Is there a trick to cleaning LC LR .308 brass?

[Adam0321/0306]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if there is a trick to getting the LC long range .308 brass clean? I have run it in my dry tumbler overnight and still cannot get it clean to the point where I am comfortable putting it in my dies. I am sure it is fine and just looks ugly. But any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks Adam.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

For dry tumbling, it is important to have the right media, and get the right motion.

I use walnut shell treated with rouge. The rouge is just a pain, and I'm not convinced that it improves cleaning that much. What does help is larger size media. Finely ground media just doesn't move as well.

Keep the mass down! Depending on the size of your tumbler (I'm assuming vibratory), you can clean 50-100 cases. Go with a small load and don't over-do the media. The cases should come up on the outside and move in toward center before drowning in a funnel of media in the center. If it's spinning slowly around the outside of the bowl, you have too much in it.

Hope this helps,

 

[Uncle Ed]

I wet tumble with SS media all my standard Lake City 7.62 M-80 brass simply because any brass that lands on the ground can pickup dirt and grit and scratch the dies.

I always say any firearm that throws perfectly good brass away and makes you go look for it needs to be wet tumbled.

I spent far too much time polishing my .223 dies to remove embedded dirt and grit that were scratching my brass using vibratory tumblers and treated walnut media.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Wet tumbling makes it look new again

 

[Adam0321/0306]

I appreciate the replies. This is the LR brass. So it is only fired from out bolt guns. I am discovering the wet tumbling.

As for dry media. I believe I am using a very fine media. I will have to get something else.

 

[chkunz]

I wet tumble with seven parts water and one part Simple Green for two hours. Clean inside and out.

 

[Uncle Ed]

I appreciate the replies. This is the LR brass. So it is only fired from out bolt guns.

Really................ you can tell the difference when you resize the cases and which rifle 7.62 LR brass is fired in.

M21: The M21 is a sniper rifle that was based on the M14. It is a converted National Match rifle that has been fitted with a 3-9x scope and fires match grade ammunition. It was the US Army standard sniper rifle until the introduction of the M24 SWS.
M25: The M25 is a modernized M21 that was developed for Special Forces use besides the M24 SWS. It is fitted with a fiberglass stock, National Match action and newer optics.
M14 DMR: The M14 Designated Marksman Rifle is derived from the M14 and was developed for the USMC. It is semi-automatic only, has a fiberglass stock, is fitted with a bipod and scope mount and high powered optics are standard.

 

[chkunz]

I appreciate the replies. This is the LR brass. So it is only fired from out bolt guns. I am discovering the wet tumbling.

It was/is also shot from M14s. I bought two cans of this ammo that came from the CMP ~15 years ago. I shot it at 600 yards and it was similar to the M852 except that it had the 175 SMK bullet rather than the M852 168 SMK. Good ammo and good brass.

 

[Uncle Ed]

chkunz

The OP needs to watch the movie "American Sniper" and the 7.62 rifles and ammo used by snipers.

Cartridge, Caliber 7.62mm Special Ball, Long Range, MK 316 MOD 0 (United States): A 175-grain round specifically designed for long-range sniping consisting of Sierra MatchKing Hollow Point Boat Tail projectiles, Federal Cartridge Company match cartridge cases and Gold Medal Match primers. The Propellant has been verified as IMR 4064 (per NSN 1305-01-567-6944 and Federal Cartridge Company Contract/Order Number N0016408DJN28 and has a charge weight per the specs of 41.7-grains.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

I appreciate the replies. No, ha ha, I cannot tell the difference when I resize the brass. Let’s just say I know the history of the cartridges I am reloading. I should have clarified that. I know that the AA11 is shot in several semi auto rifles. However, only one in the regular infantry.

Also, we no longer have the M14 DMR in the USMC. We currently only have two rifles that shoot AA11( the M118 LR) that being the M110 SAS. And the M40A6. Our new DM rifle is a 5.56 MK38. It is a suppressed M27 (H&K).

The other sniper Rifle we have is the new MK13 which is a 300 WINMAG.

I don’t count the M107 as it is not a SUB MOA weapon. But, technically it is designated as the M107 LRSR (long range sniper rifle).

 

[Doug Beach]

It doesn’t matter what it looks like, unless you think it does...

 

[Adam0321/0306]

It doesn’t matter what it looks like, unless you think it does...

We have a saying with demolitions that a pretty charge is a good charge. Meaning the ones that are neat and orderly, generally do not have misfires.

I know it is not the same with brass, I just don’t want to drop $200 on dies to mar them up with brass.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Clean brass can be inspected better. And you can dry tumble once fired surplus brass for 18 weeks and itll still be dirty lookin with carbon in the primer pockets

 

[Adam0321/0306]

Clean brass can be inspected better. And you can dry tumble once fired surplus brass for 18 weeks and itll still be dirty lookin with carbon in the primer pockets

Thank you, so wet tumble it is I guess.

 

[Doug Beach]

We have a saying with demolitions that a pretty charge is a good charge. Meaning the ones that are neat and orderly, generally do not have misfires.

I know it is not the same with brass, I just don’t want to drop $200 on dies to mar them up with brass.

Thanks for the reply.

I understand what you are saying.
Military brass does not have as fine a finish in the first place as most commercial brass. The brass itself cannot harm your dies. Grit in, or on, the brass, certainly can. If it’s gritty, wet wash it until it’s not. Shiny is irrelevant.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

I understand what you are saying.
Military brass does not have as fine a finish in the first place as most commercial brass. The brass itself cannot harm your dies. Grit in, or on, the brass, certainly can. If it’s gritty, wet wash it until it’s not. Shiny is irrelevant.

Well that makes sense. I am learning that I was doing many thing wrong when I first started reloading. Nothing unsafe. Just not smart.

 

[Jdne5b]

Are you using any polish or additive to the media?

Ive tried car polish, mineral spirits, ballistol, etc. Recently I tried the Lucas polish. It works the best of anything Ive tried so far, even on nasty 5.56 and pistol brass left on the range for while. So.. if you want to try something before switching to wet tumbling, that might be an option.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

Are you using any polish or additive to the media?

Ive tried car polish, mineral spirits, ballistol, etc. Recently I tried the Lucas polish. It works the best of anything Ive tried so far, even on nasty 5.56 and pistol brass left on the range for while. So.. if you want to try something before switching to wet tumbling, that might be an option.

Thanks. Right now I am not adding anything. Do you just polish them as you would any other piece of metal?

 

[Jdne5b]

Thanks. Right now I am not adding anything. Do you just polish them as you would any other piece of metal?

No. I add the polish to the tumbler with corn cob media. Let the tumbler do the work.

 

[2506]

Get you some Lyman TREATED corn cob media and you will not have all the red dust from the walnut treated media. For those that do use the walnut cut some strips of a Bounce dryer sheet and put them in your tumbler and they will help cut down on the dust greatly. If you already have some plain corn cob media get some Flitz polish or New Finish car polish and while running the tumbler add a table spoon of so and let it mix with the media then add your cases. It will clean and polish them up in a few hours.