Cleaning boolit lube off of finished ammo

[geargnasher]

How are you folks doing it?

When using traditional lubes (Carnauba red, Felix, etc.) I always end up with a little residue around the case mouth and in my seating/crimping dies and it takes me longer to clean this off with solvent and a rag than it does to load the ammo.

I've tried post-tumbling with clean dry cob and even tried adding a couple capfulls of mineral spirits, all it does is leave media dust stuck to the lube.

I'm assuming everyone has this problem, any tips on speeding up the process? I'm talking mostly straight-wall pistol ammo with no exposed lube grooves loaded with carbide sizers, so no case lube to deal with.

Gear

[RobS]

The only way I've take care of this is to take a dry rag (actually the blue disposable shop rags from Wal-Mart) in one hand and hold the head of the case with the bullet nose down in the other and twist the nose of the round back and forth before putting them in their boxes. Not to fancy of an idea I know and doesn't take too long.

[geargnasher]

The only way I've take care of this is to take a dry rag (actually the blue disposable shop rags from Wal-Mart) in one hand and hold the head of the case with the bullet nose down in the other and twist the nose of the round back and forth before putting them in their boxes. Not to fancy of an idea I know and doesn't take too long.

That's exactly what I've been doing, except with a mist of MS from a spray bottle on a well-used red shop rag (less lint on worn rags from many trips through the wash). Doing this with 200 .38 specials is a major PITA. There has to be a better way.

Gear

[jonk]

Well if I properly bell my case mouth, I certainly don't have this issue.

On the occasions I haven't done so and do, I too use a rag.

[inuhbad]

I do as above - just wipe down the cases/bullets after they're loaded. I use a dry rag or paper towel.

[Lead Fred]

Last step before they go in the box is a wipe down with an old tee shirt.

[Phat Man Mike]

that's how I do it! old used up tee shirt! :)

[Wally]

I use an old cotton rag and heat the cases a bit with a hair dryer---just warm them up a bit, not hot. The bullet lube then is easily removed.

[emorris]

How are you folks doing it?

When using traditional lubes (Carnauba red, Felix, etc.) I always end up with a little residue around the case mouth and in my seating/crimping dies and it takes me longer to clean this off with solvent and a rag than it does to load the ammo.

I've tried post-tumbling with clean dry cob and even tried adding a couple capfulls of mineral spirits, all it does is leave media dust stuck to the lube.

I'm assuming everyone has this problem, any tips on speeding up the process? I'm talking mostly straight-wall pistol ammo with no exposed lube grooves loaded with carbide sizers, so no case lube to deal with.

Gear

Post-tumbling? you should not tumble the round after loading. If the round does not discharge while tumbling, the tumbling can alter the powder and its burn rate.

[RobS]

Post-tumbling? you should not tumble the round after loading. If the round does not discharge while tumbling, the tumbling can alter the powder and its burn rate.

I have heard of this before, especially with powders like trail boss where it can crumble/break down. I haven't done the tumble thing as I am paranoid enough as it is. . :veryconfu

Rob

[outdoorfan]

What I've done and has worked extremely well is to damp a paper towel with acetone. I grab a finished cartridge in one hand, hold the towel in the other hand, and give the cartridge a few quick twists back and forth. Comes out nice and shiny/clean.

[theperfessor]

I do the same as outdoorfan except with a pink shop rag. Acetone works well, a little Hoppes #9 will also work.

[357maximum]

I use an orange based cleaner and a rag. De-solv-it works real well and SWMBO does not reject the smell like she does other solvents.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I use Ed's Red on a rag to clean up my completed rounds and then they go into an ammo can or a zip lock bag and then into another container. All the work that I do is not going to be spoiled by a buncha dust and other **** to mess up my work.

This is the last inspection of my rounds. Here is where the rubber meets the road and any suspect round is broken down if it fails to meet my expectations.

I sometimes get a mite of buildup of lead near the case mouth if I do not keep the dies clean and failed to open up the case mouth enough prior to inserting a lead boolit. In a .45 ACP this will cause a malfunction expecially if the weapon has been fired a couple of hundred times without cleaning.

I have never found a split .45 case but some have an enlarged primer pocket and those get scrapped when I am priming them. If it goes in too easily then the case is about on it's last legs.

[crabo]

The easy way is to get a hand towel, dampen it a little with mineral spirits, fold the towell lengthwise, then put the loaded rounds in the towel. Grasp each end and shoe shine the cases back and forth and they will be clean in a heart beat. This works really good when you have 4 or 500 to do.

[winelover]

Dry paper towel, same as I use for the excess lube on the bases. When it gets grungy, toss it!

Winelover

[Fugowii]

I throw them in a can of water and bring it to a boil. Empty the hot water off the
boolits after about 15 minutes and whatever is left wipes right off with a paper towel or
there is so little left just throw them in the pot. I'm using Magma hard lube but I would
imagine it works fine for most lubes. I just recently did about 200-300 that I finally got
around to re-using.

[KYCaster]

For ALL my high volumn loads and MOST other applications I use a lube that isn't tacky and doesn't transfer from/to everything I touch, but every time I mention it here someone has to remind me of the folly of using "hard, commercial, crayon" lube and how it's continued use will cause my friends and family to turn their backs on me, how I'll single-handedly deplete the Ozone Layer and how all my kids will be born nekid...not to mention the severe damage to my fine collectible guns and the poor groups I'll be ashamed to show my mother.

All that is a small price to pay to have the range all to myself when all the other shooters flee in disgust. And then there's nobody left there to criticize when all my shots don't go through the exact same hole. And I think Mom will still love me anyway.

I used to deal with tacky lube and tried several different methods to remove the residue. I cleaned them with a solvent dampened rag. I tumbled the loaded rounds.(it will affect the powder, but the change is consistant and predictible) But when you're loading 2 to 3K rounds a week for USPSA competition and practice, all that gets a bit old rather quickly.

Now, even though I don't shoot nearly as much, I still use the same methods. Boolits go through the sizer directly into the box they'll be stored in/used from and loaded rounds go from the catch bin on the press into storage boxes. Match ammo will eventually go into 100 round ammo boxes where I can recheck them for high primers. Brass and boolits get a final visual inspection when the go from the box to the magazine or speed loader.

I still use a couple of different soft lubes for some applications but quantities are usually fairly small and cleaning the finished cartridges doesn't seem to be much of a chore since I know it isn't necessary for everything I load.

Lots of different ways to get the job done, but it seems to me the best way is to eliminate the job.

Jerry

[lwknight]

Post-tumbling? you should not tumble the round after loading. If the round does not discharge while tumbling, the tumbling can alter the powder and its burn rate.

This has been debated numerous times and some even went as far as to tumble the ammo for extended periods of time and found no differences. Imagine how much shaking the powder gets on a truck from L.A. CA to NYC.
According to several forums this is a myth.

[Edubya]

I assume that this is for your auto ammo. For the revolvers, I just put them into my MTM cases and when I'm on the range, they come out of the MTM case and into the cylinder (shot as are).
I'll take the time to wipe off the noses of the auto rounds with an old wash cloth if they are obviously lubed up.
EW

[RobS]

For ALL my high volumn loads and MOST other applications I use a lube that isn't tacky and doesn't transfer from/to everything I touch, but every time I mention it here someone has to remind me of the folly of using "hard, commercial, crayon" lube and how it's continued use will cause my friends and family to turn their backs on me, how I'll single-handedly deplete the Ozone Layer and how all my kids will be born nekid...not to mention the severe damage to my fine collectible guns and the poor groups I'll be ashamed to show my mother.

All that is a small price to pay to have the range all to myself when all the other shooters flee in disgust. And then there's nobody left there to criticize when all my shots don't go through the exact same hole. And I think Mom will still love me anyway.

I used to deal with tacky lube and tried several different methods to remove the residue. I cleaned them with a solvent dampened rag. I tumbled the loaded rounds.(it will affect the powder, but the change is consistant and predictible) But when you're loading 2 to 3K rounds a week for USPSA competition and practice, all that gets a bit old rather quickly.

Now, even though I don't shoot nearly as much, I still use the same methods. Boolits go through the sizer directly into the box they'll be stored in/used from and loaded rounds go from the catch bin on the press into storage boxes. Match ammo will eventually go into 100 round ammo boxes where I can recheck them for high primers. Brass and boolits get a final visual inspection when the go from the box to the magazine or speed loader.

I still use a couple of different soft lubes for some applications but quantities are usually fairly small and cleaning the finished cartridges doesn't seem to be much of a chore since I know it isn't necessary for everything I load.

Lots of different ways to get the job done, but it seems to me the best way is to eliminate the job.

Jerry

Jerry:

What lube are you using??? Interested in the possibilities if you have good results from low pressure loads i.e. 45 acp to higher pressure loads such as rifles.

[geargnasher]

I assume that this is for your auto ammo. For the revolvers, I just put them into my MTM cases and when I'm on the range, they come out of the MTM case and into the cylinder (shot as are).
I'll take the time to wipe off the noses of the auto rounds with an old wash cloth if they are obviously lubed up.
EW

Nope. All my automatics get their boolits tumbled with LLA/JPW/MS or sprayed with Amsoil HD metal protector so I don't have to screw with any post cleaning. Occasionally I post tumble auto rounds with a little Nu-Finish in clean media to seal them for long-term storage.

I'm talking about revolver stuff mostly, I don't mind cleaning my rifle stuff by hand as it is low volume and QC matters so much more for the kind of rifle shooting I do.

I like the orange cleaner idea, I think whatever method I work out I'll definetely give that a shot. ( I can hear the lynch mob now, "don't do that, It'll ruin your brass!) Yawwwn.

Gear

[geargnasher]

Post-tumbling? you should not tumble the round after loading. If the round does not discharge while tumbling, the tumbling can alter the powder and its burn rate.

Ok, put your asbestos suit on 'cause I'm gonna flame the heck out of you for that. I felt like you do for years, but I didn't lecture anyone because I didn't really KNOW. How do suppose factory ammo gets those little, microscopic dings in their primers and bullet noses that are exactly like the ones on the brass? It's because they tumble it. Would you kindly give us some evidence from your OWN experience (remains of exploded tumblers, chronograph data et cetera) instead of spreading YET ANOTHER reloading myth? If you do a search here you will find that some VERY extensive testing has been done by some of our members here, including detailed and thorough velocity testing, and it has been proven well enough to me that what little change occurs to the powder makes far less difference than temperature and humidity changes on an average day. I still keep my tumbler full of loaded ammo on the other side of a big oak tree from my house, but that's because I'm paranoid. :?

Gear

[Echo]

+1 for Crabo. That's the way I've been doing it for decades. A splash of mineral spirits in the middle of the towel, dump the loaded rounds in the middle. Grab both ends, fold them up, and see-saw hands back and forth for a couple of minutes, and they come out looking Mar-velous...

[geargnasher]

+1 for Crabo. That's the way I've been doing it for decades. A splash of mineral spirits in the middle of the towel, dump the loaded rounds in the middle. Grab both ends, fold them up, and see-saw hands back and forth for a couple of minutes, and they come out looking Mar-velous...

Both of you have me thinking, now......(a dangerous thing sometimes!). I'm imagining a cloth belt set up with a roller on each end like a tabletop belt sander (but much slower) and guides on the side like a trough to keep the cartridges rollng perpendicular to the belt....Thanks for getting my old vacuum tubes warmed up!

Gear

[KYCaster]

Jerry:

What lube are you using??? Interested in the possibilities if you have good results from low pressure loads i.e. 45 acp to higher pressure loads such as rifles.


Rob, here's the short version in this thread....post #11:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=76573

Other than it's aversion to high pressure at low temps, I've found very little that Blue Angel doesn't do at least adequately and for most applications it does much better than most other lubes I've tried.

If not for the stickyness I could be perfectly happy using Speed Green or Carnauba Red for everything, but I've gotten used to not having to deal with that issue.

Jerry

[crabo]

Both of you have me thinking, now......(a dangerous thing sometimes!). I'm imagining a cloth belt set up with a roller on each end like a tabletop belt sander (but much slower) and guides on the side like a trough to keep the cartridges rollng perpendicular to the belt....Thanks for getting my old vacuum tubes warmed up!

Gear

You are thinking too much, just try it once the way we suggest, then tell us if it doesn't work well for you.

I use C Red.

[warf73]

If the finished ammo needs wiped off the job goes to my son. Thats what we have kids for right?
He wipes down the ammo does spot checks on OAL and puts it up in an ammo can.

[DLCTEX]

Fugowii: I assume your post was for removing lube from boolits prior to loading them. The thread concerned removing excess lube from the exposed portion of the boolit. Just to make it very clear for any newbies who may read the post. Don't boil loaded ammo.

[geargnasher]

Craig, I just reread your first post and realized you said "hand towel", for some reason I was thinking paper towel. I'll have to try that.

Gear

[mroliver77]

I am one of them that tumbled and tested loaded ammo. First time I posted about it I got a rash of caca from a couple guys that just knew it was bad. I tumbled and tested, tested and tumbled. I looked at it through optical comparator for break down of granules and found nothing. I have been told that tumbling will remove or change the deterrent coating. I would say if that were so the chrono and targets would show it. Nada. I left some milsurp 8mm rounds in there for a week and found a tiny bit of "chaff" to show for it and no apparent change in performance. I only tumble to clean for 15 min or so. YMMV
I also use MS in tumbler and sometimes the towel trick.
Jay

[ghh3rd]

Last step before they go in the box is a wipe down with an old tee shirt.+1, only I am wearing the old tee shirt when I'm wiping the boolits.

+1 on DO NOT boil loaded ammo :cry:[

[MtGun44]

I wipe with a rough dry cloth.

I have tumbled .45ACP ammo loaded with Bullseye for 48 hours and chrono'd against
ammo from the same batch that was untumbled. Could measure no difference.

[John Guedry]

I use an old towel with mineral spirits.

[KYCaster]

I tumbled 45ACP loaded with W231 and found that average velocity increased by a couple of FPS. ES and SD usually tightened up very slightly...not enough to be concerned about. Kinda hard to tell any difference since the change was well within normal variations.

Changed lubes and was able to eliminate tumbling and a few other steps between the mold and the target.

Jerry

[Recluse]

Post-tumbling? you should not tumble the round after loading. If the round does not discharge while tumbling, the tumbling can alter the powder and its burn rate.

OWT

:coffee:

[sst04]

This has been debated numerous times and some even went as far as to tumble the ammo for extended periods of time and found no differences. Imagine how much shaking the powder gets on a truck from L.A. CA to NYC.
According to several forums this is a myth.



A member of another website I am a member of and possibly a few of you are did a test about tumbled ammo. Tumbled for 200 or 300 hrs then bullets pulled and powder looked at through microscope.

Slow computers watch out, many many pictures.

This guy took alot of time to do this and I say he did a damn good job.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=303242

[geargnasher]

A member of another website I am a member of and possibly a few of you are did a test about tumbled ammo. Tumbled for 200 or 300 hrs then bullets pulled and powder looked at through microscope.

Slow computers watch out, many many pictures.

This guy took alot of time to do this and I say he did a damn good job.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=303242

You make my point well, Sir.

Gear