Need an education on 9mm reloading

[Mad Professor]

Quick question, what's the consensus on decapping before cleaning? With my long range rifle rounds, I always decap as my first step, then tumble, case prep, etc. I do this for many reasons, mainly to have an opportunity to clean the primer pockets and to ensure that my sizing die never sees any dirty brass. On run of the mill range ammo, I've been seeing a lot of people online say they really don't decap before they clean the rounds. They only remove the spent primer during the FL sizing die while reloading. What's everyone's thoughts on this?

I decap and then clean. I know people that do not. I do not size it as I don’t want dirty brass in my die. I decap with a Dillon die that I knocked the carbide ring out of.


Does it help having a squeaky clean primer pocket, I really doubt it. But, it keeps the loading machine cleaner and I feel better about it. I do other things to make it all go smoother. I’m pretty anal about it actually. I also use an excessive amount of toilet paper to keep my brasshole clean, so there you go with TMI.

People tell me how good my brass looks, or maybe I’m hearing them wrong.

 

[swampratt]

I got an eye opener when I cleaned a bunch of brass in my pin tumbler and waited a few months before I de-primed them.
I had some primers that reacted with the liquid solution and whatever was under the primer and got so stuck in the primer pocket that i broke a de-priming pin.
Even the wack-a-mole deprimer rod would not remove the primer.. it just punched a hole through it.
3 cases acted like that.

I always de-prime now before cleaning.
After cleaning I then size my pistol cases and prime them on a single stage.

I Do not always do it on a single stage but that is 1 less step I need to do in the loading process and if you have a 3 hole turret press that sizing step does not take up a space and I can use the powder through flare die and Lee disc powder measure which is stupid accurate and then seat in another hole and then the factory carbide crimp die for final.

I have not tried magnum primers in pistol cases except 357 magnum.
Maybe I should and see what I get.


I do not see how a primer choice will wear out a breechface though.
Unless it was seated in a loose primer pocket and gas was seeping past the primer.

 

[thor447]

I decap and then clean. I know people that do not. I do not size it as I don’t want dirty brass in my die. I decap with a Dillon die that I knocked the carbide ring out of.


Does it help having a squeaky clean primer pocket, I really doubt it. But, it keeps the loading machine cleaner and I feel better about it. I do other things to make it all go smoother. I’m pretty anal about it actually. I also use an excessive amount of toilet paper to keep my brasshole clean, so there you go with TMI.

People tell me how good my brass looks, or maybe I’m hearing them wrong.

View attachment 167458

I thought I had a decent stockpile of brass saved up. HAHAHA, apparently not. You win sir.

 

[Mad Professor]

I never run anything in a die till its been tumbled. After tumbling then I run everything through a LEE app normally for de-priming. Then final inspection before loading or swaging if necessary.

I run the brass as I get it, if it is not too bad. Indoor brass no problem. Outdoor, it depends. Sometimes it gets a short tumble to remove the drift to see my machine. My vibratory sorter get most off anyhow. But, it is not sizing and only decapping and swaging in this process.

This gets an air can dusting every 5K or so. I sometimes tent it slightly to keep the air blown dust down.

 

[thor447]

I do not see how a primer choice will wear out a breechface though.
Unless it was seated in a loose primer pocket and gas was seeping past the primer.

Here's where I read about the breech face.

https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/147881-small-magnum-primers-for-9mm/
post in the above thread then links to photos in this thread:
https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/...-weak-9mm-loads/?tab=comments#comment-1642766

They are claiming it is because they were using magnum primers with weak loads. I'm not sure how that'd do it, but see for yourself. There are differing opinions on the thread. The only one that sounds like the person knows what they are talking about dispels their claim that they damage the breech face, and states that it has to do with worn out primer pockets. It's basically just like a Ford vs. Chevy debate!

 

[Mad Professor]

I thought I had a decent stockpile of brass saved up. HAHAHA, apparently not. You win sir.

LoL

I’ve been sorting, prepping, and cleaning off and on for about a month. I was down to about 5K of ready 9mm. I hadn’t prepped since about 2 years ago when I prepped about 100K.

 

[swampratt]

You must see primer pocket leakage on the cases if the pitting is that bad.
I would think so anyway.
Maybe the 9mm case is weak and does not hold up well to hot loads.
Those are brutal pictures and would sure steer me away from whatever causes it.
If it is hard cup primers then so be it ..None of those would be used in my 9mm if I had a 9mm

 

[thor447]

LoL

I’ve been sorting, prepping, and cleaning off and on for about a month. I was down to about 5K of ready 9mm. I hadn’t prepped since about 2 years ago when I prepped about 100K.

I deprimed 1500 rounds this evening, and my fingers are PISSED!

If I may ask, where are you getting all of your brass? Is it just a stock that you've built up throughout the years, or do you make regular trips to a range and pick up other's spent brass?

 

[Mad Professor]

I deprimed 1500 rounds this evening, and my fingers are PISSED!

If I may ask, where are you getting all of your brass? Is it just a stock that you've built up throughout the years, or do you make regular trips to a range and pick up other's spent brass?

I shoot a few times a week at an outdoor range. I’ll police up brass others fail to clean up. I buy it when the price is right. I used to have a couple of people that knew I would buy 9mm brass from them when they needed some money. Some comes from classes.

It’s not all mine though. I have 2 friends that come over and we load their 9mm on my press and they help me accumulate brass also. They bring much more than they load, and I sort and clean it, so I end up with extra there.

 

[thor447]

I shoot a few times a week at an outdoor range. I’ll police up brass others fail to clean up. I buy it when the price is right. I used to have a couple of people that knew I would buy 9mm brass from them when they needed some money. Some comes from classes.

It’s not all mine though. I have 2 friends that come over and we load their 9mm on my press and they help me accumulate brass also. They bring much more than they load, and I sort and clean it, so I end up with extra there.

Thanks for the info. I need to start employing some friends to gather up brass!