.223 Rem- Loading Procedure/ Cleaning Lube from the Round

[Caldad]

Hi-

I have a question about loading .223 Rem and when/how you clean off the lube.

I've loaded a lot of handgun ammo, and .270 Win with carbide dies, and this .223 Rem (for semi-auto use) lube business is messing with me. So far I've only made a small quantity of test loads and wiped those off by hand... and realized that my arthritis doesn't like doing that much.

I know that many people tumble the case to remove the case lube, but I've read a number of varying ideas on when in the reloading process to do it. I even read one guys post (on another site) that said he tumbled after he finished the completed loading process. Having a few hundred finished rounds bouncing around in the tumbler seems like a bad idea to me.

Can the case lube be put on (so far I've used LEE Case Lube) ...run into the decapper/resizing die ...tumbled to remove the lube ...trimmed to length, chamfer, clean the primmer pockets ...add primer- powder- bullet- crimp? Isn't the lube only needed for the resizing die?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

 

[Electronrider]

I throw all my brass in the tumbler and run it for a few hours in walnut media with a little bit of polish mixed into the media. I then decap, resize, trim, chamfer and debur, remove crimp, unifor primer pocket, and debur the flash hole. After all my case prep is done, I throw it into the tumbler with corn cob media and a little polish for an hour or two. Then I prime, drop powder, and seat the bullet.

You could just run it thru the tumbler after resizing, but I like to do all the work to the case and then do it, that way any little bits from case prep gets taken away too.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

This is my procedure.

1. Decap
2. Uniform primer and flash holes
3. Lube, resize, chamfer
4. Tumble for a couple of hours
5. Prime
6. Trim
7. Charge
8. Seat bullet

 

[Caldad]

Electronrider- Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

One other question- I've only used walnut in the past... doesn't corn cob get stuck in the primer pocket (does it get dirty- the same as with walnut dust)- do you have to clean the primer pockets again? If not, and it comes out clean that would be sweet!

Thanks again!!

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Electronrider- Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

One other question- I've only used walnut in the past... doesn't corn cob get stuck in the primer pocket (does it get dirty- the same as with walnut dust)- do you have to clean the primer pockets again? If not, and it comes out clean that would be sweet!

Thanks again!!

I only use corn cob media. There is no dust to deal with as well. Also, throwing a dryer sheet in the media helps keep the media cleaner and helps it last longer. I have no issues with it cloging up the primer pocket or the flash hole.

 

[Electronrider]

I take a dryer sheet and cut it into 1" squares and put it in with all my media, takes care of dust problems.

I always inspect my primer holes prior to priming, as all kinds of media can get wedged in there.

 

[Broom_jm]

There's lots of different ways of going about it. If the cases aren't terribly dirty after being fired, the simplest method is to lube, resize/decap, trim as needed, clean primer pocket (if you like) and then tumble. Tumbling primed or loaded cases is not fraught with danger and if you were doing so only to remove sizing lube, 20 minutes would be plenty.

 

[poisonspyder]

use hornady one shot and forget about cleaning up the lube. i have had no issues doing it this way and i know of several others doing the same without issue.

 

[lovemywoods]

My current process with .223 is:

1. Lube with Hornady One Shot spray*
2. Decap/resize
3. Trim to length
4. Deburr/chamfer neck
5. Swage primer pockets if needed
6. Tumble to remove lube
7. Inspect primer pockets for media
8. Prime
9. Charge powder
10. Seat bullet
11. Crimp (sometimes)
12. Shoot!!


*If the brass is dirty, I tumble it clean before starting the reloading process.

I like to do a final tumbling to clean the lube and any brass shavings just before priming. One Shot will leave a haze (like a dull, tarnished look) on the brass. I like shiny brass in my final rounds so I clean it.

I do get some corn cob media in the flash holes. Perhaps 5-10% of the cases. It varies.

I’ll often process brass to the primed stage and then store it. When I decide what I want to load, I don’t have to start the process at the beginning. I’ve got primed brass ready to go.

Happy reloading!

 

[walker]

Hi-
Can the case lube be put on (so far I've used LEE Case Lube) ...run into the decapper/resizing die ...tumbled to remove the lube ...trimmed to length, chamfer, clean the primmer pockets ...add primer- powder- bullet- crimp? Isn't the lube only needed for the resizing die?

Yes, you can tumble to remove lube after resizing and depriming. The lube is only needed for resizing.