A grinding/polishing unit operation for rendering a mirror finish and precise tolerance to the base of an ammunition article. A diamond wheel is used in a live tooling operation where the diamond wheel has a mating profile to the base to be ground/polished. Bases can be prepared from bar stock or pre-existing bases can be treated to enhance magazine loading ease, ejection ease post firing and a reduction in the tendency for spent propellant residue from accreting on the bases. Several embodiments for the unit operation are disclosed.