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Thread: When is the best time to clean brass before depriming, resizing or after?

  1. #21
    swamp
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    I'm surprised you would even want to shoot a gun. Personally I think you're a bit paranoid.

    You do understand that lead like most fear based stories is grossly exaggerated and the amount of lead you must consume to cause harm is such that you would almost have to make a meal out of it. Also there's a tremendous difference between children exposed and adults. I'm not the least bit concerned.

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by swamp View Post
    I'm surprised you would even want to shoot a gun. Personally I think you're a bit paranoid.

    You do understand that lead like most fear based stories is grossly exaggerated and the amount of lead you must consume to cause harm is such that you would almost have to make a meal out of it. Also there's a tremendous difference between children exposed and adults. I'm not the least bit concerned.
    Paranoid or not I think versifier is correct and that's why I don't like to shoot in any indoor range. Working with lead cast bullets when smelting and casting and shooting in indoor ranges would almost make it a meal when doing it on a consistant basis. It doesn't matter if the lead is coming from the fired projectile or the primers it is in the air in an indoor range and you are breathing it in unless you are wearing some type of particle mask. When smelting and casting you are breathing in some of the fumes also unless wearing a mask no matter the ventilation.
    I remember things in the news from years ago about the ill effect of lead. In paint and even in pencils. Isn't that why they stopped using paints that contained lead?
    Last edited by armyrat1970; 04-25-2009 at 11:23 AM.
    If a man has nothing greater to believe in than himself, he is a very lonely man.

  3. #23
    Dogs Like Him versifier's Avatar
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    That attitude among other things got him banned from this forum.

    Lead vapors are not an issue for bullet casters - the vaporization point is well above 900*F and we never even approach it. Foundry workers, where the temps do reach that level, wear special lead vapor respirators to minimize their exposure. The best way for casters to avoid exposure is to keep their hands washed and not eat, drink, or smoke while casting.

    As to indoor ranges, the temp of a burning primer does exceed that level, so it is an issue and a particle filter will help some, but not much. Good ventilation is the most effective way to keep your exposure level low. Like with smoke, the longer it is in the air, some can condense and form larger clumps. These a particle filter can trap along with airborne fragments of matallic lead from the bullets, but the greater amount of lead vapor passes passes right through them unaffected. Your liver can handle a little of it and slowly filter it so you can rid yourself of it over time, but it can take months to do it. Many indoor ranges today have taken steps to minimize exposure by banning the use of lead bullets or requiring "clean ammo" that is loaded with lead free primers that are not available to handloaders. Really good ventilation is enough for occasional shooters. Higher levels occur in colder weather when the ranges have to be heated, and the constant exposure of working in one I don't think is very healthy.
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  4. #24
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    I only neck size and do not tumble cases. I make sure the cases are clean and dry when I picke them up off the ground and abandon any that are scratched or damaged in any way.

  5. #25
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    I tumble when they come back from the range. I don't mind some residue in the primer pocket - those primers are stout,and the output to the powder charge will not be significantly affected by a small amount of residue. I tumble with either corncob or walnut, and add about a teaspoon of jewelers rouge and a couple of tablespoons of mineral spirits. And I occasionally throw in a used dryer sheet to pick up dust.

    Tumble in another container with a little Alemite CD-2, resize, then tumble in the media again to get rid of the lube. This is only for rifle cases. All pistol reloading is done with carbide sizers, so no lube issues there. When the media gets real groaty (and I mean REAL groaty!), dump it and recharge. If a piece of media sticks in the primer hole, I ignore it. That little piece of media does NOT interfere with the primer action.

    As for the lead, what Versifier said was right. Wash your hands after handling lead boolits, or after casting, and have no concern for lead ingestion. And the indoor ranges down here have ventilation that keeps the air moving toward the target area for exhaust, taking the lead styphanate with it.
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  6. #26

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    I tumble before resizing as I don't like to run dirty cases through my dies. Clean brass that I shoot myself may just need to be wiped with a towel before sizing but the range pickups I get are always tumble cleaned before sizing.
    If a man has nothing greater to believe in than himself, he is a very lonely man.

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BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
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