First reloads

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Re: First reloads

Postby Hoot » Sat Feb 06, 2016 2:30 pm

Cutright wrote:I was thinking of getting this type of cleaner. I've never bothered to clean the brass and am not sure it's worth the trouble/expense. Was also thinking of a sonic cleaner to do gun parts too, but if I'm going to clean brass, I would like it to shine as well


Just got done changing the oil in my F150 laying on the unheated garage floor. I think several of my vertebrae grew together during the process. :roll:

I have one of those 2.5L 160W ultrasonic cleaners and though they work, IMHO, they're not miraculous. Wet tumbling on the other hand, is quite miraculous. Like a time machine. My tumbler is not the high buck one, made specifically for reloaders. It's just a single drum Harbor Freight rock tumbler I bought for something like $30.00 on sale a few years back. I forget where I bought a 5lb bag of pins, for something like $35 at the same time. They will last me the rest of my earthly days as there's not much lost to use and you don't use the entire amount each time in the smaller tumbler. Anyway, IIRC, I can do about 25 rounds of 450b brass or thereabouts in a session. More of smaller calibers. Its all covered in articles on many web sites and also on YouTube. A bottle of Lem-o-Shine will also last a lifetime if you store it in a cool, dry place with the cap on tight. One nice aspect about wet tumbling is that while you have to mix up the solution when you start, rinse off, retrieve the media and dry them afterward, there's no dust to worry about breathing and even walnut shell vibratory media wears out. Also, it takes a lot less time than dry tumbling. Before I went to wet tumbling and I admit, I still do dry tumbling if I just want to start it and let it run while I sleep or to knock off resizing lube, I went through several vibratory tumblers that plain wore out. Bright, shiny, bling brass, does give the reloader a sense of confidence that is probably without a compelling scientific reason other than reclaiming a small percentage of a grain of powder capacity from the crud removed from inside the case. Also, you can be confident that the necks will be pretty much metal on metal with the seated bullets and heaven knows, this caliber craves neck tension. If I were processing brass for sale and there is plenty of LEO pickup brass on the local range after one of their practices, I'd probably invest in one of those larger tumblers designed for reloaders. You can invest whatever amount you choose in a setup.

I have gone the route of vinegar/water/dish liquid in the ultrasonic cleaner for deprimed brass and while it also works quicker than dry tumbling, it doesn't make 'em shine like they just came out of a bag of new brass. Love that shine! We can continue this discussion in another thread as I know some other members have tried multiple cleaning methods.

Hoot
In Theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In Practice, there is.
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