I must be missing something...

I'm a big fan of wet / stainless steel tumbling brass. But I hate doing it twice per batch of brass.

I de-cap before tumbling to get primer pockets clean.

Then I tumble, and gotta dry the brass.

Then I lube and size the brass. But gotta wet tumble *again* to get the brass clean.

Is there a better way so I only hafta wet tumble once per batch?

 

After sizing them i run them in corncobb media for a hour or so to remove the lube

 

If I am understanding you correctly, that would include sizing the brass while it still has carbon around the neck inside and outside. I am worried that will gum up my sizing die.

Yes / no ?

 

I simply use a micro fiber rag and wipe them clean. Works for me.

 

I don’t tumble either, wipe um down load um up..

 

The second cleaning is not necessary for me. I just wipe them off with a cloth.

 

I wash them again for 15 min but leave the pins out

 

I have watched the big boys, who reload at the matches, simply run a brush down the neck of their brass and clean the primer pockets with a battery powered drill, wipe the necks with very fine steel wool, then resize, drop powder and insert a bullet. They all seem to get those tiny one hole groups consistently. It's not what I do, but then I don't reload at the range.

 

If you resize (with lube), they have to be cleaned OR, you end up with powder sticking in the necks and that causes problems when it comes to seating bullets. Dry lube IS another option.
If I wet tumble with SS, (maybe every third or fourth firing) dried, resized and ready to load brass gets the cob treatment. Just another step in the process of reloading AND, another chance to inspect your brass for defects. In my opinion, never a bad thing to put eyes on your brass again.

 

No. You got rid of the carbon and junk when you tumbled with pins before sizing. Corn cob after sizing removes the lube and puts a shine on.

 

He said he tumbles *after* sizing. Which means he sizes *before* tumbling. Which means they are still carboned up when sizing. Unless I am misunderstanding him....

 

I wipe the sizing lube off with a paper towel. About 5 per minute. I only do about 50-100 cases a month. High volume maybe just soaking in detergent agitating, rinse with distilled water and dry. I consider the process cosmetic and not necessary.

 

I pose this question with some trepidation because (a) there’s probably an obvious answer I’m missing, and (b) merely asking the question will probably make people mad, but here goes:

What is the advantage of wet tumbling with pins as opposed to

1. Tumbling in corn cob and then brushing out the necks, or

2. Brushing out the necks, wiping the outside of the necks with Krazy Kloth, and then wiping off the residue?

As for tumbling after resizing in order to remove the lube, what is the advantage versus just manually wiping off the lube?

Not being a smart-aleck here; these are serious questions. Thanks.

Dave Rabin

 

br is not the same as all other shooting. what they do is not always appropriate for a field shooter.

 

I OCASSIONALLY USE SS PINS. mostly corn cob tumbling.
BUT
when I ss pin clean, I DO tumble WITH CORN COB after all other case prep steps are done and before loading.
for those that wipe, how do you get the lube out of the inside of the case ?
don't believe me...fill a case and then empty it..look at all the powder stuck in the case.

 

For me, its how bright and shiny wet tumbling gets the brass. Also, corn cob media too frequently got stuck in the cases. Or left a dusty residue. For me, anyway.

 

Sonic cleaning does not peen the case mouths or leave media in the flash holes.

Hornady One Shot is a dry film lube and does not need to be removed.

Below is a .44 Special case that had been trimmed, reloaded, fired and then wet tumbled for less than one hour. I have a Lyman Turbo Tumbler, a STM wet tumbler and then bought a clone of the Lyman sonic cleaner for $80.00. My sonic cleaner will clean the cases as well as wet tumbling without the shiny bling, with no dust or peened case mouths. And again Hornady One Shot does not need to be removed because it is a dry film lube.

That being said I remember when I first started reloading in 1973 and just used a brushed on the inside of the case and an old T-shirt to wipe off the outside of the case. And if I wanted a shiny case I used some 0000 steel wool.

 

I lube with Imperial sizing die wax. It requires only a very thin coat. To my knowledge, none of it gets inside the case. And yes, I occasionally pour powder out after filling the case, and I’ve never seen any stuck kernels. Maybe the regimen depends upon how one lubes cases.

 

well I do to at the range, but not in the shop. so yes I agree, but not sure how many others do.
wipe works in that case, but not for any spray.

 

I just wipe them clean after sizing and then reload. I use imperial sizing wax and it comes off with a paper towel. You only need a touch of wax to properly lube a case. If you've got a lot of lube left over after sizing, you may be using too much. Try imperial sizing wax, it's what the guys at Redding recommended when I got a case stuck.