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removing case lube.

6K views 35 replies 17 participants last post by  FreedomAndForgiven 
#1 ·
what does everyone use to remove case lube after reloading rifle ammo?
I used to use just a little lighter fluid on a rag...it seemed to clean them up pretty good.
just wondering what others use.
 
#3 ·
When I lube and size my rifle cases , then measure and trim them there really isn't anything much left to remove
I use the Imperial sizing wax on rifle cartridges and a little of it works great
Once I found that , I gave away my RCBS lube and pad

So to answer your question, I don't have to do anything
On my pistol where I use the Dillon case lube all I need to do as a last step is to roll them on an old towel
 
#4 ·
When I lube and size my rifle cases , then measure and trim them there really isn't anything much left to remove
I use the Imperial sizing wax on rifle cartridges and a little of it works great
Once I found that , I gave away my RCBS lube and pad

So to answer your question, I don't have to do anything
On my pistol where I use the Dillon case lube all I need to do as a last step is to roll them on an old towel
what pistol cals. do you lube? I didn't think you needed lube on straight wall with carbide dies.
 
#6 ·
I do not remove the lube especially if after resizing the brass, the brass does not have a dimple from too much lube. I only remove it from the dies once I am done reloading so as not to have a build up of lube. I normally use break cleaner or denatured alcohol if out of break cleaner.
 
#31 ·
Yes it is necessary to remove the case lube before firing. The brass during the miliseconds involved in firing needs to grip the chamber walls. To not remove it does the same in your guns chamber as it does in the sizing die, it allows the brass to slip and slide. Only now it's subjected to approximately 50-65,000 pounds pressure, with almost all of that being forced into the bolt or breech face.
 
#10 ·
I have been using RCBS Case Lube 2 for years for the simple fact that its water soluble. I have the option of running the sized cases under hot tap water then lay them in a shallow pan and place them in front of a space heater for an hour or two to dry them inside and out.
 
#14 ·
I use the RCBS pad and their lube. It is water soluble. So once the cases are loaded I hand wipe each one with a water dampened cloth and roll 10 at once on a dry towel.

I think it too dangerous to put loaded rounds into a vibratory cleaner. All that banging around could set off a primer or the powder grains could break down into finer particles and increase the potential energy of the load because of the increased area. I also am not a fan of any lube that takes a chemical or solvent (other than water) to remove. The spray lubes I have tried were hit or miss on case coverage and the spray could end up inside the case. The old classic way of rolling case on a pad with classic RCBS lube I think is the best choice. But we all get to choose.

LDBennett
 
#19 ·
Is there a reason to risk it? Every cartridge you make needs a final inspection by hand. So why not take that opportunity to simple wipe off the lube (using water or a solvent of your choice on a rag). It only takes a roll on a towel (10 at a time) to dry the cartridges off if water is used.

So here is a task for someone who cares: Find a reloading manual by a reputable source (read reloading equipment or component manufacturer) that advocates vibratory cleaning of finished cartridges. While my reading experiences are not vast in this area, I have never seen it considered in any of my readings. Have any of you? There might be a reason for that?

LDBennett
 
#20 ·
I have read lots of threads around the 'Net with folks that tumble completed cartridges. I am sure it works for some, but I just cannot feel comfortable with the idea.

Safety and the possibility of a negligent discharge is my biggest concern, although in those threads when I mention this, I am told that this does not happen.

I never thought about changes to the powder before, but it seems less likely.

Nevertheless, as mentioned above, we all have choices, and I choose not to tumble a loaded cartridge.
 
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#25 ·
You gotta live a little LD. We're only here once for a short amount of time.

As I said previously, I've tumbled A LOT of loaded rounds. If I would have encountered ANY issues I would have said so and discouraged the practice. I've encountered ZERO change in performance of the same cartridges tumbled and not tumbled.

If it wasn't for those of us that experiment there would be no need for forums such as this one(the best one period IMO) because everyone would just go with their manuals and what's not in said manual just won't work.

I'm a big advocate of safety while loading and shooting. I certainly wouldn't give anyone any information that I've found to be unsafe.
 
#22 ·
I don't like that waxy feeling on the case's when I resize. Won't hurt anything, I just don't like it. So, I never let a fired cartridge hit the ground. I re-size first then tumble. Have to poke out the flash hole now and then but don't care! As I pick out and dump the media the flash hole is right there and the tool to pop it out in the other hand, pretty quick.

I would not put a loaded case in a cleaner. I have no idea if it will work or not or even if it's dangerous. But I do know that not putting loaded rounds in a cleaner is not dangerous! Don't believe everything you read on the internet.
 
#26 ·
slayer:

One of the magazine writers use to store his loaded ammo in a bucket by just dropping them in unorganized. Until....one went off when he dropped it into the bucket. He stored ammo that way for years and then his number came up. Yours may come up too. Loaded ammo being vibrated at a pretty horrendous rate (several levels above transportation in a delivery truck) has the possibility of a dangerous situation.

Reloading is not any place to be experimenting. The consequences can be death or worse death to someone else. If it isn't written down as a safe thing to do by reloading equipment or component manufacturers then I deem it unsafe. I am waiting for someone to offer a source (reloading equipment or component manufacturer) that says it is safe to vibratory clean loaded ammo. Anyone????

LDBennett
 
#27 ·
When your times up, your times up. There's nothing you can do about it.

If reloading is no place to experiment, then how in the world do we have the cartridges we have? What if Roy weatherby wouldn't have experimented? Mike walker, P.O ackley and the countless other cartridge designers throughout time?

I don't know about your tumbler, but my tumbler definitely doesn't move at a horrendously high speed.
 
#29 ·
I drove trucks interstate for many years but never hauled ammo. But the ride in the truck would be nowhere near as violent as a vibrating tumbler. The stuff is in the tumbler loose and constantly being moved. In the truck it is packed in box's, no loose ammo is moved in a truck.

The attitude that when your time's up, your times up, I think that true but, I have no notion that I want to try it anyway. I used to have that talk with my mom and she would tell me to go jump in front of a moving vehicle and test the theory No reason to tempt fate. There is no good reason I can see to put loaded ammo loose or otherwise in a vibrating cleaner. Now if there was a good reason, I might try it but I can't think of one so I guess I will just not tempt fate. There's a thousand grape's in a bag and all but one are good. The bad one will kill you. You gonna risk eating one?
 
#32 ·
You really think that the lube makes that big a difference in the as you stated "milliseconds" the case stays in the chamber after firing? That's assuming you are firing a semi auto firearm. I do the same for my 357 mag that I shoot from my GP100. No effect so far. I would think that if this was going to damage my guns, I would have seen it by now.
 
#33 ·
I don't do much brass cleaning in the summer unless I have to. I save it until winter as I don't shoot much in the winter. I use lanoline w/ isoheet on both pistol and rifle. The pistol brass is cleaned in a bucket and the rifle is cleaned in a wet tumbler. Both pistol and rifle get dried on a drying rack in the dryer laying on a cookie sheet using low. The completed brass is stored until ready for reloading.
 
#35 ·
Tumbling loaded ammunition is a prime example of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should". Smokeless powder comes in specific kernel sizes and are coated with burn inhibitors to create a specific burn rate. Tumbling loaded ammo could create a list of problems in doing so, the least of which is a bullet point contacting the primer of another case. The tumbling action could very probably rub the deterrent coating of the powder off of the kernels, altering the burn rate. Another possibility is fracturing the powder kernels, also altering the burn rate.
 
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