Proper Method of storing 233 & 308 brass

[Bonz]

My friend came over and asked me how to properly store this brass until he gets setup to reload it. He just bought 2 AR15's, one in 223 and the other in 308. Him and his son went out and fired off about a case of ammo, both calibers combined.

He knows that with the current market, its going to be a long time before he can buy his first reloading press and essentials.

I told him that I store my straight walled pistol brass just like I picked it up at the shooting school, filthy with soot, etc

He is concerned that the rifle brass might develop problems if not cleaned right away.

So, do I pop the primer out and wet tumble and spritz with some Hornady Dry Lube for him or just tell him to store that brass in plastic bags all dirty and sooted up ?

[thehouseproduct]

He could just tumble in walnut shell and call it good. I have friends with tumblers that don't reload, they just sell the cleaned up brass.

[Bonz]

He could just tumble in walnut shell and call it good. I have friends with tumblers that don't reload, they just sell the cleaned up brass.

Issue is long term storage. If you tumble it with walnut shells, won't that allow the brass to oxidize in a few months ?

[Ford SD]

Dry Tumble Clean and store in a zip lock storage bag

When I moved I had put some 45acp Primed brass only in a Zip lock Bag

10 Years Later I found IT in a cardboard box

Brass was just a tad darker than day old Tumbled brass (and they all went bang)

I have found fresh range Brass cleans up in a shorter time in the tumbler

[hiram1]

run them in walnut shells with car wax then plastic bags.

[km101]

Tumble/vibrate in walnut hull or corncob with some Nu-finish car polish (just an oz or two) and store in ziplocks or ammo storage cans. Anything that is reasonably airtight will work. I have stored brass treated like this for 5+ years with only some slight darkening of the finish. I have also stored primed brass this way with no problems.

[41 mag fan]

I'd store them as is with a dessica pkt in a baggie....i've got brass I've stored for yrs like that.

[lightman]

I store mine in plastic coffee cans. Sometimes tumbled, sometimes not. Lightman

[Duckiller]

Sort by size and dump into plastic buckets. Metal doesn't rot. Brass doesn't rust. It may oxidize a little bit. It doesn't have to be shiney to work. If kept dry it won't turn green.

[MtGun44]

They sell these neat steel cans at gun shows. Dark green, hinged lids, several sizes with gasketed
lids and nice handles.

I think they are called "ammo cans". :bigsmyl2:

Bill

[DCM]

They sell these neat steel cans at gun shows. Dark green, hinged lids, several sizes with gasketed
lids and nice handles.

I think they are called "ammo cans". :bigsmyl2:
Bill

Big +1.
I hear they work for loaded ammo too.

[plmitch]

yup, ammo cans, cheap and easy.

[Gator 45/70]

Man, If i had friend's that go out and blow a case of ammo...and did not call me...

I would find a new friend...

Other than that,I store mine as is when picked up. I use gallon pickle jug's.

[DLCTEX]

Tonight I found an ammo can full of 45 ACP brass that I cleaned in corncob with Nufinish polish 5 years ago and it is still bright.

[Mk42gunner]

They sell these neat steel cans at gun shows. Dark green, hinged lids, several sizes with gasketed
lids and nice handles.

I think they are called "ammo cans". :bigsmyl2:

Bill

They work very well for long term brass storage; I have some fully prepped 7.62 and 5.56 brass that has been in ammo cans for at least ten years, that still looks like it just came out of the tumbler yesterday.


yup, ammo cans, cheap and easy.

Not so cheap anymore, but still a good investment. After seeing the current prices at the last gunshow; I wish I could have managed to surplus a pallet or two before I retired.

Robert

[runfiverun]

i'd tell him not to even bother if he shot a case of ammo in a day he needs a new barell.
it ain't gonna matter what the brass looks like.

[David2011]

Another vote for corncob and Nu-Finish Car Polish. (It's not wax.) Nu-Finish inhibits corrosion on the brass. Don't use anything that smells of ammonia. Ammonia makes brass brittle over time.

David

[oldarkie]

i tumbeled some .223 in corncob along time ago,it stuck inside the cases.didnt see it till i checked my powder for double charges,now its walnut only.

[FISH4BUGS]

I just store it in Kittly Litter cans with lids, 3 gallon egg buckets with lids, or 5 gal buckets with lids. I tumble them clean only when I need them to reload.
I have thousands of 380, 9mm (probably 10k), 45, 223 and 308 like that ready to tumble. I loaded up on brass when you could buy 10k of 9mm for $100 shipped. Thare are some advantages to shooting full auto you know, and buying brass and components in bulk is one of them.
Keep them dry and they won't go bad on you. They are stored in the man cave that is unheated most of the time.

[Bonz]

I have never reloaded rifle cases but read a lot of the threads where you guys are talking about it. I remember several members saying that the necks of the cases had to be heated to 700f ? (annealed) to soften the brass before reloading.

Just to be sure, dry tumble with walnut shells & nu-finish and store in sealed plastic bags. I would only assume that when he gets his reloading rig up and running, he will need to dry tumble clean the cases again before annealing ?

[Bonz]

I just store it in Kittly Litter cans with lids, 3 gallon egg buckets with lids, or 5 gal buckets with lids. I tumble them clean only when I need them to reload.
I have thousands of 380, 9mm (probably 10k), 45, 223 and 308 like that ready to tumble. I loaded up on brass when you could buy 10k of 9mm for $100 shipped. Thare are some advantages to shooting full auto you know, and buying brass and components in bulk is one of them.
Keep them dry and they won't go bad on you. They are stored in the man cave that is unheated most of the time.

Same thing that I do, just leave them dirty until they are needed for reloading. I then wet tumble 12 pounds of brass, spritz with Hornady Dry Lube and its ready for loading. I just was not sure about the rifle brass and definately don't want to tell him the wrong thing to do and trash all of his rifle brass.

[Epd230]

I store mine mostly in any container that i can liberate. Mostly old plastic coffee cans and rubbermaid. Some in plastic bags and some in surplus ammo cans.

I also store a few individual cases under the reloading bench, a few under the table saw, one on top of the refrigerator (don't even ask) and a handful under my bed.

I have found the ammo cans the best, but recently found a whole can of .45 ruined. I discovered that my wife's self propelled tactical target (aka: house cat) pissed on the ammo can sometime in the last 5 years. Rusted right through the can.

Although, I could load a couple of those cases and fire them at the range. Hope that the odor attracts some of the local male, self propelled tactial targets...........

[skeet1]

I store mine in an open bucket under my bench and not worry about it till I use it. I guess I don't understand the problem.

Ken

[Boerrancher]

Guys, I am shooting old military 30-06 brass from the 1950s that was picked up off of a rifle range back then and stored in wooden crates. I recently moved them to ammo cans but only because they stacked better than the wooden crates under my loading bench. Dad and a buddy of his picked these up as I said back in the 50's. They still have the range dirt, soot, and primer in the case. When I need some 06 brass I grab 20 of them punch the primer out, run them in walnut or corncob media for an hour or so and they are ready to reload. It was said before, they will not turn green if they are kept dry. Moisture is the enemy of brass. About the only other thing I may do if I am converting it to 280 Rem, 25-06, or 6mm-06 is anneal the case neck and shoulder once I have sized it to its final size, as it is 60+ year old brass.

Best wishes,

Joe

[TheGrimReaper]

I tumble mine than store in zipplock bags or emoty coffee cans.