brass prepping order or events

[skyjerk]

This may sound like a dumb question, but what order do you do the following steps for Rifle cases?

lube
size and decap
trim
clean/tumble


Thanks!

[daschnoz]

-tumble for about 1 hour in walnut to knock off any range grunge
-lube
-decap/resize
-clean with Birchwood Casey Brass Cleaner (this stuff)
-tumble in corn cob for 3 to 8 hours depending on how shiny I want the cases
-trim
-load

[skyjerk]

Originally Posted by daschnoz

-
-clean with Birchwood Casey Brass Cleaner (this stuff)

So in between two tumbling steps you manually clean each case with brass cleaner?

[41 Redhawk]

Tumble
Lube
Size/decap
Tumble
Trim
Clean printer pockets (sometimes)
Load

[mauser]

If it's brass that has been fired in the chamber it's going to be fired in again I neck size only, no lube needed.

inspect
size and decap
trim if needed
prime
load
shoot

If it's not going to be fired in the same chamber:
clean/tumble (only if needed)
lube
size and decap
trim if needed
prime
load
shoot

[40twist]

Wipe off
lube
size/decap
tumble in corn cob
wipe off
brush primer pockets
measure and trim if needed
chamfer inner neck
neck brush to clean
prime
load
seat


I think im a bit more anal and I find all the tedious stuff fun as a hobby

[daschnoz]

Originally Posted by skyjerk

So in between two tumbling steps you manually clean each case with brass cleaner?

After the resize, the case lube needs to be removed with something. I dump a tumbler load worth of brass into a small bucket with the cleaner and let the brass soak for about 5 minutes - stirring occasionally. This stuff helps to get the heavy tarnished areas a bit cleaner before the brass goes into the tumbler. Plus, the case lube I use (rcbs #2) and the brass cleaner are both water based.

Out of the cleaner, rinse with plain water, dump in strainer to remove excess water, then into tumbler - still wet.

YMMV

[spikey614]

How important is cleaning the out side of cases?

[Kenshin]

Its pretty important before you resize other wise you end up cleaning your resizing die like every couple hundred cases.

This is just how i did it with my friend when we were processing brass.

Decap with a universial decaping die (no lubing necessary and you can do as much brass as you want of any caliber)
Tumble
Resize
Trim
Load

While your doing this process it allows you to double check all the cases as you move through the process. We would usually stop after all the brass is clean and maybe resized then we would store it then. Take it out as need it and trim it and load it. This is after processing hundreds if not thousands of pieces of brass.

Whatever you do do it the same way every time and remember how you do it. Being very careful as your doing it.

[40twist]

cleaning the outside of the cases also makes the process of going thru the die easier and smoother... also makes problems more visible and easier to spot.