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Posted: 1/4/2012 9:57:49 AM EDT
[#1]
Primer pockets only need to be cleaned when the carbon builds enough to interfere with primer seating.
The dies are yours, so you can treat them any way you want. Dirty brass is also conducive to sticking. If you intend to clean brass with any wet method, then deprime the brass first to prevent trapped water and whatever acid is in your cleaning solution. A LEE universal decapping die is probably $10 or so, I haven't checked lately. The RCBS universal decapping die is around $20; that's what I use. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 9:59:07 AM EDT
[#2]
You should at the very least wipe the case down good before you size them. If you don't you risk scratching/damaging your sizing die. You could purchase a Lee "universal decamping die". You would remove the primers (no sizing), the clean the cases, THEN resize. I would not use a liquid cleaning method (ultrasonic) with the primers in place. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 10:01:45 AM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:
You should at the very least wipe the case down good before you size them. If you don't you risk scratching/damaging your sizing die. You could purchase a Lee "universal decamping die". You would remove the primers (no sizing), the clean the cases, THEN resize. I would not use a liquid cleaning method (ultrasonic) with the primers in place. Why would you not clean with spent primers still in? |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 10:04:51 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted:
Quoted:
You should at the very least wipe the case down good before you size them. If you don't you risk scratching/damaging your sizing die. You could purchase a Lee "universal decamping die". You would remove the primers (no sizing), the clean the cases, THEN resize. I would not use a liquid cleaning method (ultrasonic) with the primers in place. Why would you not clean with spent primers still in? Read my reply. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 10:06:05 AM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
Primer pockets only need to be cleaned when the carbon builds enough to interfere with primer seating. The dies are yours, so you can treat them any way you want. Dirty brass is also conducive to sticking. If you intend to clean brass with any wet method, then deprime the brass first to prevent trapped water and whatever acid is in your cleaning solution. A LEE universal decapping die is probably $10 or so, I haven't checked lately. The RCBS universal decapping die is around $20; that's what I use. Thank you, but does the dingy brass actually hurt the dies, or is that just a possibility, like getting a flat tire while driving. I can happen, but its not going to happened most of the time, unless the conditions allow for it. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 10:08:37 AM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
Why would you not clean with spent primers still in? For the reason Aero said, he types & hits send faster than me. Also if you don't decap them right away (let them dry first) you can get corrosion that will essentially cement them in the pocket. You'll try to decap them, and it will knock the bottom of the primer out leaving the side still in the cup, or you'll pierce the primer without removing it. Sometimes they will come out, sometimes not. They will also take longer to dry. ETA: If you try to size the wet... well that won't work to well, nor will it be good for the longevity of your equipment. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 10:15:34 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Why would you not clean with spent primers still in? For the reason Aero said, he types & hits send faster than me. Also if you don't decap them right away (let them dry first) you can get corrosion that will essentially cement them in the pocket. You'll try to decap them, and it will knock the bottom of the primer out leaving the side still in the cup, or you'll pierce the primer without removing it. Sometimes they will come out, sometimes not. They will also take longer to dry. Yeah I'm typing on my phone, so a little slow and awkward. Well that makes sense about cementing, I just planned to clean , dry in an oven, then decap/ resize, but it looks like the decap/resizing die will not suit my needs. Well here goes more money and more time. So then my other option is resize and decapitate, dirty brass. How detrimental is actually. If I use enough [/list]se enough lube |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 10:17:05 AM EDT
[#8]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Primer pockets only need to be cleaned when the carbon builds enough to interfere with primer seating. The dies are yours, so you can treat them any way you want. Dirty brass is also conducive to sticking. If you intend to clean brass with any wet method, then deprime the brass first to prevent trapped water and whatever acid is in your cleaning solution. A LEE universal decapping die is probably $10 or so, I haven't checked lately. The RCBS universal decapping die is around $20; that's what I use. Thank you, but does the dingy brass actually hurt the dies, or is that just a possibility, like getting a flat tire while driving. I can happen, but its not going to happened most of the time, unless the conditions allow for it. Every piece of brass fired has at minimum an abrasive coating of carbon around the outside of the neck and shoulder, and sometimes farther down the case. The brass needs to be cleaned before sizing. If you don't want to clean it in a machine, wipe it off with a rag and some Hoppe's or your favorite solvent from a hardware store; that's how the job was done before tumblers were common. Shortcuts are not recommended during the art of reloading ammunition. But, it's your choice, too. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 10:55:34 AM EDT
[#9]
Buy the $10 Lee Universal Decapping die.
Decap your brass, then clean it, then size it. That is what I do. It does not take that much more time and it is another time you get to look at your brass to inspect it for issues. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 11:30:00 AM EDT
[#10]
Loaded 1000's of rounds on a single stage press and a few on a progressive and I never clean my brass before I resize it. I have had to wash out my lube pad a few times since it gets dirty after many 1000 pieces are rolled on it. The biggest mess I have ever had on my lube pad was from 1000 223 cases I purchased that had been tumbled in walnut before they were sold. I had walnut stuck all over the lube pad when I was done. But that is what the pad is for, it not only lubes the cases but it also pulls things like media off the cases before resizing. I would say that even if you are not using a lube pad as long as the brass isn't a total mess you are not going to have a problem. Clean brass is not going to attract and hold grit, rocks or other material, its mostly going to have carbon and powder residue from firing. The grit and crap is usually inside the case and tends to fall out when handled. That is one problem I see with the spray lubes is the cases get all nice and lubed up and then anything inside the case that falls out has a tendency to get stuck to the case where it can cause scratches.
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Posted: 1/4/2012 11:35:43 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
Buy the $10 Lee Universal Decapping die. Decap your brass, then clean it, then size it. That is what I do. It does not take that much more time and it is another time you get to look at your brass to inspect it for issues. This is my method also. If you size dirty brass, you will scratch the sizing die which in turn will scratch every case run through it. Then you will need a new sizing die. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 12:20:13 PM EDT
[#12]
Its your dies, but if you resize dirty brass it will probably scratch the dies up, and you don't really want to do that. You definitely want to remove primers before any wet cleaning technique, so the best answer is a universal decapping die as mentioned above.
Cleaning primer pockets is a waste of time and effort, I've got some brass that have probably been reloaded over 100 times and I've never seen anything build up to the point where it interfered with seating a new primer, there are some things that can interfere with seating a new primer, but primer residue isn't among them. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 1:12:34 PM EDT
[#13]
Thanks for all the replies.
Well I think I might just have to get that de-primer die. I thought I needed the primer pockets cleaned, not because I load precision ammo, but I have a S-ton of military brass. and I was told that I have to clean them out if I'm swaging them to take the crimp out. Where is a good place to get the decapping die for a good price? |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 1:17:35 PM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
Thanks for all the replies. Well I think I might just have to get that de-primer die. I thought I needed the primer pockets cleaned, not because I load precision ammo, but I have a S-ton of military brass. and I was told that I have to clean them out if I'm swaging them to take the crimp out. Where is a good place to get the decapping die for a good price? Many fine vendors up in Links. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 1:29:55 PM EDT
[#15]
I guess google is my friend.
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Posted: 1/4/2012 1:42:57 PM EDT
[#16]
Links, top of the page.
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Posted: 1/4/2012 1:47:29 PM EDT
[#17]
and I was told that I have to clean them out if I'm swaging them to take the crimp out. Of the 10-15,000 pieces of LC 5.56 brass I've processed, every single piece of brass has been swaged to remove the crimp, and I've never cleaned a primer pocket, before, during or after swaging. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 2:22:28 PM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
Links, top of the page. Yeah I saw that but I still need to click on each link, just thought it would have been easier to get a shout out on where people have gotten theirs. Cabelas is out of stock for something like $12 |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 2:25:04 PM EDT
[#19]
Quoted:
and I was told that I have to clean them out if I'm swaging them to take the crimp out.
Of the 10-15,000 pieces of LC 5.56 brass I've processed, every single piece of brass has been swaged to remove the crimp, and I've never cleaned a primer pocket, before, during or after swaging. Good to know. Are you using the RCBS pocket swager die? |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 2:47:14 PM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Links, top of the page. Yeah I saw that but I still need to click on each link, just thought it would have been easier to get a shout out on where people have gotten theirs. Cabelas is out of stock for something like $12 Grafs Midway |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 3:12:52 PM EDT
[#21]
I don't know where you are in WA, but Wholesale Sports (formerly Sportsmans Warehouse) often times has them in stock...
I do the same an many others, run dirty brass through the depriming die to remove primers, and then tumble in a rotary with stainless. It does clean the primer pockets quite well, but if there is any actual benefit other than eliminating a source of corrosion when tumbling in a liquid medium, I haven't seen it... |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 6:49:42 PM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Links, top of the page. Yeah I saw that but I still need to click on each link, just thought it would have been easier to get a shout out on where people have gotten theirs. Cabala's is out of stock for something like $12 Trying to teach you how to do your own searches. I think comparing prices of the different sites a good thing to know. Maybe not. If you want to be hand fed , go up to Help to Find / Where to Find Components & Promotion Codes Go Here - thread. If you make finding a tool or component a thread, the thread will get locked. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 7:36:34 PM EDT
[#23]
For rifle rounds, I wash my brass in soap and water before any work, which gets rid of most of the crud which would otherwise just dirty up the dies, my press, my hands, and my reloading station. Then I size, then tumble.
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Posted: 1/4/2012 7:38:29 PM EDT
[#24]
Quoted: Quoted: and I was told that I have to clean them out if I'm swaging them to take the crimp out. Of the 10-15,000 pieces of LC 5.56 brass I've processed, every single piece of brass has been swaged to remove the crimp, and I've never cleaned a primer pocket, before, during or after swaging. Good to know. Are you using the RCBS pocket swager die? Dillon Super Swage, its at least 50 times faster than the RCBS |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 8:26:28 PM EDT
[#25]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
and I was told that I have to clean them out if I'm swaging them to take the crimp out.
Of the 10-15,000 pieces of LC 5.56 brass I've processed, every single piece of brass has been swaged to remove the crimp, and I've never cleaned a primer pocket, before, during or after swaging. Good to know. Are you using the RCBS pocket swager die? Dillon Super Swage, its at least 50 times faster than the RCBS I saw that too, but the price turned me off on it, but 50 times better for 3 times the price doesn't sound bad. |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 8:27:02 PM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
For rifle rounds, I wash my brass in soap and water before any work, which gets rid of most of the crud which would otherwise just dirty up the dies, my press, my hands, and my reloading station. Then I size, then tumble. Are you Decapping before washing? |
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Posted: 1/4/2012 8:33:01 PM EDT
[#27]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Links, top of the page. Yeah I saw that but I still need to click on each link, just thought it would have been easier to get a shout out on where people have gotten theirs. Cabala's is out of stock for something like $12 Trying to teach you how to do your own searches. I think comparing prices of the different sites a good thing to know. Maybe not. If you want to be hand fed , go up to Help to Find / Where to Find Components & Promotion Codes Go Here - thread. If you make finding a tool or component a thread, the thread will get locked. I appreciate the help that people are giving me, however I just wanted to know a quick answer and dirty answer. Sorry I'm not trying to turn this into a finding tool thread. I just need some opinions on the best way for me to prep my brass for reloading with the setup I have. |
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