Lesson learned: Separate small pistol brass from large BEFORE tumbling

[Asmodai]

Being my first brass tumble session I looked in on them fairly early, just to see half of the .45's filled with 9mm cases.

Seems obvious, but it really wasn't to me. It sounds like there are a lot of people just buying presses out there, so here's a noob tip from yours truly:

Separate your brass, tumble separately. It is a real pain to pull the small cases out of the bigger ones when they're wedged with cleaning media...

[devster55]

I made the same mistake too.

[klewan]

Since you'll never get all the small brass out of the big brass pile; you'll try, but they will still slip thru. Stand up 50 or so brass on your bench. Look into all the cases and then again at an angle to see if any of them are shorter or taller than the rest. This is where you find the .380 brass mixed in with the 9mm. Or the 38 special mixed into the 357 mags. Or the wad of media stuck on god knows what at the bottom of the case.

The drop down shelf you should have for your scale is ideal, you won't have to squat down to eyeball them.

[beetle]

those brass sorting bins from midway work well.

[TacticalPlinker]

those brass sorting bins from midway work well.

http://media.midwayusa.com/productim...847/847836.jpg

Do you have a link to those? I've been wanting to buy a set to make brass sorting faster than doing it by hand.

[BigBronco]

I just bought a set have not used them yet.

[beetle]

on sale now at midway for $31.99: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/847...acp-3-bowl-set

or even better price if you have a dealer account with grafs (use a C&R). $25!

http://www.grafs.com/dealer/product/243693

[csburtch]

Wouldn't wet tumble the brass with the bullets either. Been there done that...

[TacticalPlinker]

on sale now at midway for $31.99: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/847...acp-3-bowl-set

or even better price if you have a dealer account with grafs (use a C&R). $25!
http://www.grafs.com/dealer/product/243693

Thanks for the links. I do have a dealer account with both Midway and Graf's (thanks to my C&R).

I'll have to pick up a set when I can.

[orangeusa]

I've received 45 / 44 brass with a free 9mm included..

We need a sticky of 'obvious after you've done it'.... I could fill a page or two.

.

[mark501w]

.223&.45pain also!

[Paperchasin]

Not that big of a deal really. Just throw them back into the tumbler if needed.

[Munk]

I can tell you from firsthand experience... A .40s&w will fit quite nicely inside of a .460WeatherbyMagnum, and the cob will do a fantastic job of locking it in place beyond the bottleneck. I was not sad in the least to mangle that .40 in order to save the .460.

I now do single caliber batches when possible.

[Blitzburgh]

on sale now at midway for $31.99: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/847...acp-3-bowl-set

or even better price if you have a dealer account with grafs (use a C&R). $25!
http://www.grafs.com/dealer/product/243693

Thanks for letting us know - just grabbed two of them!

[STI]

Since you'll never get all the small brass out of the big brass pile; you'll try, but they will still slip thru. Stand up 50 or so brass on your bench. Look into all the cases and then again at an angle to see if any of them are shorter or taller than the rest. This is where you find the .380 brass mixed in with the 9mm. Or the 38 special mixed into the 357 mags. Or the wad of media stuck on god knows what at the bottom of the case.

The drop down shelf you should have for your scale is ideal, you won't have to squat down to eyeball them.

Ugh, .380 is my nemesis. Every once in a while I'll accidentally pick them up at the range and not notice they aren't 9mm.