Depriming?

[jsickle]

Just wondering were or what you guys use to deprime your hand gun cartridges. I've been using my Dillon 550, I deprime (resize) then tumble, then resize again when I load, just not likeing the idea of the dirty brass on my press or am I over thinking things.
Thanks in advance

 

[gamestalker]

Have you considered just tossing them in the tumbler for a few minute before resizing? I don't load on a progressive, but I still give them a few minutes in the tumbler before I start resizing, just long enough to knock the grit off. Unless you wet tumble with SS pins that is?

I use old wiped out media for this operation, that way I don't contaminate my good media with grit or other undesirable junk.

GS

 

[joem1945]

I size and decap on a seperate single stage press. Keep my dillon cleaner.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

You stand a chance of scratching your sizing die by not tumbling first. For pistols many here don't bother with cleaning primer pockets.

 

[moxie]

I tumble/vibrate for a few hours, then size/decap. No need to tumble or resize again. If they've been in the dirt I rinse and dry before tumbling.

 

[MrBorland]

I strongly prefer to wash cases before loading to keep as much dirt out of my press & gun as possible, so for both rifle & handgun cases, I use a Lee Universal Depriming Die in a single stage press, then throw them in an ultrasonic cleaner. A separate depriming step may be unnecessary, but I want to be sure the pockets are completely dry before loading.

I still deprime beforehand when I do tumble, since I'll rinse the residue off them afterward.

Most I shoot with, though, simply tumble their handgun cases, then directly reload them, using the pin in the sizing die to deprime.

 

[Walkalong]

Pistol brass: Tumble, size/deprime on LNL press, tumble, prime, load on LNL press with no sizing going on.

 

[345 DeSoto]

I deprime and size in two different steps. I deprime, SS tumble, then when the brass is spotless, I size...

 

[yugorpk]

Tumble for a few hours, deprime, wash with warm soapy water, rinse, dry overnight, prime and throw it in the bucket. I load later. I like to separate priming from actual loading since priming is the most problematic step and I don't want to gun things up when I'm trying to pay attention to loading. Speeds loading up considerably.

 

[Ironicaintit]

I just tumble mine, then size/deprime. I dont think its a good idea to run a gritty case through the die.
Then, as I inspect the cases I'll run the pocket cleaner through it.

 

[GBExpat]

Just wondering were or what you guys use to deprime your hand gun cartridges. ...

I decap as a separate process (using a Lee Universal Decapping Die) prior to cleaning my cases.

 

[digid]

I also have a 550. I de-prime on a Lee single stage with a universal de-caper before I tumble. I do this for a few reasons. The main reason is the primers are dirty and contain lead dust. I do not want that in my tumbler or in the air when I separate the brass from the media. It also keeps the Dillon nice and clean. I use 2/3 corn cob media and 1/3 walnut shell. My primer pockets come out clean enough so I do not have to clean them by hand. I also leave the de prime pin in my sizer in the Dillon. If there would be any media stuck in the prime hole it punches it out during the re sizing. Its an extra step, but my media stays clean longer and I do not worry about the lead dust in my media either.

 

[cfullgraf]

Pistol brass: Tumble, size/deprime on LNL press, tumble, prime, load on LNL press with no sizing going on.

Ditto in concept.

Virtually all of my handgun cases are sized, deprimed and mouth expanded on my Hornady L-N-L.

Most are loaded on the Hornady but I have dedicated Dillon SDBs for 45 ACP, 9x19 and 38 Special wadcutters. Like Walkalong, no sizing when loading.

 

[rondog]

I deprime and size in two different steps. I deprime, SS tumble, then when the brass is spotless, I size...

This for me too. Sometimes I'll run the clean and polished brass again when it's dry in corncob with NuFinish, to give it a better shine and a protective coating to prevent tarnishing. Then I usually prime the cases and store them, ready to load "whenever". Rifle cases will get sized and trimmed before priming. When I want to reload something I just start filling them up.

 

[TfflHndn]

Rondog, I like your bins! Where do you find something like that?

 

[FROGO207]

I prettymuch do what RonDog does myself. I do it on a single stage or a turret press though.

 

[Gravedigger56]

1. Deprime with Lee universal die on a single stage press.
2. SS clean brass and dry.
3. Size, trim if necessary
4. Prime, charge, bullet, crimp.

 

[ku4hx]

For many years I deprimed all cases in a single stage press using a Lee Universal decapping die. I did that after tumbling because I didn't like the little bits of media getting stuck in the flash hole/spent primer. Then I discovered Zilla (I think it's Zilla) Walnut reptile bedding. Those particles are really tiny and don't get stuck in the flash hole/spent primer.

Now days I tumble, separate media from cases and start the loading process. Mostly I use my Dillon RL550B. No bits of stuck media and no dimpled primers from media bits on the primer seating plunger.

Unless there was a problem of some sort, I've never sized any cases but once. They get work hardened enough as it is in the shooting/resizing/reshooting process.

 

[baseball2013]

When I started reloading the spent primers were removed during the resizing process. A shot time later I switch to a Lee Universal Decapping die due to speed and ability to perform this operation without cleaning the cases first.

The only times I had to reset the pin was when I failed to notice the case in question had pebbles in it from the range.

 

[jsickle]

Thanks for all the replies, for now I will tumble then deprime then tumble again, in the mean time I will look into purchasing a single stage press and universal depriming die.
Thanks again

 

[mpssrh]

This is the regimen that works best for me:

1) Deprime brass on a separate Lee single stage press (using Lee 9mm decapping/sizing die)
2) Clean brass in a Hornady ultrasonic cleaner (using Hornady One Shot Case Cleaner)
3) Rinse and shake dry in a towel; then dry (on a baking sheet in the sun or in oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees F)
4) Tumble in corncob media to which NuFinish has been added (this stage is optional, but I think the "slicker' the cases, the easier they pass through the dies)
5) Lightly spray the cases with Hornady case lube just prior to reloading

Depriming/resizing the cases on a separate press and ultrasonically cleaning them prior to reloading removes the grime and debris that had been falling onto (and fouling) the primer slide assembly in my Dillon 550b. Lubrication of the cases has made a positive difference for me. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

I use a cheap Lee single stage press with a Lee decapping die before cleaning. I do this with all my black powder brass to keep my loading press clean and also so I can wet tumble without the primers and keep the primer pockets clean.

 

[Dentite]

I used to dry tumble with walnut media and run it through the press uninterrupted.

I now deprime dirty brass on a press I have mounted to a board which makes it portable. I prefer to do it outside during good weather.

Then I wet tumble with SS pins, and go the Dillon to reload (Rockchucker for rifle ammo).

 

[rondog]

Rondog, I like your bins! Where do you find something like that?

Thanks! They're great, I love 'em. Chance of you getting any is very, very slim. Go to a Home Depot, they're in the Hardware section, they're the drawers with specialty hardware in them. Extremely heavy duty and awesome, but not buyable.

I happen to know a guy on a local forum that was the regional director for Crown Bolts, the vendor that supplied those cabinets and hardware to Home Depot in all the Colorado stores. They had a big upgrade project to change out all the black cabinets to silver.

He took all the old black units and sold them off dirt cheap. I got four, two 7 drawer and two 4 drawer. It was a one-time deal that'll never happen again.