NFOA MEMBERS FORUM
Ammunition & Hand Loading => Cartridge and Shotshell reloading => Topic started by: ghknives on September 25, 2009, 10:26:14 AM
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Looking for ideas on cleaning the lube from large quantities of resized rifle brass. Hate to contaminate my polishing media with the lube.
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Dan W
I used to reload quite a bit but have not done it for some time. Do you have any special powder or reloading data for the 9mm and 45acp? I reloaded for rifle only but I am going to start to reload for pistol out of necessity (cannot find 9mm or 45acp rounds at a decent price.
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ghk- When full length sizing rifle brass, I use the Lee case trimming set-up chucked into a 3/8" drill. After the trim/chamfer/de-burr operation, I wrap a terry-towel around the brass and give it another 3 second spin = shiny clean brass ready to prime.
This worked so well that I never even bought a case cleaner untill I started loading for pistols....
George- What application(s) are the .45 rounds for? For punching paper, I like IMR 700X. For bowling pin, I like vN-340, when I can find it.
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Mostly just punching paper..........we have a practical pistol shoot every other Fri. nite....
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I load most of my handgun ammo with a Dillon press using carbide dies so I don't have to use lube. I'm just starting to load rifle ammo with this same press. Even using carbide dies they still need lubed. The sizing die also trims the brass to length. Most of my 45acp are run through sub guns so I load 230 grain FMJ above 6.5 grains of unique. A great place to buy bullets is MPS Company @704-847-8793. The last ones I bought were $130.00 per 1,000 and they will ship up to 2,000 for under $10.00
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George. I too use a Dillon press for .45 and 9mm. I do not use case lube for pistol rounds, but I do tumble in a mix of walnut media (lizard litter from the pet store) along with an additive of 60% Nu finish car polish mixed with 40% minerals spirits. I add a few table spoons to the media before I add the brass and tumble for several hours for brass that looks unbelievable and has a slick finish like a wax.
As for powder I am pretty much exclusively loading AA#5 for .45 acp and 9mm with Federal primers
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Thanks for the info Dan.....
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ghknives,
For large quantities of resized .223 brass I use a bucket of hot soapy water to clean all of the lube off. After a rinse spread them out on a towel and set them in the sun on a hot day for a while and they dry out quick and ready to load.
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Looking for ideas on cleaning the lube from large quantities of resized rifle brass. Hate to contaminate my polishing media with the lube.
A few quarts of hot water, some dish detergent, and a teaspoon of salt. Slosh them around, let them soak, slosh again, drain, rinse with hot water, drain, spread on a towel to dry.
Some guys bake at 250* for an hour to dry them. Do NOT use a baking sheet you'll eat off of.
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Here's a reloading tip for your consideration if:
A) You use soapy water to clean case lube off your brass, or
B) You use a liquid case cleaner instead of an honest-to-goodness vibratory tumbler and walnut media.
Like some of the Good Ol' Boys in the forum listings up above.
Here's the tip:
After either of the above processes, you'll have wet cartridge cases. It's Hell to get all the wet out of the insides of the cartridge cases.
So---Wait until your Wo-man goes to the mall, hair salon, church, whatever. [Wait til she goes to Work, even. You can stay home.]
Get hold of her hair dryer. Crank it up good and high. Put the cases in a reloading tray, neck down/rim up.
Run the hair dryer over the cartridge cases. Water evaporates nicely when cases get hot. [ Don't do the Guy Thing and melt the plastic reloading tray. Or set the wooden reloading tray on fire.]
After the hair dryer cools, put it back where you got it. Before she comes home.
The Woman will still know that you used it. Deny it anyhow. Make her wonder What the Hell. Tell her your Girl Friend came over, just to dry her hair.
Have a beer. Then charge the cases and seat the bullets.
Whoops....Charge cases, seat bullets, THEN have the beer.
You'll save the expense of heating the oven. [This method is Green.]
SFG
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Thats correct once green always green I mean green....
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Some guys bake at 250* for an hour to dry them. Do NOT use a baking sheet you'll eat off of.
I've heard that baking brass to dry it is a tad evil ? Fume production and possibly reducing the life cycle of the brass ?
Is this completely untrue ?
I'll get into loading 357Sig within a month or two, and I'll also eventually get into loading 30-30 and 308 ... all three of which are necked, so I wouldn't mind some heads up on drying.
Dunno if the 357sig requires lube, I imagine it might. Think I've also heard of people throwing their 357Sig brass into a bag, giving it a hit of hornady one shot, shake it around for a bit... and calling it good. One shot's some interesting stuff, but dunno if I'd trust it for the kind of pressures sizing will cause...
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Not enough lube = stuck case.
Stuck case = "show stopper".
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Not enough lube = stuck case.
Stuck case = "show stopper".
:angel1: :angel1: :angel1: i accidentally missed the under-the-plate lip of my progressive ... ran the case up through the resizer... felt no resistance on the way back down.... :o
thank god it was a straight walled pistol case ;D. Taking the shell plate off, sliding the shell plate onto the rim of the brass, running the ram up, screwing shell plate back onto the ram through hole at top of press... was able to get the case out of the die 8)
i'll definitely be lubing the 357sig when i get around to reloading it :).
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For What It's Worth........
S'Far as I know, all Brass Cartridge Cases require--or will benefit from--using some kinda case sizing lubricant.
Except.........brass cases resized in Tungsten Carbide resizing dies. My TC dies work quite well w/no case lubricant at all. None a'tall. Just run the cases thru the resizing die, bare naked. Other reloaders report the same excellent results.
.38Special, .357. 9mm all resize easily in my TC dies w/o case lube.
Now--As it happens, most Every Guy gets an Important Personal Appendage stuck in a pants zipper Just Once.
And....Most Every Reloader get a Brass Case stuck in a resizing die Just Once.
After That Most Dismal and Exasperating Experience, It's Case Lube or Tungsten Carbide dies.
Even a Reloader can get Religion.
sfg
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I use TC dies wherever possible as well. Straight wall cases are a breeze. 357mag, 40, and 45 generally don't need any lube indeed :).
The 357sig case is a small necked cartridge, so I'm thinking lube will be necessary.
Sadly most of the factory brass I've fired is nickle plated. I've heard stories of the plating flaking off and getting embedded in some dies, causing scratches and rough operation of the press. Someone mentioned having some luck throwing plated brass with corncobs material into a rotary tumbler for days - being able to polish the plating away.
It'll be a couple weeks before I order a 357sig barrel, but I'll get a rotary tumbler before then and try it out - reporting results naturally.
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You can actually get away with doing 357sig without lube. But, I've been loading it for a few years and find things run smoother if you squirt the batch first with some One Shot. You don't have to remove the One Shot lube after sizing but I will from now on. Most of my 357sig brass will not shine up anymore in the tumbler due to leaving the lube on there and then handling and firing them. The bucket of soap water does a good job here as well!
Also, I do get scratches on my brass from my dies with or without lube. If I take the die apart and look into I can see the rough spots. Can't seem to clean them out of there. Have not noticed it actually harming the brass as far as strength or length of life.
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Thanks maanbr. I'll prolly adopt that for when I start 357sig :)