Tufnut rouge woes, arrgghh

razec · January 4, 2010, 08:13 PM

Hey everyone, I'm a bit of a reloading newbie here. When I bought my tumbler and media, the shop recommended the Tufnut stuff. I've noticed the residue is a huge problem and from searching around here, I see I'm not the only one.

I'm planning on switching to something different, but the problem is that in the meantime I have a ton of .40 S&W and .45 ACP cases that have been cleaned with the Tufnut. They're shiny as hell but the problem is the rouge residue on the inside of the cases doesn't come off easily. I tried running a paper towel through them but it doesn't get it all out, so I fell back on using Q-tips with some Hoppes on them. That cleans them right out and makes the inside of the brass look as good as new, but it's obviously a VERY manual and time-consuming process.

I tried soaking the cleaned brass in hot water, hoping that'd loosen up the crap inside the cases, but that didn't work either. Are there any good ways I can get the rouge crap out of my cases or am I stuck going through them one by one? I really don't want to put them through my dies with any of this residue on the inside of them.

Slamfire · January 4, 2010, 10:12 PM

Purchase some plain untreated corn cob, and tumble the cases in that.

Nnobby45 · January 4, 2010, 10:19 PM

Quote:

......... I have a ton of .40 S&W and .45 ACP cases that have been cleaned with the Tufnut. They're shiny as hell but the problem is the rouge residue on the inside of the cases doesn't come off easily.

Why does the residue on the inside of the case need to come off?

razec · January 5, 2010, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Why does the residue on the inside of the case need to come off?

I just assumed it wasn't good to run the cases through my dies with that stuff inside of them. Is that not correct?

Kyo · January 5, 2010, 12:46 AM

next time just ebay some walnut media. tumble it in that for 20 minutes it should get the crap out

Nnobby45 · January 5, 2010, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Quote:
Why does the residue on the inside of the case need to come off?

I just assumed it wasn't good to run the cases through my dies with that stuff inside of them. Is that not correct?

If the outside of the case is clean and shiny, that's the only part that touches the die---except for a little bit of the expander, so long as it doesn't stick when you pull it out of the case. I'd probably load the batch I have and switch to a new media.

Uncle Buck · January 5, 2010, 09:30 AM

I no longer worry about the inside of my cases. I tumble them and check to make sure there is nothing left in the primer holes. A few smart raps on the loading table will usually dislodge anything left inside.

I used to use a brush to clean the inside of all the cases I reloaded. I read on here that it did not matter, so I loaded a few small batched and tried them. I noticed that it made no difference to the ammunitions performance. Now I have more time to reload. I still like the shiny looking cases and I just add some liquid car wax to my tumbling media.

mrawesome22 · January 5, 2010, 11:43 AM

Yep. Walnut Zilla and some Nu-Finish and those cases will be 'purty

Nnobby45 · January 5, 2010, 07:01 PM

I'd point out that cases are reloadable without tumbling them--in which case there's powder residue coating the inside of the case. It isn't going to build up, since firing both cleans it out and deposits a fresh layer.

The biggest build up problem occurs in primer pockets. It will reach a certain point and tend to stop, but can interfere with proper primer seating and cause light primer hits since the firing pin blow is obsorbed as it seats the primer the rest of the way.

This occurs with a couple of my guns, since I use Winchester primers, which are probably the hardest to ignite. How do I fix that? Well, I don't, since the process would be too time consuming for practice loads, and the guns don't have problems with factory ammo. And the guns I carry have heavy enough mainsprings to be reliable even with my handloads.

Powder residue, or Tufnut residue makes no difference. We clean our cases so they feed and also because they're easier to size when clean. And looking nice and shiny is important to some of us. I guess it's a nice feeling when someone looks at your ammo and asks if you're shooting reloads or factory.

January 4, 2010, 08:13 PM	#1
razec Junior Member Join Date: January 4, 2010 Posts: 2	Tufnut rouge woes, arrgghh Hey everyone, I'm a bit of a reloading newbie here. When I bought my tumbler and media, the shop recommended the Tufnut stuff. I've noticed the residue is a huge problem and from searching around here, I see I'm not the only one. I'm planning on switching to something different, but the problem is that in the meantime I have a ton of .40 S&W and .45 ACP cases that have been cleaned with the Tufnut. They're shiny as hell but the problem is the rouge residue on the inside of the cases doesn't come off easily. I tried running a paper towel through them but it doesn't get it all out, so I fell back on using Q-tips with some Hoppes on them. That cleans them right out and makes the inside of the brass look as good as new, but it's obviously a VERY manual and time-consuming process. I tried soaking the cleaned brass in hot water, hoping that'd loosen up the crap inside the cases, but that didn't work either. Are there any good ways I can get the rouge crap out of my cases or am I stuck going through them one by one? I really don't want to put them through my dies with any of this residue on the inside of them.

January 5, 2010, 12:46 AM	#5
Kyo Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Posts: 897	next time just ebay some walnut media. tumble it in that for 20 minutes it should get the crap out __________________ 1. The gun is *always* loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger unless you are ready to shoot. 4. Be be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

January 5, 2010, 09:30 AM	#7
Uncle Buck Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: West Central Missouri Posts: 2,434	I no longer worry about the inside of my cases. I tumble them and check to make sure there is nothing left in the primer holes. A few smart raps on the loading table will usually dislodge anything left inside. I used to use a brush to clean the inside of all the cases I reloaded. I read on here that it did not matter, so I loaded a few small batched and tried them. I noticed that it made no difference to the ammunitions performance. Now I have more time to reload. I still like the shiny looking cases and I just add some liquid car wax to my tumbling media. __________________ Inside Every Bright Idea Is The 50% Probability Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen.

January 5, 2010, 07:01 PM	#9
Nnobby45 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2004 Posts: 3,143	I'd point out that cases are reloadable without tumbling them--in which case there's powder residue coating the inside of the case. It isn't going to build up, since firing both cleans it out and deposits a fresh layer. The biggest build up problem occurs in primer pockets. It will reach a certain point and tend to stop, but can interfere with proper primer seating and cause light primer hits since the firing pin blow is obsorbed as it seats the primer the rest of the way. This occurs with a couple of my guns, since I use Winchester primers, which are probably the hardest to ignite. How do I fix that? Well, I don't, since the process would be too time consuming for practice loads, and the guns don't have problems with factory ammo. And the guns I carry have heavy enough mainsprings to be reliable even with my handloads. Powder residue, or Tufnut residue makes no difference. We clean our cases so they feed and also because they're easier to size when clean. And looking nice and shiny is important to some of us. I guess it's a nice feeling when someone looks at your ammo and asks if you're shooting reloads or factory. Last edited by Nnobby45; January 5, 2010 at 07:10 PM.

January 4, 2010, 10:12 PM	#2
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 3,378	Purchase some plain untreated corn cob, and tumble the cases in that.

January 5, 2010, 11:43 AM	#8
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	Yep. Walnut Zilla and some Nu-Finish and those cases will be 'purty