Cleaning Primed Cases?

L

LBussy

New member
I have a large box of 5.56 that I primed probably two years ago and promptly forgot about. Can I safely and effectively clean these? I assume a vibratory tumbler would be safe to use on primed cases, but it's easier to ask first than to find out something the hard way.

I don't yet have a vibratory tumbler but the Frankford Arsenal is on sale ($35 with Prime shipping.) I have a Thumler Tumbler I use with SS media for case cleaning that I'll continue to use for the majority of the heavy cleaning. If I buy one the vibratory cleaner would be a nice addition to tumble clean lubricated cartridges after I was done reloading (or it seems that way anyway.)

Is there a difference in using corn cob vs walnut media?
 
Can you safely do it? Yes.

Would I do it? No.

If the cases are already primed, there's too much chance of having the media plug the flash hole.
 
Yay, I get to de-cap live primers.

I just know one of these days I'm going to pop one and I'll leave a load of a different kind in my pants.
 
Wouldn't the primer blast be more than enough to dislodge any stuck media and still light the charge (especially in so small a case as 556)? That being asked, I still certainly wouldn't do it. Also, how have you been storing these primed cases? I myself have some primed cases for various calibers and wonder if primer degradation is anything to worry about exposed to the air like that. Have you had any problems?
 
Roadkill2228 said:
Wouldn't the primer blast be more than enough to dislodge any stuck media and still light the charge (especially in so small a case as 556)? That being asked, I still certainly wouldn't do it. Also, how have you been storing these primed cases? I myself have some primed cases for various calibers and wonder if primer degradation is anything to worry about exposed to the air like that. Have you had any problems?
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They were stored in a box next to the boxes of primers I have. I would not expect any degradation over time assuming reasonable conditions.

The primer blast might be enough to dislodge media, but at the very least it would change the timing. I work with explosives a bit (I do pyrotechnics) and you'd be surprised how little composition you need to make a real bad mistake when it's confined.
 
Why do they need to be cleaned? If you seek to clean them just because they are no longer shiny you are wasting your time and possibly setting yourself up for trouble. So you should ask yourself do the cases really need to be cleaned or just polished?
 
Heavy Metal 1 said:
Why do they need to be cleaned? If you seek to clean them just because they are no longer shiny you are wasting your time and possibly setting yourself up for trouble. So you should ask yourself do the cases really need to be cleaned or just polished?
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Because I don't remember the provenance of the current "finish", or even if they were resized. In other words I am not sure if they were properly cleaned/prepped before I boxed them up. I just had a nightmare session where I stuck two cases (one nearly permanently) and I won't size them without knowing how and when I cleaned them.

It's possible I deprimed/primed these before I knew any better about thoroughly cleaning the brass before resizing. You know, ignorance is bliss and all that.
 
"Because I don't remember the provenance of the current "finish", or even if they were resized. In other words I am not sure if they were properly cleaned/prepped before I boxed them up."

You need to deprime and start over from scratch. I use this to keep track of where I am in case I need to pause my reloading for a while:
inspection
tumble clean
lube
size f/l neck
tumble clean
trim/chamfer/debur
check primer holes
prime
set scale
load powder
seat bullet
factory crimp
inspection
label box, data to log

I put the list in with the brass so I know where I left off.
 
Hmmmm. Have to think about how I reload. First lube, then run them up into the sizing die which has a de-capper. So now they are sized and de-primed. Now wipe the lube off with a dry cotton rag. Next step would be to put in a new primer. Now if these were set on the shelf for a time all that would be required to load them is drop powder and seat a bullet.

So I am going to suggest: Load those and shoot them!

Quote: "It's possible I deprimed/primed these before I knew any better about thoroughly cleaning the brass before resizing. You know, ignorance is bliss and all that."

Omigosh, way too much fuss is given about cleaning brass. All that is required is that it doesn't have mud caked to it. The dark color of aged brass is no problem at all.

If reloading military brass, the primers are crimped in and are usually a pain to remove, and once removed it is necessary to clean up the primer hole with the little reamer you can buy. You only need to do this the first time these brass are reloaded.
 
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If they are primed then they have to have been sized.

Run some into your gun if you need to prove that.

Is the finish so bad you don't want to shoot them in a gun?

Time to run a test, load a primer in backwards in a bolt action then try to fire it (no power, no bullet, just a primer)

If it won't go boom with a fast moving striker, then pushing it out with a press in the wrong firing direction with no stop will not do it either.

I will make that same test this weekend.

And yes I do it, I certainty respect someone who does not want to.
 
Quote: "I don't yet have a vibratory tumbler but the Frankford Arsenal is on sale ($35 with Prime shipping.)"

Like I said, way too much fuss is given about cleaning brass. I started reloading at age 17...... that was 60 years ago. I have never tumbled nor washed brass. It is not necessary. The dark color of used brass is no problem at all. The gun doesn't have eyes to see the color. Sheeeeesh!

Oh, I was also going to say that I have had primers go in sidewise, or upside down at times. I just run them up in the resizing die and punch out the goofy primer. I have never had one go bang in the press with any of these goofy operations. I suggest that as you grab a primed casing to load powder in it, look at the primer. Make sure that there is a primer and it is in correctly. Have fun!
 
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jamaica said:
Omigosh, way too much fuss is given about cleaning brass. All that is required is that it doesn't have mud caked to it. The dark color of aged brass is no problem at all.
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My experience (albeit with One Shot case lube) is different here this week. In another thread I shared my experience with "this isn't dirty!" brass.

RC20 said:
If they are primed then they have to have been sized.
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Not in my house ... I often prime with a hand primer while watching TV.

And I'm not worried about decapping good primers. It feels wasteful but I'll get over that. I was just commenting that one of these days it's bound to get me and have one go off. I'm sure there's folks who have done the same for years and years with no issues. I was remarking on the luck I am having lately is all.

Lest my responses not come across with the respect and deference I intend, please let me repeat: I do respect and appreciate all of the advice I have been given. I've just had a little bit of bad luck lately and I'm a little gun-shy. That and I like shiny brass. :D
 
"...primed probably two years ago..." You clean 'em before you re-primed 'em? If so, they don't need cleaning again. They do not need to be shiney. If you want shiney, polish 'em, by hand, with a rag and a bit of Brasso or plain white vinegar.
"...dark color of aged brass is..." Oxidization not carbon or range mud.
"...or even if they were resized..." Why would you re-prime before resizing? Or resize before cleaning?
"...corn cob vs walnut media..." No. Crushed walnut shells are usually easier to get in great big bags though.
 
I have the Tumbler B Tumbler also , switched from dry to wet after 25+ years using SS Pins , dish detergent & LemiShine , brass looks brand new every time . I pop the primers first with a universal recapping die , clean & then size . On your primmed sized cases , load them up & shoot them. Clean cases using a good lube shouldn't stick in the die , when you feel a little resistance lower the ram add a little more lube . Happened to me too , an will only happen once .
 
Lest my responses not come across with the respect and deference I intend, please let me repeat: I do respect and appreciate all of the advice I have been given. I've just had a little bit of bad luck lately and I'm a little gun-shy. That and I like shiny brass.
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Well sometimes things stack up against you.

However, I will say, most of so called lack luck has more to do with knowledge and getting into binds a a result of that (or being setup for it by someone else s actions) .

In other words, once you get up to speed your luck drastically improves .

I don't believe you can first off a primer short of seated or again hard steel backing and a sharp finer pointed blow. Ergo, not a luck issue

I will do a bit of testing. Worst case (pun intended) seems to me to be hard backed and wrong way, ergo, I will load one that way and see what happens.

I may get the gloves and coat on, face shield and goggles and try to pop one off backwards with a punch against a steel base (don't try this yourself, only experienced types who have done bad things to themselves over the years are eligible)

That said, my first time I saw a lineman gear up with all the gear (a lot) then go up, turn his face away and shove a fuse closed, and Kaboom!

Uhh why did you do that, you knew we had a short.

That's the drill, it may have cleared. Hmm, but won't it just come back?

Well that's for someone else to deal with.

So it goes.
 
I had the same question a couple of months back. Some .223 LC that I had prepped 4 years back. Several of the posters here that I have a lot of respect for said just load and shoot them so I did. If you want to tumble then do it. A piece of walnut or corncob will be vaporized by the primer.

I shot mine without tumbling and the gun did not seem to care they were not shiny

Oh and don't waste money on a vibratory cleaner, your rotary can be used as a dry media tumbler. I run my Franklin rotary dry with walnut to clean cases that have been FL resized just to get the lube off. It is quieter and polishes the cases just fine
 
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LBussy wrote:
I have a large box of 5.56 that I primed probably two years ago and promptly forgot about. Can I safely and effectively clean these?
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Yes.

There are many ways to clean the outside surface of a case. Spinning it and using steel wool is one approach. Using a cleaner like Brasso is another (and, no, Brasso will not hurt your brass unless you plan to soak it Brasso for several months).

But, so long as all you have is minor tarnishing on the surface of the case, polishing is not necessary.

I assume a vibratory tumbler would be safe to use on primed cases...
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Yes, it can be used.

There is a possibility of getting a piece of media lodged in the flash hole, but since the explosive wavefront of lead styphante travels around 16,000 fps, the likelihood of it "plugging" the flashhole and causing a problem are remote.

I would not do it because I don't want singed pieces of media in my cases.

Is there a difference in using corn cob vs walnut media?
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Yes. Walnut shell is harder than corn cob. As a result, Walnut more readily cleans while corn cob more readily polishes.
 
RC20 wrote:
If they are primed then they have to have been sized.
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Please explain how you reach that conclusion? Anyone working in batches on a single stage press could easily remove the decapping pin from his expander (all of my expanders have the decapping pin removed since I use a dedicated decapping die) and conduct the sizing operation after priming.
 
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