ok, what now?

[jonp]

I threw some 223 brass in a tumbler and without thinking filled it with corncob. Now i have 50 pieces of brass stuffed full of media and wedged tight.

Any ideas on the best way to get it out short of a propane torch?

[Beesdad]

Use a small drill bit attached to your cordless drill.

[Sweetpea]

I guess I don't understand exactly what happened, just how it got packed in.

I would vote for a dental pick.

[petroid]

Turn it into 300 BLK brass.

[Cmm_3940]

Is it deprimed?

[lancem]

Guess I would try emptying the tumbler and throw the brass back in and let it go, it will probably come out, if not nothing lost.

[Larry Gibson]

The drill in the hand drill is what I use when that happens.

Although sometimes if you just separate the extra media from the filled case and put the filled cases back in the vibrator it will vibrate the stuff out. Not always but enough that it's worth a try. Noisy as heck and I give it 30 minutes before going to the hand drill.

Larry Gibson

[Whitespider]

Yeah, I'm not understanding either.
Corncob media is all I use and I've never had it get "packed" into any cartridge case... it just falls out.
That's including .223, .22 Hornet, .220 Swift, 22-250, and a bunch of others.

[DeanWinchester]

Sounds like you got a lot of additive in there making things stick.

[YunGun]

Unless it's wet, it should come out without too much trouble. Although it takes a lot longer than one of those nifty sorters, I sift my brass out by hand & hold it upside down against the central metal rod of the tumbler while it's running (per the Lyman tumbler instructions); virtually all stuck media comes loose pretty quickly, although the .223 cases are a tad more stubborn about it due to the tighter dimensions....

[CastingFool]

When that happens, I use a small flat blade screwdriver.

[waco]

I use pet store corn cob and have had this happen as well. Over 200 pcs. of .223
It is still sitting in a bucket. It's been over two years.
Watching this one with interest...

[fastfire]

Never had that happen..............

[1989toddm]

Load a magnum primer and give it a boost!

[jonp]

Pet Store Corncob. It's pretty big and I use it to polish bad looking brass before using fine walnut media. It is packed in tight as a drum. I added a standard capful of mineral spirits and NuFinish so it's not wet and its some I've used already with no problems. I'll try the running in the tumbler dry first then the holding it against the rod. Drill as a last resort.

I don't know how that happened either. It is deprimed. After I got some stuck in the primer pocket of the some 45ACP brass I started tumbling with the primers in.

[Love Life]

50 223 brass? I'd toss it.

[Cmm_3940]

Put it on the shelf in the closet to deal with sometime next winter when you are stuck inside and bored. If you should run out of .223 brass before then, it'll still be there waiting for you. :)

[David2011]

Jonp,

You have my sympathy. I bought pet store corncob that was too big exactly ONCE. Years ago Wally World sold some that was suitable for polishing bottlenecked brass but one day I went in for more and it was the huge chunks. It was a real pita to get it out of the .223 cartridges. It works OK for large straight walled cases like .44/.45 but it terrible for rifle cartridges. I made a tool out of small hobby shop music wire to pick it out of a couple hundred .223 cases.

I bought the 14/20 grit blasting corncob from Drillspot and it goes right through primer flash holes "most" of the time but seems to get caught in SOME 5.56 flash holes. Next time I buy it will be the 20/40 grit which is too fine to get stuck in flash holes. It comes in a 40 pound container but the 2014 price is $34.00 + 19.95 shipping- higher than it was a few years ago when shipping was free but still the best price I've found.

David

[JesterGrin_1]

If you have a Vibrating Brass Machine just remove the lid and turn it on and set the brass on top of the stud. Or to say place the stud inside of the case mouth while it is running and it will vibrate it loose. :) Never tried .223 cases but it has worked on larger stuff. :).

[Airman Basic]

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-fine-grade-walnut-shell-blast-media-92155.html
Won't stick in flash holes or cake in my experience. I also us nufinish.

[rhead]

Straighten out a trot line size fish hook and pull it out with the barb.

[Whitespider]

I believe the first thing I'd try is butting the brass in an empty vibratory tumbler (no media) and let it run for a while... never know, might just shake the stuff loose. Maybe even toss some more .22 caliber brass in with it.

[Cmm_3940]

Chuck a small spring, just under neck diameter and long enough to reach the bottom of the case, in your rotary tool of choice. Cut a coil so it has an open pointy end. Violà! Instant mini-roto-rooter. :bigsmyl2:

Sorry, getting a bit far afield. Seriously, how important is this 50 pcs. Of .223 brass to you?

[mac60]

Jonp,

You have my sympathy. I bought pet store corncob that was too big exactly ONCE. Years ago Wally World sold some that was suitable for polishing bottlenecked brass but one day I went in for more and it was the huge chunks. It was a real pita to get it out of the .223 cartridges. It works OK for large straight walled cases like .44/.45 but it terrible for rifle cartridges. I made a tool out of small hobby shop music wire to pick it out of a couple hundred .223 cases.

I bought the 14/20 grit blasting corncob from Drillspot and it goes right through primer flash holes "most" of the time but seems to get caught in SOME 5.56 flash holes. Next time I buy it will be the 20/40 grit which is too fine to get stuck in flash holes. It comes in a 40 pound container but the 2014 price is $34.00 + 19.95 shipping- higher than it was a few years ago when shipping was free but still the best price I've found.

David

I got the 20/40 grit. Get it, and you'll never have that problem again. They'll send you a gigantic sack of it (almost a lifetime supply) for $34.00 + shipping (which has gone WAY up since I bought mine). Put a couple capfuls of Nufinish car wax in it and your brass will stay shiny for years. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful with your present situation, but you have some good advice already. Depends on how many cases we're talking about, getting the media out could turn into a royal pain.

[YunGun]

If you have a Vibrating Brass Machine just remove the lid and turn it on and set the brass on top of the stud. Or to say place the stud inside of the case mouth while it is running and it will vibrate it loose. :smile: Never tried .223 cases but it has worked on larger stuff.

I tried that a few times & found that if/when the hard-packed stuff breaks loose, it then falls down into the neck/mouth of the case where it gets wedged in-between the tumbler rod & the case mouth, holding the case onto the rod quite firmly at that point & proved fairly difficult to remove, so I wouldn't suggest that particular approach.... YMMV

Just another thought, though I'm not sure how well it would work (if at all...) but perhaps one of those blower nozzle tips for an air compressor might be helpful?

[jonp]

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-fine-grade-walnut-shell-blast-media-92155.html
Won't stick in flash holes or cake in my experience. I also us nufinish.

I have a box of that. Works good but for really cruddy or tarnished stuff i use corncob first.

[Hamish]

50 223 brass? I'd toss it.

Bow your heads in respect for our fallen brother my friends, for I have little doubt that this was his last post, surely struck where he sat by lightning, his finger still on the Send It button,,,,,,,,,for such is the fate of all who utter such sacrilege,,,,,,,,,,,so mote it be.

[fredj338]

Never had this happen. If the media is dry, it should not compact. Then again, I rarely run the tumbler more than 3hrs.

[Airman Basic]

I have a box of that. Works good but for really cruddy or tarnished stuff i use corncob first.
For the sure 'nough funky stuff I go with stainless steel pins.

[wallenba]

If de-capped, what about compressed air? Even into the case mouth might work too, just wear a face mask.

[dudel]

I've only had that happen once. I used pet store corncob. It's much coarser than the fine stuff intended for polishing brass. Don't recall how I got it out, just that it was a royal PITA, and I never used it again.

[Bad Water Bill]

Line them up on a 2X4 and put a cherry tomato on top of each and fire away.
:bigsmyl2:

[JesterGrin_1]

Never had this happen. If the media is dry, it should not compact. Then again, I rarely run the tumbler more than 3hrs.

I use Walnut Shell along with NuFinish and fill up my Tumbler and let it run when I go to bed so it may run from 8 to 17 hours lol. Is that a bit much lol. :)

[Landshark9025]

Zoro Tools sells this in 14/20 and 20/40 grits. A 40lb bag is $25 with FREE shipping.

[MtGun44]

Interesting. I have been tumbling .223 in corncob for decades, it just falls out
as I shake the brass in a chicken fryer wire basket, like all other cartridges. I
wonder what you are doing differently.

I believe if you sift out all the loose media and put the brass only back in the
tumbler and run it a while, it should rattle enough to fall back out. May have to do
a couple of cycles removing the loose corncob as it may start going back in at some
point.

Bill

[starmac]

I use Walnut Shell along with NuFinish and fill up my Tumbler and let it run when I go to bed so it may run from 8 to 17 hours lol. Is that a bit much lol. :)

LOL The only way to sleep 17 hours is in a casket.

[Bad Water Bill]

LOL The only way to sleep 17 hours is in a casket.

Are you speaking from experience sir?:bigsmyl2:

[Echo]

Never had that happen..............

Plus 1...

[JesterGrin_1]

LOL The only way to sleep 17 hours is in a casket.

Ok lol. I should of said if I did not have time to remove the brass from the tumbler when I wake up I would have to wait longer till I got home again to do it. Now have I slept for 17 Hours YEP. Actually I have slept for over a solid Day lol. And found out I was lucky to wake up at all.

[David2011]

I use Walnut Shell along with NuFinish and fill up my Tumbler and let it run when I go to bed so it may run from 8 to 17 hours lol. Is that a bit much lol. :)

I like shiny brass too. The Dillon guys told me that was too much after I burned out the motor on my small Dillon vibe polisher. It's been UPGRADED. They recommended no more than 2 hours per run. I found media and additives that worked in 2 hours. No big deal. Fine corncob, an ounce or so of mineral spirits, a dollop of Nu-Finish. If that won't make it purty in 2 hours you need some crushed walnut to get the grunge off or check out the citric acid sticky. That stuff rocks. I used to use walnut all the time but found that fine corncob is the ticket to make nice brass. The 20/40 grit flows right through primer flash holes and makes brass look better than new.

David

[David2011]

Zoro Tools sells this in 14/20 and 20/40 grits. A 40lb bag is $25 with FREE shipping.

How about a link? All I see is 30 lb for $66.29.

Thanks --David

[jonp]

I threw them into the empty tumblr, let run for an hour and all of the grit came out. Thanks for the tip.

Up till now I have not messed with cases that small. This is the first time its happened and I learned a good lesson

[jonp]

How about a link? All I see is 30 lb for $66.29.
Thanks --David
G2164387 20/40 econoline blast media 20/40

[Bad Water Bill]

Up till now I have not messed with cases that small. This is the first time its happened and I learned a good lesson

Now the fun begins.

There are a ton of 22 ,20 and 17 caliber rounds out there just waiting for your reloading pleasure.

The OLDER you get the more you will enjoy them.

[dragon813gt]

I have a box of that. Works good but for really cruddy or tarnished stuff i use corncob first.

Can I ask why? Walnut cleans better but leaves a dull finish. Corncob cleans worse but leaves a shiny finish. I have a batch of walnut that I use for range pick ups. It's basically the old batch that I used to use for final processing but it's become to dirty. W/ the amount of brass I process(I use a Kobalt cement mixer) I've found that walnut media does a better job of cleaning in a shorter amount of time.

[jonp]

Corncob is cheaper. That's about it I guess