how do you remove the case lube from your .223 if you load 500 rounds

kidcoltoutlaw · October 12, 2002, 03:55 PM

for my 357 sig i load a case full of powder.then i tumble them for only about 5 to 8 min.at first i would never do it but it got old doing each one by hand.the 223 will be with fmj most of the time.if i fill the case up there will not be much room for the powder to tumble and break down in size.i could go one step further and use the mil spec primers from cci but i think they are hard to find.i know all the reasons why i should not but i still might,does anybody else do it.i do have some long cords plug it up at 100 ft or more away for 5 min or so .

**Mal H** · October 12, 2002, 04:16 PM

I am not an advocate of cleaning live ammo in a tumbler (vibratory type I assume). But I don't think 5 to 8 minutes is going to hurt anything. The ammo would get the same agitation in your car from traveling on a bumpy road for an hour or so and that never hurt any ammo that I'm aware of. (Try some of the 50 or 60 mile dirt roads in NM. You can throw away your cleaner and just put the brass in a pail of media, it'll be clean as a whistle when you arrive.)

You've probably figured this out, but don't tumble it in large batches. The added weight of the powder and bullets might overload the cleaner.

Jeeper · October 12, 2002, 05:11 PM

There was a big discussion about this on another board. A guy from a powder company(I think accurate) said that tumbling it wouldn't hurt the powder since they tumble the powder is huge fast tumblers for long periods anyway and that a normal brass tumbler was slow compared to the ones they use. I routinely tumble for 5-10 minutes to remove lube.

Steve Smith · October 12, 2002, 10:50 PM

heh...I don't.

Don't Drown 'em and you won't have to worry about it..

Experineces with Wylde chambers only.

zanthope · October 12, 2002, 10:54 PM

I load 100 .223's a month. I decap, using RCBS lube, then soak them all night in 2 quarts of a hot water - dish soap solution with a tablespoon of white vinegar. Agitate them a little before bed.

In the morning, I rinse well, spread on a broiler pan, and put them in the oven on Warm for an hour. They dry while I'm having coffee and reading TFL!

A couple of hours in the tumbler with a little paint thinner and a blob of non-ammoniated car wax, and they turn out right spiffy...
load 'em and shoot 'em.

I will NEVER tumble pointed, loaded rounds.

jtduncan · October 13, 2002, 01:01 AM

Most commercial ammunition IS tumbled to get off the case lube.

Many people have asked this Q before.

Dillon reps said 15 minutes is just fine.

I usually hand wipe them but with a big batch - TUMBLE.

Southla1 · October 13, 2002, 08:56 AM

I usually take brass and de-prime and resize my brass then tumble it to remove the lube.............then I prime, charge and seat. If it's just a few I wipe em with a rag.

Even if the deterrant coating is not damaged by tumbling I wonder about static electricty sparking in the case from the movement.

sleeping dog · October 13, 2002, 09:16 AM

Southla1, after sizing and tumbling, do you clean the tumbling media out of the flash hole, or just prime it? Does a piece of corn cob or walnut shell interfere with ignition?

I've been cleaning it out, but don't know if it's a waste of time.

Regards.

Southla1 · October 13, 2002, 11:54 AM

Bw sure to clean it out..it will certainly affect ignition if not pressures in the primer pocket too.

ngoehle · October 13, 2002, 11:57 AM

I reload for 357sig on a dillon 550. After loading, I tumble in new corn media with a capful of mineral spirits for about 5 minutes. When I seperate the media, my rounds are clean as a whistle. I haven't had any problems with this. In fact, on one BBS it encouraged this practice.

I haven't reloaded for .223 so I don't know of any special handling this round may require. All I know is that my .357sig goes bang everytime, never phhhht...

For what it's worth...

Bill Adair · October 13, 2002, 03:29 PM

Ngoehle,

I'm curious.

Do you have any problems with powder sticking to the lube on the case necks, when reloading on your progressive?

I would also worry about lube building up in the powder die, and perhaps causing powder to cling, or even clump in the die.

If that's a non problem, if would sure save time compared to cleaning after sizing.

Bill

kidcoltoutlaw · October 13, 2002, 03:38 PM

you could beat that by using a powder type lube in the necks of the cases.

October 12, 2002, 03:55 PM	#1
kidcoltoutlaw Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: bluefield Posts: 735	how do you remove the case lube from your .223 if you load 500 rounds for my 357 sig i load a case full of powder.then i tumble them for only about 5 to 8 min.at first i would never do it but it got old doing each one by hand.the 223 will be with fmj most of the time.if i fill the case up there will not be much room for the powder to tumble and break down in size.i could go one step further and use the mil spec primers from cci but i think they are hard to find.i know all the reasons why i should not but i still might,does anybody else do it.i do have some long cords plug it up at 100 ft or more away for 5 min or so . __________________ It's not just a gun it's the symbol of freedom

October 12, 2002, 05:11 PM	#3
Jeeper Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2001 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 776	There was a big discussion about this on another board. A guy from a powder company(I think accurate) said that tumbling it wouldn't hurt the powder since they tumble the powder is huge fast tumblers for long periods anyway and that a normal brass tumbler was slow compared to the ones they use. I routinely tumble for 5-10 minutes to remove lube. __________________ Gun control theory - A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.

October 12, 2002, 10:50 PM	#4
Steve Smith Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 1999 Posts: 4,131	heh...I don't. Don't Drown 'em and you won't have to worry about it.. Experineces with Wylde chambers only. __________________ Favor the X. Steve Smith NRA Life Member

October 12, 2002, 10:54 PM	#5
zanthope Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 258	I load 100 .223's a month. I decap, using RCBS lube, then soak them all night in 2 quarts of a hot water - dish soap solution with a tablespoon of white vinegar. Agitate them a little before bed. In the morning, I rinse well, spread on a broiler pan, and put them in the oven on Warm for an hour. They dry while I'm having coffee and reading TFL! A couple of hours in the tumbler with a little paint thinner and a blob of non-ammoniated car wax, and they turn out right spiffy... load 'em and shoot 'em. I will NEVER tumble pointed, loaded rounds. __________________ We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then it gets worse.

October 13, 2002, 01:01 AM	#6
jtduncan Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 1999 Location: Seattle, Washington, USA Posts: 1,686	Most commercial ammunition IS tumbled to get off the case lube. Many people have asked this Q before. Dillon reps said 15 minutes is just fine. I usually hand wipe them but with a big batch - TUMBLE. __________________ The Seattle SharpShooter Reloaded .223 Rem, 9mm, 40SW, 357 SIG, 10mm, 44 Mag, 45 ACP Today?

October 12, 2002, 04:16 PM	#2
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 16,949	I am not an advocate of cleaning live ammo in a tumbler (vibratory type I assume). But I don't think 5 to 8 minutes is going to hurt anything. The ammo would get the same agitation in your car from traveling on a bumpy road for an hour or so and that never hurt any ammo that I'm aware of. (Try some of the 50 or 60 mile dirt roads in NM. You can throw away your cleaner and just put the brass in a pail of media, it'll be clean as a whistle when you arrive.) You've probably figured this out, but don't tumble it in large batches. The added weight of the powder and bullets might overload the cleaner.

October 13, 2002, 08:56 AM	#7
Southla1 Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 19, 2000 Location: Jeanerette, La. Near the Posts: 1,999	I usually take brass and de-prime and resize my brass then tumble it to remove the lube.............then I prime, charge and seat. If it's just a few I wipe em with a rag. Even if the deterrant coating is not damaged by tumbling I wonder about static electricty sparking in the case from the movement.

October 13, 2002, 09:16 AM	#8
sleeping dog Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2000 Location: MI Posts: 536	Southla1, after sizing and tumbling, do you clean the tumbling media out of the flash hole, or just prime it? Does a piece of corn cob or walnut shell interfere with ignition? I've been cleaning it out, but don't know if it's a waste of time. Regards.

October 13, 2002, 11:54 AM	#9
Southla1 Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 19, 2000 Location: Jeanerette, La. Near the Posts: 1,999	Bw sure to clean it out..it will certainly affect ignition if not pressures in the primer pocket too.

October 13, 2002, 11:57 AM	#10
ngoehle Junior Member Join Date: September 12, 2002 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 8	I reload for 357sig on a dillon 550. After loading, I tumble in new corn media with a capful of mineral spirits for about 5 minutes. When I seperate the media, my rounds are clean as a whistle. I haven't had any problems with this. In fact, on one BBS it encouraged this practice. I haven't reloaded for .223 so I don't know of any special handling this round may require. All I know is that my .357sig goes bang everytime, never phhhht... For what it's worth...

October 13, 2002, 03:29 PM	#11
Bill Adair Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2000 Location: Seattle/Tacoma, WA USA Posts: 345	Ngoehle, I'm curious. Do you have any problems with powder sticking to the lube on the case necks, when reloading on your progressive? I would also worry about lube building up in the powder die, and perhaps causing powder to cling, or even clump in the die. If that's a non problem, if would sure save time compared to cleaning after sizing. Bill

October 13, 2002, 03:38 PM	#12
kidcoltoutlaw Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: bluefield Posts: 735	you could beat that by using a powder type lube in the necks of the cases. __________________ It's not just a gun it's the symbol of freedom