How do you clean your loaded ammo?

[Wilson]

I’ve finally got casting figured out. My problem now is that the lubes I’ve used, Lyman Orange magic and Carnauba Red get all over the bullets after I put them in a box. Then when they fall in to the container as they come off my Dillon, the lube gets all over the cases. Next the loaded cartridges continue attracting all manner of dust etc demanding that each cartridge be wiped off. If not, I’m plagued with build up in the chamber which causes all manner of malfunctions. How do you keep lube for gumming up your shooting? How do you clean your loaded rounds? I’m loading for 8 shooters and what I’m gaining in economy I’m losing in time as opposed to using Berry’s plated bullets. Any tips you have on volume loading lead bullets in 9mm and .38 cartridges would be appreciated.

[Goatlips]

Wilson, I'm only loading .38 and .45 blackpowder Cowboy rounds that I pan lube, so the loaded rounds are pretty greasy. I just put a few handfuls in a quart plastic container and pour a tablespoon of paint thinner in, and shake thrm up for a few seconds. Then I dump them on a bath towel and pick up both ends like a hammock, and seesaw them back and forth for a few dozen strokes. Never had a problem with the solvent creeping into the primers. Works for me.

Goatlips

[Bad Karma]

Never tumble, you'll change the burning rate of your powder. I just wipe mine off with a clean shop rag.

[HeavyMetal]

I've never worked with Lymans orange stuff so can't comment on it.

I have used Carnuba red and have never had a lube issue that a clean rag, used as I put each round in an ammo box, won't take care of. Any tumbling or solvent based cleaners should be avoided. I've had case's where Brasso, used to clean empties, left enough residue to cause dud rounds.

The issue you describe usually occurs with tumble lube systems. Are you using a sizer or are you pan lubing?

Seems to me I remember reading you bought a Lyman 450?? Could you be getting to much lube on the boolits?

[Echo]

I do similar to Goatlips - I get an old towel, lay it on the floor, sprinkle some mineral spirits on the middle 1/2, then dump the finished cartridges in the middle. Fold up the ends, take a tuck to keep them from bouncing out, grasp each end and seesaw a minute or so. Takes ALL the excess lube off the outside, and the MS evaporates fairly fast. I've never had any problem...

[Shiloh]

An old washcloth with just a hint of Hoppes on it works wonders. Also works for taking the smear of lube off of the gas checks after sizing and lubing.

Shiloh :castmine:

[Wilson]

Yes, I'm using a Lyman 450. I've got problems with both bullets 125 gr flat base Lee commercial mold and the ones from a Lyman 147 gr bevel base mold. But most of the problem is from the bevel base getting lube on the bevel. I'm seriously thinking about getting the Star to help with speed and cleanliness. I'll try the mineral spirits later today. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Ron]

Wilson, I have the same problem with my reloads. I usually put the rounds I am going to use at the range that day in an old calico bank money bag, give a quick spray of auto degreaser into the bag. After that it is just a matter of moving the rounds around in the bag to clean them. Have had no problems this way and it is quicker and cleaner than cleaning them individually.

[docone31]

Heck, I just take each round off my press and wipe it on my pants leg.

[jonk]

I don't worry about it. It isn't usually a problem with rifle bullets anyhow if I don't lube the top groove or if all lube grooves are below the neck. With pistol bullets in a progressive though, yes, it does cause some issue- and I've also not found a great solution in that field.

Might try a different lube that's harder.

[725]

I can only comment on my experience with the Lyman 450. That's what I use. If I use the heater and get things too warm,the lube is hard to control and it goes over everything. If I put to much umph input into the screw gear "compressor", I get too much lube pressure and the lube goes everywhere. With the right amount of "tweek", my 'ol 450 works like a charm. I use Bullshop's speed green and love it. Haven't used your lubes, so my observations are a bit limited, but if you don't put too much pressure on the ratchet, things might be better.

[Tom Herman]

Never tumble, you'll change the burning rate of your powder. I just wipe mine off with a clean shop rag.
Agree 100%...

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[KYCaster]

I know my opinion goes against the consensus here, but...I think you'd be much happier with a "hard" lube.

I've tried (and am still experimenting with) Speed Green, Carnauba Red, 50/50 Alox, LLA and just got some FWFL+CJ to try, and except for Alox and LLA I've been pleased with my results with them.

But for high volumn, progressive reloading, the last thing I want to do is add another step to the process. With the proper lube, there is no need to clean the loaded rounds and no need to worry about melted lube contaminating the powder. Depending on the application, I can place them individually into boxes or just dump them in a bag...no problems.

Thompson, Magma, LBT and several other well established companies provide lubes that are every bit as good as the others mentioned for most applications and with the added benefit of no lube mess to clean up.

Besides the lube, the Star sizer is the next change to consider. Properly adjusted, there is no excess lube left on the base or nose of the boolit and output is at least five times what can be done with the Lyman/RCBS sizers. That translates to less time at the bench and more time at the range.

Enjoy
Jerry

P.S. I consider high volumn reloading a completely different process than single stage reloading. When loading for best accuracy or for load development, endless tinkering with every step of the process is a very enjoyable experience, but for action shooting sports or lots of plinking, the quickest way to quality ammo is what I want...two different goals...two completely different processes.

[Wilson]

Very good suggestions. Esp. KYCaster. I am looking for economy money wise as well as time. I've contacted Star and it looks like $350-$400 to get the basic set up with two die sets. That's about the price of 5,000 Berry's plated bullets, so it looks like a Star is the way to go since I need about 15,000 bullets for the remainder of this year. Many, many thanks to all for taking time to help me with this endeavor.
Yesterday I taught an NRA First Steps pistol class to a 15 year old and a 17 year old. Neither had shot a handgun before. They shot my Glock 19, and my S&W M&P in 9mm and the S&W 686. They both liked the revolver best and ended up ringing the 10" steel plate at 30 yards from a seated position. Both left with big grins begging their dad to bring them back for the Wednesday night pistol match.

[trickyasafox]

I use soft lube for now- while I wait to get a heater. some day I will get a star- in the mean time, I stack bullets in boxes. even with soft lube it keeps the bullets clean and lubed only where they should be. it works best with TC and SWC style bullets, one row base down, one row base up, a cardboard divider- then repeat. it doesn't take that long, but lubing on an RCBS LAM II for 15k of bullets would probably make me want to stab myself in the eye with a pencil, so your situation may dictate a more significant resolution.

[Rusty Shackleford]

I cast Lee TL's, and use LLA for lube. After I lube I store bullets in peanut butter jars with a pinch of motor mica. I shake the jar to coat with mica. Cuts down on tacky bullets. I don't mind the mica dust on them, and brass stays clean.

[runfiverun]

when i use soft lubes and some gets on the cases i just wipe it off with an old rag.
but for stuff that is high volumn it is to the star, and the harder lubes.
magma, lars,and jakes is a fine hard lube also.

[cohutt]

I do similar to Goatlips - I get an old towel, lay it on the floor, sprinkle some mineral spirits on the middle 1/2, then dump the finished cartridges in the middle. Fold up the ends, take a tuck to keep them from bouncing out, grasp each end and seesaw a minute or so. Takes ALL the excess lube off the outside, and the MS evaporates fairly fast. I've never had any problem...

+1, except i drape the towel over a bucket and do my round inspection for primer seating etc as i drop them into the towel.

After the degreasing hammock treatment, I move the cleaned bullets into a dry towel and do it again to remove the mineral spirits and lube residue. you'll be suprised as to how dirty the second towel is when you are done.

Works very well, even with LLA tumble lube swc rounds, my volume shooting practice rounds.

For sized rounds using LARS red, i don't feel the need to wipe down or clean (45acp, 9mm, 45-70)

[EMC45]

Got the same issue. I use Lyman Moly (it was on sale) and a homemade moly lube. It gets on everything. It is very soft. I am hunting a hard lube recipe now for use with beeswax.

[44man]

I hate hard lubes but for that kind of loading and shooting you sure need it. CR is a fairly hard lube and so is Lyman's so it looks like the BB is the big problem. That would be the first thing I would do, change to FB. Keep the boolits cleaner out of the sizer.
I use Felix and my big problem is when I drop a few on the old carpet in the basement. My little dog lays down under my seat and the boolits come up with a pile of hair and of course my fingers are full of lube too. No way to pick the stuff off, sticks to my fingers! :mrgreen:

[Boerrancher]

If you are only loading 9mm and 38 spl, check out the thread in classic stickies entitled Great Results with Johnson's Past Wax. I don't use LLA or any other lube but JPW on anything running less than 1400 fps. If I am running over 1400 I use LLA and then coat it with JPW so that the LLA does not gunk things up. JPW dries hard, and the brass is just as clean on the finished rounds as it was before I loaded them. I never have a leading problem unless the boolit is not properly sized.

Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[Wilson]

I misted the waxy cartridges with mineral spirits on a towel and rolled them around a bit. They came out slick as a button! Very easy and effective. Now its off to the range.

[Meatco1]

Personally, I disagree with the going theory that tumbling after reloading will change the burning rate of powder to the extent that it will change the POI, or bring inherent dangers when pulling the trigger.

Think about all the time powder spends in a loaded cartridge. It sits in that loaded case while driving to your favorite hunting area. If you’re driving down an old logging road, or spend any time on horseback, or ATV, now you’re really bouncing that powder around. Of course, sometimes, cartridges may go on many hunts before being finally fired.

How many of you really worry about missing, because the powder might have been bounced around to much in the cartridge?

I've been reloading since the 1950s, and have NEVER had any issues with tumbling after reloading. In my opinion, I would rather get all the extra lube off the cartridge, so it will NOT collect every speck of dust. I probably would be wary if I grabbed a bullet that had grit all over it. In any case, every rifle I own will shoot .75 or less moa. weather it has been tumbled after loading or not! Pistol loads while not quite that accurate, will certainly shoot the center out of a 25 yd bull.

Yes, I've read the gun rags that insist you will change the powder burning rate and wipe off the powder coatings if you tumble after loading, but 50+ years of experience tells me different. After loading, it takes but 30 min. of tumbling to clean the lube off the cases.

If there is a change in powder burning rate, it is so minute as to be insignificant.

Each to his own,

Richard

[Wilson]

There's a champion revolver shooter that lives about three miles from me. He tumbles his rounds in pine or cedar pet bedding for 30 minutes so that his moon clipped rounds will fall into the cylinder with no hang-ups. I was using his method without the tumbler by filling an ice-cream bucket 3/4ths full and shaking my .38 rounds for about 5 minutes. It worked well for the soft lube I was using at the time, but the mineral spirits and bath towel method works even better.

[Blammer]

I tumble my ammo for about 10 min or so to clean it off.

Works good.