Wet Tumbling Without Pins

[regor]

13 hours ago, Sandbagger123 said:

i did a few loads without pins.  the outside came out nice and shiny as usual ,but the inside were not.  they were clean, just not shiny.  i think the outside of the cases rubbing against each other give them the shine and the pins only are needed if one wants the inside clean . 

 

for me i don't care about clean inside so am going to continue without pins.  lots less work and concern about getting every pin out.   i have a franfurt case dryer also and just leave it on for an hour and then let it cool down.   thats usually enough to dry them 

 

I stopped using pins for tumbling pistols cases too and it makes the process substantially nicer since I don't have to shake out the pins or worry about dropping them down the sink when rinsing the cases. As long as the outside is clean the press is going to run fine.

 

I typically do 15 minutes tumbling with just water to get the bulk of the dirt/dust off, fill it back up with clean water, dish soap, and Lemishine and tumble for 1.5 hours before a final rinse. For drying I use a Hornady case dryer that I got for free, but all those case dryers are just glorified food dehydrators for 2-3x the price, so just pick up the cheapest dehydrator on Amazon (although that Frankford one does look very nice). Mine fits an entire Frankford tumbler's worth of brass and everything is dry in 2 hours. 

 

[Sigarmsp226]

I wet tumble and use pins. Usual dawn and lemi-shine recipe. When finished I dump from my Rebel 17 into a PAINTERS cheesecloth bag made for 5 gallon paint buckets (3 pack at Lowes cost $4.00 and one will last you about 30-40 dumps) rinse pins and brass in water then I dump the entire contents (brass and pins) into my DILLON media separator. I throw a $4.00 tupperware tub over the top to catch any pins that might not drop out the bottom and give it about 7-9 turns one way, then the other way. 

I remove the tupperware top cover and all of my pins are in the bottom of my media separator and the brass is in the cage.   Dump brass and Let it air dry on a towel and I am ready to load the next day (shop is heated)......No magnets and No mess.....Mark

[Jeff95glide]

For those that don't like ss pins because of sticking in the flash hole.  Try .177 caliber bbs. After tumbling I use a rotating separator under a water hose to rinse. Store bbs in buckets and spray liberally with wd40

[NETim]

I don't use pins anymore either.  I dry the cases in one of those big plastic trays that are intended to be put under a washing machine.  Let it sit outside in the sun and wind and the cases dry in a few hours.  

 

I still give the cases a few turns in a media separator to work out a good part of the water before dumping them in the tray.  

[UW Mitch]

I know this is an old thread but I'm just getting back into reloading and remember how much I hated the dust of my dry tumbling.

I'm hoping to get some feedback from those of you who wet tumble with the primers in - have you ever run into any issues with moisture in the primer/primer pocket?  I would like do the following process:

• 9mm brass collected from outdoor range - somewhat dirty
• Wet tumble primer in for a little bit with just water
• Swap out water for Wash'n'wax + Lemishine - tumble 1.5 hours (primer still in)
• Rinse & give a little spin in media separator
• Let it sit out in the sun on a tray for a few hours (I'd only do this on sunny warm/hot Oregon summer days like we have coming up here Monday)
• Take the tumbled/dried brass - lube with Hornady 1 shot, then reload as normal

My only hesitation here is somehow moisture being trapped in the primer / primer pocket.  My alternative would be to do the tumble, dry, deprime only, then dry some more then lube & reload. I don't want to run dirty brass through my 650 to deprime before wet tumbling.

 

~Mitch

[ChuckS]

13 minutes ago, UW Mitch said:

I know this is an old thread but I'm just getting back into reloading and remember how much I hated the dust of my dry tumbling.

I'm hoping to get some feedback from those of you who wet tumble with the primers in - have you ever run into any issues with moisture in the primer/primer pocket?  I would like do the following process:

• 9mm brass collected from outdoor range - somewhat dirty
• Wet tumble primer in for a little bit with just water
• Swap out water for Wash'n'wax + Lemishine - tumble 1.5 hours (primer still in)
• Rinse & give a little spin in media separator
• Let it sit out in the sun on a tray for a few hours (I'd only do this on sunny warm/hot Oregon summer days like we have coming up here Monday)
• Take the tumbled/dried brass - lube with Hornady 1 shot, then reload as normal

My only hesitation here is somehow moisture being trapped in the primer / primer pocket.  My alternative would be to do the tumble, dry, deprime only, then dry some more then lube & reload. I don't want to run dirty brass through my 650 to deprime before wet tumbling.

 

~Mitch

Just scan the previous posts in this thread. There is discussion about not decapping before wet tumbling

[UW Mitch]

12 hours ago, ChuckS said:

Just scan the previous posts in this thread. There is discussion about not decapping before wet tumbling

 

I actually read this whole thread and no one mentioned a concern about moisture in the primers/pockets and no one mentioned checking for it - maybe that's my answer though, it's actually not a problem.

[Intheshaw1]

If you're worried and want to check for moisture, just pop a few primers after you think your brass is dry to see if there is any water in the primer pocket. I did this when I started wet tumbling and found out overnight drying with a large fan worked fine if it's cold out or a few hours in the sun on a hot day.

[UW Mitch]

14 minutes ago, Intheshaw1 said:

If you're worried and want to check for moisture, just pop a few primers after you think your brass is dry to see if there is any water in the primer pocket. I did this when I started wet tumbling and found out overnight drying with a large fan worked fine if it's cold out or a few hours in the sun on a hot day.

 

Thanks for confirming two things - your experience and that I should trust but verify myself.  I guess since no one is jumping up and down saying "holy s#!t I totally ruined a whole batch of ammo, I should be good to go   I will tumble a batch, pop a few primers and inspect just like you suggest. 

[AHI]

1 hour ago, UW Mitch said:

 

I actually read this whole thread and no one mentioned a concern about moisture in the primers/pockets and no one mentioned checking for it - maybe that's my answer though, it's actually not a problem.

Just one of the discussions that lead to wet cleaning brass leaving primers in being an issue.

You must dry the cases fully after wet cleaning or remove the primers first. Search for strange squibs.

Edited July 25, 2020 by AHI

[UW Mitch]

On 7/25/2020 at 7:57 AM, AHI said:

Just one of the discussions that lead to wet cleaning brass leaving primers in being an issue.

You must dry the cases fully after wet cleaning or remove the primers first. Search for strange squibs.

 

Thanks!  Yesterday tried some in my big C&M Topline tumbler and left them out in the sun to bake all afternoon (pull them into the garage overnight just in case maybe condensation would form in the morning).  Today should get up to about 100*F here in Oregon so I will be leaving them out all day.  I will keep this batch of brass sequestered and keep an eye out for anything weird that occurs with ammo loaded since this is a new variable for me.

I really appreciate everyone's input on this old thread.  It feels really nice after having taken a break from shooting for so many years that the community is just as strong and helpful as ever, which I feel has been lacking in my life in other online groups.

 

Mitch