Sand shot for cleaning cases

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ragwd

New member
Howdy , and thanks for taking the time to read my thread. I just read a thread about media and alternatives. I have access to a fine sand for blasting, will it ruin my RCBS vibratory case cleaner, or will it erode to much of brass casings? has anyone tried ?
Im sure this shouldnt take long.
 
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PawPaw

New member
Peetza said:
Won't hurt the tumbler or the brass but it'll be hell on your dies.
Click to expand...

Yeah, walnut is cheap. If you've got access to sand for blasting, ask if they've got any walnut media.
 
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snuffy

New member
Sure, go ahead IF you want to make your rifle/handgun into a smooth bore! Sand can never be completely removed from inside the case. During firing, it could/would be dragged down the barrel by expanding gasses, then run over by the next bullet.

As said above, it WILL scratch the heck oiut of your dies as well.

Media used for case cleaning HAS to be soft enough to not hurt dies or barrels.
 
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Tuzo

New member
One more item in addition to the truth of Snuffy's remarks. Sand media on thin metal causes micro dimples thereby increasing surface area and metal expansion. I know because I tried it and the blasted cases were out of spec for diameter and a bit for length.
 
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Lemmon

New member
My Dad was in the tombstone business and I learned about sand blasting from the ground up. In the shop we used a carborundum (black) media as it would not turn to dust as sand would. We used a hard silica sand in the sandblasting machine to do lettering on existing monuments in the grave yard. That fine hard silica sand is great for sand bags but my best guess will scratch the heck out of brass if left in the tumbling cycle for a extended period of time. I personally use crushed walnut hulls with a case cleaner that I get from MidwayUSA that is not a RCBS or Lyman but does a great job of cleaning and POLISHING my brass. If you just want to clean the brass just use crushed walnut media without the polish for an hour or so and not worry about scratching up your brass. Those are my thoughts.

Lemmon from Rural South Carolina.
 
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PA-Joe

New member
Got to your local pet store and buy some rodent bedding media. Comes in corn or walnut and different grades.
 
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