Peening of the rifle case mouth using SS media is usually cause by a couple things a overload of cases in the tumbler (result of cases bashing against each other), not enough water. Reduce the number of cases, reduce the tumbling time, and I SS tumble only if need to trim my cases to length, so the peening will become irrelevant in the case maintenance process. For the most part I just use 0000 steelwool in a case holder in a drill to clean the outside and the use the PP uniformer to clean the pockets.
SS Wet tumbling seemingly ruining case mouths
- Thread starter Tiltshift
- Start date
Me too!
I have a crazy question? Are those that are experiencing peening, experiencing it on the outside of the mouth or the inside of the mouth, or both?
top edge of case mouth. The effect is increasing the top edge case thickness.
I used the recommended formla:
5lbs of pins
100 cases
2 or more hours to clean the inside of the cases
If one reduces tumbling time, the inside of the cases will not clean sufficiently and one might as well use the conventional method of corn cob or crushed walnut shells.
When I started using SS pins I noticed it beat the cases up quite a bit, but after about 6 to 8 loads they started to come out looking less abused. I have been thinking that the new pins have sharp ends and need to be broken in. Maybe running SS pins and water only for about 10 to 12 hours to round off the ends a bit. Just a thought.
My process is the wash & sort the brass in a SS Tumbler by number of times X. It really helps if you wash this sorted brass in the Thumbler using separate small nylon bags. This minimizes the banging of the cases to the cases in a the bag. Because the brass flows up the neck, sooner or later you are going to have to the touch up the mouth of the necks no matter the process. With the bags, you can have your cake and eat it too 
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i simply see no reason to clean brass so thoughly. went through a stage of using an ultrasonic but i learned it is better to keep the carbon in the necks intact.
my benchrest cases get wiped off with ballistol and my hunting cases go through a tumbler with corn cobb media.
that said about every 10 firings i will run them through my ultrasonic just to clean the flakes from the inside of the cases. basicly starting over then. use imperial dry neck lube for bullet seating but it really takes a few firings to settle down and get the carbon built back up.
my benchrest cases get wiped off with ballistol and my hunting cases go through a tumbler with corn cobb media.
that said about every 10 firings i will run them through my ultrasonic just to clean the flakes from the inside of the cases. basicly starting over then. use imperial dry neck lube for bullet seating but it really takes a few firings to settle down and get the carbon built back up.
Problems occur when you put too many cases, especially large capacity cases in the tumbler without adding more pins. During tumble, the pins migrate into the cases and therefore reduce the amount available to cushion the brass as it tumbles. Result is the brass is impacting each other instead of pins. Reduce case count, increase pins, or both, but don't exceed about 60% of tumbler volume otherwise, you won't get enough tumbling action.
Interestingly, my 1949 Lyman manual states that there is no good reason to wash brass. But if you do, use Cyanide to clean and Hydrochloric acid to passivate. Not mentioned, of course, if you mistakenly mix the two, you'd be dead before you hit the floor.
Life was so much simpler back then, don't you agree?
Interestingly, my 1949 Lyman manual states that there is no good reason to wash brass. But if you do, use Cyanide to clean and Hydrochloric acid to passivate. Not mentioned, of course, if you mistakenly mix the two, you'd be dead before you hit the floor.
Life was so much simpler back then, don't you agree?
Mikemontminy
Silver $$ Contributor
Try running boiling hot water with the pins and dawn dish soap. With the hot water the brass will be clean in 30min. Less banging around and peeling the case mouth.
The question is why does the inside of the case needs to be completely "shiny clean" inside? It is just a feel good thing rather than a performance thing, to quote "sufficiently" is the word. I don't want to waste more time waiting for brass to shiny clean on the inside when I could have my brass all all dry, annealed and sized in the 2 hrs time frame of tumbling. Half a hour with pins will clean the inside of the case way more than half an hour with conventional media.
The real key is getting the outside of the cases clean for sizing and annealing. Depending on the cases you're tumbling 100 cases ACP or 223 is not the same as 100 cases of 308 or 284 cases by volume. Volume and pin to case ratio will be a big factor to how quickly your tumbling will clean your cases. Compare 308 cases 50-60 cases tumbled at 20-30mins to your 100 tumbled at two hours. I use HE soap and a little bit of lemishine and HOT water and have not issues having the outside and inside of the cases completely clean. Tumbling 100 cases for two hours will definitely peen the case mouths. However more and more I see the importance of having carbon inside the case neck because it affects friction and neck consistency. Again everyone's mileage will vary and I'm not saying my method is better than anyone else, because of hard water versus soft water etc, etc. I just know what works for me and the time savings is tremendous.
The biggest question is where does most people want to spend their time loading or waiting for brass to finish tumbling and having to add more case prep time afterwards because the mouths are peened?
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My process is as follows:
1) 3 hours of Vibrator with Walnut Shells. Not like it is my time, I sit and have a frozen Vodka while I talk on Accurate Shooter.
2) Decap
3) Clean primer pocket
4) Anneal case
5) Lube with RCBS Sizing Lube
6) Bump Shoulder (Redding Competition Die)
7) Size Neck (Redding Competition S Type Die)
8) Remove lube by dropping cases into bucket of Acetone, remove and dry with compressed air
9) Chamfer and Debur
10) Run nylon brush
11) Install Primers (CCI BR-2)
12) Measure and Load Powder
13) Seat rounds
I clean the cases with the primers in place to prevent walnut pieces jamming in flash hole. I like my brass to be clean and shiny for three reasons, first to ensure that the grit and residue doesn't clog up or damage my dies and second, I don't want that grit in my chamber, especially my brand new Benchmark and finally, I can easily see the anneal that I have done on the cases.
I won't say that my process is the right way, but I believe it is fair to say that I am not doing anything wrong.
1) 3 hours of Vibrator with Walnut Shells. Not like it is my time, I sit and have a frozen Vodka while I talk on Accurate Shooter.
2) Decap
3) Clean primer pocket
4) Anneal case
5) Lube with RCBS Sizing Lube
6) Bump Shoulder (Redding Competition Die)
7) Size Neck (Redding Competition S Type Die)
8) Remove lube by dropping cases into bucket of Acetone, remove and dry with compressed air
9) Chamfer and Debur
10) Run nylon brush
11) Install Primers (CCI BR-2)
12) Measure and Load Powder
13) Seat rounds
I clean the cases with the primers in place to prevent walnut pieces jamming in flash hole. I like my brass to be clean and shiny for three reasons, first to ensure that the grit and residue doesn't clog up or damage my dies and second, I don't want that grit in my chamber, especially my brand new Benchmark and finally, I can easily see the anneal that I have done on the cases.
I won't say that my process is the right way, but I believe it is fair to say that I am not doing anything wrong.
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well on my benchrest cases i just wipe the case off with ballistol
but for others this is my procedure. probably left out a few things
decap with harvey decapper
tumble in corn cobb media a couple of hrs
anneal
size (i use imperial sizing wax)
tumble to remove lube
inspect case, check trim length, clean primer pocket, punch out flash hole (clean out media) with wilson decapping rod, brush out neck, light chamfer and debur.
prime
charge with adam's autotrickler
seat bullets with 21's century shooting hydro press and wilson inline seater
This works perfectly - SD always in single digits
0. Remove spent primers
1. Thumlers Tumbler model B
2. 5# SS pins
3. 100 6XC cases
4. Fill 3/4 with warm H2O
5. 1 tsp dawn detergent
6. 1 tsp Lemi Shine
7. Tumble for 2 hours then dump H2O
8. Rinse in H2O
9. Rinse in STM tarnish inhibitor or car wax/wash for 1 minute - http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/reloading-products/accessories/brass-tarnish-inhibitor.html
10. Dry in Frankfort Arsenal brass dryer for 1 hour
11. Spray lube with One Shot
12. FL size with Redding type "S" FL sizer
13. Expand neck with Sinclair neck expander
14. Trim and rechamfer with Giraud trimmer
15. Clean primer pockets
16. Spin a brass case neck brush that has been covered with 0000 steel wool in case necks - really important step !!
17. Rinse in 90% isopropyl alcohol to remove case lube
18. Rinse in STM tarnish inhibitor or car wax/wash for 1 minute
19. Dry in Frankfort Arsenal brass dryer for 1 hour
20 Sort brass by weight
Done.
0. Remove spent primers
1. Thumlers Tumbler model B
2. 5# SS pins
3. 100 6XC cases
4. Fill 3/4 with warm H2O
5. 1 tsp dawn detergent
6. 1 tsp Lemi Shine
7. Tumble for 2 hours then dump H2O
8. Rinse in H2O
9. Rinse in STM tarnish inhibitor or car wax/wash for 1 minute - http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/reloading-products/accessories/brass-tarnish-inhibitor.html
10. Dry in Frankfort Arsenal brass dryer for 1 hour
11. Spray lube with One Shot
12. FL size with Redding type "S" FL sizer
13. Expand neck with Sinclair neck expander
14. Trim and rechamfer with Giraud trimmer
15. Clean primer pockets
16. Spin a brass case neck brush that has been covered with 0000 steel wool in case necks - really important step !!
17. Rinse in 90% isopropyl alcohol to remove case lube
18. Rinse in STM tarnish inhibitor or car wax/wash for 1 minute
19. Dry in Frankfort Arsenal brass dryer for 1 hour
20 Sort brass by weight
Done.
What advantage is there to step 16?
he wants to be sure there is no carbon in his neck
And shorter. Definitely shorter.
Seems at odds to the what I believe is the general thinking about retaining the carbon for consistent release of the bullet. But it seems to work for him, so who am I to argue.
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