I don't have and don't use a dryer so my dryer sheets don't get used...or abused. I prefer hanging my amply sized underoos out for the neighbors to admire.
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Brass tumbling, polish, and mixed cases...
- Thread starter JayW
- Start date
I don't have and don't use a dryer so my dryer sheets don't get used...or abused. I prefer hanging my amply sized underoos out for the neighbors to admire.
Forget the stoopid (my opinion) dryer sheets. They are a waste of time. Urban myth, and all like that. People get excited when they see the sheets getting grungy, but overall, they do not really CLEAN the media much at all.
Put the mineral spirits and polish in BEFORE adding any brass. Allow the polish/mineral spirits to vibrate without any brass for about 20 minutes to disperse the liquids in the media. Then, you can add brass.
Remember that it's not just the media pressing against the brass that makes it shiny. It's the brass pressing the media into the brass that makes it go better. So, I always empty the media from the tumbler, add brass, and then re-ad the media on top of the brass. You'll find that you can get more brass and more media in that way.
Oh, and when you run out of the expensive polish that they give you with the tumbler, get yourself some NuFinish liquid car polish, and use a capful of that from time to time.
Doesn't Nu Finish Car Polish leave some sort of coating on the brass? I have avoided this stuff because I was afraid it would make the brass slippery and possibly increase pressure on the breech face.
Puts a microscopic (I dare anyone to actually measure the coating) coating of carnauba wax on the brass. Keeps it shiny for a LONG time.
It has never made any difference to any round that I have ever loaded and fired. If you don't care whether the brass is shiny, then forgetaboutit.
I like the brass to look like polished jewelry.
It has never made any difference to any round that I have ever loaded and fired. If you don't care whether the brass is shiny, then forgetaboutit.
I like the brass to look like polished jewelry.
I like the idea of shiny brass. I thought that any coating of this type could cause problems by preventing the brass from adhering to the chamber walls and thus increasing pressure on the breech face. Will this stuff aslo work on high pressure centerfire fifle brass?
Adhering? I don't think it actually adheres. It expands, and seals up against the chamber throat. Metal to metal seal, but the polish will not affect the brass expanding to seal the chamber. Don't forget that the expansion happens from within, where there's no wax, so it doesn't make any difference.
Yes, I use the same polish method on ALL of my brass. I am especially proud of my very shiny necked rifle brass. 30-06, 308, 5.56, and 7.62 X 54R are all very polished, and work great! If nothing else, the polish even helps clean up the necked rifle brass for the next reloading.
I peeked into a can of 5.56 that I reloaded and put on stripper clips (it actually ALL goes on stripper clips) over a year ago, and it's as pretty as the day I put it in there.
Yes, I use the same polish method on ALL of my brass. I am especially proud of my very shiny necked rifle brass. 30-06, 308, 5.56, and 7.62 X 54R are all very polished, and work great! If nothing else, the polish even helps clean up the necked rifle brass for the next reloading.
I peeked into a can of 5.56 that I reloaded and put on stripper clips (it actually ALL goes on stripper clips) over a year ago, and it's as pretty as the day I put it in there.
Really? Not according to the manufacturer:
As for the transfer of the recoil to the receiver by the case, let's check:
Polish may not; wax or lubricants likely will. Sealing is not the potential problem; the traction between the case and chamber is.
Whatever reduces friction between the case and the chamber while the propellant burns increases the pressure on the bolt face, breach or frame. Lube or wax on the case reduces that friction and increases the transfer to the bolt. etc.
There's a reason you're supposed to remove case lube before firing the reloaded cartridge, which is why so many reloaders run them through a tumbler of clean media to get the cases clean.
1) I stand corrected with regard to the wax. Always thought it was in there. Must be an engineered polymer of some sort (like RainEx). No matter. It always keeps the brass shiny.
2) I don't care if the brass is slippery. It seals gases fine, and I don't ever have any problems.
3) I wipe case lube from cases after sizing because I don't want that goop ACCUMULATING in the chamber, where it will eventually char into nasty crap that will become difficult to remove. That is the ONLY reason I remove it.
I've never had any issues doing it my way.
Then again.... I am NEVER loading on the upper edge of anything.
I'm guessing that you might be.
So, for your purposes, your way might be better. My way works for what I do.
That doesn't make either of us wrong or right.
Thank for pointing out the info about NuFinish not having any wax.
It's NuFinish Car POLISH, not NuFinish Car Wax....
Have I been "Scrived" also?
2) I don't care if the brass is slippery. It seals gases fine, and I don't ever have any problems.
3) I wipe case lube from cases after sizing because I don't want that goop ACCUMULATING in the chamber, where it will eventually char into nasty crap that will become difficult to remove. That is the ONLY reason I remove it.
I've never had any issues doing it my way.
Then again.... I am NEVER loading on the upper edge of anything.
I'm guessing that you might be.
So, for your purposes, your way might be better. My way works for what I do.
That doesn't make either of us wrong or right.
Thank for pointing out the info about NuFinish not having any wax.
It's NuFinish Car POLISH, not NuFinish Car Wax....
Have I been "Scrived" also?
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
USMA-82
NES Member
See the bottom of my post....
These are my worries. I always thought that clean (non coated) brass was essential to preventing excessive pressure on the breech (breach?) face. As you pointed out, "traction" is the problem, not sealing.
Then, spraying the brass with spray adhesive will make your gun shoot better?
Damn! So that's why the bloody lacquer coated steel Mosin crap gets stuck in the chamber....... The damn case never touches the bolt.
I have always thought that it was common knowledge that clean brass would adhere to the chamber walls while under pressure and reduce pressure on the breech face, no coating is necessary. Also that lubricant applied to, or left on, the brass would interfere with this process and result in increased pressure on the breech face. I am unfamiliar with the effects of laquer coating on steel cases as I avoid this cheap stuff like the plague.
KMM696
NES Member
Calculated effects, not tested, but I found Varmint Al's "Rifle Chamber Finish & Friction Effects
on Bolt Load and Case Head Thinning." an interesting read. I would assume that somewhere a firearm or ammo manufacturer has actually tested this - anyone seen any reports on that?
on Bolt Load and Case Head Thinning." an interesting read. I would assume that somewhere a firearm or ammo manufacturer has actually tested this - anyone seen any reports on that?
I separate all my brass by caliber then de-cap and resize my brass first.
Then ultrasonically clean in a mixture or 50% Water, 50% White Vinegar. And sever drops of Dawn Dish Detergent.
I dry the brass in my dryer in a leg from a pair of jeans tied at both ends. I toss in 3 or 4 old towels to reduce the noise.
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Then I put the brass in a vibratory tumbler.
My tumbling mix is as follows:
60% White Rice, 40% Lyman Red Rouge Coated Corn Cob Media (let that tumble around for 1/2 hour and the rouge disperses to all the rice).
I mist a bit of Kroil on the media and let it mix up real good (just a couple of mists over the top surface and let it roll for a bit, 2 or 3 times)
(OK, why white rice you say? It's pointy at the ends and gets pointier as you use it. It cleans into corners exceedingly well)
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Put brass in tumbler after wards and let it go overnight.
The brass comes out like you polished it on a cloth wheel, inside and outside, primer pockets too.
Then ultrasonically clean in a mixture or 50% Water, 50% White Vinegar. And sever drops of Dawn Dish Detergent.
I dry the brass in my dryer in a leg from a pair of jeans tied at both ends. I toss in 3 or 4 old towels to reduce the noise.
.
Then I put the brass in a vibratory tumbler.
My tumbling mix is as follows:
60% White Rice, 40% Lyman Red Rouge Coated Corn Cob Media (let that tumble around for 1/2 hour and the rouge disperses to all the rice).
I mist a bit of Kroil on the media and let it mix up real good (just a couple of mists over the top surface and let it roll for a bit, 2 or 3 times)
(OK, why white rice you say? It's pointy at the ends and gets pointier as you use it. It cleans into corners exceedingly well)
.
Put brass in tumbler after wards and let it go overnight.
The brass comes out like you polished it on a cloth wheel, inside and outside, primer pockets too.
So, polished brass is a bit harder on the bolt face, but easier on the brass.
Must be why I get to reload my brass so damn many times.
Must be why I get to reload my brass so damn many times.
An almost-certainly willful misstatement of the posts and their point. The purpose of tumbling IS to polish the brass. WAXING or otherwise lubricating it is not "polishing" as a necessary reloading step. Rather, it is counter-productive.
How wonderful for you.
However, brass - even my Starline 9x23 - is a damn sight cheaper than bolts, lugs and frames.
Not to mention hands, fingers and eyes.
Before I bought a tumbler I used "Simple Green" on my brass to clean it. Used hot water to start with in the mixture and rinsed it with hot water after letting it sit for a couple hours. It got the brass pretty clean but *NOT* nice and shiny. The shiny part did not bother me. It was the smell. Actually the smell is what my wife hated. She would walk into the basement and smell Simple Green and hate it. A good enough reason for me to buy a tumbler. I'v only been using the tumbler now with Corn Media.
Question... Why 60% white rice? Does it work well?
My wife is Korean. She loves her rice (sorry but she does, not trying to be racist here). Anyway, I'm sure she would not be happy with my dumping rice into my tumbler but it sounds like an interesting experiment. I have a couple 50 pound bags of the stuff laying around here somewhere.
At major PISTOL shooting matches you usually have to step up to the chronograph station during the course of the match to get checked out. It is common to see shooters lined up at the closest safe table oiling up their guns before chronoing, with the added step of a little swab of an oiled Q-tip in the chamber. The first couple rounds come out a little faster due to the presence of the oil in the chamber. It only bumps the velocity up a bit, nothing goes kaboom. Try it next time you chrono. I doubt a little film on your ammo will do anything significant, unless it caused some sort of build-up.
Additionally, you'll see some of the top shooters tossing their pistol ammo in a baggy with one of those oily/silicone gun and reel flannel clothes in it to slick up the ammo before they load each mag. That's for mag reliability and slick feeding. On the other hand, you'll see people running some nasty looking brass with 100% reliability.
I tumble with just corncob and a cap full of Dillon polish. Just scoop out the cat poop first. I take the waxy Dillon lube off my loaded ammo with a spritz of brake cleaner on a towel because it is a sticky lube that tends to pick up dirt. My guns run. Plenty of people leave it on and have no problems.
Additionally, you'll see some of the top shooters tossing their pistol ammo in a baggy with one of those oily/silicone gun and reel flannel clothes in it to slick up the ammo before they load each mag. That's for mag reliability and slick feeding. On the other hand, you'll see people running some nasty looking brass with 100% reliability.
I tumble with just corncob and a cap full of Dillon polish. Just scoop out the cat poop first. I take the waxy Dillon lube off my loaded ammo with a spritz of brake cleaner on a towel because it is a sticky lube that tends to pick up dirt. My guns run. Plenty of people leave it on and have no problems.
Well, It's raw rice and rice is fairly cheap and goes a very long way.
Agreed on price. 50 lbs of rice costs... $40ish. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip. I'm wondering what 100% raw rice would do to your brass. I might try that as well sometime.
Apologies, but it's the salt that collects the moisture hydroscopically. The rice kernels don't absorb moisture. They're in there to act as tiny ball bearings to help break up the clumps of salt.
