Printable View
Just curious about when exactly in the normal 'reloading process' are you guys cleaning?
Personally I clean first thing. Before any die work, to minimise the dreaded runout issue.
I mean that makes sense doesn't it? Putting brass with crud on it into an FL or body die can't be good for concentricity right?
Half the YouTube video I saw clean their brass very late in the game imo.
I don't have a tumbler or ultrasonic cleaner and haven't cleaned any yet.
Latest batch after trimming I polished with steel wool but the inside will still have powder residue.
Most people I talk to don't clean very regularly other than a wipe down of the external surfaces.
I also don't have a tumbler or ultra sonic - but its on the list.
I've been very lucky that a mate from my Sporting rifle club will run my brass when he is running his own. Thanks Mike S!
I had however picked up a lyman brush set which you put your necks into graphite with as well and it was only a couple of dollars so at a push and if I have a more urgent need I'll brush the insides, deprime and brush again.
After that I check the brass lengths and trim and chamfer before sizing neck or full length. Seems to work for me and I don't get a lot of variance or crap on my dies (even though I regularly give them a once over with wet an dry) after having a new Redding 300 Blk sizing die get stuck on the 5th one. - Not falling for that again!!!
Don't know if this is what every one else does but it works nicely for me.
CD
Rifle brass is deprime, tumble, size then trim and chamfer if needed.
Pistol brass just gets deprimed/sized, tumbled then loaded.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
If they are dirty a wash with hot water dish washing liquid and a table spoon of vinegar does a great job, Get a big plastic container with a screw top put in the cases and hot water mix and give a good shake
for a few minutes tip the cases into a sieve and run the hot tap over them to rinse off the crude lay them in the sun to dry or oven set at 100c, you could deprime them first if you have a decaping die,
A tumbler is a better idea than a sonic cleaner cheaper to run you don't have to buy expensive liquid cleaning fluid and they don't polish the cases, with a tumbler if you wash the cases first the media lasts
longer and there are a few ways of cleaning up the media,
Anybody using Lee or any other water soluble case lube biff it, it will rust your dies if not cleaned out, Imperial die wax is it best case lube hands down.
I resize, chamfer then tumble , prime and reload
Brass out of a suppressed AR is filthy so I clean (stainless steel pin tumbler), resize, then clean again to get the lube off.
Ah the looks. A good tumble does make them nice and shiny. I went to the trouble of building a wet tumbler but i'm trying a batch of 100 just doing the practical steps. The inside of my brass is putrid but it is consistent so its staying.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pongo12
Im just chucking on a dab of autosol on the necks and that takes the carbon off instantly. The heads don't get much love.
Mine goes like this
Remove carbon around neck and shoulder - anneal - then body size alone (with tiny amount of lube) - clear the flashhole - trim the necks - debur in/out - prime.
Seems to be going fine as my 'no turn throat' is still leaving me with sufficient neck tension (just going off feel of the lever when seating). I still only have 3/50 that have medium tension which Ive been using as foulers.
That may not be the worst idea either. Leaving the gunk in hasn't hurt my accuracy after 6 cycles so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by i41do2
Deprime, clean (ultrasonic/bulk citric powder and dishwash), chamfer/trim, size, prime, ...
Clean brass is nicer to work with.
I totally stole your idea on using an engraver on the extractor groove lip. I just make a slight notch to record the firing and then i can bulk clean or whatever and still re-sort them later. Way better idea than trying to just keep them in different buckets imoQuote:
Originally Posted by R93
De-prime, wet tumble then further case prep once clean.
i wash dish washing liquid as well but the last thing i do is rinse in meths to help dry themQuote:
Originally Posted by shooternz
I deprime and size (either neck or full length), ultrsonic clean, prime, load, fire. Repeat.
Haven't yet trimmed. Upto 7th use of Norma 223 cases, 6th use of Lapua Palma 308 cases.
If it's going through the progressive press or through the single stage without a length trim I wet tumble then ultrasonic first thing. If it's getting trimmed or anything I wet tumble and ultrasonic after sizing/trimming to deburr and clean out filings.
A club member tried ultrasonic after loading bulk .223 and then put them in the oven on low to dry quickly, heat wasn't low enough because one went bang and smashed the glass door
I just buy new lapua brass each time. Biff the once fired and grab a new shiny one, only need a seating die now
Well Gibo you must be "Loaded" then :PQuote:
Originally Posted by Gibo
I don't care about cleaning first unless the brass is truly filthy as I think removing the lube is much more important.
-Lube with spray on suff (smells like oranges)
-FL die or Collet
- Wet tumble with two table spoons of dish wash and a pinch of ascorbic acid (Thumlers Tumbler)
- rinse with water and then meths
- dry in oven at 100 C
- prime
- load
- look at the shiny ammo!
My FL dies get a periodic clean out but never had a problem...
Clean brass makes it easier to spot problems with brass like splitting etc, and clean guts makes spotting a low charge easier too.
Ditto on the filthiness of suppressed semi brass.
I've actually never seen a split neck on a lapua case but then again i dont yet shoot the higher cals.
I tumble all my brass before it goes through my dies. Helps me spot any problems, keeps my dies clean and is nicer to work with.
Mostly neck size so there is only ever a small amount of graphite powder around the neck after sizing, which wipes off easily.
Also wear cheap latex gloves which keep the brass clear of any marks. i like my stuff shiny!
If you are using a collet die you can skip lubing and avoid the whole mess\cleaning stages.Quote:
Originally Posted by 300CALMAN
What!!????Quote:
Originally Posted by specweapon
Why on earth would you prime a case before drying it? Hope someone with some clues is now helping the guy.
Just primed? I read it as loaded roundsQuote:
Originally Posted by 6x47
A trick I use for lubing Brass:
Bung them in a large zip lock bag,give it a spray with slicone spray,zip it up and toss the contents around.
Lubes all the cases nicely.
For cleaning Black powder stuff,I use an ultrasonic cleaner,then tumble them.
Your welcome @GiboQuote:
Originally Posted by Gibo
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I tumble mine in walnut media for about 4 hours.
Then spray with Dillion lube equivalent (Homemade).
Size, deprime and load if its pistol else resize and trim if needed if rifle before loading.
Never clean off the lube. Never enough lube to worry about but it may depend on what lube you use.
:wtfsmilie: Obviously Dude's gonna need some sense talked into him... like getting the oven fitted with bullet proof glass, next time!Quote:
Originally Posted by specweapon
Lubed brass raises the pressure in your rounds because the saami spec assumes unlubed brass that sticks to the chamber when fired and then contracts to to let the round be extracted. Lubed brass doesn't stick to the chamber as well and therefore raises the amount of rearward force on the bolt.
Welcome to Culver's Shooting Page
i have also heard that some lubes can build up and bake on in the chamber,i don't know if that ture but i clean my cases of lubeQuote:
Originally Posted by MassiveAttack
Actually I didn't use to clean at all when collet sizing! I do like shiny brass though..Quote:
Originally Posted by MassiveAttack
I nearly jammed up my press with the incorrect assumption that lube might be optional when using just a body die. FYI it jams up nicely for those playing at home.
ha ha been there done that,feeling the rim rip off :sick:and then trying to get case out without the right tools :smash:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dead is better
@Gibo I can help with safe disposal of any once fired 308 brass :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibo
Was loaded, he just gave them a quick dunk to get the lube off :wtfsmilie:Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibo