APP brass care

[Bullett Sass 19707]

I will be using American Pioneer Powder in the near future.  Last time the stuff ruined my brass.   I dry tumble to clean my brass, so how do you take care of your brass for a couple of days till you get home?  And how do you dry out the brass [ assume it is in some liquid after the match] before using a dry tumbler.  Thanks Bullett 19707

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

APP, Triple Seven and Black MZ can all ruin your brass.  I wash and rinse with hot water four times, drain and dry the day I shoot with these subs, even while on the road.  I place the brass in black plastic pans in a single layer and place the pans in the sun.  I get small amounts of visible corrosion that dry tumbling easily removes.  Don't leave the brass wet for days or corrosion will hold some primers in place making them difficult to remove.  (Some de-prime before rinsing.)

 

The preceding only applies to unplated brass.  I can safely leave nickel-plated brass unwashed for days.  I use nickel-plated brass in my revolvers where split cases don't jam the firearms.

[Singin' Sue 71615]

We have never had issues using APP.

We did the 'soak' on range...that is a pain.

If we are at a match, we do put in a container with a little dawn.

Once home, we rinse very well...either lay out on a towel to air dry a day or two or put in a low oven to dry.

Toss in tumbler and good to go.

Forgotten brass that has tarnished and 'powdered up' get a bath with a dishwasher tab over night...rinse, repeat dry steps.

[Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667]

I’m in the habit of decapping my cases first, while they are still dry.  If possible I put them directly into the wet tumbler.  If I am delayed I will soak them in soapy water with a splash of vinegar until I can clean them.

[Rex M Rugers #6621]

I'm pretty much in step with Abe. I too deprime first , then rinse with something like dishwater. rinse that off and put 'em in the Thumler with ceramic media and water , squirt of Dawn , and some Lemi-shine. I may do it the same day as the shoot , but most of the time it is a day or two later. Follow the same process , no matter what the propellant.

Rex 

[Rattlesnake Slim]

I've started using all nickel plated brass for my BP sub loads. Rinse, dry in the AZ sun, and back in the empties bin. I have not had a problem with them splitting with APP like they do with smokeless. I start with new brass so I know they haven't been loaded with smokeless.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I truly do not understand "APP ruined my Brass."  Been shooting APP for about a decade.  I do nothing special.  Toss my fired cases into the bag at the range (no, no lugging soapy water around).  Back home I drop it inna shop sink with a goodly amount of White Vinegar and soak for half an hour, rinse, dry (inna oven), tumble - reload.  Simple.

 

PS:  If the brass sets around for a day or three, looks really ugly.  Vinegar bath fixes.

[Scarlett]

APP doesn’t “require” the soaking etc… half the time I have a bucket with some water and Dawn or something and the other half (like this weekend in Virginia) I have it in a bag. When I get home, I’ll put it in my small ultra sonic cleaner, dry then tumble - I dry tumble. 
 

Big hugs!

Scarlett

[Cemetery]

Been using APP for a few years now, same routine when I use black.  Deprime, rinse in plastic jug, rerinse with soap water, then soak over night.  Next day, drain out the water, and toss them in a bin to be tumbled when I have enought to tumble.  I wet tumble.  Brass comes out nice and shiny.

[Griff]

On 9/1/2021 at 6:00 PM, Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 said:

APP, Triple Seven and Black MZ can all ruin your brass. 

Define ruin?

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

PLUS ONE for Griff

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

8 hours ago, Griff said:

Define ruin?

For me its thick deposits of corrosion that my dry tumbling will not remove.  I  suspect wet tumbling with pins would salvage the brass.

[Griff]

13 hours ago, Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 said:

For me its thick deposits of corrosion that my dry tumbling will not remove.  I  suspect wet tumbling with pins would salvage the brass.

What are you using for a filler?  Quit using it.  I only recently started using APP, and only use it in C45S.  I'm not seeing any thick corrosion.  My cases go in a water jug w/Dawn at the range, then rinsed at home and into a cheap sonic cleaner w/Hornady One Shot diluted as per instructions on the heated cycle, rinsed again, and into the oven @170º for an hour.  After cooling, bagged up until I get a full load to cycle thru the dry tumbler for storage before reloading.  

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

I don't use a filler.  The cases are .32 H&R mag loaded with APP for my wife.  Any filler and the ammo would not make the smoke standard.  The thick corrosion only occurs on missplaced brass that was not rinsed and cleaned for months.  My rinsing regime is similar to yours with the same good results.

[Griff]

3 hours ago, Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 said:

..missplaced brass that was not rinsed and cleaned for months...

Yeah, not a good thing... ↑   Tho' the sonic cleaner gets most of that out... but, if you overdo the sonic cleaner it seems to leach the tin out of the brass!  Don't ask how I know!!!  

[Max Payne]

Ophelia shoots APP in the big matches, & occasionally, I shoot it in side matches. I dump the cases in with the smokeless ones with no soaking & usually get around to cleaning them in 2-5 days or so. Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler, water with Dawn, no pins. I usually tumble them for a few hours while I load ammo &/or clean guns. Most of it, I can't tell the difference from the smokeless. Some will have a light "camo" effect. If there's any additional damage, it's not obvious to me. We have shot & cleaned LOTS in this manner for several years with no problems.

 

Since I chamber-check all of the rifle ammo, I find any split cases before they make it into the rifles. And, I check the pistol ammo at the loading table.

 

We use 777 in Ophelia's 32's because the APP clumps too bad in the powder funnel. The 777 goes thru the 650 powder funnel with no problems because it's a much finer powder. I also strain all B.P. before I start loading just to be sure I don't have clumping. The APP runs thru the 1050 powder funnel just fine with 38's. I use a Mr. BulletFeeder & a powder-check for 38's on the 1050, & I can flat crank out some B.P. ammo.