decap before tumbling .223?

[philc]

I have some .223 brass that I'm about to tumble. Question, do you need to decap before tumbling? Its once fired.

[John Browning]

You don't need to, but it is usually easier to decap and then tumble to get the case lube off. I actually use my dirty media for a first tumble, decap, and then toss it in with some clean media.

[Divernhunter]

If you do you will have to fight the media stuck in the primer pocket/flash-hole. I do not then when I resize/decap I toss them into an old towel, fold it over and roll them around to remove size lube. Has worked well since the 1960's.

[Peter W Bush]

I usually tumble, decap, tumble, then run it through the 550b normally. On single state presses, it gets very annoying though.

[bohoki]

i often need to fix crimped primers and my tool cleans the pocket too so i dont

[damndave]

If you are tumbling with walnut/corn you do not need to deprime first. It doesn't clean in the primer pocket anyways. It's just one extra step that you do not need to do. When you resize, it decaps it for you in the same step.

[WDE91]

I use a LEE universal decapping die on all my brass
I also use a stainless setup

[ElvenSoul]

For a second I thought it said decaf before tumbling. Probably not a bad idea either.

[jumbopanda]

Tumble, size/decap, then tumble again to remove the case lube. Depending on the kind of tumbling media you are using, it might be wise to run them all through a universal decapper after tumbling the second time to punch out any bits of media that may be stuck in the flash holes.

[RaymondMillbrae]

Click on the link RELOADING .223 VIDEO below my signature.

This is one way to do it.

In Christ: Raymond

[NotEnufGarage]

I decap and size, tumble for a few hours, wash in hot soap and water, rinse in hot water, let dry, then trim with a Lee trimmer which will punch any debris through the flash hole, then load and crimp.

[diginit]

Everyone has their preference. Myself, I tumble to clean. So I don't dirty up my die and cases run smooth without sticking. Then I resize and decap. Tumble again to remove lube and clean the primer pocket. Trim to length. Tumble again for about an hour to remove any metal and continue cleaning the pocket. Punch out any media from the flash holes with a paperclip. Then prime, charge, seat, and crimp. Tumble 10 min. to remove any hand oil, brass, or lead. Submerge my hands in the polish coated media so no handoil discolors the cases during storage, and box.
But that's just me... Be sure to wash your hands before touching you body anywhere! Or wear rubber gloves when boxing. I just never liked rubbers of any kind...

[philc]

Thx for the responses. Appreciate it.