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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 67,710
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 67,710 |
I never mix brass when cleaning.
Sam......
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,221
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,221 |
I never mix brass when cleaning. Me neither
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 6,755
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 6,755 |
I don't care if my brass looks like new or not. I don't often clean brass and I've stopped using the vibrating case cleaner. If cases have too much soot on them to reload as is, I toss them in a large mouth plastic bottle with Dawn, shake for a few seconds and rinse.
The only part of the case that I really clean is the inside of the case neck with a brass brush.
He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
- Albert Einstein
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,321
Campfire Outfitter
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OP
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,321 |
I never mix brass when cleaning. Me neither I do, but normally I mix obvious mismatches. Part of that is that I generally don't have large batches of brass to clean. It'll be 20 of this and 50 of that-- of themselves, not worth the wear on the cleaner. A typical mix might be 25 30-06 and 25 30-30 and 50 45 ACP. There's no doubt about what's what. Another batch might be 50 223 and 200 9mm. Again, no problems. If I have to look at the headstamp to be sure, then it's too close. For instance, I don't mix 25-06 and 30-06. Where I've gotten into trouble is when I'm cleaning a batch of once-fired and someone's mixed a few 9mm's in with the 45's. In this past instance, my sons brought me a pile of range sweepings that probably included God-knows-what. I had just received 100 rounds of Lake City 30-06 brass and wanted something to top off the batch. Note to self: stop trusting the kids' range sweepings. So much of what I shoot is small batches. With my deer rifles, I'll start off with one box of 50, shoot half, and then clean and reload it while I'm shooting the remaining 25. It's all the same recipe and I'll keep going like that until I get neck splits. With annealing, I've got rounds that have lasted since 2002.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 11,498
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 11,498 |
I used an ultrasonic cleaner for years. It got the cases clean but didn't polish the discoloration. Now I use tumbling medium and it polishes them up shinier than new. I like good looking ammo. The only problem is grains of medium getting in the primer pockets once in awhile but that's less of a hassle than having to brush out the necks. And I NEVER mix different cases.
Don't blame me. I voted for Trump.
Democrats would burn this country to the ground, if they could rule over the ashes.
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 16,132
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 16,132 |
The key to segregating brass is more tumblers......I have nine...... Corn cob media and a couple three dollops of Nu Finish car wax is your huckleberry.
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,893
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,893 |
I wet tumble with SS pins. The vast majority that I clean are straight walled cases, the exception being .223. I mix cases that will not fit into others such as .38/.357 with 9mm & .380. Also mix .44mag/spl with .45 Colt/ACP. .223 is a real pain as the pins often get jammed up in the cases and it often takes quite a bit of shaking to get them out. This and with all the needed case prep of checking each case for length, trimming, and swaging primer pockets on unknown brass, I really wonder if reloading .223 is worth the effort.
"...why, land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for,... because it is the only thing that lasts."
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,073
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,073 |
Once I went with a rotary tumbler with steel pins, I got rid of the corn cob mess and never looked back.
Fill with water, add a couple of squirts of Dawn and a pinch of Lemishine, and cases come out looking like new. The steel pins never wear out, and even though they are stainless they can be picked up with a magnet, which is handy
Paul If you don’t have the Lyman separator pans, they are worth the money. Hasbeen
hasbeen (Better a has been than a never was!)
NRA Patron member Try to live your life where the preacher doesn't have to lie at your funeral
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 12,340
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 12,340 |
I run three tumblers as some batches of brass run to 500 rounds. Media is walnut shells that are quite small.. Damned if I can remember where I got the stuff but I remember that it was a 25 pound bag. Most of the time they don't stick in the flash holes but it's a quick look into the mouth of the case on a well lit piece of white paper to see if the hole is clear. I use a universal decapping tool to knock out the few times there is media stuck in the hole. That works a lot faster than trying to pick it our with a paper clip. Paul B.
Our forefathers did not politely protest the British.They did not vote them out of office, nor did they impeach the king,march on the capitol or ask permission for their rights. ----------------They just shot them. MOLON LABE
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,271
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,271 |
Harbor Freight is your friend. I've been using one of these for several years now. Got it on sale for about $42-45. https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html
Slaves get what they need. Free men get what they want. Rehabilitation is way overrated. Orwell wasn't wrong. GOA member disappointed NRA member 24HCF SEARCH
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,233
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,233 |
What happens to ignition if you miss a piece of walnut in the flash hole? Something I've always wondered about.
I could wish a lot of things on my worst enemy but neuropathy ain't one of them.
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,271
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,271 |
I never mix brass when cleaning. If I get it and it's already mixed, sometimes I don't bother to sort them. They're easier to sort after I clean them. I can read the headstamps.
Slaves get what they need. Free men get what they want. Rehabilitation is way overrated. Orwell wasn't wrong. GOA member disappointed NRA member 24HCF SEARCH
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 24,371
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 24,371 |
I never mix brass when cleaning. Me neither But then you miss all the fun or pulling 9MM out of the 45s.
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,992
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,992 |
I don't know if its been posted or not but 9mm mixed with 40's don't play well together. Neither do 40's and 45's.
lightman
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,385
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,385 |
Like blankets with too much synthetic content, they ball up in the dryer. Then only the outside one is dry.
Same with sheets but the wife puts only one sheet or blanket in the dryer at a time. They don't ball up and dry real quick according to her.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,321
Campfire Outfitter
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OP
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,321 |
It's funny, but I find it interesting that y'all had trouble with stuff balling up in the washer. I just made the mistake of putting a pair of bib overalls in with my work shirts. That combination got all twisted up and it took 15 minutes to get it unwrapped from the agitator. I finally had to re-rinse the shirts to get the wrinkles out.
If only I'd posted this two weeks ago.
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,271
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,271 |
I don't know if its been posted or not but 9mm mixed with 40's don't play well together. Neither do 40's and 45's. If using a wet tumbler, the problem isn't nearly as prevalent.
Slaves get what they need. Free men get what they want. Rehabilitation is way overrated. Orwell wasn't wrong. GOA member disappointed NRA member 24HCF SEARCH
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,239
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,239 |
I have zero experience wet tumbling, but it seems like wet tumbling with pins is just a big of a PITA as cob/walnut media is, no?
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,320
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,320 |
These pics were taken with my iPhone after last weekends match. This is my 38-55 schuetzen rifle barrel, about 4 inches in front of the chamber. I went from shooting pretty well to missing the target completely in a hurry. The only explanation that I can think of is that I missed a stainless steel pin after cleaning the cases. This gouge wasn’t there before shooting that day and this barrel hasn’t seen anything but cast bullets. Not sure what really happened, but I’m all over tumbling with stainless pins and the rifle has been shipped off to be relined. The very same thing happened to John Friguglietti (top level "position" shooter) in one of his AR15 barrels a couple of years ago.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,320
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,320 |
What happens to ignition if you miss a piece of walnut in the flash hole? Something I've always wondered about. I don't know, but I believe I'm going to intentionally try it to find out. My guess is that you wouldn't get as good ignition and the velocity would be slower. Either that, or no difference at all.
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