I have taken to the wet tumbling and was amazed at some of the issues.
Biggest is I shoot a lot of 6.5 Lapua now. The stainless pins are supposedly .250 or so long. Those stick in the neck. When they stick in the neck they also have some or a lot stuck down in the case.
I talked to CED and they had no answer other than it had been reported.
After a lot of sleuthing, I came across Southern Shine Media, its stainless chips. Clearly a bit lower quality as some of them are metal and rust but it sounds like that decays out and causes no issues. It comes in 5 lbs for $35 and free shipping (even to AK apparently !) The CED uses 3.5 lbs to plenty as the chips disappear (those pins wind up everywhere!)
Regardless, you need large pins or small pins as anything from 45 down to 22 is going to get caught unless the pins are a bit longer than 45 caliber or shorter than 22.
As for annealing, the other benefits are.
1. No smoke from the carbon so I don't have to open doors and windows to do that.
2. Anneal is more consistent (with the Annie). Instruction say to run 10 cases through before the electronics settle out. Now I can see the metal blush start on case 8 and its very consistent.
I am still doing an 80-90% anneal. I have no desire to take the cases over the edge and as long as I repeat I am good.
The 6.5 Lapua cases have been good for 10 cycles. Good chamber and possibly the quality of the Lapua mfg cases (I think Pederson is the only other 6.5 x 47 case maker)
I had some liquid dishwasher soap to use up (the pods work so much better) and not committed to any given soap though the lemon-shine adder is nice.
It is nice to get the PPU rounds bright and shiny. Yes I know it makes no real difference but I like bright and shiny brass and if it makes me happy.....
Definitely a learning curve, I have modified the ideas of how to go about it to what works for me with my setup. I can recover the pins with a magnet (not all stainless is non magnetic)
Biggest is I shoot a lot of 6.5 Lapua now. The stainless pins are supposedly .250 or so long. Those stick in the neck. When they stick in the neck they also have some or a lot stuck down in the case.
I talked to CED and they had no answer other than it had been reported.
After a lot of sleuthing, I came across Southern Shine Media, its stainless chips. Clearly a bit lower quality as some of them are metal and rust but it sounds like that decays out and causes no issues. It comes in 5 lbs for $35 and free shipping (even to AK apparently !) The CED uses 3.5 lbs to plenty as the chips disappear (those pins wind up everywhere!)
Regardless, you need large pins or small pins as anything from 45 down to 22 is going to get caught unless the pins are a bit longer than 45 caliber or shorter than 22.
As for annealing, the other benefits are.
1. No smoke from the carbon so I don't have to open doors and windows to do that.
2. Anneal is more consistent (with the Annie). Instruction say to run 10 cases through before the electronics settle out. Now I can see the metal blush start on case 8 and its very consistent.
I am still doing an 80-90% anneal. I have no desire to take the cases over the edge and as long as I repeat I am good.
The 6.5 Lapua cases have been good for 10 cycles. Good chamber and possibly the quality of the Lapua mfg cases (I think Pederson is the only other 6.5 x 47 case maker)
I had some liquid dishwasher soap to use up (the pods work so much better) and not committed to any given soap though the lemon-shine adder is nice.
It is nice to get the PPU rounds bright and shiny. Yes I know it makes no real difference but I like bright and shiny brass and if it makes me happy.....
Definitely a learning curve, I have modified the ideas of how to go about it to what works for me with my setup. I can recover the pins with a magnet (not all stainless is non magnetic)