Keeping reloads in like new condition

[CQB45ACP]

I don’t stock years worth of loaded ammo, I can tumble empty brass anytime to make it look new.

Yeah for some time now I only load for a range visit or two into the future.

Just recently I started cleaning already loaded rounds too just for fun if needed.

And, I'll also tumble it to get it clean before I hand polish with Flitz liquid. This is largely just to take pictures before I post them here and freak out the guys at the range.

 

[MonkTx]

Can't remember his name on here but one of the old timers of the high road was an ammo manufacturer for the LAPD back in the sixties and seventies, he recommended a capful of kerosene in a tumbler bowl of fresh corncob to keep ammo shiny forever( at least until it starts getting handled all the time)

I use it for all of my ammo that gets loaded and stored as well as wet tumbled brass I'm not going to load for a long time. Works like a charm.

 

[lightman]

I use a cap full or two of NewFinish in my dry tumbler and a cap full of ArmorAll Wash-in-Wax in my wet tumbler. Then I store them in either MTM plastic boxes or in ZipLoc bags in army ammo cans.

 

[IWAC]

O.k., I don't wish to hijack the thread, so if this is inappropriate, please move it .
I've been considering exactly the same thing. Many of the posters have mentioned Nu Finish, and how it provides protection from tarnish. My question is: What in NuFinish providees the protection? Is it a coating on the brass that could be a lubricant, and will increase the pressure against bolts or recoil shields? I know that it has been used for a long time, with no reported ill effects, so am I just creating a problem where none exists?
Thanx!

 

[Varminterror]

I don’t stock years worth of loaded ammo, I can tumble empty brass anytime to make it look new.

Ditto.

Far more bad things can befall powder, bullets, and primers once they've all been assembled into ammunition, and other than primers, transportation safety and legality all become more complicated as ammo than as components. So for me, I keep loaded what I need, or could envision instantly needing, and everything else is stored as components. More versatility in doing so as well - maybe 10yrs from now I find myself REALLY needing some Varget for a 416 Ruger load, or a 6 Dasher load, but can't find any in the stores... I'd rather have 80lb of Varget sitting on my shelf in 8lb jugs than in 223rem cases under 55grn ball bullets...

 

[LiveLife]

What in NuFinish providees the protection? ... Is it a coating on the brass that could be a lubricant

From FAQ page - https://nufinish.com/faq

• Nu Finish Car Polish does not contain any wax
• Conventional waxes don’t last long because the common ingredient in these products, carnauba wax, breaks down quickly in everyday conditions (White discoloration you are seeing is the clay that is in all car polishes)
• Nu Finish Liquid Car Polish does not contain carnauba waxes. No other liquid or paste products can make that claim.
• Nu Finish is made up of a series of zinc cross-linking polymer emulsions that help it last longer than any other polish on the market
• Nu Finish Car Polish contains silicone ... for lubricity
• Nu Finish Car Polish works great on ... chrome ... great to protect against salt spray, bird droppings, tree sap, and road tar. Some customers report using Nu Finish Car Polish on stainless steel, copper ... and much more
• Nu Finish Car Polish does have UV protection ... originally tested ... on automobiles in Florida in order to expose them to the greatest punishment

I have used Nu Finish since the 80s on various automotive finishes, metals and plastics and can attest that "polymer" bonds to surface and last a long time (Water beads more than a year on clear coat exposed to sunlight, rain, etc.) to protect from bird dropping, etc. In comparison, same car waxed with carnauba based wax finishes (I prefer Mothers and Zymöl both of which contain carnauba wax) requires reapplication within several months.

In similar fashion, I think Nu Finish "polymer" bonds with brass, which is copper/zinc alloy, to not allow oxidation/tarnishing from contact with air/moisture that we often see on old stored/exposed cases and ammunition. So not only does Nu Finish keeps brass looking shiny on the outside but may help protect inside of case from corroding.

And for me, residual "polymer" on the surface seems to help with resizing of brass.

 

[JeffG]

I would suggest NuFinish in your tumbling. If it persists, maybe a rechargeable desiccant like DryTote desiccant packs, and airtight containers. Available on Amazon.

 

[dannyd]

I load as needed because I may have to trade the components for something else and keeps my reloading skills sharp.

 

[AJC1]

I load as needed because I may have to trade the components for something else and keeps my reloading skills sharp.

If you empty them once a week during range day "Saturday" there is always plenty of empties need filling....

 

[Kp321]

Fitz and Brasso were both mentioned in responses. These polishes should be avoided on cartridge brass because they contain ammonia which can cause the brass to become brittle.

 

[Bill681911]

Do you happen to wet tumble your brass?
I went back to dry tumbling with corncob media and a splash of NuFinish. Brass stays looking factory new now.

No I never wet tumble brass
Walnut media & Dillion brass polish

 

[Bill681911]

Fitz and Brasso were both mentioned in responses. These polishes should be avoided on cartridge brass because they contain ammonia which can cause the brass to become brittle.

Any brass polish I use I apply to media then tumble the media ( no brass in tumbler) then I leave the mixture to dry over night.
The next day I add my brass & start the polishing process. The media & polishing compound are dry

 

[CQB45ACP]

Fitz and Brasso were both mentioned in responses. These polishes should be avoided on cartridge brass because they contain ammonia which can cause the brass to become brittle.

Flitz liquid does not contain ammonia.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Flitz liquid does not contain ammonia.

View attachment 1205404

Internet lore is hard to dispel. The brass-ammonia arguments ignore a couple of key points: the level of exposure and the duration of exposure. Ammonia effervesces fairly quickly, even at very high concentrations. Household ammonia -and that includes ammonias used for consumer-grade compounds - is VERY low concentration. You would have a hard time exposing cartridge brass to a high enough concentration for a long enough duration to chemically harden the brass to a significant degree.

The key to the question is preserving the finish. Almost any wax or top-coat will do that.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Internet lore is hard to dispel. The brass-ammonia arguments ignore a couple of key points: the level of exposure and the duration of exposure. Ammonia effervesces fairly quickly, even at very high concentrations. Household ammonia -and that includes ammonias used for consumer-grade compounds - is VERY low concentration. You would have a hard time exposing cartridge brass to a high enough concentration for a long enough duration to chemically harden the brass to a significant degree.

The key to the question is preserving the finish. Almost any wax or top-coat will do that.

I know but there's that study from Brazil...

 

[.45Coltguy]

Cases go in tumbler with crushed walnut media and a couple squirts of "Turtle Wax Spray'. 1-2 hours, Presto!, nice sort of shiny cases. Simple stuff.