Bullet Cleaning Methods???

[BigDMT]

I was out in my garage loading 6.5 rounds. When I went to seat some 130gr Berger VLDs, I noticed they had very slight rust built up on the jackets where the oil from my fingers made contact during sorting about 6 months ago. So the rust basically shows my finger prints, and although it is slight, its definitely noticeable. The jackets aren't nearly as smooth as when they come fresh out of a new box so Id like to clean them.

I have never cleaned bullets before, but I do remember talking to a guy who said he let's his bullets soak overnight in paint thinner to clean them. Id rather use something else that doesn't have such a foul and harmful odor. Any of you folks got any solvents or concoctions you use to clean bullets?

Thanks,
BigD

 

[jonbearman]

Copper doesnt rust it tarnishes. If it is only stained then I wouldnt worry about it.

 

[BigDMT]

Copper doesnt rust it tarnishes. If it is only stained then I wouldnt worry about it.

I know it's not rust. Just using rust as an explanation term. It's making the jackets rough so I would like to clean them. I spent a lot of time weighing and measuring these bullets and don't want jacket problems.

 

[LRPV]

Buy yourself some of them stinky latex gloves to wear for the next batch. As far as getting rid of that stuff, I can't help out there. Never have tried to clean it off. I have tumbled some bullets and that shined them back up but it got some media stuck in the nose of some of the hollow points and of course they weren't loaded yet either.

 

[M-61]

Had the same problem with 52gr Sierra HPBT. They were really old and had green on them in many places. Gave up trying to wipe them clean and threw them in my tumbler. They came out like new except about half had a piece of media stuck in the hollow point. Could not get that out so in the end I loaded them. Never saw a difference in accuracy which sort of amazed me. I thought I had 50 fouler rounds but actually they were fine. Shows what happens when there is a bullet shortage like now,,,,you find stuff you did not know you had. Spent some time making sure the tumbler was empty of them as they would love to fall inside a tumbled 308 case. That was the only really problem.

 

[BoydAllen]

I think that the best way to clean those bullets is to shoot them through a target. Seriously, if this bothers you, any sort of metal polish that is designed for copper and brass should do the trick, and as has been suggested wearing gloves when you are handling the bullets should prevent the problem in the future. Just make sure that you wipe all of the polish off. You don't want to be shooting mild abrasives down your barrel.

 

[BigDMT]

Gloves are a good idea. I have an ultrasonic case cleaner that would probably do the trick. Suppose I could try just a couple bullets in it as a test.

Accuracy probably won't be affected, but I'm pretty picky with this ammo because it is for a 1K benchrest comp rifle. Don't want to leave anything to chance because there is little room for error in that game. Thanks for all the input so far fellas

 

[PDS]

I've had good results tumbling tarnished bullets in stainless tumbling media.

 

[Cold Bore]

Accuracy probably won't be affected, but I'm pretty picky with this ammo because it is for a 1K benchrest comp rifle. Don't want to leave anything to chance because there is little room for error in that game.

If they are for a long range competition rifle, why not just buy more, and use these for foulers, load development, "plinking", whatever?

Seriously, if you are as picky as you say, eliminate that uncertainty in your mind. The mental aspect of lingering doubt in the back of your mind is not a good thing when you're laying on the line or sitting at the bench.

Me, I'd just shoot them, or bust some groundhogs with them, but I'm kinda that way. 8) I know, and have competed with, many guys that would psyche themselves into a 9, or a miss, or losing a match, over nothing more than mental baggage.

 

[1holeaddict]

I have tumbled some bullets in the past. It is kinda painstaking work wiping them off afterwards but they come out like new.

 

[barnesuser28]

i have taken a small dab of JB on a patch and just gave them a quick wipe, came out perfect, then i wipe them down with some hoppes #9 to polish them and clean the JB off and then dry them.

 

[bpd459]

Greetings,
Use hot water with some plain lemon juice. They copper jackets will shine up in a minute or two. Rinse and dry on a towel. Works great and leaves them with a fresh scent...
Take care,
John

 

[BigDMT]

Greetings,
Use hot water with some plain lemon juice. They copper jackets will shine up in a minute or two. Rinse and dry on a towel. Works great and leaves them with a fresh scent...
Take care,
John

Thats exactly the type of simplicity I was looking for. Thank you, I will give it a try

 

[BigDMT]

Accuracy probably won't be affected, but I'm pretty picky with this ammo because it is for a 1K benchrest comp rifle. Don't want to leave anything to chance because there is little room for error in that game.

If they are for a long range competition rifle, why not just buy more, and use these for foulers, load development, "plinking", whatever?

Seriously, if you are as picky as you say, eliminate that uncertainty in your mind. The mental aspect of lingering doubt in the back of your mind is not a good thing when you're laying on the line or sitting at the bench.

Me, I'd just shoot them, or bust some groundhogs with them, but I'm kinda that way. 8) I know, and have competed with, many guys that would psyche themselves into a 9, or a miss, or losing a match, over nothing more than mental baggage.

I have more unopened boxes, but the bullets mentioned have already been sorted by base to ogive measurements and weight. I will use them for load development, then use the new bullets for competition. I believe accuracy in load development is just as important as accuracy in competition so I want to use perfect bullets.

I also already have a bunch of Sierra 120gr MK's, Hornady 123 A-Max's, and Hornady 140 gr HPBT Match bullets that I use for fouling. I have all of those bullets sorted as well and all of the ones that were too far out of spec are in a bag for that purpose alone.

Plus, it's not like the 130gr Berger VLD's are the easiest thing to find right now, so I want to make the best use out of all the boxes I have.