Hi, I'm new to the forum , I have been reloading for 20 years . Mostly the 7mm-08 & the 338win mag. For the 7mm I like the 120gr. Barnes 3XBT , & the 160gr. Accubond . IN the 338 I have only loaded the 210 & 250gr. Nosler Partitions Well I'll get to my question , Like i said I have been loading for 20 years and I have never found an easy way to get the Brown Gunk off the necks of my reloads, After 5-6 reloads it just looks like SHIT. I have used steel wool but that is a lot of work on my hands , any suggestions thanks

Mate,

Beg, borrow, buy, make or steal a brass tumbler...

Your reloads will come out looking better than factory new.

Like you, I used to spend hours cleaning necks, but now I just load 'em then chuck 'em in the tumbler (loaded btw)... it gets rid of the crappy build up overnight...

The fired brass is also easier to find in the grass, and easier to reload - less friction!

Plus, they do look kinda purty...

I have a tumbler and use it all the time and the brass comes out nice and clean and shiney but the neaks are still dirty it's like a patina , I only tumble for about 3 hr. is that my problem ? I see you said over night ?

try putting just a few medium size piece of steel wool with a handful of brass in ur tumbler and let it go for a while and see what happens

Perhaps you might like a liquid cleaner. I found Birchwood Casey to be excellent.

It removes corrosion and spots easily.Just follow the destructions.

My case necks get a slight discoloration after afew fireings too. I forget about whatever stain is left after tumbling as it hurts nothing.

I use a CRAZY CLOTH then tumble. Sinclair has them for about 5 bucks. On 17cals I chuck the case on a cordless screw driver and use a soft cloth with Flitz. About 5 seconds a case. 0000steel wool works as well.

Thanks guys , My tumbler just is'nt doing a good job , I started neck turning and with 30% of the neck brown it just highlighted the crud, Thanks again I'll try your suggestions.

I use Never Dull. About $4.00 at the hardware store. One can will last a long time. It is a cotton wadding with a polish impregnated. You wipe/rub it on, then wipe it off with a clean cloth or paper towel

muck

quote:

Originally posted by butterman:
I only tumble for about 3 hr. is that my problem ? I see you said over night ?

Yep, I chuck the loaded rounds in, and leave 'em overnight, or until they're clean.... after you've cleaned off the crud from over the years, each successive batch takes less time...

The reason I put them in after loading is that by doing that, I don't have to worry about cleaning the medium out before I work on them...

Change your media. Isso or Flitz media treatment works great with corncob. Walnut cleans better but is messier.

quote:

Originally posted by Blueprinted:
Change your media. Isso or Flitz media treatment works great with corncob. Walnut cleans better but is messier.

Yep. I used to do the steel wool bit, even used to get some liquid stuff from Herter's to soak them in that worked. But the best is a case cleaner with walnut shell to clean or cob with a polish media to polish. Better than new look but the longer they are in there, to a point, the better. Never longer than over night.

rugeruser, I would be a bit causious about tumbling loaded rounds for so long. I have read that this can cause the powder to fracture and emulsify to a powder changing it's burn rate. I don't know if this is true, but it sounds plausible.

Geronimo

quote:

Originally posted by Geronomo:
rugeruser, I would be a bit causious about tumbling loaded rounds for so long. I have read that this can cause the powder to fracture and emulsify to a powder changing it's burn rate. I don't know if this is true, but it sounds plausible.

Geronimo

I hear what you're saying, but I look at it this way - ammo gets carted all round the place in aircraft, trucks, and so on... (ever spent a few hours in a Caribou or C-130 :shock: )

In my case, my ammo box lives in my 4x4 and goes wherever I do... which includes looooong drives on rough roads (10-12 hrs plus)...

Overnight in a tumbler is less stress than these would ever be...

What you say is possible, maybe plausible, but probable? I've never noticed any changes in my loads, and the military don't seem to worry about it either...

i size, trim and then tumble the cases over night. i use "lizard litter" crushed walnut from petco (cheap) with some car wax/polish. the brass looks like new. then its time to prime, charge and seat bullets.