My new cleaning media

[joshb]

I spent an afternoon picking corn cob out of 600 223 flash holes. I cursed myself for having forgotten a lesson I learned ten years ago. I swear I’m getting daft! I went to the pet store and bought some fine crushed walnut shells. AKA Lizard litter. Cleaned another 600..... problem solved!!
Just posting for The newbies and old forgetful guys like me.

 

[boltfluter]

As far as the "daft part, I am right there with you buddy! I may actually be in the lead!
Paul

 

[Gargoyle]

Meh, a bag of that only lasts like 10yrs tops.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Still have Media stuff somewhere ?
Went Wet and love it . Wife loves seeing me Dry Cases in the Oven.

 

[Gargoyle]

White rice works too! $1.89 a bag. Charged with some flitz it'll last 4 good tumbles.

 

[Liven The Dream]

White rice works too! $1.89 a bag. Charged with some flitz it'll last 4 good tumbles.

Tumbled Molly Bullets in White Rice years ago, made them shine.

 

[jepp2]

fine crushed walnut shells

The fine walnut blast media available from Harbor Freight also works well without any getting stuck in the flash holes. I use the 20-40 sieve size corncob media. My experience is the walnut cleans better, the corncob polishes better.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Nice substitute
I’m still a regular corn cob guy. Does the best job in my dry tumbler and seems to get better with age and use. I always leave the spent primers in while tumbling and anything in the flash hole will get knocked out when depriming.

 

[joshb]

Nice substitute
I’m still a regular corn cob guy. Does the best job in my dry tumbler and seems to get better with age and use. I always leave the spent primers in while tumbling and anything in the flash hole will get knocked out when depriming.

Yeah, but what about the second cleaning to get the sizing lube off?

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Yeah, but what about the second cleaning to get the sizing lube off?

Never have done that. I just wipe off the lube with a shop towel. I don’t want cases getting tossed around in a tumbler after I FL size them due to the risk of necks getting dinged up. Also wouldn’t want lube building up in my media.

 

[jepp2]

Yeah, but what about the second cleaning to get the sizing lube off?

I use Bootleg case lube, and to remove it I just toss them in the plain 20-40 corncob for 30 minutes. Just don't feel like hand wiping every case off.

I don't trim and chamber until after the sizing case lube is removed.

 

[joshb]

I use Bootleg case lube, and to remove it I just toss them in the plain 20-40 corncob for 30 minutes. Just don't feel like hand wiping every case off.

I don't trim and chamber until after the sizing case lube is removed.

Yup. I’m doing 2000 “plinking” rounds. I don’t have the energy to wipe the Imperial off with a rag. Of course, I treat my precision rounds differently.

 

[dantiff2]

I spent an afternoon picking corn cob out of 600 223 flash holes. I cursed myself for having forgotten a lesson I learned ten years ago. I swear I’m getting daft! I went to the pet store and bought some fine crushed walnut shells. AKA Lizard litter. Cleaned another 600..... problem solved!!
Just posting for The newbies and old forgetful guys like me.View attachment 1384831

This is by far the best media that I've tried in my years of loading. I add a splash of NuFinish car polish (orange bottle) to every other batch and the brass looks just as good as when I went through my wet tumbling phase. This stuff pours out of the brass like water without the drying time and does not get stuck in flash holes. I'll never use anything else.
FYI: I use this in a rotary tumbler setup so there's zero dust. That may not be the case for vibratory setups.
Dan

 

[Gargoyle]

Bro-peeps, just use alcohol on a wrag. Takes all the lube off.

 

[acloco]

Walnut, corn cob, and rice.....all leave a residue.

Switched to we 3 years ago and never looked back.

EVERYTHING stays cleaner......dies and press. Deprime, wash in stainless pins with lemi shine and a drop of dish soap. Dry outside on a towel ( a little wind does wonders) or use a food drier.

 

[Retired shooter]

Same as acloco deprime lemi shine splash of dawn maybe 1 hr tumble. shake the pins out in a Dillon tumbler
Cold water rinse, either dry in a warm oven or set on a baking pan in the sunshine. Done.

 

[joshb]

Bro-peeps, just use alcohol on a wrag. Takes all the lube off.

I’m not doing 50 6br cases.......
I’m doing 2 thousand 223 cases!

 

[joshb]

Same as acloco deprime lemi shine splash of dawn maybe 1 hr tumble. shake the pins out in a Dillon tumbler
Cold water rinse, either dry in a warm oven or set on a baking pan in the sunshine. Done.

Too late in game for me to switch methods, but a good suggestion.

 

[epc308]

When the place I worked shut down, the tear out crew was able to look in all the nooks and crannies for treasures to take home. I scored a heavy paper container of compressed corn cob media. No one had ever seen it used while the place was open, nor did we have any idea why it was there. There was 2-3 cubic feet and the bag had never been opened. Hard to argue with a free, lifetime supply of the stuff. I change it frequently and can't imagine I will ever run out, even giving it to friends and our son.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

I spent an afternoon picking corn cob out of 600 223 flash holes. I cursed myself for having forgotten a lesson I learned ten years ago. I swear I’m getting daft! I went to the pet store and bought some fine crushed walnut shells. AKA Lizard litter. Cleaned another 600..... problem solved!!
Just posting for The newbies and old forgetful guys like me.

Ah that reminds me I need to replace my bearded dragons..
I still tumble in regular corn cob but I also only deprime after I tumbled