Universal Decapper?

R

Ribcracker

New member
After tumbling and resizing my brass, I normally clean the primer pockets by chucking one of those little steel pocket cleaners in my drill press. While it's turning I can process a case about every two seconds.
Someone suggested that a universal decapper would eliminate that step by letting the tumbling media do the pocket cleaning job.
Trouble is...almost every case ends up with a chunk of media stuck in the flash hole that then needs to be picked out - considerably more work. And quite frankly, the tumbler doesn't do a very good job of cleaning the pockets.
If you ask me, the uni decapper is a waste of time and money.
Anybody agree? Disagree?
 
I clean my brass with a SS wet tumbler and must say it cleans the primer pockets quit well. Getting pins stuck inside a flash hole has never been a problem but occasionally a pin will get stuck sideways inside a .223/5.56 case.
 
Before wet tumblers, I tried decaping before tumbling in a vibrating tumbler
It Did Not Clean The Pockets For Me Ether

It does work with a wet tumbler and Ultrasonic cleaners

I now wet tumble and will never go back
cases are cleaner, takes less time, the SS pins are reusable
so it costs less
 
If I am tumbling a large amount, they go into the vibratory with dry media. I used to deprime first but didn't think it was cleaning the pockets very well so I stopped depriming. Small batches go into the wet with SS pins and they do get deprimed.

I don't worry about media in the flash hole, the depriming pin will take care of that during sizing.
 
Cleaned my brass for 25+ years using corn & walnut media. Switched to wet tumbler with SS pins. Cleans cases inside & out, also primer pockets.
 
I've been reloading for 50+ years. I've never seen any need to clean primer pockets.

Progressive reloaders do not clean pockets, and they turn out ammo as good as factory.
 
Truth be, I only clean my primer pockets every 3rd or 4th loading because by then the grunge has built up enough to make seating somewhat difficult. Also, the primers appear to seat higher so I have to forcibly ram them home which leaves a punch mark. That's when I know it's time to clean.
 
Since I use range brass I remove primer first than use the ultrasound cleaner. If brass needs shining I than use the tumbler for about an hour, I've never encountered the problem you do with media in the primer pocket.
 
I have found some of my purchased once-fired then wet cleaned with the spent primers left in, have corroded the primers in place from the moisture. When I de-caped them, the de-priming punch broke the the end of the primer out and left the sides the primer cup stuck (corroded/fused), to the inside of the primer pocket on a couple of the cases. So, If I was going to wet-tumble, I would de-cap first with a universal de-capper if I had one. But inasmuch as I just dry tumble to clean my cases after firing, I do not decap until ready to prime.
 
On rifle brass I first decap then do a citric acid bath, then lube, size, tumble, and trim, and swage primer pockets. Never seem to have any media in primer pockets, and while they aren't perfectly clean, they come fairly clean this way.
 
I use a LEE universal decapper then decrimp if needed and clean the pockets on the Franfort Arsenal case prep center (rifle only)

I normally do not clean the primer pockets on 9mm or .380 but I do on 38/357, 44mag and 45ACP. I just decrimp and let the tumbler clean them out.
 
Any issues with media getting stuck in those 38, .44, and .45 flash holes?
I know you can get walnut media in different granule sizes but corn cob media granuals seem to be a perfect fit for those flash holes, at least in my experience.
 
I have some media stuck in the flash holes. I'm using a LCT so I just run the case through the sizer and let the decapping pin clean it out for me while I load another primer.

I have never had an issue.

On rifle rounds, I use a spare decapping pin to clean the flash hole out before priming since my cases are sized and trimmed before hand.
 
I haven't decided yet.

As far as cleaning primer pockets, decap then wet pin tumble.
Wait to dry, size,trim,chamfer,debur,remove crimp if needed.

I haven't found any time savings though over dry tumbling decapping,sizing,trim,chamfer,debur,brush primer pocket,remove crimp if needed.

I'm still trying to decide. It seems dry is a bit faster to me and a little less brass handling.
Just moving the steps around a little diffrent.

But on 223/308 I decap as a separate step anyways, as I find it easier on my expander stem in the size die on crimped primers..
 
Getting clean primer pockets is for vanity sake, but I am not a perfect person, and I want my brass shiny.
 
When I dry tumbled , I left the primer in & cleaned the pocket with the uniformer. Wet tumbler I removed the primer first & pockets came out clean.
 
My takeaway from all this is that if you have a wet tumbler, the universal decapper is a useful tool. But if you're using dry media in a vibratory tumbler, the universal decapper has no practical application.
Live and learn, I say.
Thanks for all your input, guys.
 
RibCracker is right when he says the primer pocket grunge can cause primers to ride high and corncob and walnut media not cleaning the pockets. I like to use my RCBS universal de-capper on my Forster press because it has a drop tube that keeps the spent primers from zinging all over the county, and catches all the crud that would otherwise collect on the ram and press if sized on my RockChucker. That crud is abrasive.

I uniform all pockets for ammo that will be used in my gas guns, and I like to get that chore out of the way first, after cleaning. I clean, de-prime, uniform pockets, and size. That's about its main use for me.
 
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