Case tumbling - Before or after depriming?

[memilanuk]

I seem to remember asking about it a while back... I think they offer one as an option if you ask. I used a Haydon PPC flash hole reamer on my 6 BR / Dasher cases; I don't remember if I used the Harvey tool or my Sinclair decapping die w/ the PPC pin... I'll have to check when I get home Sunday and see what fits...

 

[STP]

I have removed my ejector plunger and springs for all of my Savage F-Class rifles so they can be plucked off the bolt face by hand. The 30 minute relay time allows plenty of time to pick the empty case from the bolt face and place back into the ammo container. Afterwards, I de-cap first, then tumble soon after the match to insure the powder fouling is removed from the necks so I have clean cases to resize. I remove the bushing from my Redding dies to use the FL die as a body die, then re-install the bushing afterwards to size the necks down to my pre-determined measurement. Works well for me so far...

Regards,

Scott

 

[Steve Blair]

I might as well add my inflation-reduced 2¢.

For the first and second firing and every subsequent firing not evenly divisible by three:

Wipe carbon from the necks with some Ballistol on a paper towel and wipe them dry. Then, they go into corn cob media in a vibratory tumbler. Wipe the dust from them with a dry cloth and FL resize, depriming while sizing. Clean the primer pockets with a uniformer.

For the third firing and every third firing thereafter:

I decap using an arbor press and ancient decapping rod and base, the manufacturer of which, I cannot remember. After decapping, the cases are tumbled in stainless media with hot water, Lemi Shine and a few drops of dishwashing detergent. I wipe the outside dry and place them on a rack in the oven at 250° for ten minutes. The necks and shoulders are then annealed and, when they cool, I brush the inside of the neck with some graphite to ease bullet seating. Stainless tumbling before annealing seems to completely eliminate the neck residue problem. The clean, shiny cases also make it easy to see the annealing uniformity. Initial setup is done with retired cases.

It works for me, YMMV.

 

[K22]

I always tumble first then deprime. Reason: I don't want any crud in my dies.

I never bent a depriming pin but I don't force the case into the die either. I go slowly.

I decide to follow this method, I recommend that you check each case after depriming to make sure there is no residual corn cob media lodged around the flash hole. I encountered this only ocassionally. I simply jab it out with a awl.

If you deprime first then tumble, I can assure you that you'll get media lodged both in the pocket and flash hole and it's a real pain to remove it.

 

[dig]

Lee makes a great depriming tool, best I have found and inexpensive! I have one in every tool head on my T7. I deprime, tumble in stainless media, dry and start the prep process. Eliminates cleaning primer pockets as they come out spotless, media does not get stuck and cleans the neck and inside of the case eliminating even more prep work. Also less expensive over time.

Don't run dirty brass through you dies, purchase a separate depriming die or just leave the primers in worst case, thats my advice.