Brass oxidizing in leather cartridge belt.

[Kev18]

How do you guys stop the oxidizing? for some reason some are worst then others. I have 40-82 cartridges in my belt and they almost never turn green.
On the other hand, I have 44-40 and brass shotshells that turn green right away. I can barely get the brass 12 gauge out the belt.
Do you wax the brass or something?

[gwpercle]

Waxing the brass cases helps but is not a complete cure .
For handgun rounds that I want to leave in the belt....Nickel plated cases are the best solution .
If plated cases aren't available I remove the cases and don't leave them in the loops .
That's the best solution to the green problem I've found .
Gary

[Newboy]

i believe the manner in which the leather was tanned has an effect.


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[Rick Hodges]

Nickel plated cases were developed just because of that problem. We used to carry a 12 round cartridge slide for spare duty ammo when we were issued Model 19/66's. We also used nickel plated cases. In humid weather brass will tarnish rapidly in leather and there will be a crop of green "stuff" all over. I use a leather cartridge slide for my 44mag rifle, but I take the ammo out after hunting.

[Kev18]

Il try taking the cases out but I don't always do. I like leaving them in there so I know they are ready to go.

[fiberoptik]

Try car wax, good stuff with carnuba in it. Wax at least 2x.


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[Bazoo]

Don't wax your cartridges, but rather wax your bullet loops. Remove all traces of green from the leather first by scraping with a dull knife.

[Geezer in NH]

Don't store them in the belt. To the range, week or two hunting ok. Get home take them out of the belt. This will stop it.

[Texas by God]

A very light coat of spray lacquer on your cartridges might help prevent the verdigris.

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[Handloader109]

Yes it is the metal used in the tanning of the leather. Veg tan won’t cause the issues.

[Kev18]

Would this also help getting my brass 12gsuge out of the belt....? They are super hard to get out. I need two hands. It's like if the leather shrunk on the shells. And they have a coat of green on them to which doesn't help.

[chuck40219]

A very light coat of spray lacquer on your cartridges might help prevent the verdigris.

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A friend that is into cowboy shooting does this.

chuck40219

[Char-Gar]

Back in the days of the 45-70, Army soldiers and trooper removed the rounds at the end of each day and rubed the daily accumulation of verdigris. That is why the Army developed the canvas Mills belt.

You can still buy canvas cartridge belts today. El Paso Saddlery makes some fine ones.

[quilbilly]

Don't store them in the belt. To the range, week or two hunting ok. Get home take them out of the belt. This will stop it.
Absolutely!

[Winger Ed.]

It's the chemicals used in certain tanning processes.

I just wouldn't leave cartridges in a leather belt for long term storage.

[Kev18]

Does the verdigris eat the brass or is it just a surface "rust"?

[Winger Ed.]

Does the verdigris eat the brass or is it just a surface "rust"?

The green stuff comes from a chemical reaction on the brass just like rust comes from iron.

The more green, the more brass got eaten away to make it.

[Bazoo]

You can paint the inside of your loops with clear acrylic or lacquer to seal them if the insides aren't burnished. Or just wax them good inside,pends on what you've got access to and your notion. Then clear shoe polish or other wax all over. Apply the wax to hot leather from the dash of your car and then wipe all excess away as you buff with a soft cloth.

[gwpercle]

A very light coat of spray lacquer on your cartridges might help prevent the verdigris.

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That's a very good idea !
Another product to try would be Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Enamel , durable corrosion resistant coating.
Mfg. # 7701830 . I'm a big fan of Rust-Oleum products when painting metal .
Gary

[iomskp]

I do not keep my brass in a belt, but since I have been adding wax to my dry polishing media I haven't seen any corrosion on my cases when they get mixed in with other things.

[Petrol & Powder]

As others have pointed out, it's a reaction due to the chemicals used in the tanning process. Vegetable tanning reduces most of the problem but not all.

Chrome tanning (named for the chromium sulfate used in the process) is by far the most popular method to tan leather on a large industrial scale due to lower cost and higher production rate.

The solution is to avoid storing cartridges in leather loops for any extended period of time.

While we are on the subject of leather gear and firearm stuff- a leather holster or scabbard is an excellent item to carry a firearm but perhaps the worst possible device to store a firearm in.

While the chemicals used to tan leather aren't as damaging to iron and steel as they are to brass, the leather itself will hold moisture during storage. If you have ever seen a gun stored in a leather holster for years in a humid (or even occasionally humid) environment, you know the danger. I've seen some beautiful guns destroyed by long term storage in leather. I've even seen stainless steel get pitting after storage in leather.
Leather holsters and scabbards are not long term storage devices. Always remove firearms, magazines, ammunition, knives, etc. from leather gear when you store those items.

[waksupi]

Any type lube on the cases is a bad idea. They need to grip the chamber when fired, otherwise you get too high of a bolt face pressure. Just don't leave the cartridges in the belt. I make my cartridge belts from canvas to avoid the problem. Lacquer will cause a build up in the chamber like steel cases do. Hard to clean out.

[Walks]

I found a "rubberish" 5rd cartridge slide at a junk table at a small Gun Store when I was 10, .25cents. Been using it for 55+yrs. NO Verdigris.

On the other Hand when I was Cowboy Shooting, I still loaded from My cartridge belt. So I always took the cartridges out of my belt by the next day.

Only way to do it.

[DocSavage]

I wonder if a coat of NuFinish would work,you could try coating a couple of cases to experiment on.

[Kev18]

Wouldn't a varnish get clumped up in the action??

[Bazoo]

Yes it would Kev. That's why it's more advisable to treat the belt instead of the cartridges.