridge case along the central axis to move the tip end of the tool into the neck of the cartridge case while rotating the case with respect to the tool.

A cartridge case truing apparatus for centering a cartridge case, the cartridge case having a mouth, a neck, a body, and a base opposite of the mouth, the cartridge case having an exterior surface on at least the body and the neck of the case, the apparatus comprising:

• a frame defining a chamber and having a central axis passing through the chamber;
• a cartridge sleeve defining a cartridge passage for receiving the cartridge case, the cartridge passage being defined by a passage surface for engaging the exterior surface of the body of the cartridge case when the case is inserted into the passage, the cartridge sleeve having opposite neck and base ends;
• a tool extending along the central axis of the frame with a tip end extending into the chamber of the frame for moving into the mouth of the cartridge case when the cartridge case is positioned in the cartridge passage;
• a tool mandrel portion mounting the tool on the frame in a manner resisting rotation of the tool with respect to frame;
• and
• a sleeve mandrel portion configured to mount the cartridge sleeve on the frame, the sleeve mandrel portion permitting the cartridge sleeve and a cartridge case mounted thereon to translate with respect to the frame along the central axis of the frame, the sleeve mandrel portion permitting the cartridge sleeve and a cartridge case mounted thereon to rotate about the central axis with respect to the frame;
• wherein the cartridge sleeve is configured to engage the exterior surface of the body of the cartridge case without engaging the base of the cartridge case and without engaging the mouth of the cartridge case such that a portion of the neck extends beyond the neck end of the cartridge sleeve and a portion of the base of the cartridge extends beyond the base end of the cartridge sleeve.