SHTF Reloading - AR15.COM

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Posted: 4/28/2011 10:31:37 PM EDT

How are you planning on cleaning your cases with no power, or having to ration power? Most of the process is easy sans power, but cleaning the cases still has me puzzled. Granted it probably wont be 1k at a time, so hand scrubbing?

Posted: 4/28/2011 10:38:05 PM EDT

[#1]

Polishing medium and some sort of container with a hand crank.

Posted: 4/28/2011 10:44:55 PM EDT

[#2]

Polish brass cases with steel wool. Hold the steel wool with a paper towel between your hand and the wool, or you will get metal shards in your skin, it is very painful.

Steve

Posted: 4/28/2011 10:49:52 PM EDT

[#3]

Same way I did it in school before I bought a tumbler. Steel wool and elbow grease. There are some products out there that don't require power, mostly liquid cleaners, such as IOSSO brass cleaner. I don't have any experience with it though.

Posted: 4/28/2011 11:33:55 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
Polish brass cases with steel wool. Hold the steel wool with a paper towel between your hand and the wool, or you will get metal shards in your skin, it is very painful.

Steve

This works well

Posted: 4/29/2011 2:33:13 AM EDT

[#5]

I was under the impression that cleaning cases was an option.

I reload a little, but only enough to insure my skills are up to speed when I need it -and I clean my cases, but only because I am an OCD asshole. I love the way those bright and shiny rounds look all lined up in neat little rows in their pretty fresh new plastic cases... but... I don't believe it is truly necessary. I have a friend who shoots thousands of rounds per month (from his RIA) and reloads all his own stuff with cast wheel-weight bullets. He also loads 30-06 for his M1. He is a seasoned survivalist and does not feel it is necessary to clean the cases. In fact, he has said a few times in the past that he does not want them all bright and shiny.

Posted: 4/29/2011 2:59:11 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

Polishing medium and some sort of container with a hand crank.

good job for all the womenz concubines

Posted: 4/29/2011 3:27:50 AM EDT

[#7]

Why clean cases? Seriously???

Case cleaning may have been essential when priming compounds were corrosive and black powder residue absorbed atmospheric moisture like a sponge. Today case cleaning is a cosmetic operation that offers no real (necessary) benefit.

Size 'em. Prime 'em. Charge 'em. Seat 'em. Fire 'em. Repeat.

I've loaded thousands and thousands of rounds and gone through a great many 8 lb jugs of powder. A lot of it has been done with 'as fired' cases. I didn't pick up a case tumbler until years after starting to reload. If they (rounds) are sized appropriately and otherwise within dimensional specs (with no obvious corrosion etc) they are good to go. Nice shiny cases may make you feel better, but its merely a .make em pretty' sort of operation.

Fro

Posted: 4/29/2011 4:32:55 AM EDT

[#8]

I hardley ever tumble my cases.

Posted: 4/29/2011 4:35:30 AM EDT

[#9]

a bicycle attached to a tumbler and my kids

Posted: 4/29/2011 4:48:29 AM EDT

[#10]

I have my spare brass all polished already. A least for the 223 and 308 which are really the only rounds I need to be worried about. I have plenty of bullets, primers, and powder too so for me the extra brass stacked away in sealed 5-gal buckets is just insurance that I can resuply my ammo fort if SHTF long enough that I ever get close to burning through the thousands of rounds that make up the ammo fort.

Seriously, planning to reload when SHTF to get the ammo you should have is a mistake. You need to have the ammo ready to go but having components to allow you to resuply a healthy stash is a good hedge on inflation and could be a help in a TEOTWAWKI event post SHTF.

Posted: 4/29/2011 5:06:30 AM EDT

[#11]

I just won't be cleaning the brass if the shtf. I will just fine the best looking brass I have and reloading it.

Posted: 4/29/2011 5:15:26 AM EDT

[#12]

I have one of those Cabela's dry boxes with about 6k 9mm cases already cleaned, on top of 5k rounds already loaded. I've got a while before I need to worry about how to clean without electricity.

When I eventually add more calibers to my reloading setup I'll clean all the collected cases I have to them too.

Posted: 4/29/2011 5:27:18 AM EDT

[#13]

don't re-load now, not gona re-load then.

buy it cheap, stack it deep! if i "need" more ammo post SHTF than what i currently have, i'll be long since dead.

Posted: 4/29/2011 5:56:08 AM EDT

[#14]

generator+solar+batteries

Posted: 4/29/2011 7:21:49 AM EDT

[#15]

It's not necessary, wipe off crud with your hands or towel. If really bad rinse in water, if you're really well off, hot water and soap. Rinse and let dry.

If you really wanted shiny brass, I'm sure you could rig up a rolling bucket contraption. You could easily power it by a home made windmill or small hydro wheel in the local crick.

Posted: 4/29/2011 7:22:20 AM EDT

[#16]

I don't think SHTF reloading will require clean cases, tumbler clean that is.

Posted: 4/29/2011 8:31:10 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Why clean cases? Seriously???

Case cleaning may have been essential when priming compounds were corrosive and black powder residue absorbed atmospheric moisture like a sponge. Today case cleaning is a cosmetic operation that offers no real (necessary) benefit.

Size 'em. Prime 'em. Charge 'em. Seat 'em. Fire 'em. Repeat.

I've loaded thousands and thousands of rounds and gone through a great many 8 lb jugs of powder. A lot of it has been done with 'as fired' cases. I didn't pick up a case tumbler until years after starting to reload. If they (rounds) are sized appropriately and otherwise within dimensional specs (with no obvious corrosion etc) they are good to go. Nice shiny cases may make you feel better, but its merely a .make em pretty' sort of operation.

Fro

^This.. unless they are covered in mud, then just swish them in some soapy water- even my black powder cases get little more than this..
We will first be out of bullets, then probably primers- odd propellants may be found/reclaimed or made for awhile & bullets cast, but the primers are the critical part- I've tried making them with only limited success. Put twice as many away as you might think you would need..

Posted: 4/29/2011 9:33:44 AM EDT

[#18]

Get a LEE zip trim. Add scotch brite pads or steel wool, and you'll still have pretty cases. Heck, I use one just because I like it.

Posted: 4/29/2011 9:37:18 AM EDT

[#19]

I'm confident I have enough ammo to make it through a SHTF without having to reload. If it does get to that point its not SHTF its the fucking end of the world!

Posted: 4/29/2011 11:52:19 AM EDT

[#20]

Chemically clean.

Its not like in some SHTF I'm going for pretty or if I have no power to run a vibrator I will have a resupply of components. I won't be picking up brass.

What this means, is I have enough loaded ammunition on hand and matched components already, that if we're into cleaning is an issue and I have no power, I'm probably dead as a doornail or a muzzle loader will do just fine.

Tj

Posted: 4/29/2011 12:44:04 PM EDT

[#21]

don't want any shiney cases reflecting light if the shtf.

you don't have to clean cases before you reload them if they don't have a large build up residue on the outside of the case; even with pistol cases that might get bullet lube on the outside of the case; when you resize them in a carbide die it will burnish the wax/lube so the bullet will still chamber easily.

but yeah man, in the mean time I'm still going to tumble clean my brass.

Posted: 4/29/2011 1:11:43 PM EDT

[#22]

I know alot of people that use Lemi shine.

Posted: 4/29/2011 2:19:03 PM EDT

[#23]

I don't. Shiny brass isn't necessary.

Posted: 4/29/2011 2:25:26 PM EDT

[#24]

I won't be cleaning my brass. It's a waste of time and energy best spent on other things. Heck,I don't even clean my brass when I'm working up a load. I wait until the load is perfected then I make them shiny.

Posted: 4/29/2011 2:34:08 PM EDT

[#25]

I clean mine after firing. At any given time I may have up to 10,000 rounds of 223 brass already cleaned and ready to load.

I hope that is enough.

Posted: 4/29/2011 3:00:06 PM EDT

[#26]

Hot soapy water got me by for a long time before I got a tumbler. Not a problem at all.

Posted: 4/30/2011 12:04:32 AM EDT

[#27]

If shtf i wont be picking up brass while im bugging out, in a bug in well stack it deep now. prep it now load it now in bulk. only a year left

Posted: 4/30/2011 2:38:07 AM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:

Hot soapy water got me by for a long time before I got a tumbler. Not a problem at all.

This. My son lives in an apartment and did this for a year or so before he got a tumbler.

As for me, winters are long at this latitude in Michigan. I tumble, size, & trim my brass all winter long. I pretty much all the center fire stuff I have has been fully processed and is ready to load. I simply have to pull the lid off a 5 gallon storage bucket & take out the brass I need for a reloading session.

Posted: 4/30/2011 7:38:15 AM EDT

[#29]

I have yet to tumble any of my brass. If its really dirt i will use some soapy water and let it dry or just wipe them clean... Maybe some day I will have the extra coin laying around for a tumbler

I have a friend that has been shooting and reloading longer then I have been alive and he has never used a tumbler.

Posted: 4/30/2011 8:06:26 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

I'm confident I have enough ammo to make it through a SHTF without having to reload. If it does get to that point its not SHTF its the fucking end of the world!

This. If I run out of ammo I'm saving for hunting, there probably isn't much in the way of animals left to shoot. I'll probably die long before I run out of ammo used for social work.

As it is now, I don't shoot enough to justify the cost of reloading, and I'd rather spend my money on things like paying off our house debt and storing up supplies.

Posted: 4/30/2011 10:04:58 AM EDT

[#31]

I reloaded for years before I ever bought a tumbler.

Posted: 4/30/2011 7:40:44 PM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:
Same way I did it in school before I bought a tumbler. Steel wool and elbow grease. There are some products out there that don't require power, mostly liquid cleaners, such as IOSSO brass cleaner. I don't have any experience with it though.

That's what I use if I want pretty brass, mostly I reload with out cleaning though. I always felt it was an added step that didn't have any benefits...
YMMV

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