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View Full Version : cleaning lube off point formed rf .224's



bigjake
01-26-2020, 12:07 AM
I read a lot of posts on cleaning swaged bullets. theres a lot of easy options. but, If you immerse the projectiles in water or some sort of solvent, could it leach into the hollow point hole and get in between the lead core and the brass or copper jacket and break or loosen the bond that we try to make between the two?

Gamsek
01-26-2020, 04:32 AM
If the water can get between jacket and core, then bullet is not swaged properly. When you seat the core you expand the core to fit inside the jacket and simultaneously you expand jacket to mirror core seating die dimensions. Final diameter will be when we push it into last die, point forming die.

Factories use the same process and they wash their bullets without problems.

The problem you described could be seen in making bullets using some inferior home made dies/modified reloading dies, using handgun cases and pressing (not swaging!) https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200126/3095e70395a603270d828c9e22d25815.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200126/af16d9edb8efd1dddff1215a9eddc62a.jpgcast bullet into them.

Properly swaged core into 22lr jacket looks like this

Pipefitter
01-26-2020, 09:56 AM
I wash the lube off with hot water and Dawn dish soap, then the bullets either go on a tray under the woodstove (in winter) or in the oven at 225*F for a half hour or so.
Any water in the hp gets cooked outbefore it has a chance to migrate between the core and jacket.

bigjake
01-26-2020, 09:57 AM
Water cant get in there but folks that use solvents could have a problem. solvents are like penetrating oil. I use kerosene to test hairline cracks in weld seams, it can penetrate through cracks you cant see. some of the lr jackets have a small tear where the firing pin struck. I suppose that as long as the bullets dont soak, it would be fine.

Gew
01-28-2020, 12:52 AM
The lead is under tension/compression from the jacket. I wouldn't worry about it if the cores are absolutely clean. I wouldn't consider it a bond since it is just compression.