SS pins method to clean loaded ammo

[ppaul]

Butch, I have not done it but, I fired some old [ fifty years] Federal factory maybe 10 or so into the box one let go
just above the web. Guess what, they all went into the junk!

 

[LHSmith]

And every loading manual says do not exceed maximum loads and we do it all the time. Loading tool and die makers are warning us all the time, and we ignore their warnings when we need to and see fit.

Jeep owners manuals say to not crawl over large rocks and cross deep streams, and we do it all the time.

We live in a world governed by lawyers - some of us are smart enough to ignore most of the legal BS

This is true.....BUT......the ultimate responsibility reverts to the product user if you ignore the manufacturers "warnings" listed in their product literature. Should something go wrong you forfeit legal recourse against the manufacturer.
There are approximately 200 different smokeless powders available today, and many more that have been made in the past but no longer manufactured. Each one has a different chemical make-up, and some differ in physical characteristics.
Just because some have gotten by with no ill effects using powder "x" which is "y" years old usually stored in unknown conditions prior to purchase, and with a specific fill ratio does not guarantee the practice is safe for someone whose ammo consists of a whole set of different parameters.

 

[racesnake]

Butch... I tried the pins and had trouble with bullet seating pressure variation. My method, now is hot water, a 1/4 teaspoon of Limishine, 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap and 30 min. Tumbling. Brass comes out bright and shiny on the outside. It leaves a burnt powder patina on the inside which helps even out the seating pressure.
D-

 

[butchlambert]

Well, I guess it's time to close this thread down. A lot of lack of reading comprehension on my subject. What is it? One person actually had experience with what I was asking.
Yes, I have a Thumbler and have used it 4 or 5 years, BUT not with loaded ammo.

 

[Firefighter]

I Love my Red Tumbler, I also use liquid car wash with carnauba wax in it, the brass has a nice shine on them.

 

[Mikemci]

I know this doesn't address your question about wet tumbling loaded ammo but if you just want to clean up the brass, have you considered a case spinner/drill/steel wool?

 

[butchlambert]

I know this doesn't address your question about wet tumbling loaded ammo but if you just want to clean up the brass, have you considered a case spinner/drill/steel wool?

Good idea, but I have too many.

 

[dkhunt14]

Good idea, but I have too many.

I clean all my match brass this way. I do 34 cases (2 sets) in a few minutes. Matt

 

[hogpatrol]

I clean all my match brass this way. I do 34 cases (2 sets) in a few minutes. Matt

Same way only I use scotch brite pads.

 

[Mikemci]

Same way only I use scotch brite pads.

What color do you use. Probably better than Steel wool.

 

[hogpatrol]

What color do you use. Probably better than Steel wool.

The ultra fine ones that are more flexible than the scouring pads you get at Wallyworld.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013HFWYS/?tag=accuratescom-20

 

[Mikemci]

The ultra fine ones that are more flexible than the scouring pads you get at Wallyworld.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013HFWYS/?tag=accuratescom-20

Thanks, I'll give them a try. The stiffness issue is why I haven't tried the Home Depot variety. This is probably a less messy option, over Steel wool.

 

[hogpatrol]

Thanks, I'll give them a try. The stiffness issue is why I haven't tried the Home Depot variety. This is probably a less messy option, over Steel wool.

I cut up the larger pads to 4x6 size, easier to handle.

 

[msinc]

.......A lot of lack of reading comprehension on my subject. What is it? One person actually had experience with what I was asking......

That should be your first clue Mr. Lambert. I mean, you would probably get the same number of responses over on the flying forum if you asked about how much fun it is doing a nose dive and pulling out at the last second. There might be a "lack" of something........I am just not so sure it's reading.

 

[JRS]

Butch,

This is a quote from experts….Hodgdon: "It is the policy of Hodgdon Powder Co. to recommend against ever tumbling or vibrating loaded or reloaded ammunition. Vibrating for even short periods of time may degrade propellants or change their burn characteristics".

You might be fine tumbling the ammo if you don't intend to shoot it, or pass it on to someone who will. I have no firsthand experience with it, and personally, would not risk doing so.

 

[Jp0311]

What problems are you going to run into? I want good info, not an inexperienced guess. I can do that.

I negligently cleaned about 50 live rounds (5.56 Lake City from a police range pickup) when I first started loading. Luckily, nothing happened in they came out looking new. Not sure if they would fire since I took them all apart, but guessing they would be fine. I didn’t think to check them before tumbling them and didn’t notice until I took them out of the tumbler. About 1/10 we live rounds.

 

[Jefferson]

Well, I have been using this method for two years so I have some real live actual non-guess experience. Here is my take on it....

1. It absolutely cleans without damaging or changing the dimensions of the case.

2. If you use the Lemi-Shine stuff the brass will stay bright and clean for a long time {which is a good selling point.}

3. Sometimes I get two pins stuck in the primer flash hole. When this happens they need to be pushed out with a small punch. This causes me to have to do a quick visual look at each case to make sure they are clear. About the worse that could happen is I could break a primer punch pin on my die if I miss one. Some guys have suggested I buy "big enough" pins that it cannot do this, but I don't know where to get them, and the ones I have work fine. If I go to bigger pins I don't know if they will clean way down in the corners of the primer pocket as good, and i like what I have now in this regard. It's not as if it happens to a lot of cases to make it an inconvenience...maybe one out of 100 will need to be punched.

4. Many guys say they have trouble with pins sticking inside the cases. I have never seen this happen with my set up. Not even one time and I have, no B.S. cleaned in excess of 20,000 cases. I have a few guys on the local base get me range brass by the 5 gallon bucket. Not saying it cant happen, but I have never seen it. They claim, and I am sure if it does happen, the pin will ruin a barrel if it gets all the way to the point it's in a loaded round and fired. Again, a quick visual down in each case will cure this problem. They are so bright and clean inside at this point it is no problem easily seeing a pin if it is stuck.

5. When I finish running a batch I drain the dirty gray water right in my sink and refill with clean. I might do this twice to get as much of the gray water gone so it is now clear and free of suds. I take the cases out about 4 or 5 at a time and shake them under the water {which is of course still in the tumbler} allowing the pins to fall free of each case. This sounds like a time consuming pain but it really does not take that long. Once I get all the cases out of the tumbler tank and free of the pins I put them in one of those case spinner things to spin off as much remaining water left on the cases. I spread them out on a towel and begin to do a visual of each case to make sure they are free of pins and also to find any defective cases I don't want to waste any more time on. They are then allowed to dry. If I am in a hurry either the oven or some rubbing alcohol speeds things up.

6. I use a Thumler's Tumbler Model B {for the required or better speed} and fill it to within one inch of the top with hot water. I add a squirt of that blue Dawn liquid dish soap and about a teaspoon of the Lemi-Shine. Seal her up and run for 4 hours {if the cases are really nasty} 2 hours if they are ones that have been cleaned and I am just going to reload.

7. Many guys claim that the whistle clean necks grip the bullet differently than a case that is carboned up from being fired. It does have a different feel {for lack of a better way of describing it} than a fired case when you seat the bullet. I either seat the bullets with a little {very little} smear of Imperial on my fingers or even better is to use some graphite or mica. No doubt this has already cost somebody a world record, but at my level of shooting I cannot discern any accuracy difference and I don't see anything notable on the chrono either.

8. Just for the heck of it, when I first started out, I had a 308 case that I put in every batch of cases I clean to see if it changed dimensional wise. It never did in roughly half of the cases I ran and so i quit checking.

9. I cannot find where it changes the anneal any either, your cases are either soft or need it and the tumbler method does not seem to affect this.

10. You can get a little bit of "edge peening" going on at the case mouth, but I believe this happens worse when guys resize and trim first and then tumble. I have seen it but it does not affect me one bit because I punch out the primers, tumble first and then do the rest of the operations for loading. many guys prep cases first and then tumble which works fine either way.

11. Because I have so many cases to clean and sell other than the ones I load and shoot, that just makes it all the more reason to clean this way. It is really unbelievable to see just how beautiful and shiny the cases come out after being picked up off the ground and turned all nasty and brown. They really do look better than new cases. Point being, yes, you can get by with just a good chemical cleaning if you are just loading a few hundred brand new cases to shoot for yourself. Probably hard to justify this setup if that is the extent of your needs...but you will forget all about the cost the first time you throw in some really dirty cases and open it up to see all those bright shiny gleaming once dead cases!!!

I got my pins from Midway. You should find the Lemi-Shine at Wal-mart or Target. Any questions, or if there is a particular aspect of this process you would like to see in photos posted here please don't hesitate to scream at me.

model B is now offered with a high speed option and for reloaders that is the model to buy
a couple of months ago I called them and that is what they said, not well known in rock polishing circles as they don’t know much about is precision reloaders

remember MODEL B HIGH SPEED is the better one to buy almost the same price at retailers and they just finished a run a while ago

 

[jelenko]

With all the responses in this thread relating to fired brass instead of loaded ammo, the quote "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" comes to mind.

 

[butchlambert]

I have the reading comprehension problem. I didn't "read" loaded. On the steel wool or scotch brite, I have a bucket of 8,000 223 brass to do and I guess the Thumbler will be best for me.

 

[dellet]

I'm guessing since the OP hasn't let us know what happened in over 4 years he died trying, so maybe it's not so good an idea.