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How do you guys deprime pre tumble?

CK_32

CK_32

Saving Ryans Privates
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 22, 2010
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I see everyone talking about how they deprime brass before they tumble. How? Doesnt that gunk up your dies?


I just bought a good rotary tumbler with SS media and want to clean out the flash holes with the media but I dont want to throw dirty brass in my die to punch the primer. Is there another easy way with out buying another tool to get this done?


Or should I just throw it in my FL Lee dies?
 
I tumble in a vibe, then deprime and size, then tumble again to get the sizing wax off the cases.

~Brett
 
here is what i do.

#1 decap (RCBS universal decap die)
#2 SS tumble
#3 anneal
#4 re-size
#5 trim if needed
#6 load
 
There are a lot of different depriming tools out there .Black powder shooters use them to deprime before putting there cases in soapy water .Schuetzen shooters use them to prime a case before loading and them deprime and prime again when they shoot using the same case all day.I think RCBS makes a funky one that fits on most hand primers .I have made them many times ,just look at one and see how they function ,very simple . Arnie
 
http://www.snipershide.com/[email protected]


CK_32 said:
I see everyone talking about how they deprime brass before they tumble. How? Doesnt that gunk up your dies?


I just bought a good rotary tumbler with SS media and want to clean out the flash holes with the media but I dont want to throw dirty brass in my die to punch the primer. Is there another easy way with out buying another tool to get this done?


Or should I just throw it in my FL Lee dies?
Click to expand...
 
For starters you can just set the decapping rod long and deprime only each piece... thays the quickeat fix... no it doesnt gunk up the dies... I clean my dies out with a q tip real quick before I resize anyways just for piece of mind. They dont get very dirty though... just set it long enough that you dont size any brass... works like a charm for me...
 
Lee decapping die. Stupid simple and cheap. For calibers below .224, I do as bucks-and-ducks describes.
 
I tumble for a couple hours and then decap/resize. Trim, chamfer, deburr, and then it goes back in the tumbler. May not be correct, but it works for me.
 
I tumble in walnut media for an hour or two. Then i lube up and size and toss into the SS media tumbler. After that load as normal
 
I use the Lee Universal Decapper as well. I love SS media tumbling.
 
Layton said:
So you are trimming before you size? Are you f/l sizing?

L
Click to expand...

If you have an RCBS electric trimmer, you'll size before you trim, or you'll have issues. You'll want to re-neck size after running the brass into the pilot.
Also for LRN, you don't tumble after annealing?
 
milo 2.0 said:
If you have an RCBS electric trimmer, you'll size before you trim, or you'll have issues.
Click to expand...


I would think you would want to size before trimming if you are doing a f/l regardless of the trimmer you use. Am I missing something?

L
 
With the rcbs pilot, and 3way cutter, your fired brass really doesn't grip the pilot, the electric unit will ratchet the brass into a bind, and cut the case mouth pretty bad, the hand unit might not. I would guess that the neck reamer size would play into this as well, but it will do it on every cartridge I load for.
Hope that explains my post.
 
Supergyro said:
I tumble for a couple hours and then decap/resize. Trim, chamfer, deburr, and then it goes back in the tumbler. May not be correct, but it works for me.
Click to expand...
Doesn't matter whether one wet or dry tumbles, IMO this is the ideal sequence. Cleaning after full case prep ensures no lube, no brass filings . . . no nothing . . . is hiding in the case. And the only way to do that is to (clean and) resize etc before the final cleaning.
 
CK_32 said:
I see everyone talking about how they deprime brass before they tumble. How? Doesnt that gunk up your dies?


I just bought a good rotary tumbler with SS media and want to clean out the flash holes with the media but I dont want to throw dirty brass in my die to punch the primer. Is there another easy way with out buying another tool to get this done?


Or should I just throw it in my FL Lee dies?
Click to expand...

I have a toolhead setup for my 550B with a universal depriming die in the first spot, and my Dillon RT1200 in the third spot. I initially got 1000 LC11 virgin cases and process my cases when I have gone through the lot. I tumble in Stainless media and I just got my Giraud annealing machine, so the combination of several posters on this site advising to anneal every time, along with the ease of annealing with my Giraud means that I just got a new third step. I am debating on reskimming my necks (I'm on my third firing), then I will debur and chamfer, then I will sort by weight to .1gn.
 
Buy the cheapest decapper you can find. It will probably be the Lee one. They all suck equally, so why spend more than you have to (actually, the Lee one probably sucks the least...)? If you plan on decapping 223 or other 22 calibers, GET THE 22 DECAPPER, the 'universal' decapper will probably break. If you want to clean the primer pockets via SS tumbling or US cleaner, you obviously need to decap first.
 
couple hours in the walnut shell then gets loaded then shot and repeat, what is so compicated.
 
I add an extra step.

1. F/L size
2. SS clean
3. Anneal
4. Run through F/L size again
5. Chamfer/Debur/Brush necks
6. Load
7. Shoot

edt: add step 1a. Trim
 
Last edited:
Layton said:
I add an extra step.

1. F/L size
2. SS clean
3. Anneal
4. Run through F/L size again
5. Chamfer/Debur/Brush necks
6. Load
7. Shoot
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I follow why you have step 1 where it is? If you removed it, you would gain hours back on your life and your loads would still be perfect. ;)
 
thrusty said:
If you removed it, you would gain hours back on your life and your loads would still be perfect. ;)
Click to expand...

Not really. If I'm pulling that handle to decap I can f/l size with that same stroke. By running a second time through I am just confirming that nothing has changed during the tumbling and annealing.

L

edt: And I'm old and my wife is a nurse working nights so I have the time. lol.
 
Last edited:
Just suck it up and tumble first, resize and tumble again to get the lube off. It doesn't take that long.
 
By not putting the brass back in the SS tumbler after FL sizing and only using a rag for removing the lube, am I making my seating dies dirty?
This is what I do:
Deprime (Lee or RCBS, depends on the caliber, as Lee does not do the .338LM)
Clean SS (4hours)
Lube
Resize FL (Redding S with neck bushing for .338LM, regular Redding FL die for .308 and RCBS FL for other calibers)
Wipe off lube with rag
Trim
Chamfer/debur/brush (Lapua brass, flash hole GTG)
 
Here's the steps in the order I do them

deprime
tumble
full length size
trim
chamfer/deburr
tumble again for 10-15 minutes to get rid of lube and shavings
 
My steps:

Throw in tumbler for 4-36 hours (depending on if you forget you have a batch going.)
full length size
throw in tumbler for 4 hours
uniform primer packet
trim
chamfer/debur


I think I'm going to try my hand at annealing this weekend. Wish me luck.
 
aur0ra145 said:
My steps:

Throw in tumbler for 4-36 hours (depending on if you forget you have a batch going.)
full length size
throw in tumbler for 4 hours
uniform primer packet
trim
chamfer/debur


I think I'm going to try my hand at annealing this weekend. Wish me luck.
Click to expand...

LOL...can't say I have never done that...but not for 36 hours; these were damn clean cases.
 
Y'all are way more meticulous than I am. I'm honestly not that worried about lube and brass shavings distorting my rounds, and if they're shooting to my standards, why put in more steps?

1. Tumble in corn cob media
2. Decap and re-size
3. Chamfer
4. Load

I don't shoot benchrest and have never struggled to find loads that shoot under 1/2 MOA or better.
 
Get the LEE HAND PRESS (aka..Big Red Lobster Claw), a Lee universal Decap Die and Start SNAPIN'. I can blow through a case every 2-3 seconds which is about 20-30 a minute.

For all ammo I make in Auto Pistols and .223 I Always Decap before Ultra Sonic cleaning.

RIFLE gets:
Decap
Ultarsonic cleaning
Drying
Full length sizing with sizing wax to rub very little on case from hand and fingers
RCBS Trim Pro Lathe trimmed (3 Way Cutter Head RULES!)
Press-Prime
Weighed / funneled charges
Single-Stage press bullet seating
Quality control measuring & Alcohol Cloth wipe-down to remove lube.

It's like $25-$30 / box ammo with 69 SMK's for about $7.00! Gotta Love Reloading....this stuff makes 0.25" groups and sometimes smaller.
 
Ombre noire said:
By not putting the brass back in the SS tumbler after FL sizing and only using a rag for removing the lube, am I making my seating dies dirty?
This is what I do:
Deprime (Lee or RCBS, depends on the caliber, as Lee does not do the .338LM)
Clean SS (4hours)
Lube
Resize FL (Redding S with neck bushing for .338LM, regular Redding FL die for .308 and RCBS FL for other calibers)
Wipe off lube with rag
Trim
Chamfer/debur/brush (Lapua brass, flash hole GTG)
Click to expand...

I've had pretty good luck using rubbing alcohol on the rag.
 
RadarsRUs said:
Get the LEE HAND PRESS (aka..Big Red Lobster Claw), a Lee universal Decap Die and Start SNAPIN'. I can blow through a case every 2-3 seconds which is about 20-30 a minute.

For all ammo I make in Auto Pistols and .223 I Always Decap before Ultra Sonic cleaning.

RIFLE gets:
Decap
Ultarsonic cleaning
Drying
Full length sizing with sizing wax to rub very little on case from hand and fingers
RCBS Trim Pro Lathe trimmed (3 Way Cutter Head RULES!)
Press-Prime
Weighed / funneled charges
Single-Stage press bullet seating
Quality control measuring & Alcohol Cloth wipe-down to remove lube.

It's like $25-$30 / box ammo with 69 SMK's for about $7.00! Gotta Love Reloading....this stuff makes 0.25" groups and sometimes smaller.
Click to expand...

One thing that I've had pretty good luck with that might save you some time over Imperial Die Wax (which is a very good product), is to use Hornady One Shot case lube in the pump sprayer. I put 70 5.56 cases in an aluminum foil baking pan (disposable, but I have been using the same one for 6 months), give them a few sprays, shake to redistribute, one more spray for good measure, and I'm ready to go.
 
rsplante said:
I've had pretty good luck using rubbing alcohol on the rag.
Click to expand...

rsplante

Not a bad idea, thanks, will try this.
As we are all sharing first hand experience, I have found out that using an air compressor drastically improve the cases drying time, as I am blowing the left over water from inside/outside the cases, after removing them form the SS tumbler. I have a small attachment/handle of which the end fits perfectly into the case's neck (.338LM, .308, 7.62x54r, works great for all of these).

Good shooting and reloading to all.
 
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