Tumbling

[6132expert]

Guys is it best to decap the brass then tumble, or does it really make any differance? I want to go ahead and clean the brass because I can turn around and walk away, but I don't have the time right now to build a bench, mount the press, and all that good stuff. Then agine I don't want to waste what time I will be spending seperating the brass and media if it is pointless.

[planeflyer21]

Three schools of thought.

Tumble before you resize/deprime, as the tumbling media has a tendency to get stuck in the flash hole.  This means if your primer pockets are especially dirty, you will need to brush out the pockets to ensure proper seating and ignition.

Tumble after you resize/deprime to get the primer pockets clean as well.  As mentioned above, you may get a chunk of cleaning media stuck in the flash hole.  Each piece of brass must be inspected to ensure that the hole is clear.  Proponents of stainless steel tumbling media use this as one reason to buy the pricey stuff.

Ultrasonic cleaners (what I'm using now) clean the whole brass, inside and out, WAY cleaner than I've seen standard tumbling media get it.  Resize/deprime prior to using these.  An issue is that most US cleaners are too small for the amount of brass I like to tumble. 

After looking at all the jewelers and firearms marketed US cleaners, I got the Hornady Magnum version.  Then one day on Amazon, I found HUGE US cleaners, that would hold probably thousands of rounds of handgun brass and nearly any disassembled firearm we own.  The price wasn't too much higher, considering the increase in capacity and capability.

Hope this helps!

Jon

[392heminut]

I tumble all my brass before sizing/depriming because I don't want to run dirty brass through my sizer dies. Rifle brass gets tumbled again after sizing/depriming, but only for thpurpose of cleaning the sizing lube off of the cases. I've never worried about cleaning primer pockets, either by tumbling or by hand, in any of my brass. In the 30+ years I've been reloading I've never seen a primer pocket get dirty enough to cause any kind of a problem. Some people feel that the blast from the primer knocks out any crud left from the previous load fired. I have to think there's some truth to that as I've never really seen any kind of residue buildup in a primer pocket.

[98Z5V]

^^^  Same thing here.  I shoot alot of 5.56 NATO, so I will hit the crimp in the primer pocket, if it's a mean one.

[6132expert]

^^^  Same thing here.  I shoot alot of 5.56 NATO, so I will hit the crimp in the primer pocket, if it's a mean one.

Great, I am glad I am not wasting my time!! Now speaking of crimped brass. I was wondering if anyone has tried doing this.

[racerken70]

i deprime first using the rcbs universal decapping die, i use that so i wont screw up my sizing die. its an extra step but doesnt take much time at all.

[392heminut]

I bought a Hornaday primer pocket reamer that I chuck up in the drill and clamp the drill in the vise. I then lock the trigger back and go to to town. I can ream 1000 military cases in about an hour. One of these;

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/253550/hornady-primer-pocket-reamer-cutter-head-small

I wear a pair of mechanics gloves when doing this though, If the reamer grabs a case the case mouth can make a nice round cookie cutter type hole in your finger! :o Go ahead, ask me how I know! <lmao>

[98Z5V]

Great, I am glad I am not wasting my time!! Now speaking of crimped brass. I was wondering if anyone has tried doing this.

That is brilliant!!!  <thumbsup>

[6132expert]

I bought a Hornaday primer pocket reamer that I chuck up in the drill and clamp the drill in the vise. I then lock the trigger back and go to to town. I can ream 1000 military cases in about an hour. One of these;

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/253550/hornady-primer-pocket-reamer-cutter-head-small

I wear a pair of mechanics gloves when doing this though, If the reamer grabs a case the case mouth can make a nice round cookie cutter type hole in your finger! :o Go ahead, ask me how I know! <lmao>

How do you know this??

Also I would like to see someone on here try this and give real feedback and not feedback because it is something you came up with, but to let everyone know how the idea really works out.

[392heminut]

How do you know this??

Also I would like to see someone on here try this and give real feedback and not feedback because it is something you came up with, but to let everyone know how the idea really works out.

Really? Because it happened to me! And if your second statement is referring to my posting of the primer pocket reamer then I guess I can give 'real feedback' since I've done over 3000 cases with that reamer. <dontknow>

[6132expert]

Yeah well you asked me to ask you so  <lmao>

Any how , no my second statement was aimed at the video I posted up.

[392heminut]

Yeah well you asked me to ask you so  <lmao>

poop! >:( There's always one in the crowd!!! :fawkdance:  <lmao>

[unforgiven]

<laughs>

[6132expert]

You have to be careful of what you ask for in this world, you just might get it. :cookoo:

[98Z5V]

You have to be careful of what you ask for in this world ON THIS BOARD, you just might get it. :cookoo:

Fixed that for ya...  <thumbsup> <lmao>

[Rsquared]

Fixed that for ya...  <thumbsup> <lmao>

Excellent grammar correction as usual my friend.

[Pappy1600]

I like to tumble my brass with the primers first, then decap,lube and resize, once that is out of the way I use my Ultrasonic cleaner to clean the brass again, this really makes the brass shine and cleans the flash holes very nice...Clean water rinse brass, I then like to put my brass in a collender and put it in a shoe rack in my dryer for 1/2 hour to dry

[survivalshop]

I tumble with media shortly first to clean brass before lubing & sizing, depriming , then the S/S media makes them like new , inside & out .

[6132expert]

Nice grammer correction  <lmao>

I saw where you guy done his brass is the SS and then in Walnut for several hours for drying them really well. I am in the process of making my on wet tumbler when I get it done I will let you guys see. I have everything and I just need to find time to fab it up.

[dagamore]

I have recently started doing stainless steel tumbling, because it is a wet tumbling and it cleans the case inside and out and the primer pockets. I got a universal deprimer and just deprime all the brass then tumble and then lube/size.

I love how quite tumbling in the ss media is, and  the brass looks better then new when done.  the only real down side is you have to dry the brass after tumbling, but thats not a big deal.

[392heminut]

Wet tumbling seems to be getting more and more popular with high volume shooters!

[NoFail]

Wet tumbling seems to be getting more and more popular with high volume shooters!

I'm pretty much low volume shooter, especially lately. But it's SS tumbling and nothing else here for me now.

[98Z5V]

About a year ago, we dropped $1,500 on a big ultrasonic cleaner at work.  Heated.  That thing would hold FOUR sets of 4 banked carbs off streetbikes, easily.  It's pretty damn big. 

I can fit about 375~425 pieces of 5.56 brass in a gallon zip-lock freezer bag, and I'd bet I could stuff 6 or 7 bags into this thing at once.

I don't work Monday, but I'll take some brass to work on Tuesday, and toss them in that beast to try out.  I'd like to see what it'll do with the brass.

I can't believe I didn't think of this before now...  :bitchslap:  <laughs>

[edgecrusher]

The ultra sonic is the way I planned on going, with this unit

http://www.brownells.com/reloading/case-cleaning/ultrasonic-case-cleaners/hornady-lock-n-load-sonic-cleaner-prod54414.aspx?ttver=1

[6132expert]

I have been looking into this a little and I really do not like the way the brass looks after being in a sonic cleaner. I can see the benifit if the brass is placed in the cleaner right after being fired but I think I am going to be sticking with walnut for now until I get my wet tumbler built.