Tumbling primed cases

[goon]

Guys, I have run into a small problem.
I bought some Winchester primed bulk 7.62x54R from Midway a couple months ago and I have finally gotten around to trying to use it. The problem is that there seems to be some kind of lube left inside the casings. Out of the four rounds I have managed to fire with these handloads, two resulted in only the primer going off and the bullet getting stuck in the barrel just ahead of the chamber. I have become pretty good at removing stuck bullets because of this but I don't really want to do it anymore.
Anyhow, I cleaned my resizing die up to make sure that I wasn't getting any lube in them from it. I was using it to size the necks and to make them round again since some of them had gotten smashed around a little.
In the rounds that gave me the problems I noticed that the powder had become caked together and that it had turned sort of yellowish in color for the most part. There was only enough powder left loose left to get dumped all over the inside of my action and make a little more of a mess for me to clean up before I could resume shooting.
Anyhow, I am not used to working with primed brass. My usual procedure with new bulk brass is this:
1. Tumble to remove any leftover lube
2. FL size (or neck size in my .303)
3. Remove any lube (but I often don't have to use any on the first resizing)
4. Prime
5. Load and enjoy

My problem is that if I tumble this primed brass I am going to end up with tumbling media in the flash holes. The way I usually deal with this is to just separate the media as best I can and then punch out any remaining media with the decapping pin when I size.
So if I tumble this stuff, how do I get he media out of the flash holes? I am thinking about just resizing them and throwing the primers away and calling it the cost of doing business (after I either pop the primers or temporarily deaden them with Wd-40 or something).
Can anyone help me out on this one?

 

[Black Snowman]

Two options. Not worry about the media in the flash holes (others have posted that ammo still functioned fine) or punch out the primers, tumble, and then reseat the primers. Personally, I'm too lazy to do that. I've tumbled primed brass in several calibers without any detectable ill effects.

YMMV and all that

 

[goon]

Well I got at it after my hangover wore off.
I firmly attached my safety glasses and went to work carefully depriming my tumbled brass. I didn't have any problems with decapping them with live primers. I did think about just tumbling and not worrying about it but I decided that the last thing I need is one more thing that can go wrong.
I don't know if this is the smartest technique but I can't see where there is TOO much danger in it. Even if one does go off I am wearing eye protection, the casing is up in the die, and the ram is down below the primer. The worst it can do is blow out and fly straight down and into the press.
If anyone has any other reccomendations about any better or safer ways to do this please let me know.
But I do have about 80 cases sized and ready to get made into something now though.

 

[ClarkEMyers]

Stories of the press handle kicking up don't how true

Stories of the press handle kicking up don't how true -

I generally fire the primers. Firing the primers has its own issues with the primers backing out but then the case not pushing back to reseat the primers. Then primer sometimes sticks out too far to fit a shell holder (decapping in something like the CoAx keeps down lead styphenate around the house) so I have to use a punch and base and maybe blow lead around.

 

[goon]

I think I could get away with firing the primers if I wanted to. The '54 is a rimmed round so I don't think the primers would be able to back out.
The only thing is that I have 1K of them.
Hence, this is not a small problem for me.
But after I get the bugs worked out I will have a lot of years worth of brass.