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Old October 1, 2018, 06:35 PM   #1
Stats Shooter
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Today I tumbled some 10mm brass with 45-70 government in my wet tumbler. Big mistake and stupid. Fortunately there were only 50 pieces of 45-70 brass and each one had 2 pieces of 10mm brass jammed up in it. Took me an hour with some dental tools and needle nose pliers to get them all out. Especially since some of the pins saw fit to wedge themselves between the side wall of the pistol case and 45-70 cases.

Moral of this story is if you are tumbling different cartridges, make sure one wont snugly fit inside the other.
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Old October 1, 2018, 06:59 PM   #2
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If we could like posts, I would like yours. Why? I understand your plight. I've done similar, and it's a pain!
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Old October 1, 2018, 07:43 PM   #3
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I learned my lesson early on with a dry media vbratory tumbler. .32 stuck in a 9mm that stuck in a .40 that stuck in a .45. Not easy to get apart at all.
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Old October 1, 2018, 08:46 PM   #4
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If we could like posts, I would like yours. Why? I understand your plight. I've done similar, and it's a pain!
thanks, I felt stupid for not realizing it before I did it. But as i painstakingly separated the brass, I knew it's a mistake I would not soon repeat.
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Old October 1, 2018, 09:37 PM   #5
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When I use my vibratory tumbler, it is either one cartridge or two distinct but similar; so either it is all 38 or 9mm, or a mix of both; or it is only 45 acp, or a mix of 38 and 380

makes afterwards a lot nicer
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Old October 1, 2018, 10:02 PM   #6
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I think a lot more people have dealt with that dilemma than what you would realize. Myself included.
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Old October 1, 2018, 10:10 PM   #7
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Yes, I too have experienced tumbler love. Amazing how tight one case can get stuck in another.
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Old October 1, 2018, 11:05 PM   #8
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For some reason decapping pins don't take kindly to having other random cases wedged inside the case you're knocking the primer out of. I learned that one the hard way.
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Old October 1, 2018, 11:50 PM   #9
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Yup, you’re the only one thats done that! Well, certainly a possibility that you’re the only one to do that with those two calibers!

I hate 40 because its the case that bridges the other cases, namely it like to swallow 9mm cases. Im full up enough now I just toss em in the recycle bucket if they done easily pop apart.

A set of the case separating trys has helped ALOT.
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Old October 2, 2018, 12:10 AM   #10
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Quote:
Stats Shooter wrote: "Moral of this story is if you are tumbling different cartridges, make sure one wont snugly fit inside the other."
Amen.
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Old October 2, 2018, 05:04 AM   #11
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9mm inside .40 S&W inside .41 magnum. Won't do that again.
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Old October 2, 2018, 10:47 AM   #12
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thanks, I felt stupid for not realizing it before I did it.
I will bet that 99% of reloaders to it at least once so no need to feel stupid at all. Now if you find yourself doing it repeatedly ....... Even after knowing better every now and then a nine may slip into a batch of 40's or a .40 into a .45 accidents do happen
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Old October 2, 2018, 12:20 PM   #13
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Welcome to the crowd.

You are (we are) in good company. Been there. Done that. A couple times, actually - sigh.

It's amazing how everything will wedge up into everything else. But that same phenomenon is the reason why ss pin tumbling is so effective.
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Old October 2, 2018, 01:16 PM   #14
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Helps, sometimes, to deprime first. Gives you another hole to poke wires and dental tools through.
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Old October 2, 2018, 03:32 PM   #15
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I did the same thing, forget what combo, 9mm and 41 mag maybe.

Oooops
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Old October 2, 2018, 03:41 PM   #16
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I'll tumble 9mm and 38 Special and 357 Mag together. 10mm & 40S&W can be tumbled together. And of course, so can 44 Mag and Special.

I've thought about 45 ACP and 44 Mag. But never actually did it.

.223 Rem is the only rifle caliber I load. I decided to only tumble them by themselves.
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Old October 2, 2018, 03:59 PM   #17
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Add me to the list.
9mm in 40S&W in 45ACP. Darn walnut really packs in there!
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Old October 2, 2018, 07:41 PM   #18
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this situation is one reason to go ahead and de-prime the shells before tumbling on the off chance you mix in a different one, you can push them apart using a finishing nail as needed without too much grief. I do a lot of 9mm and .40 and every so often a 9'll show up in a .40 case having gotten stuck in the bottom rim of the tumbler canister........
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Old October 2, 2018, 07:44 PM   #19
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Yea I always decap first. But despite that, they wedged pretty tight. If I had not deprimed, I likely would have had far more problems .

Normally I batch process but I had some 45-70 I needed to clean real quick and didn't want to have to do two batches so I just threw them in there ....and paid for it.
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Old October 2, 2018, 07:51 PM   #20
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we used to have a reloading bench at the makerspace I'm a member of and someone decided to go fast and vibrated half a bucket of mixed donated brass and we were picking that stuff apart for quite some time..... there is so much wisdom in sorting your calibers first if for no reason than it being your first inspection of several in a good process......
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Old October 3, 2018, 11:18 PM   #21
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Quote:
Moral of this story is if you are tumbling different cartridges, make sure one wont snugly fit inside the other.
I would amend this slightly. When tumbling different cases, make sure one won't fit inside the other AT ALL!!!

Because if one will, the media will jam in there and make sure its "snug".


Also be aware that if PART of the case will fit in another, they can be jammed together too. Bottle necked rifle brass can be "capped" with 9mm and larger pistol cases. and surprisingly tightly too!
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Old October 6, 2018, 07:43 AM   #22
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Gotta watch out for those darn ss pins too. Scary to think what would happened if you primed and charged a case and it had one or two pins in there. Dont know if it would increase pressure enough to blow a gun but I cant imagine it would be good for your rifling as it flies down the bore at 3000fps.
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Old October 6, 2018, 07:55 AM   #23
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[QUOTE]
Gotta watch out for those darn ss pins too. Scary to think what would happened if you primed and charged a case and it had one or two pins in there. Dont know if it would increase pressure enough to blow a gun but I cant imagine it would be good for your rifling as it flies down the bore at 3000fps./QUOTE]

I'm always careful about that. But I doubt it would be that catastrophic. The pin wouldn't go that fast as it doesn't seal the bore and is behind the bullet. Also it will likely be near the casehead so it would be going a lot slower than 3000 fps. But, the only time I see that being possible is in small bottleneck cases.

The easiest way is to clean them after tumbling, then once they are dry I tumble them in a media separator for a while and any remaining just fall out.
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Old October 6, 2018, 03:54 PM   #24
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[QUOTE]Took me an hour with some dental tools and needle nose pliers to get them all out.[QUOTE]

That's really funny, We have all done that at some point.

Quote:
9mm inside .40 S&W inside .41 magnum. Won't do that again.
Me either. My powder die caught a 9mm inside a 41 mag case one day on my LNL-AP.

OH MY LORD!

I radically change my practice after that.
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Old October 6, 2018, 05:31 PM   #25
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Gotta watch out for those darn ss pins too. Scary to think what would happened if you primed and charged a case and it had one or two pins in there. Dont know if it would increase pressure enough to blow a gun but I cant imagine it would be good for your rifling as it flies down the bore at 3000fps.
I would not do it on purpose but I am sure it has happened they tend to accumulate in cases. I always transfer them by hand from the rinse container and shake em good. I dump them in a plastic colander in the drying box and toss and swirl them. The head of the case is havier and thet want to stnd on end. You can then pick them up and do 4 or 5 at a time. That works on rifle cases at least.

Now if you are using brass with Palma style small flash holes check the flash hole.

One day at practice one of my rounds did not go bang , I waited a minute cycled the bolt and still just a click. Took it home and pulled the bullet and powder was in there. Looked in the case too see if primer had fired and saw the pin still stuck in the flash hole. I keep a Lee neck sizer with the pin broke off for use with resizing a neck if I pull the bullet on a unfired case. That pushed the primer and the pin partway out. Took a pair of needlenose to get the pin all the way out. Amazes me though how that thing jammed in there after the primer fired. A piece of corn cob would have been vaporized yet that pin did not move

No worries about that with normal flash holes. The pins will go straight through
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