Is it really necessary to tumble brass every time I want to reload it if its just plinking ammo? Can I just brush out the primer pocket, flash hole, and mouth?
Cleaning brass
- Thread starter Outlaws
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Cleaner brass insures smoother operation in the press. You can do it, but it may amount to more added scratches to your brass, and in the worst case, some stuck cases. Never much fun.
ReloaderFred
Member
Clean brass is easier on your dies. If it has crud on it when run through the dies, that crud is transfered to the dies. Many expensive dies are ruined that way.
If you don't want the brass to shine, then just tumble it for about an hour and then start your reloading process. In my case, I prefer mine to shine, as a matter of pride in my product.
Hope this helps.
Fred
If you don't want the brass to shine, then just tumble it for about an hour and then start your reloading process. In my case, I prefer mine to shine, as a matter of pride in my product.
Hope this helps.
Fred
I'm reloading .223 in ridiculous numbers.
I tumble to get most of the dirt and residue off the cases.
Spray the heck out of the run with One-Shot
Resize.....not deprime
Tumble again to get most of the One-Shot off the cases
Deprime
I could care less if the brass is shiny. But it has to be clean!
ZM
I tumble to get most of the dirt and residue off the cases.
Spray the heck out of the run with One-Shot
Resize.....not deprime
Tumble again to get most of the One-Shot off the cases
Deprime
I could care less if the brass is shiny. But it has to be clean!
ZM
My rounds always cycle better when the brass is nice and clean, the shine just happens to come with it. For what it's worth, I find it easier to locate brass that started out clean first. Your mileage may vary.
If you don't want to tumble you can use 000 Steel wool on each piece of brass as you reload. You will come to terms to get a tumbler when you see that the cost is negligible and you are shooting off alot of rounds. Shoot 100 rounds, In the tumbler they go.
My plinking ammo is also my match ammo.
Put a batch of brass in the tumbler, let it run for an hour or two while you are doing reloading or household stuff, then when you are done with your chores the brass is clean and ready to load.
Besides the actual reloading equipment, a tumbler is the best investment you can make.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Put a batch of brass in the tumbler, let it run for an hour or two while you are doing reloading or household stuff, then when you are done with your chores the brass is clean and ready to load.
Besides the actual reloading equipment, a tumbler is the best investment you can make.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Thanks. I have been saving my brass so I am starting to get a very nice collection, but for the most part I haven't been reloading, just loading new.
I have a Dillon 550, so whats the deal with how I should best go about cleaning brass? Am I supposed to tumble the brass, deprime/resize all my brass via a makeshift single stage, remove each round to clean the primer pocket, then put it back in the machine to only prime it at the first stage, before indexing to the rest of the stages?
I almost get the impression that the 550 is intended for tumbling brass before resizing/depriming, then loading without cleaning the primer pocket.
How about this one for ya...
I have a Dillon 550, so whats the deal with how I should best go about cleaning brass? Am I supposed to tumble the brass, deprime/resize all my brass via a makeshift single stage, remove each round to clean the primer pocket, then put it back in the machine to only prime it at the first stage, before indexing to the rest of the stages?
I almost get the impression that the 550 is intended for tumbling brass before resizing/depriming, then loading without cleaning the primer pocket.
You don't need to clean the brass, just get the crusties out of the flash hole. I have loaded brass that I haven't even cleaned the flash hole, and they worked the same as the shiny ones.
I tumble my fired brass. ( I use corncob and Frankford Arsenal polish, usually all day while at work or overnight while I sleep.) Then I run it through my Projector with only the sizer. Then I prime the cases with my RCBS hand priming tool without cleaning the pockets (most of the time, sometimes I'll clean them.). Then I run it all through the Projector again to load, sans the sizer. You can prime on the machine if you wish, I just don't. I feel like I do a better job seating primers that way and it is one less thing to screw up while running off a batch.
I don't like super shiny brass, unless it's nickel, then there's no excuse.
I run grungy brass through a loadmaster with just the lee decap resize die in it, with the brass lubed with one shot.
Then I run the decapped dirty brass through my ultrasonic cleaner.
Clean primer pockets, no media in flash holes, brass clean on the inside as well as the outside.
I put it on a towel on a cookie sheet in front of a fan overnight.
I batch decap and batch load thousands at a time, it takes about an hour to decap and clean 1000 average cases.
Then I put the clean decapped brass in ammo cans to load at a later date.
At any point, I try to keep at least one ammo can full of clean, decapped, matching headstamp brass in every caliber I shoot.
And at least 500 rounds of finished ammo in every caliber I have.
In the summer, I may run out of finished ammo, but I can always crank some more out if I have clean sorted brass.
In the wintertime I may have a few ammo cans full of completed ammo in each caliber. Have no fear, it will prolly be empty by september.
I run grungy brass through a loadmaster with just the lee decap resize die in it, with the brass lubed with one shot.
Then I run the decapped dirty brass through my ultrasonic cleaner.
Clean primer pockets, no media in flash holes, brass clean on the inside as well as the outside.
I put it on a towel on a cookie sheet in front of a fan overnight.
I batch decap and batch load thousands at a time, it takes about an hour to decap and clean 1000 average cases.
Then I put the clean decapped brass in ammo cans to load at a later date.
At any point, I try to keep at least one ammo can full of clean, decapped, matching headstamp brass in every caliber I shoot.
And at least 500 rounds of finished ammo in every caliber I have.
In the summer, I may run out of finished ammo, but I can always crank some more out if I have clean sorted brass.
In the wintertime I may have a few ammo cans full of completed ammo in each caliber. Have no fear, it will prolly be empty by september.
A large tumbler will run you $60-$100. This will suit all of your needs. That's money you probably won't have to spend for another 10years.
I tumble with walnut and Nu-Finish(every 6th or 7th tumble), along with a dryer sheet. After three hours, my brass is shiny and glides through the dies. I ususally de-cap the entire batch, scrub the pockets, uniform any that need it, and prime with a hand primer. Then the batch goes in the loadmaster, minus the sizer and priming gear, to be loaded. It's an extra set of steps, but this is the way I do it.
The tumbler is a good investment.
I tumble with walnut and Nu-Finish(every 6th or 7th tumble), along with a dryer sheet. After three hours, my brass is shiny and glides through the dies. I ususally de-cap the entire batch, scrub the pockets, uniform any that need it, and prime with a hand primer. Then the batch goes in the loadmaster, minus the sizer and priming gear, to be loaded. It's an extra set of steps, but this is the way I do it.
The tumbler is a good investment.
I have never tumbled my brass. When they get too grundgy i wrap a scotch bright pad around the cartridge, and twist a few times. i use a flat screwdriver, the hollow ground hex bit, that fits the primer cup, and i twist it a few times by hand, not with a screwdriver, or drill, to clean that out. the only time i really felt it was necessary to deep clean my brass was when i loaded up some blackpowder behind some home cast lead conicals to shoot in my blackhawk. Man that was fun but awfully dirty.
I tumble brass for about 2 hours in coarse, untreated Walnut shell before I uncap it.
Then I use it like new brass. I either run it directly through the Dillon 1050 (pistol calibers) or do what ever post processing I feel is required.
Then I use it like new brass. I either run it directly through the Dillon 1050 (pistol calibers) or do what ever post processing I feel is required.
I started out not cleaning the brass. Then I broke down and got a tumbler. What a difference! I even went back and cleaned the nearly 800 rds of .223 I had already made up.
I found that the cleaned brass was so much smoother in the resizing die and then after resizing, tumbled again to remove the lube and it made a noticible difference in chamber cleanliness in the gun.
If you don't want to mess with tumbling again after resizing and want to do the whole reloading process all at once, you can tumble the completed rounds, about 100 at a time, without harm. I would definitely clean before resizing, though, I noticed a big difference.
I found that the cleaned brass was so much smoother in the resizing die and then after resizing, tumbled again to remove the lube and it made a noticible difference in chamber cleanliness in the gun.
If you don't want to mess with tumbling again after resizing and want to do the whole reloading process all at once, you can tumble the completed rounds, about 100 at a time, without harm. I would definitely clean before resizing, though, I noticed a big difference.
If you want to clean your cases, but only do a modest cleaning, try dissolving a package of Kool-Aid in a quart of water and soaking the brass. It seems to clean out some of the inside gunk, too. A friend uses this trick regularly with lemon flavor as his favorite, but I think that the flavor is not the important issue here. He simply rinses the cases afterwards, shakes them out, and lets them dry. Try it; it is easy and cheap.
I'm constantly amazed at how many people have progressives, then load using them with handcuffs on! Or another axiom, with one hand tied behind their back!
By that I mean sizing/depriming in one operation, then completing the rest in another. A progressive press is made to complete all operations each time the handle is pulled, producing a loaded round each time. Doing it any other way is slowing it down to a single stage rate. Especially using any type of liquid cleaner, you can never be sure they are completely dry.
My process is to tumble in corn cob with midway tumbler polish until it's clean and shiny. Then they get dumped in a bowl for a spray with RCBS case slick,(rifle rounds). Handgun, with carbide dies, go directly to the case feeder. I NEVER worry about primer pocket cleaning. It just is not that important.
After they're loaded, they go in the tumbler with untreated corn cob for 15 - 20 minutes to remove the lube,(rifle rounds). The ONLY time I do anything as a separate operation is if I'm loading match ammo. Then I partially size/deprime using a lee collet die, then trim to length with the lee trimmer system. then load as in the afore mentioned process.
By that I mean sizing/depriming in one operation, then completing the rest in another. A progressive press is made to complete all operations each time the handle is pulled, producing a loaded round each time. Doing it any other way is slowing it down to a single stage rate. Especially using any type of liquid cleaner, you can never be sure they are completely dry.
My process is to tumble in corn cob with midway tumbler polish until it's clean and shiny. Then they get dumped in a bowl for a spray with RCBS case slick,(rifle rounds). Handgun, with carbide dies, go directly to the case feeder. I NEVER worry about primer pocket cleaning. It just is not that important.
After they're loaded, they go in the tumbler with untreated corn cob for 15 - 20 minutes to remove the lube,(rifle rounds). The ONLY time I do anything as a separate operation is if I'm loading match ammo. Then I partially size/deprime using a lee collet die, then trim to length with the lee trimmer system. then load as in the afore mentioned process.
Has anyone used a Cabelas brand tumbler? they have it for 57 bucks, and it comes with 6lbs of media, polish, and a sifter pan. I am wondering about quality though, should I just go with a known brand like Lyman or RCBS?
I have never cleaned a pistol cartridge case primer pocket. Never.
I do tumble all my brass to get them clean (don't forget the dryer sheet to keep the dust down)
Then I inspect each case before they go into here:
Life is good
I do tumble all my brass to get them clean (don't forget the dryer sheet to keep the dust down)
Then I inspect each case before they go into here:
Life is good
ReloaderFred
Member
Each reloader has his (or her) way of doing things, because it works best for them. If everything worked the same for everyone, there would be no choices in life, and life would be extremely dull.
The bottom line is that no one can tell anyone else what is best for the other person. What works for me may not work for you, or the next person, etc., but it makes me happy to do it my way. That includes tumbling twice in most cases, sizing, decapping and cleaning primer pockets, priming as a separate step, and then running the rounds through my progressive. That turns my crank, but may not work for anyone else, but since it's my shop, I get to make the rules.......... Life is good.
Hope this helps.
Fred
The bottom line is that no one can tell anyone else what is best for the other person. What works for me may not work for you, or the next person, etc., but it makes me happy to do it my way. That includes tumbling twice in most cases, sizing, decapping and cleaning primer pockets, priming as a separate step, and then running the rounds through my progressive. That turns my crank, but may not work for anyone else, but since it's my shop, I get to make the rules.......... Life is good.
Hope this helps.
Fred
Has anyone used a Cabelas brand tumbler?
Yes, I've been using one for about six years. It's pretty noisy, but I just let it run on the basement floor and we can't hear it anywhere else in the house.
Media is long gone, now using crushed walnut shell from the pet store. Polish will last forever, I don't use much. I don't use the sifter, I just dig for the brass and empty it by hand. The sifter seemed like a PITA.
It seems like a quality tumbler.
Yes, I've been using one for about six years. It's pretty noisy, but I just let it run on the basement floor and we can't hear it anywhere else in the house.
Media is long gone, now using crushed walnut shell from the pet store. Polish will last forever, I don't use much. I don't use the sifter, I just dig for the brass and empty it by hand. The sifter seemed like a PITA.
It seems like a quality tumbler.
I'm sure many of you can attest to the fact that you really don't NEED to tumble or even clean your brass every time you want to reload, but I sure like knowing its clean. Maybe reliability isn't an issue, but I believe it could be. Maybe I'm OCD and just don't know it, but I sure like knowing my brass is as close to the same every single time I reload a round. 
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