otherwise the market share will drop. When it comes to ammunition it probably is here that the most savings can occur. Many reloaders just simply fail to take care of cartridge cases, even those that they are going to reload. There’s an old saying in hydraulics that cleanliness is next to godliness and the same should be applied to brass. Clean, shiny brass will not contaminate your rifle’s chamber or reloading dies, and if ejected in cover it will be easier to find. Particularly keep the case necks clean of primer and powder residue. Common bathroom cleaner on a soft cloth is most effective and very cheap. It just takes a bit of effort.
The liquids to keep cases clean are neither exotic nor expensive. Plain white vinegar is probably the quickest and easiest product to remove surface crud, and soaking for half an hour will remove most stains. Rinse and dry naturally, followed by a couple of hours in a vibratory or rotary cleaner using either sawdust or ground walnut shell together with a capful of car polish (no ammonia). This will leave hulls bright and shiny, ready for reloading. Either type of tumbler, vibra-
tory or rotary, is a good long-term investment if you have lots of brass to process. I wore out my first one after many years of almost constant use. Personally, I cannot tell the difference between the types; both appear to work as they were designed to. The life of the tumbling medium (walnut shell) can be extended by washing with detergent and thorough drying. Though there are other media available, I personally have not used them. Whilst I would be the first to agree that cases have a finite life, there are some tips that will extend that life con- siderably. Primer pockets will enlarge with age. I have read that some shooters toss cases out when the primer literally slips into the pocket when reloading. This is one instance when a hand tool is preferable to a normal press for seating primers – the “feel” is much better. Just be aware that there are slight differ- ences in primer diameter. Check with a micrometer what you have in your reloading cupboard; you might be sur- prised. If you start off with the smallest in diameter it is possible to use the next biggest primer as the pocket expands and thus retains some seating feel.
Constant firing and reloading us- ing conventional dies work-hardens the brass case, particularly in the neck area which destroys the brass’s ability to grip the neck at a constant pressure. Eventu- ally you will notice less resistance when seating bullets in a particular batch of cases. This will affect internal pressure and hence velocity. The solution is simple: anneal the case necks and you will increase the life of the brass considerably. Un- fortunately, many reloaders continue to ignore the process and consider it
unnecessary. Many benchrest shoot- ers anneal constantly and can get 20 or more reloads out of a single case … lots of savings there. Annealing also restores neck tension, an important factor when seeking the best accuracy from any cartridge.
Chamfering the inside of case
necks will decrease the possibility of crushing case necks, particularly when seating flat base bullets. It’s a small thing but necessary. The tool to carry out the process should be in every re- loader’s tool rack.
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