Decapping

[Oso]

When cleaning the brass in a wet tumbler and ss pins, does the normally clean the primer pockets pretty well?

Yes. Good enough to reload majority of ammo. If FClass or BR style then a quick turn of primer pocket tool to remove any residual and you’re done.

 

[Mike in Oregon]

Yes. Good enough to reload majority of ammo. If FClass or BR style then a quick turn of primer pocket tool to remove any residual and you’re done.

Varmint hunter chasing accuracy for the rat patch out to 500-yards.

 

[6.5 forever]

All preference IMO. I use a FA decaper tool as my first step. Then clean brass. I personally like clean cases going through my dies.

Same here

 

[Shooter13]

Okay, I'm going to give you my 2 cents (now worth over $.04 each!)
Deprime
Anneal
lube & size
tumble for 15 minutes to get lube off, I'd rather have it (lube) in my die vs in my action!
trim, chamfer and debur (Giraud, one step does all)
Prime and inspect
Load and shoot, repeat.

 

[SVT_Tactical]

When cleaning the brass in a wet tumbler and ss pins, does the normally clean the primer pockets pretty well?

Yes, looks like new brass when it comes out.

 

[Bill Norris]

When cleaning the brass in a wet tumbler and ss pins, does the normally clean the primer pockets pretty well?

Just getting started with wet tumbling with the S S pins and really like how clean the entire inside of the case actually is when finished. Probably won't go back to vibratory cleaning.

 

[DDRanch]

When cleaning the brass in a wet tumbler and ss pins, does the normally clean the primer pockets pretty well?

If you run it long enough, around 3 - 4 hours.

 

[DShortt]

To the original question : why decap and size in different steps?

I decap using a cheap Lee Universal decapping die in a cheap Lee press.

Why? It's not a critical step and I prefer to keep the debris out of my good, expensive press.

And, it so happens that apart from some spent primer bridging in the basin or tube, the Lee spent primer catching system just works.

 

[Mike in Oregon]

Thanks guys. I get it!

 

[Oso]

Bill - I think this biggest mistake / misunderstanding around wet tumbling with stainless steel pins (Dawn Dish soap and Lemishine) is the amount of time required to get cases clean. For most people switching over from vibration dry media there is tendency to fall back on old time habits.,. 2hours, 4 hours, etc. However, with wet tumbling the times are dramatically shortened.

For majority of brass, both pistol and rifle (straight-wall and bottleneck cases), it only takes 30 minutes to clean.

Heavily sooted cases, such as those fired suppressed through AR15, or brass that is coated in mud takes 45 minutes.

If your cases aren’t coming out clean then it is either not enough brass for the size of tumbling container, insufficient volume of water, or too little of both (mostly empty space in canister). You want to fill the canister about 75% full with brass and then cover with water maybe extra 1/2” above top. If the cases still have their primer, specifically bottleneck rifle cases, then it takes a bit more work to get water to completely fill them. It requires some banging and pounding on canister to free the trapped air. Not uncommon to think you have done great job filling with water and freeing trapped air to only find that after a couple of minutes tumbling it sounds like dry metal rubbing… pop the lid open to find no free water because it went into all the rifle cases. If you deprime before tumbling then there is no longer a trapped air issue.

 

[NF1E]

I hand deprime. It allows me to know exactly when a primer pocket is getting loose and it's time to junk that piece of brass.
I also SS wet tumble and find 1 hour is plenty of time in a Thumler to get the job done. Whatta Hobby!

 

[Steve Donlon]

Clean brass, body die then neck size & decap.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I still haven't run pins(media) in my tumbler, hot water,brass,lemishine, bit of Dawn. 20-30 minutes clean enough for me that necks need lube for bullet seating. Primer pockets not fully clean but I don't see any issues with primer seating, especially LRP.
Always decap first , universal decap die. One 17/20 one 22 and larger.

 

[DShortt]

Just getting started with wet tumbling with the S S pins and really like how clean the entire inside of the case actually is when finished. Probably won't go back to vibratory cleaning.

Curiosity question :

I've tried both along with no cleaning.

Apart from tarnished range brass that I want to inspect heavily and don't plan to recover once fired, what is that clean brass doing for you?

No animosity intended or implied. Just curious.

I don't clean my 'good' brass, hence my question.

I do agree, so far as the level of cleanliness, wet tumbling with pins is superior to dry tumbling. For appearance purposes.

 

[Shooter13]

Just getting started with wet tumbling with the S S pins and really like how clean the entire inside of the case actually is when finished. Probably won't go back to vibratory cleaning.

Bill, you and I have been on here about the same amount of time but I've already done the ss pins and had case problems with extraction and it beat the mouth of the case up pretty bad, maybe I ran them to long. You also have to check every case that a ss pin didn't stay down in there or near the primer hole (had some stick in there). This is for my comp brass, if it's range brass use 'em!

 

[BHP9]

My order is:-

Tumble clean
Anneal
Lube
Wipe lube off - at the moment Lee Case Lube. I now have the Hornady Case Lube.
Size and deprime
Trim, chamfer and deburr. I have the Lyman case trimmer and bought the L3i 3 way cutter, not installed.
Prime
Powder drop
Seat bullet to comparator depth
Place in MTM Case Gard with load data.

 

[Bill Norris]

Bill, you and I have been on here about the same amount of time but I've already done the ss pins and had case problems with extraction and it beat the mouth of the case up pretty bad, maybe I ran them to long. You also have to check every case that a ss pin didn't stay down in there or near the primer hole (had some stick in there). This is for my comp brass, if it's range brass use 'em!

Yea, I am fairing good with no dings with mine but I'm waiting on chamfering & deburring til after I clean them and of course looking at the flash holes. Sometimes finding a pin in there but not often.

 

[Bill Norris]

Curiosity question :

I've tried both along with no cleaning.

Apart from tarnished range brass that I want to inspect heavily and don't plan to recover once fired, what is that clean brass doing for you?

No animosity intended or implied. Just curious.

I don't clean my 'good' brass, hence my question.

I do agree, so far as the level of cleanliness, wet tumbling with pins is superior to dry tumbling. For appearance purposes.

I have no proof of any good coming out of wet tumbling however I have noticed the inside of the cases being cleaned much better than with the vibratory tumbler. Some say it matters and some say not.

 

[Bill Norris]

Bill - I think this biggest mistake / misunderstanding around wet tumbling with stainless steel pins (Dawn Dish soap and Lemishine) is the amount of time required to get cases clean. For most people switching over from vibration dry media there is tendency to fall back on old time habits.,. 2hours, 4 hours, etc. However, with wet tumbling the times are dramatically shortened.

For majority of brass, both pistol and rifle (straight-wall and bottleneck cases), it only takes 30 minutes to clean.

Heavily sooted cases, such as those fired suppressed through AR15, or brass that is coated in mud takes 45 minutes.

If your cases aren’t coming out clean then it is either not enough brass for the size of tumbling container, insufficient volume of water, or too little of both (mostly empty space in canister). You want to fill the canister about 75% full with brass and then cover with water maybe extra 1/2” above top. If the cases still have their primer, specifically bottleneck rifle cases, then it takes a bit more work to get water to completely fill them. It requires some banging and pounding on canister to free the trapped air. Not uncommon to think you have done great job filling with water and freeing trapped air to only find that after a couple of minutes tumbling it sounds like dry metal rubbing… pop the lid open to find no free water because it went into all the rifle cases. If you deprime before tumbling then there is no longer a trapped air issue.

Yes Sir, I de-prime before cleaning.

 

[Oso]

Primal Rights did a videos on Order of Operations and also impact on bullet seating force (see below). His standard process is Anneal before tumbling. The tumbling removed any impurities that migrate into case neck that result from annealing process. As memory served his standard seating force was 35-40 lbs.

However, when he tumbled first and then annealed the amount of bullet seating force tripled (120 lbs).