MidSouth Shooters SupplyRepackboxInline FabricationTitan Reloading
Reloading EverythingWidenersLee PrecisionRotoMetals2
Load Data

View Poll Results: Decapping as a separate operation

Voters
410. You may not vote on this poll
  • Never

    80 19.51%
  • Not when using a progressive press

    29 7.07%
  • Only for rifle

    62 15.12%
  • Always

    242 59.02%
Multiple Choice Poll.
Page 9 of 9 FirstFirst 123456789
Results 161 to 170 of 170

Thread: Do you decap as a separate operation?

  1. #161
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    western ny
    Posts
    324
    Don't decap for my progressive loading. Seems to defeat the purpose of having a progressive in the first place. Dont believe it would make that much difference anyway with such short range rounds(.45 acp and .38special). I do tumble them capped though just so I dont run filthy stuff through my dies. I do decap .44mag and 357 and 45-70 before cleaning . I just wipe them off before I run them through the dies. But I shoot alot less rounds with those calibers.

  2. #162
    Boolit Master

    BigAlofPa.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Shamokin/Coal twp Pa.
    Posts
    1,670
    Yes always before tumbling. I have a dedicated decapping press. With a universal decapping die.

  3. #163
    Boolit Bub Dickieray's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Piedmont (Browns Summit), North Carolina
    Posts
    41
    Quote Originally Posted by Carrier View Post
    I decap then wet tumble. That way the brass is clean. That's just me I'm sure there will be many others that do it different.
    +1^^^ what he said.

  4. #164
    Boolit Buddy Cheeto303's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Woodlawn, Tn
    Posts
    169
    I always decap before tumbling. I use a dedicated Lee Universal Decapping Die in a dedicated Lee C frame press. I like to clean, true up the primer pocket and deburr the flash hole. Why ? Habit I guess. I figure removing variables can't hurt plus I really get to eyeball each case. Now if you want the truth it goes like this. Honey when are we leaving ? I'm getting ready now. Ok hon. 90 minutes later I've decapped and inspected a nice pile of brass. If I set my dies, powder measure, scale and start throwing loads she will be ready in 10 minutes and I've accomplished nothing.
    "Adults are the children and the children are the adults" Jules my wife.

    All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse, and a good wife. — Daniel Boone

    Democracy is defended in 3 stages: Ballot Box, Jury Box, Cartridge Box. — Ambrose Bierce

    A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie. — Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

    Black Rifles Matter

    NRA Life Member, SAF Member, GOA Member, TFA Member

  5. #165
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Posts
    19
    I always decap and then wet tumble. For those that say why have a progressive if you decap in a seperate stage?...I simply dump the pistol rounds in....turn on the case feeder and only have the lee decapper installed in station #1 and run through them very quickly. Then dump them into the tumbler...go do something else for a few hours...come back...dump them into a cheap food dehydrator...come back...ready to rock. I have a small hole cut into the bottom of the case feeder hopper that allows dirt to fall out. Plus I'll shake the dust off the brass in the shaker plates for seperating brass by size before decapping.

    For rifle rounds...I decap...and inspect....tumble...dry....and run them through the single stage...inspect each round on each stage of the process. You can never inspect too much.

    For those that say this takes too long....I'm willing to bet you got more time to sit around and inspect than you do to actually go out and shoot.

  6. #166
    Boolit Grand Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Northern Michigan
    Posts
    8,897
    Quote Originally Posted by b2lee View Post
    I always decap and then wet tumble. For those that say why have a progressive if you decap in a seperate stage?...I simply dump the pistol rounds in....turn on the case feeder and only have the lee decapper installed in station #1 and run through them very quickly. Then dump them into the tumbler...go do something else for a few hours...come back...dump them into a cheap food dehydrator...come back...ready to rock. I have a small hole cut into the bottom of the case feeder hopper that allows dirt to fall out. Plus I'll shake the dust off the brass in the shaker plates for seperating brass by size before decapping.

    For rifle rounds...I decap...and inspect....tumble...dry....and run them through the single stage...inspect each round on each stage of the process. You can never inspect too much.

    For those that say this takes too long....I'm willing to bet you got more time to sit around and inspect than you do to actually go out and shoot.
    No….on pistol rounds you are not thinking it through. You will need a separate tool head doing it your way unless you want to reset the dies every time, so factor in the cost of that and the time to change it over. Then the time to run through the brass for a separate decapping operation.

    I am not understanding how your method reduces the time for inspection. But in any case, I inspect after loading the rounds anyway as that allows me to catch any high primers or split cases.

    Not saying your way is "wrong" as you get good ammunition in the end. Just a lot slower than it needs to be. When I was working and shooting 500 rounds a week time was a factor. I shoot less now but see no need to prolong the process to achieve little or no improvement in quality.
    Don Verna


  7. #167
    Boolit Buddy Smk SHoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Sanford, NC
    Posts
    378
    All my brass goes into the tumbler from the range bag. Then after the initial clean ( range crud and soot), I run everything thru a sizer/deprimer. Then into another tumbler with good clean media for the final cleaning. I don't want any lube residue on my brass after loading. That way all brass is stored sized and deprived and ready to load.
    Retired Redleg
    I came into this world kicking and screaming covered in someone else's blood, I don't mind going out the same way.

  8. #168
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    12
    For both Rifle and pistol (not bp), always on return from the range. I use stainless wet tumbling, then dry in a dehydrator before saving them in the appropriate shoebox for later reloading. For reloading, Rifle is done on a turret press so that I can better control all the functions. Pistol is on a progressive, but in both cases, the cleaned brass is primed by hand, so that decapping and priming parts are removed from the press and dies

  9. #169
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Posts
    45
    I have a Lee Classic Cast press that I use for decapping (and for rifle loading as well). Although, of late, I would up with a Frankford Arsenal hand depriming tool. So far it has worked great for 9MM and 38/357. I have used a Lee hand primer, but recently wound up with two RCBS hand priming tools and will likely switch to them. I just like the idea of priming and being able to visually inspect immediately afterward. Of course, when I started, I was using a Lee Loader (Whack-a-Mole) to prime - that was fun!

  10. #170
    Boolit Master Baltimoreed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    NC
    Posts
    1,569
    My rifle ammo tends to be done in small amounts [matching headstamps] of 25-50, using an old single stage and I do use a lee auto prime to prime these after cleaning and depriming, this is when I also inspect. Pistol ammo is done in batches of hundreds. After cleaning I reload them, priming them on my presses. I inspect the case as I pick it up to put in my shell holder. If it resizes with no resistance I’ll look at it again. Reloading pistol ammo is all about volume. I usually use 120 rds of pistol in a cas shoot, over 200 in a wild bunch ir ipsc match. If I were reloading ammo for bullseye shooting I would be much more concerned with matching headstamps, perfect brass, primer holes, etc. As I said earlier, work smarter not harder.

Page 9 of 9 FirstFirst 123456789

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check