Pins Stuck in Case After Tumbling

[762willdo]

I was cleaning .223 brass in my stainless pin tumbler and discovered this situation…….
while placing the brass mouth down in my loading block something caught my eye in one of the flash holes…… it was a stainless pin inside the case stuck width wise across the flash hole, I thought maybe it was a one off situation but I checked the other 49 pieces and found 5 more, which got me thinking about the thousands of rounds of 223 I’ve cleaned and loaded and the occasional unexplained flyers I’ve had, what happens to that pin when I pull the trigger, the primer can’t be hot enough to melt stainless but can the ignition of the powder charge melt it, if not it’s going down the barrel, will it damage the bore????
wow…..

 

[Walt Krafft]

It absolutely will go down the bore, and the next bullet will iron it into the bore. Get rid of the pins. Clean brass is not worth messing up a barrel.

 

[DocBII]

762willdo,

Just one of the downsides to tumbling with pins. Check every flash hole, make sure the case is dry inside without any pins stuck to the sides. They may or may not prevent the primer from working, but they will not do your barrel any good. I've ended up making sure to champher the case mouth every time cases are cleaned or trimmed if using pins.

Ultrasonic cleaning requires making sure the cases are rinsed and dried, but not much else.

HTH,
DocBII

 

[DShortt]

Assumptions about anything can lead to unexpected consequences. I try to take nothing for granted.

 

[Clancy]

Stainless pins are one of the larger and more dangerous bottles of snake oil ever sold to shooters. Get rid of them.

Shiny brass does nothing for performance, and some carbon in the neck is a good thing.

If you’re doing tons of brass, especially range brass, there are other options for that as well.

 

[nakneker]

Well that sucks. If you have doubts about the ammo you’ve loaded I’d probably error on the side of caution. One of the big gripes about using stainless steel pins to clean brass is exactly what you have discovered. I’ve never used pins to clean, just old fashion media but after reading a lot of the threads on the subject this issue pops up. Stainless steel pins would be ok imo if you cared for the trouble of checking your flash hole which is something you should be doing anyways imo.

 

[Zero333]

I used to use Ultrasonic cleaning. Then tried Wet tumbling with stainless pins.

Now I've gone back to the vibratory tumbler with 75 % corncob and 25 % walnut tumbling media. I also throw in a handful of dryer sheets cut into 2.5" x 2.5" squares. And the same amount of dryer sheet pieces into the Frankford Arsenal tumbling media separator that you spin by hand inside a bucket.

 

[Hoot]

Always inspect your brass after tumbling regardless of which media you use. I've picked both walnut and corncob pieces out of the flash holes as well. Its just part of the process. I that's too tedious, tumble with the primers in place, then deprime and clean the primer pockets afterwards. Bottom line is adopt a process and make it rote.

Hoot

 

[6Creed73]

I inspect every single piece during my chamfering step to ensure there are no pins. Without fail, there are always at least a few with pins inside.

 

[SeabeeKen]

Whatever cleaning method you use you will have this. Brass inspection is part of the reloading process for any responsible reloader. Ive found plugged flash holes with pins, walnut, and corn cob medias. I have also found a few pins cross wise in the mouth of cases. I inspect every case. I like mine clean because dirt wears on dies. To each their own

 

[itchyTF]

I’d be surprised if you could seat a primer with a pin in the pocket crosswise. Would think it would protrude so much the bolt wouldn’t close.

 

[Bill Norris]

Always inspect each piece of brass every time u pick it up.

 

[F Class John]

There's other stainless tumbling shapes besides pins that plenty of people use with great success and much easier to ensure no pins left behind or stuck.

 

[Ned Ludd]

I find SS pins stuck in the flash holes all the time. So what? They are identified during subsequent steps of the brass prep and removed. I don't view it as anything to worry about if one is paying attention to their brass throughout the process as they should be.

 

[markm87]

It won't necessarily go down the barrel, but it could. When I first started SS tumbling, I didn't do a post tumble rinse. I do this now since the pins can adhere to the inner case wall... and the obvious flash hole stickers.

I found out about this when a hot SS pin ejected out of an AR and landed on my buddy's arm (he was shooting the rifle)

After that I employed a rinse after each tumble and haven't had an issue since. (shake out all the brass manually, and agitate them all by hand in fresh water) Sometimes errant pins will break loose in the rinse tote.

 

[MUP]

The SS pins I use are about 3/8" long. Never had one capable of lodging in a flash hole, but I have had them in the cases when I rinse and check to clear them.

 

[jackieschmidt]

This might sound strange, but I have not cleaned a case in 20 years.

Even though I have. shot thousands and thousands of rounds of 6PPC and 30BR in competition.

 

[AlNyhus]

I've bore scoped a barrel that had a stainless pin from tumbling go down it....a very effective way to destroy an excellent Lilja barrel.

Why shooters obsess over surgically clean cases is one of shootings great mysteries.

 

[jimmymac]

Why shooters obsess over surgically clean cases is one of shootings great mysteries.

Not this one!

 

[rockhound78]

I finally quit using pins, just the solution of lemi-shine, Dawn and auto wash/wax. Vibratory unit gets corncob media