Wet Tumbling after resizing?

[warbird2006]

Is the wet tumbling with stainless media too aggressive for cleaning brass after it was resized?
I like the wet tumbling because it cleans the primer pockets and the cases inside and cleans all the grease from resizing.
Has anyone looked at the brass measurements before and after?
Right now I de-prime, wet tumble, grease, re-size, trim and chamfer, walnut tumble, priming, and seating.

If I could wet thumble after re-size, it would make the process faster.

 

[T-shooter]

Is the wet tumbling with stainless media too aggressive for cleaning brass after it was resized?
I like the wet tumbling because it cleans the primer pockets and the cases inside and cleans all the grease from resizing.
Has anyone looked at the brass measurements before and after?
Right now I de-prime, wet tumble, grease, re-size, trim and chamfer, walnut tumble, priming, and seating.

If I could wet thumble after re-size, it would make the process faster.

I don't know but I'd rather wet tumble first and have clean cases to run through the dies. Maybe just deprime them first before tumbling. Also be aware than the inside of the necks can be too clean causing what some people call "cold welding". You may need to coat the inside of the necks before reloading. I'm experimenting with dry Imperial graphite lubricant but may change to something else. I didn't know I had a problem until I pulled down 100 rounds I had loaded a few months before. About 1 of every 10-15 were stuck, hard enough that I had to smack the press handle to break them loose (using a collet puller). I also tried Hornady case lube inside the necks. This seems to work but there is another problem. When it dries out, it works better than red Loctite. This could potentially happen with a round heat soaking in a hot chamber. I heated a couple dummy rounds with a torch, not extremely hot. My collet puller would not pull them out.

 

[Webster]

Is the wet tumbling with stainless media too aggressive for cleaning brass after it was resized?
I like the wet tumbling because it cleans the primer pockets and the cases inside and cleans all the grease from resizing.
Has anyone looked at the brass measurements before and after?
Right now I de-prime, wet tumble, grease, re-size, trim and chamfer, walnut tumble, priming, and seating.

If I could wet thumble after re-size, it would make the process faster.

Tumbling twice???

 

[Twitchy]

I deprime, wet tumble, anneal, then size/trim/etc. Works just fine for me.

I've never had an issue with the brass changing size. (that I've noticed)

 

[Rsadams]

The saying is to tumble first to keep carbon and dirt out of the die plus if you tumble after doing the brass prep is it not going to ding up the case mouths? Carbon is very hard and will scratch up your polished die and lead to premature wear.. At least that's the way I look at it..

 

[Rsadams]

I don't know but I'd rather wet tumble first and have clean cases to run through the dies. Maybe just deprime them first before tumbling. Also be aware than the inside of the necks can be too clean causing what some people call "cold welding". You may need to coat the inside of the necks before reloading. I'm experimenting with dry Imperial graphite lubricant but may change to something else. I didn't know I had a problem until I pulled down 100 rounds I had loaded a few months before. About 1 of every 10-15 were stuck, hard enough that I had to smack the press handle to break them loose (using a collet puller). I also tried Hornady case lube inside the necks. This seems to work but there is another problem. When it dries out, it works better than red Loctite. This could potentially happen with a round heat soaking in a hot chamber. I heated a couple dummy rounds with a torch, not extremely hot. My collet puller would not pull them out.

Keep us posted on how the imperial works over time... I have been thinking of useing it for some loads I am going to store for a while...

 

[T-shooter]

Keep us posted on how the imperial works over time... I have been thinking of useing it for some loads I am going to store for a while...

Sure will. It's a little messy, or it could just be me. You forget about it, rub your eye, scratch your nose, then look in a mirror later for a surprise. What I want to prevent is any cold welding issues. Hopefully this will cure it. I'm going to break down some ammo I loaded a couple years ago and check it. I never knew this condition existed until I found about 1 of every 10-15 in a box of 100 were stuck in the cases.

 

[Mozella]

My competition cases are carefully collected in a clean towel and come home ready to lube, deprime, size, and trim/chamfer (if necessary). I use a neck bushing very slightly smaller than the desired final diameter. Then I wet SS tumble, dry, and anneal them. After weight sorting I prime them and at the same time insert a precision mandrel into the slightly undersized neck. This step insures that the annealed neck is just the right size and also makes sure it's nice and round in case the neck was dinged or distorted during cleaning and/or handling. After that the brass is never handled as a batch or dumped into a container. It's individually handled when it's charged, placed into loading block, and as the bullet gets seated. In other words, inserting a mandrel late in the process gives me piece of mind about the size and roundness of the necks remaining as perfect as I can make them. Subsequent to that, the brass does not experience any rough handling until the bullet gets seated.

I only clean once, I minimize individual handling, and I don't have to worry about any residual lube on the cases either inside or outside. As far as lube between the case and bullet, I wet Moly coat my bullets more for lubrication during seating and bullet release rather than anything (good or bad) that it might do to my barrel.

 

[divingin]

Personally, I decap, dry tumble, lube, size (full length for scrounged or my AR brass, neck only for bolt), trim and chamfer if necessary, anneal, then wet tumble. I haven't noticed any problems with this though it can be time consuming. Tumbling with the SS pins does not do anything to the neck formation except possibly a bit of deburring should there be anything to deburr.

 

[Down South]

I deprime, wet tumble, anneal, then size/trim/etc. Works just fine for me.

I've never had an issue with the brass changing size. (that I've noticed)

That's my process as well. Been doing this for a long time without issues.

 

[M60A3TTS]

I have been using Lee sizing wax for the past year or so, so I cant relate long term experience. In a couple years I'll pull some down for inspection and testing. But I can say this, the difference between the lubed and unlubed necks is unmistakable.

 

[M-61]

But I can say this, the difference between the lubed and unlubed necks is unmistakable.

No lube is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Steveb]

I use a cheap Lee press to deprime then body size and neck size on my Redding T-7. Before wet cleaning I put the brass in a bucket of Mr Clean (concentrated) to remove the sizing lube. Let it soak and hand swish the brass around for a while to remove the sizing lube. Then I wet clean using stainless pins, dry, trim to length and chamfer, anneal, lube the inside of the necks and finish using a mandrel. I then store the brass before loading for a match.
Mr Clean really removes the lube quickly and does clean the brass to some degree. I just use an open bucket and swish using my hands for only a few minutes.

 

[Fire Dog]

Sure will. It's a little messy, or it could just be me. You forget about it, rub your eye, scratch your nose, then look in a mirror later for a surprise. What I want to prevent is any cold welding issues. Hopefully this will cure it. I'm going to break down some ammo I loaded a couple years ago and check it. I never knew this condition existed until I found about 1 of every 10-15 in a box of 100 were stuck in the cases.

Let Neolube #2 be your friend or even make a home made version with ultra fine graphite {door lock lube} and Isopropyl alcohol.
A Q-tip or even better the sponge tipped ones into the neck and by the time you have put a quick wipe inside the necks on a tray of 50, the first ones are dry and ready to mandrel/size.
I have used the three different dry lubes on the market and the only one I could recommend would be the White Graphite in a brush box that Foster and Hornady sell as the other “dip” ones are not only messy and put dry lube on the outside of the neck, I have had them to scratch the die; due I believe, from micro particles of ceramic from the little ceramic balls used to carry the dry lube.
The brush in a box is tediously slow but it does work…
As for welding due to “Too Clean” inside the necks from wet tumbling, I give all cases a quick touch on an RCBS case prep station to inside/outside chamfer and a brush of suitable caliber into the neck.
You can just chuck up a brush in a drill motor and brush the inside of the necks as well if you don’t have the case prep station setup.
You will get a noticeable reduction in mandreling and bullet seating and never a problem to pull a loaded round using Neolube or a home made version…
Quick to apply and no mess on the outside of the case. The slightest wipe of Imperial Die Wax or Ballistic Die Wax and a quick light wipe wipe with a paper towel after sizing just makes life easy.

 

[GoWyo!]

Reading these processes I have come to the realization that I am a lazy reloading neanderthal. I inspect my empties, clean off on a towell as needed, lube, run through my fl sizer die, partial sizing with decapping/ sizer/ expander ball stem as is in a two die set. Then I’ll run through wet ss cleaning, rinse, dry, and run through my progressive loader (RCBS PRO 2000) or hand prime then move through the single stage process. I have some competition seaters, but most go through the standard seater. I’m small scale compared to volumes of others. I also combine different calibers in tumbling sessions as needed to get a full drum Shhh.

 

[Oso]

Definitely tumble after anneal to remove impurities pushed into case neck. Below is interesting study/testing of how this directly impacts amount of force required to seat a bullet. Primal Rights video link below.

 

[Janeau]

I don't know but I'd rather wet tumble first and have clean cases to run through the dies. Maybe just deprime them first before tumbling. Also be aware than the inside of the necks can be too clean causing what some people call "cold welding". You may need to coat the inside of the necks before reloading. I'm experimenting with dry Imperial graphite lubricant but may change to something else. I didn't know I had a problem until I pulled down 100 rounds I had loaded a few months before. About 1 of every 10-15 were stuck, hard enough that I had to smack the press handle to break them loose (using a collet puller). I also tried Hornady case lube inside the necks. This seems to work but there is another problem. When it dries out, it works better than red Loctite. This could potentially happen with a round heat soaking in a hot chamber. I heated a couple dummy rounds with a torch, not extremely hot. My collet puller would not pull them out.

What you want to use is Neolube # 2 inside the case - and work great doing the part of the bullet going into the case. More uniform release…I shoot IBS Benchrest and this is all I used for 3 years now.

Do a search on Youtube as reference: here is one test.

 

[Fire Dog]

Definitely tumble after anneal to remove impurities pushed into case neck. Below is interesting study/testing of how this directly impacts amount of force required to seat a bullet. Primal Rights video link below.

Tumbling after annealing

Clean, Anneal, BRUSH inside of neck then proceed to process brass and load using a slight wipe of Neolube #2 or homemade version of ultra fine graphite & Isopropyl alcohol.
No oily case lube inside the necks that needs to be cleaned out once again….

 

[Fire Dog]

What you want to use is Neolube # 2 inside the case - and work great doing the part of the bullet going into the case. More uniform release…I shoot IBS Benchrest and this is all I used for 3 years now.

Do a search on Youtube as reference: here is one test.

Thanks for posting that video, as I have only been lubing the inside of the necks and next loads will get lube on lower base of bullet as well.
It will be interesting to see if that helps my accuracy as much as indicated over just lubing the neck.
Even with just lubing ahead of mandreling I have noticed that seating pressure has been less as there is still film of lube inside neck. I started to lubricate the necks to stop brass build up on the mandrel but noticed that it also helped to reduce seating pressure.
Don’t have an AMP seating setup but just using my Wilson dies with a KM arbor press I can tell the difference.
Also brushing the inside of the necks after cleaning {wet} & annealing has made a difference as well.

 

[Janeau]

Buy the way - to clean up excess or the inevitable mess on your hand -rubbing alcohol - isopropyl alcohol available in any pharmacy is the diluting agent to use for the Neo 2.
I use Qtips - ear cleaning swab to apply it inside case neck and on bullet.