Walnut Media Problems

[ggibson511960]

With the increased availability of SPP's I've decided to clean and reload my years old accumulation of .38 Special cases, hundreds of them. I was never a high volume reloader, but am now confronted with a mass quantity. I wanted to take what shortcuts I could to get the job done and decided to decap before cleaning with walnut media in a vibratory tumbler so as to get primer pockets clean without finger fatigue. You guessed it. I ended up with every flash hole plugged with walnut. What a pain to pick them out or run through a decapping die again.

Is there a better way short of converting to wet tumbling with pins? Would corn cob media do the job without plugging flash holes? I really like having clean primer pockets and uniform primer seating.

 

[austintexas]

Nope! Corn cob media plugs it up too.
SWCA 892

 

[Heinz]

Air compressor, outside.

 

[HKSmith]

Switching to corn cob media won't help. You can unclog the flash holes with a pencil or compressed air as Heinz noted. Having said that, I've been reloading since 1964 and have never regularly cleaned primer pockets and I reload cartridges from .25 ACP to .45 Colt without difficulty. I tumble clean the cases with the spent primer in and then resize/decap in one step. Keep in mind that you're shooting .38 Special, not 1000 yard benchrest, so that last 0.001% of uniformity won't make a difference. I use a high quality hand priming tool and get excellent seating uniformity without cleaning primer pockets.

 

[Spurdann]

I deprime, tumble, then size.
You can also size twice.
Honestly I got to the point where cleaning primer pockets was a lot of work for little return, so I stopped cleaning them and reloaded the brass with a dirty primer pocket. I didn’t seem to miss anymore than usual.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I wouldn't worry about it. The primer will blow that little particle away. been tumbling and loading for many years. Never had a squib.

 

[Buzzzer]

I've always cleaned before decapping as well, for the reason (OP) you specify. I've also never bothered cleaning primer pockets on pistol brass. I do clean the pockets on rifle brass however...

 

[rockquarry]

I don't use anything but media advertised as being marketed for cleaning brass. Mine doesn't come from Harbor Freight or a pet store. It doesn't present a dust problem and the few flasholes that are plugged are quickly cleared with an icepick-type tool. That's for rifle brass, only because it it has sizing lubricant residue on the brass that must be removed before loading.

For handgun brass, it's not necessary to deprime before using a tumbler or vibratory cleaner.

If you can offer proof that cleaning primer pockets offers any benefit whatsoever (except in the imagination of the compulsive), I'll change my cleaning routine today. Just got back from the range and have a machine going at the moment.

 

[rosewood]

I have found using those rotary media separators will knock/jar most of the media out of the primer pockets. Saves a lot of time.

Rosewood

 

[rosewood]

I am with Rock. I don't deprime pistol brass before loading, only do that with rifle brass and manually clean primer pockets for accuracy loads.

I have found the rotary media separators knock/jar most of the stuck media out of primer pockets. You should invest in one and you will find it saves a lot of time in that respect.

I use mostly corn cob media and have found Home Depot has one of the best prices on it. You get like a 50 lb bag with free shipping to your home. Price went up last time I checked, but still cheaper than most other places. Can't remember what I paid last.

Rosewood

 

[elpac3]

I do wet tumble, but minus the pins for pistol cases. Cases come out very clean and nice. Crud in primer pockets has never really been an issues with pistol brass. Have never had any issues with accuracy by not cleaning primer pockets with my pistol brass (9mm, .38, .357,.44, .45)

Rifle brass i do use pins but I am not reloading nearly as many rifle cases as I do pistol.

 

[jag22]

Corn cob comes in two sizes. I use the smaller (14/20 I believe) and have no problems. I've have had the larger size in the past and did have a few stick but never considered it a problem. Using the old Lee hand primer it was no problem to glance at the primer pocket as I put it in the shell holder.

 

[Norton 750]

I switched from Corn to Walnut because the corn clogged the flash hole and the walnut didn't. Got mine from Midway, sounds like there are different sizes on the market. So cheap I just got the stuff designed for reloaders.

 

[dave1918a2]

Been reloading on the plus side of 50 years and have never cleaned a pistol primer pocket. Rifle. yes. Oh, buy the way those stainless pins stick in the primer pockets also. I always tumble then re-size.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I use '"Lizard Litter" from PetsMart........Add a couple of squirts of " NU-Shine" car finish........Make my brass look factory new......Not interested in any of the wet stuff.

 

[Beemer-mark]

Tumble, de-prime. Works great. Corn or Walnut media doesn't really clean the primer pocket if you de-prime first, so why bother. If you want primer pockets clean for some unknown reason then wet tumbling is the only way.

 

[sophie]

As mentioned above several times, I too have been reloading since the middle 70’s and always tumble my brass first before punching out the old primers & sizing. I’ve never had a primer pocket problem on handgun brass. Some of my .38 Special and .357 Magnum brass reloaded 7 to 8 times when I was shooting Silhouettes.

 

[Drm50]

I got a gallon jug of concentrate that HVAC guys use to spray out the condenser coils on AC compressors. Put in vibrator a little richer than the label recommendations. Does good job and requires a good rinse in water.
This cleans cases well but isn’t going to shine brass that has been stored as shot for years. What will do that is Birchwood Casey brass cleaner, also a consentrate.

 

[BC38]

Tumble, de-prime. Works great. Corn or Walnut media doesn't really clean the primer pocket if you de-prime first, so why bother. If you want primer pockets clean for some unknown reason then wet tumbling is the only way.

Yup, what he said...

 

[jake1945]

Wet media tumble is the best way to clean brass.