Stainless Steel Tumbling Media

[Guest nicemac]

The after sizing/lube removing tumble does not have to run long, and it results in ready to load brass.

…and in my experience, media stuck in the primer hole.

[Worriedman]

…and in my experience, media stuck in the primer hole.

That is the cool thing about stainless steel cut wire media, it does not stick in the primer hole.

I am anal when it comes to my brass, I normally (for .223) buy once fired LC brass. The first round prep requires that I deprime and remove the crimp, use a Dillon Super Swage 600 for that then uniform the flash hole, then the primer pocket. I then run them through the Thumlers with the SS cut wire media, resize (single stage) run them a short time in the Thumlers again to remove lube, I then trim on the Giruad. I then load on my Dillon 650 with the first space empty. I anneal every fourth firing, and with this system approach I normally get 12-14 loads before I start seeing splits, the majority will go 16 loadings.

Each successive loading goes a lot quicker as the flash holes and primer pockets are a one time thing, but I do the stainless steel media to clean before resizing and again to remove the lube.

Edited July 22, 2011 by Worriedman

[Guest nicemac]

I was thinking a quickie trip through the walnut shells before sizing, just to remove most of the crud (and its quick). Then, resize and de-prime and THEN off to the SS/Thumbler's tumbler. You WET tumble twice?

[Worriedman]

Yes sir, IF I am running a full batch, (which I normally try to do). If I am working up a load and doing fewer cases I do not, I will hand wipe exterior and case mouths, but, if I am in full production mode and have 100's to do, it saves time.

[Guest nicemac]

So this weekend I found some .243 brass my wife's uncle gave me last year. He had been saving his spent brass for years to reload someday, but never got a press. It had never been cleaned. I tumbled it several times over the winter but could never get the stuff clean. Actually it came clean, but looked severely burned on the neck. I tumbled again. No luck. I tumbled again for several hours with a bunch of Dillon polish that makes any brass shine. No joy. I put it away. I dug it out Saturday and put it in the Thumbler with SS media and a spoon of Lemishine and a squirt of Dawn. Four hours later I took it out and rinsed it. It was the the best looking brass I have ever seen. Brilliantly polished inside and out and no signs of the burned/ stained neck.

[Guest nicemac]

Tumbled a little.223 the other night. I find it takes maybe a minute or two longer to rinse the brass after tumbling than it does to simply sift out walnut shells.

HOWEVER, I don't have to pick walnut shells out of the primer holes *PLUS* the primer pockets and inside of the cases simply do not come clean in a dry tumbler. Look at that primer pocket.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Now that is a clean primer pocket!