When sorting base to ogive you should be aware that all bullet manufacturers when finished with the swaging they wash and rinse the bullets, dry them and package. There is a residual film that forms on the bullet depending on how efficient the rinsing was. Sort fifty or more bullets, most likely you will have two main groups about .001 apart and some that spread out some. Now borrow your wifes nail polish remover and a few Q tips and clean off the comparator and end of the indicator stem. Resort the longer bullets. I'll bet they are not the same as first measured. That residue tends to build up ever so slowly on the comparator and we are not getting a true measurement. Just be sure to let the acetone evaporate fully or wipe the units with a cloth to dry them. Copper and acetone don't like each other in the long term.
Bullet sorting tip
- Thread starter stifffingers
- Start date
You can use paint thinner or alcohol. If you roll them on a wet rag or soak them, you will be surprised how much comes off and how dirty the rag gets. Then roll on a dry rag to dry. Matt
R.Morehouse
Gold $$ Contributor
Break cleaner & a colander works for me on the uncleaned Cauterucios.
Sierra tumbles their bullets in rubber lined cement mixers with treated sawdust to remove the sizing lanolin based lube as well as polishing them bright and shiny.
Before Sierra moved to Missouri, they sold some of their best match bullets 1000 per plain brown box, no cleaning and dull colored with sizing lube still on them. They shot about 40% smaller test groups than those cleaned, polished and packaged 100 per green box. They were called "standards" and used to qualify their test barrels for accuracy standards. Picture's a box of 30 caliber 180 gr. HPMK's
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Dirty little secret...Camp stove/lantern fuel is a more refined fraction of Naptha (paint thinner) and about the same as fast drying paint thinner/VM&P Naptha but a lot cheaper than at the BB store or my locally owned hardware store. Academy has it for a bout $10/gallon versus $15-17 for VM&P Naptha at a hardware store. I also now use camp stove fuel/'white gas' as a solvent to clean my cases after sizing.
Are we still talking about cleaning the sorting equipment, or recleaning the bullets ? If we use Naptha or Brake clean, will they in themselves leave a residue? I've seen carb cleaner and throttle body spray move the crud around but I don't think those chemicals completely removes everything. Anything that evaporates leaves something behind, even alcohol, that's why the tobacco industry sprays alcohol on the leaves in processing. All the fast burning properties are left behind so smokers consume more. So I've been told.
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Cleaning bullets? I just thought a bunch of huffers had gotten together!
It might let a residue but it really cleans them. I can almost guarantee that if you don't clean them, it builds up in your comparator pieces and changes your measurements. I have done many thousands both ways and it is way more accurate after cleaning them. Matt
ClassCat
Unlimited
Coleman Fuel/White gas is petroleum based(has oil) that gets the heavy stuff off, but leaves a film also. The Acetone gets them CLEAN and without residue. a 2 step process
Do this test
2 Terri towels, folded,take 50 bullets , place on towel,SPRAY Coleman, with the palm of you hand roll the bullets on the towel,let dry,
repeat the same way with the other towel (clean) with Acetone
Do this test
2 Terri towels, folded,take 50 bullets , place on towel,SPRAY Coleman, with the palm of you hand roll the bullets on the towel,let dry,
repeat the same way with the other towel (clean) with Acetone
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If the residue from alcohol, or Naptha, is affecting my measurements on bullets or brass enough to produce a detrimental effect in my scores then I quit! I don't mean to sound crass but worrying about the residual film thickness from a either of those two solvents is a game of diminishing returns for certain. Relax and don't overthink this.
Some lots of bullets are really dirty. You would not believe the amount of stuff that comes off some lots. I agree with you that cleaning them helps and doesn't let enough film to hurt you. I roll on towels like you, but I roll and dry them also. Matt
dgeesaman
Gold $$ Contributor
Yea...I would certainly believe it
. The point I was getting at is that the residue left from the thin solvents I mentioned (after cleaning bullets or brass) is not enough to matter when it comes down to measuring BTO or bearing surface.No, it's dirt on the bullets and lube left there. Matt
Sierra's meplats often have teenie weenie tiny slivers of wood in them.
dmoran
Donovan Moran
Good description.....Lol
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Since this thread went down a different avenue than originally intended, lets pursue a really good way to clean off all these ucky bullets. If you google acetone and copper effects it will bring you to sites covering coin collectors and cleaning copper pennies. They show the long term effects and also what frequent use will do to your skin. For me, I don't think so. IMO I would choose a process similar to what the bullet smiths use. I would wash a bunch of bullets in a Dawn and Lemonshine solution, or maybe a Simple Green and water solution, agitate briskly and then rinse completely. However I wouldn't stop there. After drying all the water off I would put them back into a plastic jar and add a bottle of alcohol and shake them up. The alcohol would absorb any left over moisture from the hollow point cavity. Then I would funnel the used alcohol back into the bottle for the next time, and dump the bullets onto dry towels, wipe them dry and then let them sit while all the moisture evaporates away. The last part you may want to do in well ventilated room. Wouldn't want to create an explosive atmosphere.
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