To clean or not to clean...

[GP40X]

Before resizing and decapping the cases. Just starting out in reloading again (used to reload .45 ACP with a Lee Loader with Mil surplus primers and powder and lead cast bulled using wheel weights and an old bullet mold when I was a kid). I am doing this on a budget and starting out with a Lee Loader again in 38 Special but plan on getting a set of Lee carbide dies and a Lee Hand Press if I continue with reloading (no room for even a single stage press and small loading bench in the apartment). I will be using the Dawn and Lemishine wet method with an old cleaned out gallon wide mouth tea jug and hand agitation. My question is should I clean the brass before or after I deprime and resize the cases?

[Bart B.]

Clean after deprimming and before resizing.

[Unclenick]

^^^Yes, deprime first. You want to let the Lemishine get out as much of the lead residue from the priming compound as you can. Note that the dust that comes out with the decapped primer can be tossed in with the cases so the citric acid can chelate the lead compounds and render them less toxic.

[RC20]

I found sizing is better (lube works better) if you don't clean the case.

That includes the carbide dies that lube still helps out and I was doing 9mm for a while though mostly its 41 mag.

That would be cases that have not been on the ground.

[Shadow9mm]

I prefer to deprime, then clean, then resize. You can get a universal decap/deprime die for fairly cheap.

With that said, Jerry Miculek says he has never cleand a primer pocket since 1974 and had really good success...

Heres the vid, its at the 4:47 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ2CjzW0Dww

[Doyle]

I prefer to deprime, then clean, then resize. You can get a universal decap/deprime die for fairly cheap.

Combine that cheap universal decapping die with a Lee Hand Press and you can sit in your easy chair depriming while watching your favorite TV shows. Don't ask me how I know that.

[ms6852]

I have the least expensive press you can buy from Lee with their Universal depriming die set up in the garage. Since I pick up a lot of range brass it all gets deprimed first then cleaned.

[KCRaider21]

I clean, then deprime/resize, do my case prep and then clean/polish again, but I'm really anal.

[Average Joe]

Handgun cases I clean first, then deprime and reload.
Rifle cases I deprime first, (with Lee universal decapper ) then clean, and reload. I wash rifle cases, and they dry faster with the primer removed.

[GP40X]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will be trying a few different methods and see what works best for me. Thanks again.

[Grey_Lion]

I de-prime before I tumble. I used to worry about the primer pocket changing size due to tumble media wear but don't any more. I find extremely few oversized primer pockets whilst reloading.

1) I prefer Winchester pistol brass and about 1 in 20 range once fired pickup brass cases has a bur at the primer hole inside the case. Sometimes the SS media knocks it off - sometimes it doesn't. If I left the primer in, more of the burs would remain and have to be removed manually by hand later. Same for Remington.

2) If the primer pocket is loose, I don't want the old primer's residue being what holds the new primer in.

3) if the primer residue remains, you might miss seeing a case crack - perfectly clean cases are always your best bet.

4) primer residue has the most absorbable lead residue in reloading - so it's a safety issue to want to have it all gone. I hand deprime away from my press and loading bench.

5) if you de-prime, you will end up removing anything which might be stuck in the flash hole ahead of your cleaning. Especially outdoor range brass, you'd have sand, small rocks, occasional bullet jacket fragments, smaller caliber cases and so on that would then be tumbled with your brass if you tumbled primers in. So you have a cleaner tumble after you clear primers and fewer scratches and wear on both your brass and your tumbler canister extending the life of both.

[Marco Califo]

If I buy pistol caliber nasty range brass by the box, I will clean GSR, and whatever else, by soaking in very hot water with dishwasher detergent. It would not hurt to add lemi-shine, to chelate the lead. No need to dry the cleaner primered brass. They deprime when wet just fine.
Then, I deprime using a Frankfort Arse. Hand Deprimer. I own several Lee hand presses and depriming dies, too. I use this prewash to prevent handling gunky brass. When I am processing my own brass, the pre-cleaning is not necessary.
Wet tumbling after depriming will clean-out primer pockets.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1016298781?pid=220617

[MarkCO]

Originally Posted by Average Joe

Handgun cases I clean first, then deprime and reload.
Rifle cases I deprime first, (with Lee universal decapper ) then clean, and reload. I wash rifle cases, and they dry faster with the primer removed.

Same here.

[WESHOOT2]

I clean first, then perform other operations.
I have bent too many deprime pins on stuck media.

[Don P]

^^^^^^^what he said. I clean then decap and size. I thought that cleaning before was to ease the nasty's from getting in and damaging dies

[BCR1]

I de-prime everything on my Chucker before wet cleaning in my FART. I got tired of having to tear down and clean the priming systems on my two 550B's due to all the crud left by dirty fired primers.

Bill