New to this, have some questions

[03clifford]

Hello, all. I am new to reloading, and I have a few questions for you. 1st, how long do you guys clean your brass. The reason I ask is I have been cleaning mine for about 4 hours and they are not clean. The brass is old, several months, and it was fired from my gun. Anyway, I guess I need new media? The stuff I have now is walnut and the tumbler is a midway 1292.

Well I have been reading on the site and safety seems to be the word of the day! No distractions, pay attention to what you are doing and double check you’re self. Well, some of the sections talk about hot loads, to much pressure, and such. Does anyone have pictures (or know where I can get some) of rounds that have been loaded wrong? Is this even feasible? I’m not looking to load the max in my ammo, just looking for more information is all.

2nd, does it really matter if I get the regular dies or the carbide? One just eliminates a step (lube) right?

Ang the last question for this post, the kit I have was given to me by a friend. It was still in the box, is this going to be a problem?

Ok, that’s it for now. Thanks for your help.

[sserdlihc]

try this for your brass cleaning question.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=326030&highlight=cleaning+brass

Ang the last question for this post, the kit I have was given to me by a friend. It was still in the box, is this going to be a problem?

Was everything in the kit? What kit were you given? Have you read and reread your loading manuals?
What are you reloading?

[LHB1]

DEFINITELY get carbide dies if they are available. You WILL want them later! My pistol brass is usually clean and polished after a couple hours of tumbling in a Berry's tumbler using walnut media. Have been using this same 4 gallon bucket of media for at least 15-20 years. How old is your media? You will have to give us more info on the reloading kit: brand, model, and exactly what it includes.

[buckwoods]

03clifford - first, congratulations on getting your feet wet. Hope you enjoy it as much as a lot of us do. Now, as to signs of improper loads. Best advice I know of is to get the latest edition of "ABC's of Reloading". It has all the steps of safe reloading, and in particular has excellent pics and illustrations of what you asked about. Couple of reload manuals, and finding online powder company tables will do you well, also. Good luck!

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day and welcome. Carbide dies are used on straight walled cases. It helps if you give details like make, model, size and don't expect everyone to remember all your details. Ask lots of questions and don't believe everything that people say.:D

[Shoney]

03clifford
WELCOME TO TFL!!!

Have you read the stickey at the top of the reloading page?
Sticky: For the New Reloader: Equipment Basics -- READ THIS FIRST
It is an excelent place to start.

Carbide dies arge generally for straight walled pistol cartridges, but there are also a few straight wall rifle cases that come in carbide, 45-70 is one.

The only carbide bottleneck carbide die that I know of is for 223 and requires lubing the cases. It is generally for high production and commercial loders who might wear out regular dies because of sheer numbers per day.

What kit did you get? Kits have most of the gear you will need to start loading, but seldome include all the items that you will need. Please list the kit and what it contains.

[03clifford]

Thanks for all the replies, the kit I have is the lee breech lock challenger, it looks brand new!!!! I don’t think my friend even used it!?

I will eventually be reloading for all my weapons? But for now I thought I would start with my S&W 357(revolver). The others I have are H&K 40, Browning 30-06, and 303 British.

[CrustyFN]

Welcome. I use walnut media that I buy from the pet store. I add 1/2 cap full of Nu Finish car polish and a paper towel cut into ten pieces. The polish will help clean faster, keep the dust down and shine the brass. The paper towel will help keep the media clean. I run that for two hours and the brass comes out looking like new.
Rusty

[PCJim]

I also use walnut, but for the initial tumbling I add either unscented mineral spirits or (lately) paint thinner. I tumble my media in the garage so the paint thinner odor is not a concern. About 2-3 tablespoons or so will be enough. My media is black, period, and has probably cleaned more than 10k of cases. The media still does the job with the addition of the solvent.

If you are reloading bottleneck cases, you will have to lube the cases before sizing and will want to remove the lube before any further handling. I use a separate batch of walnut with the Nu-Finish polish and tumble for about 10 minutes to remove the lube and to provide a polish to the case. I have no idea if it helps prevent any tarnishing. My loads don't sit around for years. Straightwalled cases only get the walnut+solvent tumbling.

I'll also suggest you use an appliance timer on your tumbler, the type used to turn your home lights on/off while you are away. Set the pins for two hours, rotate the dial to start the unit and when it is finished, you'll find some nicely cleaned brass.

[Shoney]

03clifford
Is this the kit?

If so, does it contain all these accessories?

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1232492351.3687=/html/catalog/rlpress1.html#breech

[03clifford]

Yes it is. I don't have the Breech Lock Quick Change Bushings, but I guess I can purchase them from somewhere???

Thanks for the replies on the media cleaning techniques, I will have to try them.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Welcome to TFL! That is a great kit to get started. I would highly recomend the lee dies...can't be beat for the money! When I tumble my brass, I use case polish and a dryer sheet torn into 4 pieces. You would be amazed at how much "dirt" the dryer sheet collects. Also helps keep media cleaner (obviously!!:rolleyes:)