Getting into reloading questions.

[Fb7782]

I'm new to the forum so if these questions have been answered in threads before pleas point me in the right direction.
I have decided to take the plunge and start reloading. I have watch all the videos on YouTube and read the books but I would like the input of those that are actually reloading.
Question 1) Brass cleaning-dry or wet? Pro and cons
Question 2) Who has the best dies?
Thanks in advance
Bryon

[Lorimor]

Best dies IMHO are Redding.  But as long as you stick with a name brand, you should be okay. 

Dry tumbling works but is dusty.  Wet tumbling makes magnificent brass inside and out.  I don't run my wet tumbler long as I find if the interior of the case wall gets too clean, it drags on the powder funnel/expander on the downstroke.  I've been experimenting with car wash with wax in it as the detergent versus Dawn dish detergent.  I think it does help with the brass drag, but still I only tumble for no more than 45 minutes.  Usually 30 mins is sufficient.

What I really like about wet tumbling is that if cases have dried dirt inside them, it's gone when the cycle is complete.  Dry tumbling doesn't get that out.  That goes for any kind of interior corrosion as well. 

Of the two, I prefer wet.  No dust.  Clean brass inside and out. 

[HuskerXDM]

 

Dry tumbling works but is dusty.  Wet tumbling makes magnificent brass inside and out.  I don't run my wet tumbler long as I find if the interior of the case wall gets too clean, it drags on the powder funnel/expander on the downstroke.  I've been experimenting with car wash with wax in it as the detergent versus Dawn dish detergent.  I think it does help with the brass drag, but still I only tumble for no more than 45 minutes.  Usually 30 mins is sufficient.

What I really like about wet tumbling is that if cases have dried dirt inside them, it's gone when the cycle is complete.  Dry tumbling doesn't get that out.  That goes for any kind of interior corrosion as well. 

Of the two, I prefer wet.  No dust.  Clean brass inside and out. 

This.  I'm fairly new to reloading but have done it long enough to get tired of dry media.  Wet tumbled brass are very clean inside and out, including primer pockets.

[SemperFiGuy]

Two additional cartridge case cleaning methods are also available to you:   Ultrasonic Cleaning and Acid Wash.

U/S is a good method.   Gets the cases clean inside and also in the primer pocket.   However, it is done in smaller batches because of the light cubic space capacity of the u/s cleaning device.  Even the Hornady Magnum.

Acid wash is quick-to-clean (about 5-10 minutes, maximum).   And doesn't require expensive equipment, just some plastic bottles and buckets.  Batches can be as big as the biggest bucket you can find, even 5 gallon.   Cases don't come out quite so shiny as with tumbling.   But they do come out clean.  Birchwood Casey markets a good acid wash concentrate.

Both U/S and Acid Wash do require drying of the cleaned cartridge cases.   Put 'em out in the hot sun on a towel on the deck or patio in the summer; use your woman's hair dryer in the winter.

Lee dies are the least expensive and Lee die sets usually contain a shell holder along with the dies.   Hornady, RCBS, and Redding are good dies, but no shell holder.   I've always considered Lyman reloading equipment to be top-of-the-line.  My recommendation would be for tungsten carbide dies; even then, still use at least a bit of spray case lubricant.

You'll need a good manufacturer's reloading book.   In fact, 3 or 4 won't hurt.

Start at the low end of the velocity spectrum and work up.

Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.................................................

Are getting Hooked!!

Congratulations.


sfg

[Fb7782]

SemperFiGuy,
Where can I find information on this acid wash of which you speak?
Thanks

[Mali]

SemperFiGuy,
Where can I find information on this acid wash of which you speak?
Thanks

What he said. I am preparing to order my press kit as well as a tumbler and if this is a better solution I am all for it, if it isn't too much more expensive that is.

[SemperFiGuy]

Birchwood Casey Brass Cartridge Case Cleaner   16oz bottle/$12.70

It's a phosphoric/sulfuric acid concentrate.   Needs to be diluted for use.   Which stretches out the number of doses in the original bottle.   One 16oz bottle makes two (2) gallons of acid bath.   

Try Here for Starters:

https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/Cleaning-and-Maintenance/Cleaning-Maintenance/Brass-Cartridge-Case-Cleaner.aspx

Then you can Google it all you want for more information.

I got mine at Guns Unlimited in Omaha.   Have also seen it at Cabelas and Scheels.

You can re-use the solution.   Just use a funnel to pour it back into a plastic bottle to save it after use.   It will be darker each use, of course, because of the accumulated junk in it.   And maybe take a few minutes longer each time around, but I've used it until it's pretty near black and it still works, with time.   Acid bath goes quicker if the cleaning solution is hot, like most chemical processes.   But not at all necessary.

Best to use the acid bath method after de-priming.  That way there are no air pockets in the cartridge cases, although the air pockets in unprimed cases tend to go away if you stir the cases after they are in the acid bath.   Either way.

Normally, I like to clean the cases before de-priming, because then there's less wear and tear on the de-priming/de-capping dies.   But then in that situation, the primer pockets don't get cleaned.

Oh, well.   Nuthin' is perfect.

And it's only reloading.   And the acid bath method will get your reloading started without buying a tumbler, tumbling media, sifters, and all that there.

Have fun.   As always when reloading--use eye protection.

sfg

[m morton]

i used yahoo search "acid washing brass"   https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=acid+washing+brass&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004  got many hits i read a few but IMO acid is not the way to go i used acid to clean brick once before it's hard on the lungs!! , it's dangerous even diluted . i wore those yellow dish washing gloves and a wire brush , hand slipped and i busted my knuckle put a kick in the glove and my knuckle got swollen and infected from the acid even diluted . and i will say it was painful and i could not make a fist for at least a week..

i read this post https://www.gunandgame.com/threads/muratic-acid-for-cleaning-brass.91971/ and the opinion from Mooseman684 is not to use any form of Chemicals / acid
a copy and paste from gunandgame post orginal question and a few replys color coded so you can follow who say what  "Mooseman684" who seems to know what he is talking about ??

*** original question asked by
Full MeTal Jack
Full MeTal Jack
G&G Evangelist

    Had a wild hair today. Have been cleaning lots of 308 brass in tumbler. Some of this stuff is old and has that oily dirty feel.
    I threw a cartridge in some Muratic Acid. We clean Hastolloy and Siliconized brass with the acid. It cleaned it quick inside and out.
    For you chemistry majors, could this be an acceptable method to clean dirty brass? Any Chem problems with acid and brass?



    Finnish it off with tumble to polish.

Mooseman684
Mooseman684
G&G Evangelist

    If Chemical cleaning was Viable they wouldnt Make Tumblers...
    You will WEAKEN your brass if you use acids. ammonias, etc...
    DONT DO IT !
   
#6
Mooseman684, Dec 23, 2009


Deersniper
Deersniper
G&G Newbie
    Muriatic acid will fry your lungs.
     
#7
Deersniper, Dec 23, 2009


Full MeTal Jack
Full MeTal Jack
G&G Evangelist

    Appreciate the kind words.
    "DONT DO IT"
    Was talking with Certified Welder friend and he uses Muratic Acid to clean metal. Said, as far as steel, it removes the oxidation.
    Vinegar sounds safe. Just got a 1000 pc lot of LC 308 mil brass and it needs a good cleaning then tumbling. Didn't want to ruin new walnut media on this crappy (condition) brass.
    thanks to the vast unpaid resources on GnG.
     
#8
Full MeTal Jack, Dec 23, 2009

Taurus Fan
Taurus Fan
G&G Newbie

    Why even try screw with messy chemicals that leave you with a sludgey waste to dispose of and might harm the brass or leave a residue in the cases you don't want?The problem of how to clean and polish brass easily and efficiently has been solved for a long time.

    Buy a tumbler or vibrating case cleaner.
     
#9
Taurus Fan, Dec 23, 2009

Mooseman684
Mooseman684
G&G Evangelist

    Vinegar is Acetic acid....Coca Cola has Phosphoric acid in it...
    You are Not talking a Ferrous Metal here (Steel), Brass is a Non-ferrous amalgam and as such it is susceptible to weakening by Chemicals...most acids and Alkalis react Negatively with Brass / Copper/Bronze...etc.
    I was hoping I got your attention the first time...But i'm not sure , so
    PLEASE...Dont DO IT With Chemicals !!! Buy Cheap Corn cob Hamster bedding from Walmart and tumble away....Less than 5 bucks worth will last years...
    Rich
     

#10
Mooseman684, Dec 23, 2009

********************************************
 you can come up with your own opinions and read 100's of posts and -maybe- thin out bs reply's and maybe find good info but is the person posting info just because this how he dose it or are you getting info from some one who really knows what he is talking about ??  i am not saying Mooseman684 is an expert but what he said makes me think he is not just blowing smoke . i am in the opinion that just because you could do it dose not make it the best way or safe.  IMO i would stick with this quote from Mooseman684
"PLEASE...Dont DO IT With Chemicals !!! Buy Cheap Corn cob Hamster bedding from Walmart and tumble away....Less than 5 bucks worth will last years..."

[JTH]

I'll note that contrary to all of the above, I dry tumble, and like it.  (When I'm done tumbling, I can immediately use the brass.  No need to wait for it to dry.)  I note:  I reload pistol loads for USPSA in volume, so you make want to make different choices if you are reloading rifle rounds, or pistol rounds for extreme accuracy like a bullseye competition.

I don't really care if the cases are incredibly clean, as long as the insides are pretty clean.  I don't care if they are shiny, either.  Dry tumbling works perfectly well for what I need.  I haven't seen any difference between my reloads and several friend's reloads (who take considerably more pains with cleaning etc than I do) with regard to reliability and accuracy. 

As for dies---I use Dillon dies.  Other dies are perfectly good, but I _know_ that if there are any issues with the Dillon dies, I'll call up Dillon, and they'll make it right.  I've had a Dillon Super 1050 for over 5 years now, and THAT model is the one that doesn't have a lifetime warranty because it is the industrial version.  It just has a 1-year warranty.  The carbide sizing ring came out of the die one day during this past yaer (just was left there around the middle of a case) so I called them up. 

They looked up my data, knew my press, knew when I bought it....and immediately sent me a new die, free.  They only asked that I send back the broken one, and they sent a shipping label for it.

Dillon has amazing service.  And if you have problems, calling them up will fix those problems, because they've seen it all, and they are perfectly willing to help out any issues. 

(Yeah, I'm kind of a Dillon fan.)

[noylj]

A person who is thinking about reloading asks the following:

>Question 1) Brass cleaning-dry or wet? Pro and cons
>Question 2) Who has the best dies?

These are the BIG questions?
1) All cases must be inspected, inside and out, so you should always KNOW if there is mud or such in any case. All the case cleaning that is needed is to wipe off any dirt/dust/etc. from the case exterior. EVERYTHING over that is for the reloader and NOT for the reloading. From the dawn of the metallic cartridge age, case cleaning was always a very low priority--until about 10 years ago when it became critical.
Wiping off the case exterior gets old fast and irritates my arthritis.
30 minutes in 20/40 corn is more than enough to clean any case far in excess of any need
20-30 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner will get the cases completely clean, but will not give them much shine.
6-8 hours with stainless steel pins, hot water, Dawn, and citric acid will completely clean and polish all the cases.
I prefer to decap all cases as part of sorting and inspection.
2) Best dies? Probably Wilson custom dies made with same reamer that cut your barrel. As for commercially available dies, they each have pluses and minuses.
I like Lee and Hornady best of all.
Sizing dies: Of all the sizing dies I have tested, Lee and Hornady size further down a case and the TiN coating that Hornady uses, like the TiC carbide Redding uses (?), makes sizing easier. Dillon is probably the worst. Very large "chamfer" and easily missing case bulges that other dies reach and eliminate.
I just haven't found anything that I liked about the Dillon dies that came with my 1050s. I use lead bullets almost exclusively, but never had a problem with lube build-up so never needed the quick disassembly that Dillon seating dies offer (and the Hornady can do the same thing, just not quite as easily). Never had ANY die manufacturer NOT take care of any issue quickly and politely.
Dillon treats me and my 1050s as though they have a "no bull****" warranty as they can SEE that my presses are NOT used commercially.
Seating dies: One critical thing so many ignore is ensuring that the seating stem actually fits the bullets as perfectly as possible. Lee will make a custom seating stem for around $15.
The other critical factor is getting the bullet seated perfectly coaxial with the case. The Hornady seating dies have a floating cylinder to help maintain bullet alignment. So, I consider Hornady the best seating die and the Lee is at the least as good as any of the others.
I don't care about micrometer adjustments. These are fine to return you to where you were if you change things. but they don't make anything more accurate.
All commercial dies are more than good enough.