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Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
- Thread starter HotIce
- Start date
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
I hate to cut and paste, but I just put this on another post and would hate to retype it...... Sorry.
1: Tumble Brass
2: Inspect Cases
3: Decap
4: Swage Military Crimp using Dillon Super Swage (if Needed)
5: Tumble Again
6: Lube
7: Resize and Decap (the "Decap" step removes media from the primer pocket)
8: Powder Charge
9: Powder check
10: Seat Bullet
11: Crimp Bullet
12: Tumble 1/2 volume for 10mins to remove lube (Yes you can tumble live ammo. It's in the Dillion Manual)
13: Use a case gauge every tenth or fifteenth round for quality control
I hate to cut and paste, but I just put this on another post and would hate to retype it...... Sorry.
1: Tumble Brass
2: Inspect Cases
3: Decap
4: Swage Military Crimp using Dillon Super Swage (if Needed)
5: Tumble Again
6: Lube
7: Resize and Decap (the "Decap" step removes media from the primer pocket)
8: Powder Charge
9: Powder check
10: Seat Bullet
11: Crimp Bullet
12: Tumble 1/2 volume for 10mins to remove lube (Yes you can tumble live ammo. It's in the Dillion Manual)
13: Use a case gauge every tenth or fifteenth round for quality control
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
All of my personal pistol brass is once fired and come already tumbled. I load on a progressive which doesn't clean primer pockets. When I load several times fired brass, I tumble and load again.
All of my personal pistol brass is once fired and come already tumbled. I load on a progressive which doesn't clean primer pockets. When I load several times fired brass, I tumble and load again.
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
I tumble then move on...its pistol ammo. Not shooting in the olympics so just practice for bangin at the range. The ONLY time I even get close to what I would do for rifle is if Im going to hunt with it.
.
That doesnt happen very often so
I tumble then move on...its pistol ammo. Not shooting in the olympics so just practice for bangin at the range. The ONLY time I even get close to what I would do for rifle is if Im going to hunt with it.
.
That doesnt happen very often so
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
Coming from rifle cases reloading (where I decap, clean brass and primer pockets - always), and just approaching pistol ammunition reloading, doesn't carbon accumulation interfere with primer seating, if you don't clean the pockets?
Coming from rifle cases reloading (where I decap, clean brass and primer pockets - always), and just approaching pistol ammunition reloading, doesn't carbon accumulation interfere with primer seating, if you don't clean the pockets?
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
unless heavily soiled / mudded up
1. decap
2. size
3. expand
4. clean primer pocket
5. tumble
6. clear flashhole of media
7. prime
8. charge
9. seat bullet
10. crimp
11. check oal every 5th round
12. label box / carrier
13. shoot
(if a new load, match fps through crony to factory ammo i like, or the best accuraccy within safety referenced fps)
unless heavily soiled / mudded up
1. decap
2. size
3. expand
4. clean primer pocket
5. tumble
6. clear flashhole of media
7. prime
8. charge
9. seat bullet
10. crimp
11. check oal every 5th round
12. label box / carrier
13. shoot
(if a new load, match fps through crony to factory ammo i like, or the best accuraccy within safety referenced fps)
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hugo121175</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I hate to cut and paste, but I just put this on another post and would hate to retype it...... Sorry.
1: Tumble Brass
2: Inspect Cases
3: Decap
4: Swage Military Crimp using Dillon Super Swage (if Needed)
5: Tumble Again
6: Lube
7: Resize and Decap (the "Decap" step removes media from the primer pocket)
8: Powder Charge
9: Powder check
10: Seat Bullet
11: Crimp Bullet
12: Tumble 1/2 volume for 10mins to remove lube (Yes you can tumble live ammo. It's in the Dillion Manual)
13: Use a case gauge every tenth or fifteenth round for quality control </div></div>
I think you forgot to prime...........
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hugo121175</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I hate to cut and paste, but I just put this on another post and would hate to retype it...... Sorry.
1: Tumble Brass
2: Inspect Cases
3: Decap
4: Swage Military Crimp using Dillon Super Swage (if Needed)
5: Tumble Again
6: Lube
7: Resize and Decap (the "Decap" step removes media from the primer pocket)
8: Powder Charge
9: Powder check
10: Seat Bullet
11: Crimp Bullet
12: Tumble 1/2 volume for 10mins to remove lube (Yes you can tumble live ammo. It's in the Dillion Manual)
13: Use a case gauge every tenth or fifteenth round for quality control </div></div>
I think you forgot to prime...........
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
Every third or fourth cycle I decap & clean the primer pockets then trim to length. After that and in between they go through the Dillon 650. 45 acp is a great cartridge to load for.
Every third or fourth cycle I decap & clean the primer pockets then trim to length. After that and in between they go through the Dillon 650. 45 acp is a great cartridge to load for.
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
Oops.... LoL.... Now I have powder all over my turret, and it's jamming up the primer feed.
Oops.... LoL.... Now I have powder all over my turret, and it's jamming up the primer feed.
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hugo121175</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Oops.... LoL.... Now I have powder all over my turret, and it's jamming up the primer feed. </div></div>
Go to your local pharmacy. Look in the baby stuff for an aspirator. (The stuff new moms suck the snot out of the babys nose with.) They work really well at moving the powder when you squeeze it. An air compressor will sometimes blow small but expensive parts into another part of the room.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hugo121175</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Oops.... LoL.... Now I have powder all over my turret, and it's jamming up the primer feed. </div></div>
Go to your local pharmacy. Look in the baby stuff for an aspirator. (The stuff new moms suck the snot out of the babys nose with.) They work really well at moving the powder when you squeeze it. An air compressor will sometimes blow small but expensive parts into another part of the room.
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
I voted tumble, deprime, size w/o cleaning pockets. If you tumble after deprime you need to clean the flash hole. I haven't had enough build up in a .45 ACP to give a primer seating problem. Reloaded 3 or 4 times.
I voted tumble, deprime, size w/o cleaning pockets. If you tumble after deprime you need to clean the flash hole. I haven't had enough build up in a .45 ACP to give a primer seating problem. Reloaded 3 or 4 times.
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
Pistol cases get the shaft in terms of how much loving they get during prep.
Mine get sorted (with exception of my match brass, my range brass gets thrown in a bucket that i keep in my truck) then its...
- Tumble until shiny, not needed but i like shiny things
- Size and Decap with Redding Titanium Carbide dies.
- Thrown into their appropriate homes. (Labeled cat litter buckets, previously cleaned)
*The small amounts of pistol ammo that I have slaved over for match purposes get trimmed to equal OAL, primer pockets uniformed with Sinclair uniformer chucked into my drill press, then stored in a ziplock baggie that has been labeled appropriately.
Pistol cases get the shaft in terms of how much loving they get during prep.
Mine get sorted (with exception of my match brass, my range brass gets thrown in a bucket that i keep in my truck) then its...
- Tumble until shiny, not needed but i like shiny things
- Size and Decap with Redding Titanium Carbide dies.
- Thrown into their appropriate homes. (Labeled cat litter buckets, previously cleaned)
*The small amounts of pistol ammo that I have slaved over for match purposes get trimmed to equal OAL, primer pockets uniformed with Sinclair uniformer chucked into my drill press, then stored in a ziplock baggie that has been labeled appropriately.
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
Vote: Tumble till shiny and reload (no other case prep, no trimming, etc.) via progressive presses (DP 1050, Super 1050, 650).
I sort my cases and watch for cracks/splits (I can find a split case by picking up a dozen in my hand and listening as I shake --you can hear a different tone if there is a cracked/split case).
Primer pocket uniforming for pistol? No way (imho).
I typically get 10 firings or so out of my .38 superComp and .45 cases; slightly less for .40.
As a USPSA/IPSC shooter that has reloaded hundreds of thousands of .38 supers, .40, & .45, I can honestly say that I have never uniformed a pistol primer pocket. Never had any issues seating a primer (once press is set up correctly). I don't know any other hardcore pistol competitors who do either. In these sports, it's all about the range time, dry firing, "reloading is a necessary evil", etc. -- squeezing the last iota of accuracy out of a reload is not a top priority. That being said, I use inherently accurate projectiles (MontanaGold and/or Hornady TAP) that group under 1-1.5" at 25 yds as long as my barrel isn't toast.
Have I ever had a high primer? Sure maybe one out of every thousand or so rounds loaded. But, I look for those as I am putting the rounds into my 100/50 round boxes. If there's any question, a high one gets tossed.
LR Rifle? That's a different story entirely...
Vote: Tumble till shiny and reload (no other case prep, no trimming, etc.) via progressive presses (DP 1050, Super 1050, 650).
I sort my cases and watch for cracks/splits (I can find a split case by picking up a dozen in my hand and listening as I shake --you can hear a different tone if there is a cracked/split case).
Primer pocket uniforming for pistol? No way (imho).
I typically get 10 firings or so out of my .38 superComp and .45 cases; slightly less for .40.
As a USPSA/IPSC shooter that has reloaded hundreds of thousands of .38 supers, .40, & .45, I can honestly say that I have never uniformed a pistol primer pocket. Never had any issues seating a primer (once press is set up correctly). I don't know any other hardcore pistol competitors who do either. In these sports, it's all about the range time, dry firing, "reloading is a necessary evil", etc. -- squeezing the last iota of accuracy out of a reload is not a top priority. That being said, I use inherently accurate projectiles (MontanaGold and/or Hornady TAP) that group under 1-1.5" at 25 yds as long as my barrel isn't toast.
Have I ever had a high primer? Sure maybe one out of every thousand or so rounds loaded. But, I look for those as I am putting the rounds into my 100/50 round boxes. If there's any question, a high one gets tossed.
LR Rifle? That's a different story entirely...
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
Most of my pistol brass is a tumble resize/decap deal 10mm .45 .38 .401HM etc.
except... my S&W M52-2 wich is a .38spl. wadcutter target gun
first go round they get tumbled resized/decapped then trimmed uniform OAL after that they pretty much stay segregated but fall into the same category as above, because at mid-range loadings the cases don't seem to stretch. and uniform OAL makes a consistent taper crimp
For those unfamiliar with a S&W M52 it was the ONLY gun hand fitted and Guaranteed Accuracy from S&W as a production model not a "Performance Center" run and I think the Guarantee was 2" @ 50 Yds. and "she" will show you the faults to your reloading procedure....and clean or dirty primer pockets don't seem to matter in this case
John
Most of my pistol brass is a tumble resize/decap deal 10mm .45 .38 .401HM etc.
except... my S&W M52-2 wich is a .38spl. wadcutter target gun
first go round they get tumbled resized/decapped then trimmed uniform OAL after that they pretty much stay segregated but fall into the same category as above, because at mid-range loadings the cases don't seem to stretch. and uniform OAL makes a consistent taper crimp
For those unfamiliar with a S&W M52 it was the ONLY gun hand fitted and Guaranteed Accuracy from S&W as a production model not a "Performance Center" run and I think the Guarantee was 2" @ 50 Yds. and "she" will show you the faults to your reloading procedure....and clean or dirty primer pockets don't seem to matter in this case
John
Re: Pistol cases tumbling/decapping procedures
All my pistol gets loaded on a Dillon so I never clean primer pockets. I have always tumbled before sizing just to try and save some wear and tear on the dies.
All my pistol gets loaded on a Dillon so I never clean primer pockets. I have always tumbled before sizing just to try and save some wear and tear on the dies.
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