Case prep stations

[Ballistol]

I have used stainless steel pins in an LEM tumbler for about 5 years now. If you look carefully at used pins themselves, they are peened over much like a dumbbell, presumably as a result of collisions with other pins.
Having said that, I have never noticed an issue with any case mouths being damaged and I must have tumbled circa 30,000 cases or so.

[Alpha1]

I havent cleaned 30,000 cases in the whole of my 35 years of shooting.

[rox]

I have used stainless steel pins in an LEM tumbler for about 5 years now. If you look carefully at used pins themselves, they are peened over much like a dumbbell, presumably as a result of collisions with other pins.
Having said that, I have never noticed an issue with any case mouths being damaged and I must have tumbled circa 30,000 cases or so.

Weird. I've been running these pins for 7 years and I don't see anything like a dumbbell look. Maybe not all pins are created equal. Can you attach a photo of yours?

Pins

[Lancs Lad]

I use a home made tumbler with stainless steel pins and after each cleaning session, all cases are examined for damage with a magnifying glass. To date, I have never seen any instances of deformation of the case mouth due to this cleaning process.
In addition, during the subsequent sizing and trimming of each case, I haven't noticed any extra effort required or material removed as a consequence of using this specific cleaning process.
Accuracy of the finished round is not in question.
I usually only tumble a maximum of 70 cases of 308Win at a time which is more than enough for my particular needs and I like the concept of my cases being cleaned while I'm getting on with something else.
Each to his / her own.

LL

[Ballistol]

Terrible pictures I know, but you can just see deformation at the end of the pin, much like mushrooming on a chisel. The LEM cleaner is certainly “vigorous” in its cleaning action, the pins and cases fairly hurtle around the container. For those who’ve never seen one, here’s a YouTube link. https://youtu.be/e5JIf2IOAU4

As to cleaning 30,000 cases, if anything that’s probably a little conservative. When you can clean 100 .308, inside and out including primer pockets in less than 30 minutes, you’d be surprised how many friends you have

[ovenpaa]

We have also used a LEM for a few years. It is the basic so no timer or speed control, but who would want to run it less than flat out? I am not convinced about the capacity and have never been able to fill it to the levels others suggest are possible. What I can say is it is quick and convenient and I can see exactly how the cleaning is progressing without having to stop it and unscrew an end panel, in fact I can put my hand in whilst it is running and pull out a handful of cases to inspect.

[dromia]

I far prefer caseless ammunition as it means I have no need for tiresome case preparation, shoot a lot of it nowadays.

[Ballistol]

Ovenpaa,
I think we spoke a good while ago on the LEM and how to get the best from it.
A couple of things I have learnt since on fine tuning it.
1) With every load of brass, I add a teaspoon(ish) of citric acid. Easily bought as a wine fortifier, it definitely brightens the shine on the brass, and improves cleaning time.
2) About every five or so loads, I run the machine with just water and pins for five minutes and add a squirt of descaler. This allows a quick wipe down of the container, and aids rotational speed of the brass when used next.

[ovenpaa]

I far prefer caseless ammunition as it means I have no need for tiresome case preparation, shoot a lot of it nowadays.

If there was a like button I would be pressing it right now.

[Dellboy]

What are people using for case prep ie deburing primer pocket cleaning etc

lyman hornaby etc electric manual whats peoples recomendations