Is there a safe way to prevent ammuntion from tarnishing? Hunting and guiding in Africa necessitates continual handling of ammunition with sweaty hands (often without actually needing to fire the ammo). I don't like seeing my precious .500 Jeffery rounds getting tarnished and sometimes even corroded. I would appreciate suggestions on what chemical/substance I could wipe my ammo with every evening when in the field. It would have to be a substance that would not attract dust or harm the case/primer/powder in any way.

www.sinclairintl.com sells a product called the "Krazy Kloth" that should take care of your worries. Go to online catalog and type in Krazy Kloth.

til later

May I suggest ; T-9 Boeshield .

I have been using it for several years , I even use it for case lube .

After I clean my cases in a tumbler , trim ,lube an size , reload . I then wipe off each completed cartridge with a soft dry cotton cloth .

I may go 5-12 loadings with out case cleaning again . It keeps the cases looking virtually new .

You can use it for several jobs around the garage ,Car and house .

See what you think .

http://www.boeshield.com/t9info.htm

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Sounds GOOD to me. Heading to Sears soon for a new fridge so I'll pick some up. THANKS for heads up!

til later

Thanks for the suggestions. My only concern about the Boeshield is that it is a 'penetrating lubricant' and that it may find its way into the powder or primer. However, if you have been using it for years with no problems, it sounds like a great solution to my problem. Now I just have to see if I can find it in South Africa...

Mfezi, I've ZERO experience with a .500 Jeffery so I can't tell you "IF" the Factory put a Sealant on the Primers and Bullets. You might be able to contact them and find out over the net. If they Sealed them, a quick wipe with most anything - except Penetrants(I expect them to penetrate since that is their intent) - should do just fine.

A Synthetic Scouring Pad by 3M(which I can't think of the name ) or "0000SteelWool" would work without harming the cases to a measurable degree.

If you load your own, they make a Sealant similar to Ladies Fingernail Polish that you place around the Primer and could just as easily be placed around the mouth of the Case with the Bullet Seated to make them somewhat "Water Resistant". But todays Penetrants may/may not cut right under them - I don't know. (You can borrow a bottle of Nail Polish from any US Navy guy. )

You could Seal a Factory Cartridge the same way with the Nail Polish, but it might not be necessary, depending on what the Factory did. You can normally see the Sealant around the Primer if it is present. But it is often difficult to see the Tar Based Sealant around the Bullets.

I have used regular old Car Wax to Polish empty Cases but would be careful with it too. Don't know if it would penetrate a "Loaded" Cartridge or not. And of course it has the potential to Increase Bolt Thrust. Still won't be a problem unless the if the Case has a large Taper and it is a rag rifle.

"DEET" will cut through the Car Wax and most anything. If you use it as an Insect Repellant, it should be watched carefully.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks for your input Hot Core. I load my own and use clear nail varnish to seal the primer and bullet. I've had some .500 Jeffery cartridges on my belt submerged in a river for 30 seconds or so but I fired them off just in case. They all seemed to perform normally.
It seems that it's a tall order to find something that I could regularly apply to stop tarnishing without possible negative effects. Waxes and oils would probably attract dust (which gets into everything during the dry season) and penetrating lubricants could possibly still get past varnish sealants. I wonder if 100% Isopropyl Alcohol swabbed onto the cartridge every now and then would be an option? This would remove sweat and oils but possibly make the case even more vulnerable to tarnishing and corrosion...

May I suggest another approach to using T-9 Boeshield .

If your worried about it penetrating into the powder via the bullet or primer and " You Don't use sealant on these areas " .

Simply spray some on a rag or paper towel an roll or lightly wipe the cartridge with it . Then use a dry clean cotton cloth to wipe the cartridges after wards , it's not going to go into anything just kind of stays on it .

I personally have been using it for close to 20 years now , I've never experienced any type reloading failure .

So it can't be affecting my reloads .

I simply lay my cases down in a shallow box maybe like a case of soup cans or vegetables come in . I point them all in one direction , with the primer pockets against the edge of the box . I spray slightly roll them in the box spray again .

I don't saturate them either , a little goes a along way . When I grab them to start reloading ( I wear nitrile gloves ) I kind of roll them in my fingers before setting them in the Dillon 550 I use for rifle cartridges .

When I'm done I use the clean cloth to wipe them off .Put them in Ammo boxes done deal .

By the way I have yet to stick a case using it !. Can't say that about all of the other reloading lubes I have used before .

Over the years I've learned a neat little trick ( To me any way ) If I've not used a set of Dies in a while , I'll dip them in acetone ( I use 55 gal drums of this stuff , so I have it ! )lacquer thinner MEK also work just as well .

Once I determine they're clean , I spray T-9 in them . Then carefully use a nozzle and compressed air to blow up in side so as to spread an remove any excess .

They look like Mirrors inside and are lubed to boot . I've seen NO ILL EFFECTS from this .

Besides my reloading area has (Like a Large garage door which is open most of the time ,even if I'm not loading . So surface rusting " WAS " a problem at one time .

Good Luck .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

I am assuming you are shooting a double rifle, so I am surprised that no one even mentioned that you absolutely, positively do not want to have any type of lube on the cases or in the chambers.

Lube, even in minute amounts, prevents the case from properly gripping the chamber walls and can results in huge pressure spikes.

As someone who hunts almost exclusively with Contenders and Encores, I can attest to the importance of having a dry chamber and dry cases.

I suggest simply using paper towel to wipe them down. THere's ample abrasive qualities (especially on the cheaper brands!) to clean the brass. Granted, it won't look line new after you've carried them a while, but you can rest assured they'll be perfectly safe to use and will function just fine.

quote:

Lube, even in minute amounts, prevents the case from properly gripping the chamber walls and can results in huge pressure spikes.

Not exactly...not huge pressure spikes.
If the action is that sensitive to a case with a little preservative on it drop the powder charge.
You can review the effects of a lubricated case on case head thrust at Varmint Al's finite element analysis.
A wipe down with a silicone cloth will protect brass without leaving much of a lubricant coating. I have cases that have been so protected for decades. A simple wipe down with a a cloth with a very small amount of gun lubricating oil protects fired brass until they are cleaned and reloaded. All of this makes tumbling unnecessary.

ireload2 wrote:

quote:

If the action is that sensitive to a case with a little preservative on it drop the powder charge.

First of all, there is no "action" as you referred to.

I should have been more specific. I see you are not familiar with break-opens.

Not only will lube on the case ruin the accuracy, it can & will cause pressure spikes. It's a cut and dried issue -- and something seasoned Contender, Encore and other break-open shooters are quite familiar with.

We are not talking about bolt rifles here...

sorry...double post

Hey Mfezi, I was thinking about your Cases today and wanted to share one more thing with you. I've found using Leather Cartridge Carriers to cause more Tarnish than Synthetic ones.

Don't know about the Alcohol. I do use it to clean things and remove oil, but I don't think I've used it on Cases to clean them. If I did, I don't remember it.

By the way, Bobby has an excellent point about using a regular old Paper Towel. And I agree the cheaper ones are more abrasive which can be used to your advantage.

Best of luck to you.

After cleaning the case, how about a very thin coat of floor wax?

I have a Drilling Dbl Rifle in 9.3X74RX12 gauge and I've never experienced any problems .

I have a very close friend who has near every caliber Rifle Carbine Pistol barrel for his TC .

He uses this method and to the best of my knowledge has never had any opening or accuracy issues . Believe me when I tell you , I would hear about it BIG TIME if it screwed up something !.

I think everyone that hasn't used this , maybe mislead into thinking it's some heavy oil or nasty residue . NOTHING could be further from the truth .

I think U should give it a whirl !.

Please remember if YOU don't like it , it's GREAT for anything you would use that water attracting WD-40 for .So it's not a waste of time nor money either way .

Boeing developed T-9 for Aircraft usage . They tend to be pretty picky about what they use .

As always U Decide . It's hard to even tell that there is anything on the completed cartridges . As I've stated over and over . A CLEAN DRY COTTON CLOTH to wipe them with Before storing your ammo . So come on HOW MUCH IS REALLY THERE ??.

It's Just enough to keep me using it .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Thanks guys, it's interesting to hear all your varied opinions on what I thought was a 'simple' issue! I do use leather cartridge pouches and have noticed accelerated tarnishing if they are stored in them for a few days. I now remove them every night when I'm in the field. I guess that I do handle the cartridges more than the average person would. This would explain why I have this problem. BTW my rifle is a custom bolt action, built on an FN Supreme Mauser 98 (3+1). Thanks again!

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
...A Synthetic Scouring Pad by 3M(which I can't think of the name ) ...

FINALLY came to me yesterday - a 3M Scotch Bright Pad. They are not the only folks that make them. They come in various sizes and degrees of Coarseness, any of which will do fine.

Best of luck to you.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
FINALLY came to me yesterday - a 3M Scotch Bright Pad. They are not the only folks that make them. They come in various sizes and degrees of Coarseness, any of which will do fine.

Best of luck to you.

Hell to get old HC, sounds like you got the beginning stage of Alzheimers!

It is Scotch-Brite pads you can buy at Home Depot. Here is what they do to cases along with an example of what Flitz can do





I flitz cases normally cause it leaves a protective finish on the brass, might be just what you need Mfezi. Here is a pic of a Flitzed case and a new case side by side



Don't worry HC, I'm sure there are lots of guys here who will volunteer to visit you in the old folks home.

BTW - what does the word Mfezi mean in African?

quote:

will cause pressure spikes.

Inaccurate.....

Please review Varmint Al's FEA.
He is also a big user of Contenders. All you have to do to stop the nonsense is reduce the load. However there is an action. You just want to play word games.
If you will review his FEA you will find the force of the case grabbing the chamber walls to be a minor force compared to the case head back thrust.
Many of the problems experienced with Contenders is because folks keep trying stretch them past their maximum capability.

quote:

Originally posted by woods:
...Hell to get old HC, sounds like you got the beginning stage of Alzheimers!

I need to start using that as an excuse.

Great flick of the actual Scotch-Brite Pads too. Thanks Woods.

Can someone explain how an oiled case will cause "pressure spikes"?.
Thanks!