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Removing lube from finished cartridges
- Thread starter Real Gun
- Start date
m&p45acp10+1
New member
Well there are several different things you can do. The speed you want, and the volume you do will make a big differance, as well as budget if you are super broke.
1. Wipe with a clean cloth. Takes some time, works well enough with standard case lube, and wax, or allox bullet lubes. Takes a few seconds for each. If you use a Lee trimmer with the lock stud on a drill it goes real quick.
2. Steel wool, and a Lee Trimmer either on the Zip Trim (works like a pull string pecil sharpener.) or chucked in a drill. A few seconds each case.
3. Wipe with mineral spirits on a cloth. Kind of like number one. Just takes a bit for the mineral spirits to dry.
4. A vibratory tumbler. Pick your choice of media of corn cob, or walnut. A half hour or so does the job in most cases.
The only real equipment buy would be the tumbler realy. I have one. I use it to clean range pick up brass, and to remove the case lube from my brass. I clean 3 calibers of it as loaded rounds. It takes about a half hour or so to have it clean enough to not worry about.
1. Wipe with a clean cloth. Takes some time, works well enough with standard case lube, and wax, or allox bullet lubes. Takes a few seconds for each. If you use a Lee trimmer with the lock stud on a drill it goes real quick.
2. Steel wool, and a Lee Trimmer either on the Zip Trim (works like a pull string pecil sharpener.) or chucked in a drill. A few seconds each case.
3. Wipe with mineral spirits on a cloth. Kind of like number one. Just takes a bit for the mineral spirits to dry.
4. A vibratory tumbler. Pick your choice of media of corn cob, or walnut. A half hour or so does the job in most cases.
The only real equipment buy would be the tumbler realy. I have one. I use it to clean range pick up brass, and to remove the case lube from my brass. I clean 3 calibers of it as loaded rounds. It takes about a half hour or so to have it clean enough to not worry about.
Sure Shot Mc Gee
New member
Cleaning up completed cartridges. I just put a few drop of CLP on a piece of cotton flannel shirt. Rotate the entire bullet in the rag a couple times. Lubes gone. Brass is shinny. Even my cast bullets take on a nice silvery look. And there is a very light coating of CLP left behind that is absulity nothing to worry about. Sorry gents I never throw completed loaded rounds into my vibratory tumbler for any reason. But those that do. I'm sure you already weighed the benefits verses the negatives of doing so.
S/S
S/S
Tumbling loaded rounds
I have heard of some people doing this as it does not have a way to strike the firing pin with enough force to set it off. Another way I have heard about cleaning the rounds is put some flitz in the tumbler. I haven't done it but I know someone who swears by it.
I have heard of some people doing this as it does not have a way to strike the firing pin with enough force to set it off. Another way I have heard about cleaning the rounds is put some flitz in the tumbler. I haven't done it but I know someone who swears by it.
I just use an old towel, that's just for rifle where I spend more quality time with each round. For handgun I use carbide dies, so no lube.
When using cast bullets my lubrisizer is set so no lube makes it to the portion of the bullet outside the case, and I try to be careful not to touch the lube when seating. Doesn't always work, so I keep a rag handy.
When using cast bullets my lubrisizer is set so no lube makes it to the portion of the bullet outside the case, and I try to be careful not to touch the lube when seating. Doesn't always work, so I keep a rag handy.
When I get some that I want all cleaned up and shiny like my hunting loads, I usually just sit down in front of the tv with a box full and wipe them off with a rag.
If they are rally gooey I add in a bit of denatured alcohol as I really don't like the smell of Mineral Spirits.
Usually all I am wiping off is the noses of the bullets anyway, and what ever goop is stuck in the HP. Don't know what it might taste like once splattered off in a shoulder roast, but figure the more I can get off initially the less will be splattered in the meat once the bullet hits.
If they are rally gooey I add in a bit of denatured alcohol as I really don't like the smell of Mineral Spirits.
Usually all I am wiping off is the noses of the bullets anyway, and what ever goop is stuck in the HP. Don't know what it might taste like once splattered off in a shoulder roast, but figure the more I can get off initially the less will be splattered in the meat once the bullet hits.
I run loaded rounds in a tumbler to clean them up and kinda give them that final finishing touch. There are no dangers of them going off.
As for the powder question, folks over on another forum did an extended experiment to see if prolonged tumbling damaged or altered the charteristic of the powder ot broke down the granuals. After over 100 hours, powder from a disassembled cartrdge looked no different than that in the canister it came from otehr than for some rub marks where the graphite coating was worn.
As for the powder question, folks over on another forum did an extended experiment to see if prolonged tumbling damaged or altered the charteristic of the powder ot broke down the granuals. After over 100 hours, powder from a disassembled cartrdge looked no different than that in the canister it came from otehr than for some rub marks where the graphite coating was worn.
Just some dry paper towels. I sit down to watch the news and grip the bullet good in a paper towel with one hand and twist back and forth with the other.... 'takes off even dried Alox. They'll look like new. 3 or 4 paper towels will do 100 of em, and if you buy the cheap paper towels like me... that's about 6-8 cents.
Rags work for me too, but I find that a paper towel is more abrasive and leaves a very shiny bullet behind.
Rags work for me too, but I find that a paper towel is more abrasive and leaves a very shiny bullet behind.