|
|
Post by Kyle on Oct 26, 2023 20:25:05 GMT -5
When steel gets wet it rusts. When silver is handled with bare hands it tarnishes. Brass is a metal that also tarnishes when handled, exposed to the elements and exposed to the powder residue associated with loading.
From time to time you may need to clean / polish the inside of your bullet seating jag.
#00 Steel Wool rolled up in a tight male image of the female jag pocket is ideal for this process. Holding the jag in one hand and the Steel Wool in the other, rotate the jag 25-50 revolutions to clean and polish the pocket.
Test to see if this needs to be done: Place a bullet on a table, keeping the jag on the ramrod straight upward - push down on the bullet with a medium one arm effort. Lift up on the ramrod / jag, if you lift the bullet up off of the table that is no good and is an indicator that you need to do some maintenance.
|
|
|
|
Post by smokelessk on Oct 26, 2023 20:45:47 GMT -5
Never gave it a thought Kyle! Makes perfect sense though. Anytime I'm handling cartridges I always wear gloves in order to not tarnish the brass when stored for years. Never thought about the inside of my loading bag! Thanks for the tip, I'll be cleaning mine before going to the range again.
|
|
|
|
Post by rickh on Oct 27, 2023 9:28:53 GMT -5
Slightly different but related: Had a jag that picked up the bullets when brand new. Took some very fine automotive sand paper and wrapped a bullet- placed the wrapped bullet on the desk and then spun the jag over it holding the sandpaper with the other hand. Issue solved.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kyle on Oct 27, 2023 11:50:43 GMT -5
Great idea Rick!
|
|
|
|
Post by smokelessk on Nov 11, 2023 8:34:04 GMT -5
Just cleaned up my jag. Used some Flitz and a cleaning patch. Stuffed it in the jag and used a plastic tool to twist it. My jag is now sparkling clean!
|
|
|
|
Post by ballistic on Nov 11, 2023 10:37:36 GMT -5
I have had the experience of hammering a bullet down the tube. This is not a good thing for a jag -as it wants to stick to bullets afterwards.
I have tried a few different things but this has worked the best for me.
I place a similar bullet that I’m getting stuck -into a cordless drill.
I then apply “blue magic” metal polish on the bullet where it’s sticking on the jag. Push that bullet into the jag and run the drill at high speed for 10-15 seconds- add some more polish and do this 3-4 times. Clean the bullet and the jag and test it. If it sticks do it again but it shouldn’t. When the blue polish turns black and you can feel the jag getting warm you’re doing this correct.
You will be able to size and shoot the bullet that you used for polishing.
This hardly removes any metal from the bullet or the jag and you will be able to see where the polishing took place on both pieces.
The whole process takes about 2 minutes. I use a new gun cleaning patch and then place the jag in the drill and spin it to get the polish out. But it can be simply cleaned out with a q-tip. Blue magic leaves a thin coat that resembles a wax - another benefit for anti sticking and corrosion buildup. Don’t use carb cleaner to clean it out.
|
|
