Rookie brass cleaning move

[Rob]

Shaking my head and laughing at myself...

Tumbled about 600 pieces of 223, 20 pieces of 300 blackout, 100 45acp, 200 38 special, 40 357 rem mag, 80 9mm, and 25 380acp in a single batch with my wet tumbler and pins. 

I was in a hurry and did not really think my batch combo thru like I normally do...

Needless to say i had a huge mess.

9mm hiding in 45 acp brass, 38 special and 357 with 223 shells inserted in them and trapping pins and water, and the pure joy of separating 9mm from 380 acp, as well as 38 special from 357...  man I hate separating 380/9mm brass!

Oh well.  At least the ocd part of my personality likes creating order from chaos (even if the chaos was self inflicted!)

[fowl smacker]

Been there man, been there!

[Jonathan_S]

That sounds tedious! I have stainless pins that are the perfect length to get jammed sideways in 223 brass and sometimes in the neck of 300 WSM. I never realized it until I ejected a .223 shell and a sooty little pin was lying next to it. Now they all get a good look inside.

[Rob]

Appreciate the Commiseration!

I find the occasional pin in a neck or primer pocket.  I plan to move to the smaller flake style in the near future.  But the pins work for now!

[Magnum_Willys]

Oh man that sounds like one of my “time savers” hehe ...

[carpsniperg2]

That sounds tedious! I have stainless pins that are the perfect length to get jammed sideways in 223 brass and sometimes in the neck of 300 WSM. I never realized it until I ejected a .223 shell and a sooty little pin was lying next to it. Now they all get a good look inside.

Same here. They stick in my flash/hole primer pockets as well some time. I inspect all cases real good just for this reason.

[wadu1]

I still use walnut media, spent part of Sunday pulling 9mm out of 45's. Did about 100 each and 50% were together. 

[actionshooter]

That sounds tedious! I have stainless pins that are the perfect length to get jammed sideways in 223 brass and sometimes in the neck of 300 WSM. I never realized it until I ejected a .223 shell and a sooty little pin was lying next to it. Now they all get a good look inside.

Same here. They stick in my flash/hole primer pockets as well some time. I inspect all cases real good just for this reason.

Get rid of the pins.... they work great but I have seen wrecked dies and at least one ruined barrel...

[Magnum_Willys]

Yep, switched back to walnut media for more consistent neck tension and less hassle.
May try again with Amp annealer and liquid graphite neck dip.

[Jonathan_S]

That sounds tedious! I have stainless pins that are the perfect length to get jammed sideways in 223 brass and sometimes in the neck of 300 WSM. I never realized it until I ejected a .223 shell and a sooty little pin was lying next to it. Now they all get a good look inside.

Same here. They stick in my flash/hole primer pockets as well some time. I inspect all cases real good just for this reason.

Get rid of the pins.... they work great but I have seen wrecked dies and at least one ruined barrel...

Yeah I can see how that would happen. Now that I'm aware, it's easy to be on the look out for it. With how clean the brass gets, it is not hard to spot the occasional stuck pin.

[7mmfan]

What pins are you guys talking about?

[Rob]

A different tumbling process vs. vibratory tumbling with dry media like Walnut shells

the tumbler is like a rock polisher, and you fill a canister with your brass, water, dish soap and some lemishine.  Add 5 lbs of steel pins to clean it up.

Here is a kit:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012721373?pid=713881

[7mmfan]

And what is the benefit to that over dry media?

[Magnum_Willys]

They clean the inside and primer hole.  The inside neck gets too clean for some.

[Jonathan_S]

It also seems faster than dry media  like a lot faster in my humble setup.

[carpsniperg2]

  for sure faster to clean. Adding in drying time it’s about the same.

I’m an allergic to nuts and can’t use walnut. I use to use corn media but was never happy with it. So switched many years ago to the stainless pins and they have been great. Just have to inspect after they are done. I toss mine in a dehydrator as well to dry them.

[7mmfan]

Interesting. I had no idea. Thanks for the education.

[Mtnwalker]

for sure faster to clean. Adding in drying time it’s about the same.

I’m an allergic to nuts and can’t use walnut. I use to use corn media but was never happy with it. So switched many years ago to the stainless pins and they have been great. Just have to inspect after they are done. I toss mine in a dehydrator as well to dry them.

Dehydrator is money. I used to do it in the oven, I’d set them neck down in the plastic trays from pistol ammo on low. Took one time of the wife cranking the oven to 425 and having a giant pile of Nosler brass and molten plastic in the bottom of the oven to quit that

[Rob]

Ouch!

[actionshooter]

for sure faster to clean. Adding in drying time it’s about the same.

I’m an allergic to nuts and can’t use walnut. I use to use corn media but was never happy with it. So switched many years ago to the stainless pins and they have been great. Just have to inspect after they are done. I toss mine in a dehydrator as well to dry them.

Dehydrator is money. I used to do it in the oven, I’d set them neck down in the plastic trays from pistol ammo on low. Took one time of the wife cranking the oven to 425 and having a giant pile of Nosler brass and molten plastic in the bottom of the oven to quit that

  LOL!

[carpsniperg2]

Ouch for sure lol

We all have our moments with reloading! Lucky I still have all my fingers and toes lol

[Karl Blanchard]

Out of the tumbler and through the annealer is the fastest way to dry them 

[Mtnwalker]

Out of the tumbler and through the annealer is the fastest way to dry them 

I’m not that fancy... yet 

[Karl Blanchard]

Out of the tumbler and through the annealer is the fastest way to dry them 

I’m not that fancy... yet 

.

[Crunchy]

I had my moment last week.  Down at the range working up a new load.  Had already fired 20 or so rounds.  Chambered a round, pulled the trigger and click.  Thought chit the dreaded primer fail.  Waited a few seconds and ejected the round only to find no primer, but it did have a powder charge  .  First time for that one.

[Rob]

Nice.  Primer upside down is another fun one!

[Onewhohikes]

 

[HighlandLofts]

I prep a lot of range brass. When I first started out I sed a Lyman dry tumbler with corn cob. I deprimed first and had media in the primer pockets. I bought the four piece pick set fyom Hsrbor Frieght to knock out the media.
I switched over to the bigger Frankford Wet Tumbler and never looked back. There is no comparison between dry tumbleing and wet tumbleing.
 I have my way of dealing with the stainless steel pins.
I also made drying racks for the brass and will make more of them now I have a couple of weeks off of work.
I have been getting a lot more range brass to seperate and sell so I quit useing the stainless steel pins.
I will fill up the tumbler with the cases, then hot tap water, a cap full.of ArmorAll car Wash & Wax, 1/2 a teaspoon of LemiShine Booster and a small squirt of Dawn dish soap.
Run it for 45 minutes, put the drain cap on and drain off the black water.
Refill the tumbler with fresh warm water and let it run another five minutes or so.
Put the drain cap back on and drain off the gray water.
Dump the cases on to my case boxes with 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch dcree nottoms and move them around.
I then put themnon my drying racks.
This time of the year with all of the rain I will bring them in and let them sit over night and then put them in the oven set at 190 for 20 to 30 minutes.

I pick up a lot of range brass by my self then started buuing range brass
A few months ago I bought ninty pounds of it, then two hundred & thirty two pounds of it.
Then I bought five hundred pounds of it and just bought another two hundred & eighty-five of it.
Tumbleing that amount of brass you see what works and doesn't  work.

I use to deprime all of the brass before tumbleing with the Lee Universal depriming tool.
 With all the small grit on the cases it ruined my press. My press was bought new two & a half years ago. It was a Hornady single stage Lock n Load press with the cast aluminum frame. Toasted the frame.

So now every thing gets wet tumbled with out the pins before they ho in the press.
When I sell the brass they will have the primers still in them.

I seperate the cases by calibers that can be tumbled together and then get seperated after they get tumbled.
With this amout of brass no matter how carefull you are other callibers still be missed. No big deal.
223 & 300 blackout get tumbled together.
38spl & 357mag get tumbled together.
44mag & 45acp get tumbled together
All 30 caliber cases get tumbled together.
There are a few others get tumbled togrther.
I seperate the dirty range brass in to these groups and then seperate them when I put them on my drying racks after tumbleing.

I enjoy getting this old dirty range brass prepped so others can get some good use out of it.

[Magnum_Willys]

Sounds like a smart way to get big bunches of brass clean!   For small lots the only advantage of pins to me is cleaning the inside and primer pocket shiny.   And thats not too high on my prep list right now.

[ctwiggs1]

I've been meaning to pop on here and ask - are you guys buying the little cleaning packets or would windex or something like that be ok to mix in there?  I figured Dawn dish soap is probably a no-no.

Curtis

[Karl Blanchard]

I've been meaning to pop on here and ask - are you guys buying the little cleaning packets or would windex or something like that be ok to mix in there?  I figured Dawn dish soap is probably a no-no.

Curtis

if you're talking wet tumbling, dish soap is literally all I use. Its a super scientific squirt too 

[ctwiggs1]

You don't have any residue that sticks in there?  Or do you run a big rinse at the end?

[Karl Blanchard]

You don't have any residue that sticks in there?  Or do you run a big rinse at the end?

nope. After tumbling I sift out the pins, then turn  The faucet on a drizzle And rinse each piece while simultaneously inspecting for pins. Then its onto the annealer. It doesn't take very much soap to get shiny clean brass. You could probably just run it with nothing and they would come out great but I personally enjoy shiny brass with a nice annealing line. Just one of those things that pleases my brain.

Last summer I did a little clean vs dirty brass test as well as clean vs dirty with a different primer. In both tests there was an ES difference of 2fps and zero accuracy difference. Ill stick to clean brass.

[ctwiggs1]

Awesome.  Thanks for the info.

[BULLBLASTER]

Im with karl. Stainless clean and anneal each firing.

I dump the dirty water and as many pins as i can into a pasta strainer with a t shirt in it then rinse with water and dump that through the same shirt. Next fill the tumbler with a bit of water again and dump the remaining pins and all the brass in a bucket. The pins are very easy to dump out or shake out in the water.

[HighlandLofts]

I've been meaning to pop on here and ask - are you guys buying the little cleaning packets or would windex or something like that be ok to mix in there?  I figured Dawn dish soap is probably a no-no.

Curtis

A cap full of ArmorAll car Wash & Wax, 1/2 a teaspoon of LemiShine Booster and a small squirt of Dawn dish soap in hot tap water. .

[Rob]

I use this to filter out pins and rinse.  works GREAT.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1016958652?pid=271904