Spider webs in range brass

[mjwcaster]

So I just finished cleaning up half a 5 gallon bucket of outdoor range brass, that had been on the ground for a while before getting picked up.
All brass was washed in water to clean up the dirt on the inside/outside of the brass (dirt/rock/grass range).

After tumbling, while sorting the 9mm (about 2K cases) I found about 20 cases that were filled with tumbling media, stuck together, that wouldn't shake out.
At first I thought that maybe I had added the NuFinish wrong (I now add it to the dryer sheets, caused me some clumping issues when just added to the media).

Then I thought that maybe it had something to do with tumbling the brass while wet, since I didn't allow it to dry out before tumbling.

After sorting it all out I took a look at some of the filled cases.

And I found what looked like spider webs/nests/egg sacks under the tumbling media.

Was a first for me and makes me glad that I inspect each case before loading.

Had one 45 case that was filled get past inspection, but caught it while loading, the 45's didn't seem to have this issue when sorted, maybe the larger case wasn't as suitable for the spiders or it just washed out easier.

I wonder what a case filled with tumbling media/spider webbing would do to pressures, if the primer could even ignite the powder?

Shouldn't be an issue, since there was so much stuff in the case it would have raised powder level considerably and should be noticed while double checking powder level when loading.

Makes me appreciate my clubs range with concrete, and where I pick up the brass right after shooting.

[bangerjim]

Spider webs..............the new environmentally secure wadding!

They used spider web threads for the cross-hairs in transit & surveying scopes. Now you can use them in your boolits!

Darned insects will nest in any little nook & cranny they can find. That is why they out bug screens on natural and propane gas regulator equipment.

[Wayne Smith]

Fortunately on a cold morning at the range I picked up a 45ACP case - and a wasp slowly crawled out. I'm really glad they are cold blooded!

[bedbugbilly]

All the more reason to check range brass that's laid around for a while! Interesting that the media stuck inside those cases. Thanks for the post . . . it's a good reminder to watch for such things when collecting brass. Plus, think what you might have brought in to the house had you just thrown the brass in a bucket and left it to do at a later time. A "hatching" may have occurred and some very unwelcome visitors taken up residence!

[ioon44]

I always deprime old range brass as I inspect it for split cases and anything that might be living there, then it is good to go for wet tumbling.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

If I pick up something that is really dirty, I just chunk it into the scrap brass bucket.

[mjwcaster]

If I pick up something that is really dirty, I just chunk it into the scrap brass bucket.

The issue for me is that with the range being dirt/rocks, even shiny brass can have been stepped on and full of dirt/rocks.

And if it has rained much anytime recently, almost all the brass is dirty.

And I don't have a large brass reserve.

So I wash brass.

When it is really muddy out there in the spring, it is basically a lost brass range, it just becomes part of the mud.
And I don't think that even a tarp would help much at that time, when the ground is still mostly frozen but everything else has melted, the mud can be 6" plus deep of boot stealing muck.

So I have even less brass.

[LongRangeAir]

Here, in central Texas, it's scorpions that you have to watch for. Hate the buggers!

[David2011]

This happened in the shop after the range brass was cleaned and polished. I left a bunch of .40 S&W brass in the casefeeder of my press. It was in a shop where flying bugs had no problem entering. A shooting few squib sounding shots that didn't leave a boolit in the barrel I was perplexed. Later, when loading some more ammo, I heard a crunch when the case was sized and found a June bug in the case. Looking them over I found several cartridges that had dead June bugs in them. Fortunately, the solution was easy. Until I had a critter-tight room built in the shop I just quit leaving brass in the casefeeder and instead in plastic shoeboxes with tight fitting lids.

David

[mjwcaster]

I'll take spider webs over scorpions any day.

[mjwcaster]

Never thought nor heard of that david.
Thats one issue I have with using a progressive, that I batch clean/inspect all my brass/boolits. When loading, trying to keep my rhythm, I don't get to inspect the brass that well, just try and look into it before the powder drop, but it is hard to get a good look all the way to the bottom.

Guess I like using my coffee cans with lids even more now.

[twc1964]

Ive had rifle brass that had dirt daubers mud nests inside of em. Soaked em in hot water, no good. I had to stick a nail in the cases and scrape the dead wasp and muck out. After tumbling all nite they looked fine. Wouldnt do it again though unless it was a very few cases.

[Cherokee]

I have encountered the webb in the case or stuck media, allways seem to catch them because I do look into every case mouth on the way to the sizer.

[GRUMPA]

Reminds me of when I lived in Phoenix. Used to go out on weekends treasure hunting (AKA brass hunting) and just dumped the brass in my buckets. Took me all but 1 time to figure out how the bees were getting in the house. Believe it or not, those little things were camping out in the spent brass at night, what a mess that was....

[Shiloh]

I'll take spider webs over scorpions any day.

Yep.

Shiloh

[lightman]

I keep a couple of dental picks on my bench. They are really handy for dried mud or spider webs in the case. Compressed air works well too, if you have an air compressor. Of all the strange stuff I have found in brass, I hate pea gravel the most.

[runfiverun]

if you put the nu-finish in the tumbler and let it run for a little while [10-15min.] before adding the brass the clumps will break up and distribute throughout the media.

[Baryngyl]

Ive had rifle brass that had dirt daubers mud nests inside of em. Soaked em in hot water, no good. I had to stick a nail in the cases and scrape the dead wasp and muck out. After tumbling all nite they looked fine. Wouldnt do it again though unless it was a very few cases.

One of the safety things I have done ever since I started shooting is to always look through the barrel of whatever gun I am going to be firing before loading it, this has saved me big time at least once, I had cleaned my 30-06 and left it sitting on the desktop to shoot the next day, well stuff came up and it ended up being 3 or 4 days before I actually got to go shooting, I grabbed the 30-06, opened/removed the bolt and looked through the bore, no light was to be seen.

I started checking to see what the problem was and there was a mud dauber nest in the barrel about an inch in from the muzzle, I thought no big deal I will just push it out with a cleaning rod, that did not work so well it ended up being packed full over 10 inches deep with mud/egg/mud/egg/mud/egg/mud, it took around an hour to clean it all out and it left some small rust pits in the bore.



Michael Grace

[Whiterabbit]

MAN, spiders in your casings?

I found this guy in my wood chipper. He's in the dark space in the center, waiting for a bug to scamper by:

http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/fss/ddd5344e401455dcb1635e83e9119feb

I must admit, I very seriously ruined that poor bastard's day.

-------

But even getting wood chipped pales in comparison to getting a pile of gunpowder heaped on top of you and 150 of your brothers and sisters, capped with a boolit, then getting ramped up to 20 ksi.

Now THAT.... would ruin your day!