mike shickele
Regular
DO NOT let WD40 get anywhere near your ammunition (or gun for that matter), at the molecular level, it is fine enough to migrate into the primer and cause a FTF! This is NOT just internet gossip!
Mike
Alternatives to cleaning brass other then a tumbler
- Thread starter GDavies
- Start date
DO NOT let WD40 get anywhere near your ammunition (or gun for that matter), at the molecular level, it is fine enough to migrate into the primer and cause a FTF! This is NOT just internet gossip!
Mike
FAIL.
A couple of members have done tests and it has been proven pretty much wrong, and they were SOAKING the primers in WD40, water, oil, etc...
Andy did the tests and posted them, just can't find them right now.
saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- near Prince Albert
I still haven't bought a tumbler. A wash/rinse in dishsoap and then a wash/rinse in a water/vinegar/lemon juice/koolaid solution works fine.
That's what I do for pistol brass, for rifle I just wipe off the casing with a damp cloth. It's not shiny but it's clean.
That's what I do for pistol brass, for rifle I just wipe off the casing with a damp cloth. It's not shiny but it's clean.
- Location
- Calgary, AB
Got a Frankford Arsenal tumbler. Works great. I plan on getting a Lyman Auto-Flow soon.
I usually use boiling water,lemon juice,dishwater detergent and a bit of vinegar,let the cases soak for a few hours,and then air dry them(or in a low oven).Birchwood Casey case cleaner works well as well.
Although I do have a tumbler,Ive pretty much given up on it as Ive read that you are exposed to high levels of lead dust from the tumbling compound when using it.Its nice to have pretty cases,but they dont shoot any better.
Although I do have a tumbler,Ive pretty much given up on it as Ive read that you are exposed to high levels of lead dust from the tumbling compound when using it.Its nice to have pretty cases,but they dont shoot any better.
where does lead dust come from when using crushed walnut shells or corn cob media
btw, all these home remedy ideas make me feel really lazy, i just drop my cases in my $60 tumbler and leave them alone for an hour or two and bingo bango boingo they are clean
The lead comes from the primers of the cases being cleaned,and if you dont change the media frequently,can build to pretty high levels.You inhale the fine dust/lead combo typically when you seperate the cases from the media at the end of a clean.If you are going to use a tumbler,use a mask and wear gloves.Personally,I just dont think that they are worth the hassle
mike shickele
Regular
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_4_45/ai_55605512/
There is enough info out there contrary to what you have said that if anyone chooses to use WD40 it is strictly at there own risk. The company themselve doesn't market it at all as a gun cleaning solvent; that should tell you something.
Mike
Yep, this works. My wife occasionally coaxes me into watching an episode of "Opra" on TV. I find the program a little more engaging if I snort a couple of lines of media before it starts.
Note that article was from 1999, and has been rebuked many times over. One article on the Internet (Yes I saw a similar one) is just as good as 1" 600 yard groups. Maybe, but one paragraph doesn't convince me.
WD-40 is actually a kerosene based WATER DISPLACING formula (it contains long chain polymers) and it was number 40 in the series of tests they ran. It was designed to coat Titan ballistic missiles while there were in their silos to prevent corrosion.
Go ahead, find the tests done by Andy and then get back to me.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186294&highlight=primer+wd40 note that these tests were not from WD-40 leaking in but SOAKING in it.
There is another reference ( can't find it either) as to how long it takes to deactivate primers based on time soaking directly in various solutions. It also shows how insensitive primers are to tiny bits of moisture/oil, etc.
It was actually water and WD-40 that I used (I called it "light machine oil" in my first post on the subject previous to that - because aside from propellants that evaporate that's what it is), and I immersed primed cases in it for several days. The purpose was to show that oil and water only temporarily kill primers.
I wouldn't take that quoted article on faith, but don't disbelieve it either. It's easy to test - do as I did, but with WD-40. It might well temporarily kill a primer, but I'm skeptical that a loaded round in contact with WD-40 could have enough of it migrate into the primer and kill it.
As for a good cleaning process:
50/50 vinegar and water for 10 minutes then rub clean in soapy water followed by a good rinse in clear water. This solution will remove the "Black Stuff" that tumbler and steel wool will not.
Yes, I know what WD40 is and what the letters and numbers stand for but it works for me to clean the carbon off of case necks. I spray a small amount on a rag and wipe off the carbon. No WD40 is anywhere near the primer pocket, there is no liquid WD40 anywhere on the case, just a lightly soaked rag wiping the neck. Next comes resizing where the neck is forced in to the sizing die, after which the entire case is wiped to remove the sizing lube and (God forbid) any kerosene molecules hiding in the molecular structure of the case necks.
Don't believe me, try it, it works, its fast and simple and I don't get any mis-fires.
- Location
- Sudbury, On
My first reloads were with slightly humid cases. All for three of thirty-so'ish rounds were duds. Most of the moisture seemed to have accumulated in the primer pocket.
YMMV, of course.
YMMV, of course.
Gunnerlove
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island
It is amazing to see the carbon and filth that come out of cases that I used to consider clean (tumbled in walnut and rinsed in acetone).
I wonder if the carbon after several firings decreases case volume?
- Location
- Sudbury, On
Hmmm, sounds like it is time for a test....
As for cleaning, I have also used mild acid solutions for old range pickup brass.
Mythbusters?
Did you read my post or was it too long for you?
No WD40 gets anywhere near the primer pocket using the method I described, and I get no mis-fires.
