jim6918 Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 I posted a thread a couple of days ago in the Dillon area about a sticking primer slide in a 550C. I am reposting here because the subject has changed somewhat. The problem with the sticking primer bar wasn't spilled powder, but residue from decapping a bunch of .380 brass. I bought a Hornady Lock-n-Load 2L cleaner, and the conventional wisdom (here and elsewhere) is to decap before using a wet (ultrasonic) cleaner. I don't know why it was so dirty, because this brass was from once fired name brand ammo that I had shot myself. When I picked up the brass at the range, I was amazed at how filthy and gummy the cases looked. Perhaps due to age? I am sure now that my sticking primer plate problem happened after the decapping procedure. I was just using station 1 to decap before cleaning with the Lock-n-Load I called Dillon and talked to a guy who said I should wet clean before decapping. I didn't argue, but dismantled the primer assembly, and sure enough the primer slide and related parts were pretty gummy. I cleaned everything real well, and I am now good. I guess where I am at now, depending on how filthy the brass is, is to run the stuff through the ultrasonic cleaner, let dry, decap and run it through the ultrasonic again before tumbling. That adds a couple of steps to the process. I thought about manually decapping everything with a separate decapper, but that seems a little silly when the press will decap quite nicely. I want to keep the press as clean as possible. Although taking the primer tube and slide apart for cleaning isn't that big a deal, I'd rather not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candiru Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 For pistol, I wet tumble with pins (not ultrasonic) with a wash & wax, rinse well, dry in a dehydrator, then load them. No weird gunk just clean the press normally. So, not sure what your process is missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21396 Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 I'm not a really high volume loader. I learned to hand deprime with a hand tool rather than run my dirty brass through my expensive dies and risking damage was not the best of ideas. Then I run the brass through a tumbler cleaner with just soap and water using dish soap. The brass comes out really clean and shiny and the primer packets, while not supper clean, are cleaner than not depriming first. I plan my cleaning on sunny days to dry in the Sun. A person could probably improve on the dish soap. I will wait for responses and possibly modify my cleaning habits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim6918 Posted September 15, 2018 Author Share Posted September 15, 2018 My process means that I want to start with the cleanest brass possible. I do not think that the "once fired and cleaned" brass I have purchased to get started looks as good as I would like. I made the mistake of thinking that I could decap dirty brass in the press before cleaning and I won't make that mistake again. I have an ultrasonic cleaner not a wet tumbler with pins, so I have to use what I got. If I just use the ultrasonic to clean, dry, and decap, I still think the brass is only about 50% clean. That might be OK for some people, and maybe it is good enough for punching holes in paper. If I run that brass through the ultrasonic after decapping it looks very good. If I want polished and pristine brass I tumble. At this point I am loading for quality, reliability and safety, not quantity. Maybe I will get lazy at some point and skip the second ultrasonic cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 2 hours ago, jim6918 said: run the BRASS through the ultrasonic cleaner, let dry, decap and run it through the ultrasonic again before tumbling. One big advantage of the 550 that you're using, is that if you clean the brass, you can reload it …. No need to decap and reclean and tumble. Just clean the brass, let it dry, lube it and let the lube dry, and start reloading - much quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 You need to clean your brass before you run it through a sizing die. a tool head with a universal decapping die would not necessary require the cleaning. Disconnect the primer activation rod run brass through the decapping die .blow air (can) vacuum or otherwise cleen . You will not have to remove the priming system to do this. I have a tool head set up for this.one tool head does all calibers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim6918 Posted September 16, 2018 Author Share Posted September 16, 2018 21 hours ago, AHI said: You need to clean your brass before you run it through a sizing die. a tool head with a universal decapping die would not necessary require the cleaning. Disconnect the primer activation rod run brass through the decapping die .blow air (can) vacuum or otherwise cleen . You will not have to remove the priming system to do this. I have a tool head set up for this.one tool head does all calibers. Thanks. Interesting idea. Since I am using Quick Change kits for each caliber, what's it take to add another tool head with a decapping die? If I hand decapped, I'd still have to buy a hand decapper anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI Posted September 16, 2018 Share Posted September 16, 2018 Tool heads are $26. Then you need to pick a universal decapping die $20 to $60.some are better most do the same thing. pick one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted September 19, 2018 Share Posted September 19, 2018 What is your justification for wanting your brass so clean? Appearance does not equate to tighter groups. I would recommend cleaning in the ultrasonic then lubing and loading like normal. Either spray with isopropyl alcohol and rub on a towel or tumble in dry media for a short amount of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngeyes Posted September 19, 2018 Share Posted September 19, 2018 You can pick up a lot of primer residue from decapping. That will gunk up your equipment. It looks like brownish gunk. Your brass may look clean but if was fired, then you will get the sticky stuff. To avoid it, you should use a single stage press with a decaping die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim6918 Posted September 19, 2018 Author Share Posted September 19, 2018 3 hours ago, Gooldylocks said: What is your justification for wanting your brass so clean? Appearance does not equate to tighter groups. I would recommend cleaning in the ultrasonic then lubing and loading like normal. Either spray with isopropyl alcohol and rub on a towel or tumble in dry media for a short amount of time. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, right? To be honest I suppose there is a little personal pride in how nice my brass looks, and I have been told that cleanliness can extend the life of the brass. Actually, I am taking everything to the n'th degree at this time since I am a newby. Powder charge accuracy, Clean brass, Careful, slow loading steps. etc, etc. Probably the same reason I put everything away at night and even vacuum off my bench. I suppose at some point I will learn where I can cut corners, but right now it's all about following the rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim6918 Posted September 19, 2018 Author Share Posted September 19, 2018 2 hours ago, Youngeyes said: You can pick up a lot of primer residue from decapping. That will gunk up your equipment. It looks like brownish gunk. Your brass may look clean but if was fired, then you will get the sticky stuff. To avoid it, you should use a single stage press with a decaping die. I did break down and buy the stuff for manual decapping separate from my press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBolt Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 On 9/19/2018 at 1:40 PM, jim6918 said: Cleanliness is next to Godliness, right? To be honest I suppose there is a little personal pride in how nice my brass looks, and I have been told that cleanliness can extend the life of the brass. Actually, I am taking everything to the n'th degree at this time since I am a newby. Powder charge accuracy, Clean brass, Careful, slow loading steps. etc, etc. Probably the same reason I put everything away at night and even vacuum off my bench. I suppose at some point I will learn where I can cut corners, but right now it's all about following the rules. It's not necessarily cutting corners, just a different method of achieving the same result. I wet tumble with pins, car soap, and Lemishine for 45 mins. Rinse and sort pins and dry the brass in the oven. Once dry it's good to load. Brass looks like new and no extra steps to decap prior to cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschweg Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 Honestly, excessively clean pistol brass doesn't net you anything but more work. Dont get me wrong, if you are one of those people that loves brass prep for the "hobby value" then by all means go for it, but if not, don't worry about it.Clean primer pockets dont really make a difference, they stay clean enough to shove the next primer in there and the cases will split or you'll lose them before it would be an issue I think a little bit of carbon leftover on the inside of the case actually helps, super clean cases stick to the powder funnel.Like you say, I think the issue is that you processed the brass on your 550. The brass is just filthy at that point and will just make a mess of everything underneath station 1. I think most would throw a universal decapping die on a spare press (not as cheap) or a Lee hand press (super cheap and what I did when I used to decap) and process brass there so you dont gum up your shiny dillion.Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 On 9/15/2018 at 10:37 AM, AHI said: You need to clean your brass before you run it through a sizing die. . Yes and... 1 hour ago, jschweg said: Honestly, excessively clean pistol brass doesn't net you anything but more work. Dont get me wrong, if you are one of those people that loves brass prep for the "hobby value" then by all means go for it, but if not, don't worry about it. Clean primer pockets dont really make a difference, they stay clean enough to shove the next primer in there and the cases will split or you'll lose them before it would be an issue I think a little bit of carbon leftover on the inside of the case actually helps, super clean cases stick to the powder funnel. Like you say, I think the issue is that you processed the brass on your 550. The brass is just filthy at that point and will just make a mess of everything underneath station 1. I think most would throw a universal decapping die on a spare press (not as cheap) or a Lee hand press (super cheap and what I did when I used to decap) and process brass there so you dont gum up your shiny dillion. Absolutely yes. I personally don’t understand why people make such a big deal about cleaning their high volume pistol feed. I just tumble it in walnut with some car soap and mineral spirits for the time it takes to watch the latest Real Housewives episode So it’s bright enough to find in the dirt for the next time around. I decap during the loading process— no time to do the same step twice for a clean primer pocket that does me no good. (One exception being friggin’ .38spl.) Now, if I’m loading rifle fodder to hit bullseyes at 600 yards, the discussion might be a bit different. Maybe... . But it’s low volume, and I’m doing it all on a single stage and just considering it part of the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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