Noobie Reloader Help!!!!

[monkiejohnson]

Hello everyone,
I am new to reloading and think i have done all my homework but i could be wrong. My question might be stupid but bare with me.
I am using a two piece die set, full resize with decap and a bullet seating die, both from RCBS. I took my once fired brass(with primers still in) and tumbled them to get them clean before resizing and de-capping so i dont dirty up my die. (Is this correct?) So i take my clean brass and lube it with my RCBS lube pad and proceed to re-size and de-cap. I come to realize now that i have a cleaned and deprimed piece of brass with lube all over it. Do I clean the brass again before proceding with the priming and loading or do i just leave the film of lube on the case and finish the process with case lube on the brass??????

Confused Noobie,
David

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Hello everyone,
I am new to reloading and think i have done all my homework but i could be wrong. My question might be stupid but bare with me.
I am using a two piece die set, full resize with decap and a bullet seating die, both from RCBS. I took my once fired brass(with primers still in) and tumbled them to get them clean before resizing and de-capping so i dont dirty up my die. (Is this correct?) So i take my clean brass and lube it with my RCBS lube pad and proceed to re-size and de-cap. I come to realize now that i have a cleaned and deprimed piece of brass with lube all over it. Do I clean the brass again before proceding with the priming and loading or do i just leave the film of lube on the case and finish the process with case lube on the brass??????

Confused Noobie,
David

Don't leave the lube on the case. Wipe it off with a terrycloth and tumble if needed. I usually tumble my brass before sizing and its never been an issue. You can ruin those dies with dirt and grit so get them clean first.

As to the lube, some proofhouses used to simply grease normal ammo and shoot the rounds to proof the rifles, so make sure you get the lube off before shooting to make sure the brass has decent grab to the chamber walls.

 

[BuckyFan69]

I tumble, size, then right back into tumbler for about 10 minutes. If you use walnut media check the flash hole after the second tumbling, small pieces will get stuck in them sometimes. I use a small eyeglass screwdriver to pop them out.

 

[varmintH8R]

For precision rifle (single stage press) I deprime on a universal deprimer, uniform the primer pockets, tumble, lube, bump the shoulder, wash, flash dry in the oven at 150F, neck size with graphite lube, prime, charge, and seat.

On a progressive, I tumble, lube (hornady one-shot), size-prime-charge-seat, and then wipe all the rounds off with a dry towel before boxing them.

 

[azmetalman]

I tumble, size, then right back into tumbler for about 10 minutes. If you use walnut media check the flash hole after the second tumbling, small pieces will get stuck in them sometimes. I use a small eyeglass screwdriver to pop them out.

I use a "worn out" dental pick to clean flash holes. Your dentist will probably give one to you.
azmetalman

 

[monkiejohnson]

Varmit, what do you use to "wash" the lube off? I was thinking of just using some mild dish soap in a bucket with a lid. I like the idea of the oven. After I tumbled the cases the media I was using left a residue that I washed off with dish detergent in water and I was thinking of using the oven but didn't know if that was ok or not so I just blew them off with a compressor. With a universal de primer do you have to lube the cases??

So for now I should tumble,wash,lube, size and de-prime, unify flash hole, wash again,prime, then load??

Thanks in advance for all the help,
David

 

[varmintH8R]

You do not need to lube with a universal decapper - it is basically a big open cylinder with a decap rod in the middle - it never touches the case walls. I have a Lee. It was cheap and it works flawlessly.

I don't wash before I size. No downside to doing it that I see other than time. I wash after sizing in the sink with everyday dish detergent.

My oven has a keep warm function that goes down to 150F. I think you can go WAY higher before you start messing anything up, but I err on the side of caution (plus 150 gets 'em plenty dry).

Note: my wife loves when I tie up the kitchen sink and oven cleaning brass.

I only deburr the flasholes once, but I use a Sinclair carbide primer pocket uniformer every time I load. Goes right in a drill and cuts all the pockets to the exact same depth (and cleans 'em up real nice too).

That is just my way - doesn't mean its the right way! Good luck!

 

[boomtube]

" My question might be stupid but bare with me."

I ONLY bare with my wife or doctor.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I use a "worn out" dental pick to clean flash holes. Your dentist will probably give one to you.
azmetalman

a smaller jeweler's driver or decapping die stem works great too. Heck most of the time I just grab the sizing die for that cal and poke the walnut out with that.

 

[gstanfield]

I just wipe each casing off with a terry cloth or micro-fiber cloth after resizing. While I am holding it in the towl I flip it upside down and clean out the prmber pocket with a primer pocket brush or a metal pick as mentioned already. Works for me, I don't mind handling each piece of brass individually as it gives me a chance to inspect them one by one.

 

[monkiejohnson]

Thanks everyone for your help. I will deffinetely use some of these methods. Its always a good feeling when you can come on the forums and get real truthful answers!

Thanks,
David

 

[semtex]

When I first started handloading a friend refered me to, Imperial Die Wax.
A little goes a long way. After resizing I take a micro cloth and gently spray with windex or cleaner of your choise and wipe off casings.
One can will last for years.