Tumbling media stuck in casings

[skipglo]

I made a newbie mistake. I found corncob bedding on clearance at my local pet store, so I bought it. Its was a larger granular than normal, but polished my brass really well. However, the pieces are now stuck inside my cases. I should mention that the cases still have the spent primers in them. Am I the only one who's ever done this? What should I do about digging out the media? Can I knock the primers out by hand and then go through the primer pocket? I feel like an idiot.

Don't believe badthirtyone...you are definitely the only person that has ever done this and should feel terrible....just a minute....HEY HONEY CAN YOU PASS ME ANOTHER PIPE CLEANER PLEASE! GOTTA CLEAN OUT SOME BRASS! ( Try an old-fashioned pipe cleaner) Smoking pipe that is....not a 4" sewer pipe!

 

[Greyfox]

I have used Lyman corn cob media with good success for decades. It cleans the outside of the case well and leaves a thin carbon layer on the inner neck surface for consistent friction when seating. I will leave the spent primers in when tumbling, cleaning the primer pockets after sizing, using my RCBS case prep station. When removing the cases from the tumbler I grip about a dozen cases in my hand, base up, mouths down over the tumbler, and give the base of the brass a whack or two with tumbler lid knocking out any residual media back into the tumbler.

 

[ARKGG]

Over the years I've used a lot different media to clean my brass. Several years ago I switched to rice. I use car polish to activate. Takes a little bite of effort to get it out of bottle neck cases.

 

[Ol' Red]

I just poke it out with a dental pick. Always keep a couple on the reloading bench. They come in handy.

 

[Scythe]

I use these on occasion at work and I have a few at home.
Moody Spring Tool

Grainger has a place local, I bought a bag of the number 40 which will pass thru a primer hole.

Grainger Corn Cob

The BOLD text is a link

 

[wizard183]

I use walnut. I take a toothpick and punch it out if stuck.

 

[Seabeeken]

The toughest decap die ive ever used is a Mighty Armory. Ive broken pins in rcbs, lee, redding, but never a MA. The die can also be set up as a primer pocket swager.

 

[HunterMann]

Decap, Tumble. INSPECT. Then size, ultrasonic to clean off lube and clean primer pocket. INSPECT. Pretty much what has been said before. I use walnut from the pet store with a little Nufinish.

I like to inspect, decap, and clean, in batches as soon I get back from the range. That way the brass is ready and waiting for the next operation when ever I feel like it. I've had good luck with the Lee decapper dies. They are always mounted and ready in a dedicated C shaped press. Better clearance and access with the C shape. You don't need a lot of force to decap, so any inexpensive press will do. Just remember that many small rifle primer precision cases (6mm PPC, ARC, and others) use a small flash hole and you should user the smaller diameter decapping pin die.

 

[340PR]

Avoid the hassle, don't tumble your brass...
One of my mentors told me that I should only tumble my brass if I want to impress the shooter next to me with how shiny it is.
I buy quality brass and load up to 20 times (losing a few along the way). I use "One Shot" sizing lube, and the brass is pretty clean after wiping it off. I also brush my necks.
While down the rabbit hole, I water weighed new and fired cases to see the impact of powder residue etc. Saw no variance measuring to .02gn on my AND scale.
FYI

 

[Varmint Hunter]

This ^^^^^^^^^. I gave away my vibratory machine and all of the media I had. I rarely clean rifle brass anymore. I do have a SS pin tumbler which I will "occasionally" use but its mostly for pistol or AR-15 brass; .223, SOCOM, etc.