Does tumbling with 20/40 grit clean primer pocket? Brass prep method ok?

[hokeyplyr48]

First of all, my brass prep method is as follows:

1. Deprime (universal decapper)
1a. If brass is really dirty/sooty, rinse with soap/water to not kill my media
1b. Tumble
2 Inspect
3 lube brass
4 resize/prime
5 tumble again to remove lube/polish mirror shine

Is this process ok? Will the corn cob media (20/40 grit) in the second tumbling get stuck on anything inside the case? Like the flash hole?

Second, will using 20/40 grit clean the primer pocket? I know it doesn't get stuck, but does that mean it will clean/polish it?

 

[Marlinreloader]

That should be fine. I use 14/20 and it works without getting stuck. I don;t do #1 until after I tumble to help not get stuck but I also clean the primer pocket and flash hole with a tool. The rest is the same. I will sometimes run the completed ammo in the tumbler for a few minutes to get final lube/polish shine.

I got a good buddy who plays hockey in Raleigh.

Marlinreloader

 

[Walkalong]

It won't clean it up real well, but it will knock out any loose stuff. They don't need to be shiny clean. I never clean primer pockets on pistol brass. The residue only builds up so far.

 

[jcwit]

Plus 1 to what walkalong says, you're doing fine.

 

[USSR]

Don't count on tumbling to clean the primer pocket. I use a uniformer to do that.

Don

 

[hokeyplyr48]

Wasn't relying on it to clean the primer pocket, I was just asking out of curiosity since it's finer and won't get caught. Thanks for the info guys.

How important is it to clean the primer pocket? I have the tool, but in the sheer number of cases I'm reloading (read in 600-800 per week) it would greatly inhibit the process.

@MarlinReloader: Oh really? I used to play but now I'm up at college in NY. God I hate NY gun laws...it's a whole different world up here.

 

[jcwit]

Like walkalong says, not really required. Does your primer seat just below flush? If so you're good to go. Myself, I never bother, however I do prep the first time, I use a flash hole uniformer tool, thats it.

 

[Bula]

rifle brass?

 

[Franco]

Tumbling media doesn't do squat for primer pockets, at least for me. It's probably a personal choice but I clean my pocket primers with the wire brush thing (uniformer?) until they are relatively clean. Not shiny, but not powder covered either. I find that if I don't do this, then re-priming requires serious leverage and I just don't like the idea of forcing a magnum primer with my hand tool that has 49 other primers rolling around on the tray next to it. This problem is most evident in my larger calibers (44mag for pistol and 45-70 for rifle).

My sequence:

1. tumble with old media (basic walnut shell) to get semi-clean (I don't like putting dirty brass in my die)
2. lube (for steel dies), resize and deprime
3. tumble with newer media to get more clean (when this media gets old I swap it out -- it goes to #1 place in the process, the old media from #1 gets thrown out and I get a new 7lbs for this #3 step).
4. trim length (if needed), clean primer pockets, debur interior primer hole
5. load
6. kill tasty animals

My cleaning might be overkill but part of the reason I like reloading is all of the detailed processes (probably a little bit of a personality quirk) and the nice, shiny product you get at the end.