vwpieces

Suffered the same ordeal last June. I cast too so there was Some lead to move on top of all the RL Stuff. Only got a bench built 1.5 months ago but its better than my previous setup. Don't wish relocation and moving on anyone. But finally getting caught up on brass cleaning.

I do the same. So yeah, wash 2X till it's ready to load. I will not run dirty brass on the press and definitely not run dirty brass in my dies. Just don't like handling dirty brass more than necessary so it gets cleaned as soon as possible. All my brass is shot and picked up from outdoor ranges. Still using the Lemishine and Dollar Store Dawn Oxy cause it can be had locally and cheeeep.

I don't think your sizing dies are gonna like that finish on the brass. I have thought about trying some other media that I used in blasting, black beauty (coal slag), glass beads and aluminum oxide... but never did try it. Thanks for following through with it.

For Brass I have used ultrasonic cleaners and media tumblers. Now have the Frankfurt Arsenal Rotary Tumbler (wet pin tumbler) and love it. Costs less overall with just some Lemishine and a squirt of Dawn Oxy dish detergent. No more buying walnut shells, lizard bedding or treated corn cob media. The pins last forever if you do not loose any in your process. You will want a strong magnet or the special tool FA sells to pick up or pick out pins that somehow passed through your rinse and shake. Just beware that some dies don't like the clean-ness of the wet tumbled brass. Even some carbide dies may stick a case and gall. I personally do not have this issue with pistol brass on inside (case belling) or out (external sizing) on my equipment. Definitely an issue on rifle brass and do not go with out lubing rifle brass. But wow, best results I get out of the 3 methods I have used is the wet pin tumbling. Also the largest batches are with the FART...

Tagged for some insight from others experiences.

I do the same, they are Soft and pure Lead... Pretty cheap for 100pc. Many Fishing weights are now Zinc, not Lead. For certain calibers I have pushed the ball through a Lee bullet sizer to get it closer to the needed size like 30 cal rifle.

On an Aluminum frame I would make sure it has a Stainless slide. Stainless Steel and Aluminum are "like" metals. Carbon steel and aluminum do not like each other and may cause galvanic corrosion as a steel bolt in an aluminum housing. A well finished slides rails will have minimal wear to the opposing side or frame rails. Friction between different types of metals also follows in line with "like" metals. Stainless slide with finished rails on an aluminum frame is like glass in operation. Same fit and finish on rails of a carbon steel slide may show signs of galling in some extreme use without additional lube. I am talking raw unfinished materials, but finishes and coatings do wear off. the type of Aluminum material used also make a huge difference. 7075 aluminum is very durable compared to softer 6061. 7075 has a high tensile strength comparable to some steels. Grain structure of aluminum and steel are not similar and comparing each in forged or cast form is not the same for aluminum or steel in comparison. I have several 7075 machined aluminum framed guns with stainless steel slides and have no complaints. But nothing with over 20K round count yet. Lighter aluminum frames will have more recoil arch than a heavier steel or stainless steel frame.

Allentown, pa here. 31.7in. My outdoor club range emailed all that range is Closed. We do not have the equipment or manpower to clean it up. I'm sad. I like winter shooting. Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

I have gone through 10K of various sizes of S&B & not one failure. SP, LP & LR. CZ's all have 2# triggers Tanfo is under 3# No problems at all in 9mm 45 ACP But all my primers are seated by hand. Actually never had a problem with any brand, CCI, Win, Rem, FED (never used Match) & S&B.

CFE pistol is available most places. 700X availability is there too as most do not like the inconsistent metering. I just bought 2 Kegs of HP38 from Precision reloading & Yes the shipping & hazmat ran about $53 But I was still just over $21.60/lb with 16 pound purchase. Win 231/HP-38 availability has been scarce & why I bought it when I could in a quantity that will last me a very long time.

I just got a FART. Had it about a week... WOW is all I can say. No Dust, No dirty brass after it has been "cleaned". Got mine in the Bargain Cave at my local cabelas. After coupon it was less than $110 out the door. I did add another 2.5lbs of pins to the 5# it came with. One hour is all I have used for anything I have put into it, Rifle & pistol. I did have some Green funky 3006 brass I did have to put into another batch for another run to get it clean. No more buying media ever again as the pins will last a lifetime. Used Lemmi Shine with dollar dish detergent for the first couple batches & then just the dollar bottle of detergent & get the same results. I have been there & done that per say. Horrible Freight Ultrasonic cleaner, Lyman 1200 vibratory & the FART is by far the best end result & easiest, least time involved with 2X larger batches done.

I would not load the Berdan primed brass. Something will break sooner or later. There is a neat video on YouTube for sorting 9mm. Pretty quick & easy. I cant post a link but maybe you can copy this URL

If you live where it gets COLD & do not keep it constantly heated, The temperature change will cause all things metal to sweat when you turn on the heat. Castiron molds will rust as will dies & other parts & equipment. Stay in the House & wear your ear protection.

I am like fmj3. Bought the loadmaster because I was intrigued by the reviews. The reviews did not deter me but made me want one even more. Had mine up & running before looking at the instructions. Upgraded from a classic turret after 400 rounds, thinking 1600 pulls... I could have 1600 rounds. I load 45 ACP & 9mm. Only problems I have are the occasional upside down 9mm case from the collator multi-tube case feeder in 9mm & the Auto Disk powder measure where one hole is too small & next is too big for achieving desired charge. Upside down 9mm is no issue as I am always paying close attention to details & can easily see that. Waiting arrival on a Hornady LNL case activated powder measure & PTX caliber specific expanders I need. Sad part is I paid almost as much for the LNL measure, case activated lower & pistol rotor as I did for the entire Loadmaster with dies for 45 ACP. My Auto-Disk is pretty consistent even with Unique, but it is well coated in graphite from prolonged use, maybe 5000 rounds in the past 3 months I have owned it. I just want to be able to dial in a finer increment than the disk system can do. My turret thumb screw does not seem to come loose as soon as others, maybe 150 rounds. Also over tightening the shell plate causes the machine to operate too hard & the o ring is there to maintain tightness without over torqueing it. I have a spare die holder for my universal decapper to de-prime dirty brass, before sonic cleaning & tumbling if needed. I never run dirty brass through my other dies. Normal loading, station one is empty, 2 is case sizing & pin removed. 3is powder & mouth expansion, 4 is bullet seat only & 5th light factory crimp. Rounds run flawless in my CZ 75B & 1911. Hopefully I will have the powder measure & parts by this weekend to develop more precise loads in some hotter powders with a small window that I have. Hornady also makes an LED lightstrip for $15 that I have arriving with the powder measure parts. Plugs into AC outlet & I will post back how well it works. along with the measure when setup.