Small amounts of oil contaminate smokeless powder....

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mohave-Tec

Member
Joined
May 28, 2013
Messages
557
Location
Las Vegas
I hear, read, dreamed that small amounts of oil can contaminate considerable amounts of smokeless powder but I can't find a thing about the topic anywhere. Does anybody know anything on the subject? My concerns are that excess undetected spray lanolin or other oil based lube in a case neck, when a bullet is seated, may eventually migrate into a considerable portion of the powder charge within or that spray case sizing lube may accidentally enter the case body in some amount of excess.
Is there a chemical reaction? degradation? oxygen starvation? granular collapse or other that may happen if small amounts of oil mixes with smokeless powder?
 
I always run my rifle brass through the tumbler again after it's been processed and before loading. It might not be neccessary but I've pulled a lot of bullets from yard sale ammo that the powder has been obviously contaminated by something that made it clump up or otherwise look wrong.
 
If you're going to worry about the effect on the powder you also need to consider the effect on the primer.

Another factor that I recall reading from my car and motorcycle intrests is that a single drop of motor oil is enough to protect something up over 1 square foot of metal is enough to provide good lubrication and protect against corrosion. So one method for ruining the powder or primer might well be simply encapsulating the material.

While anything I might say about the effect is a guess I have a method for reducing the risk for you to ponder.

Initially I used to lay out a bunch of brass and lightly spritz it with a spray can of case lube. And like you I wondered about getting some into the necks or primer holes.

What I came up with is a cheap cookie sheet and a pad of three layers of paper towel. I spray the case lube onto the towel first then roll the casings over the pad. This picks up just a little on the outsides only. But it's more than enough for the dies to run smoothly.

This works great for handgun and other parallel cases. For bottleneck rifle cases I spritz a little onto a paper towel and then hand wipe the neck, shoulder and upper portion of the body. Again this is more than enough. And I'm not doing rifle ammo by the thousands like I do handgun ammo.

The light trace amount that the paper puts onto the brass is more than enough to lubricate well for sizing but it helps ensure the lube only goes on the outside.
 
I'm very OCD about avoiding contamination, always have been. So, once I'm finished with all the prep, sizing, trimming, cleaning primer pockets, I rinse my brass with alcohol to remove the lube from the inside of the necks, and I wipe the outside with a alcohol treated cloth. Once I'm finished with all that OCD cleaning, I toss them in the tumbler to make certain they are free of any lube residue.

GS
 
You mentioned spray lube. Most of the spray lubes on the market are wax based and will not affect powder or primers at all. I've been using spray case lube for years and I'm not even carful about how I use it and it's never caused me a moments problem.

As far as commercial bullet lube goes for lead bullets, I've never known it to cause any problems with creep.

So, I assume your talking about home made bullet lube since the lube the commercial people use doesn't hurt anything. If it did we would all have rounds failing all over the place. I have commercial pistol loads that are 50 years old with lead bullets and would have no problem with having to use them in a pinch. As far as case lube goes I'll stick with Hornady One Shot. It hasn't left me down yet.
 
Hey 243winxb, is Dillon spray on (DCL) the same as One Shot? Just curious cause I've been using it for a long time.

GS
 
You do not need lube on the neck and shoulder of a bottleneck case to prevent a stuck die. that is why rolling them on a lube pad works.
I don't use sprays, usually Imperial Sizing Wax or lube & a pad, but there are lots of folks that do, & I have never heard of this being a problem. With my rifle rounds, I usually toss the brass into the tumbler for 15 minutes or so after sizing or wipe them on a tee shirt to remove most of the lube. For straight walled handgun I use carbide dies & don't lube.
 
OP here. Yesterday I mixed a 1:12 ratio of 99% ISO alcohol and pure liquid lanolin. I have discovered that once the alcohol dissipates that the residue left behind is so thin as to be almost undetectable. Certainly less than what would be in a brush run through a neck with RCBS case lube on it. Now I am doing experiments to deliberately mimic contamination of powder and primers from this solution. As far as a case lube goes, it is the best and most efficient way to lube large quantities of cases I have ever encountered.
I will let you know how my research goes.
 
"Read the MSDS on hornady one shot. Then google its main chemical. See if you still want to use it."

243winxb, do I have to look that up or would you be willing to just tell us? Anyway, I've never used one shot.
 
I've used one shot spray for a minute or two :) love it especially for .223 cases.
I put a few large handfuls into a zip loc bag and spray then flip and spray again,
Then I hold bag closed and use other hand to roll the brass around good.
Dump them into a bowl, fits about 300 pcs, grab n pull up so a bunch stand up and spray the mouths. Let dry for 15 minutes and go at it. Never had a problem with powder or primers. One can also last over 3500 cases this way.
Have stored ammo for two years with no difference from fresh off the press !
Use the wax style for larger rifle mouths and q tip clean after sizing.
 
N-Hexane. That must be the solvent/propellant for the spray. Sounds like some pretty nasty stuff but it is commonly used in other solvents, and is in gasoline.

I use one-shot and will definitely be more careful in the future. Fortunately it is only used for a couple of spritzes now and again.

Laphroaig
 
Hornady One Shot™ n-HEXANE

The MSDS showing the chemical n-Hexane , its dated "MSDS Revision Date: 03/15/2013" so its in the current product i would guess? The older "Hornady One Shot™ Non-Hazardous Case Lube" dated " MSDS DATE: 09/21/06, Contains no ingredients above threshold values now known to be hazardous as defined by OSHA. " I dont think it would be for sale if dangerous in the small amount used. but spray at your own risk, as i dont know?? :uhoh: http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/msds/OneShot_Case_Lube_MSDS.pdf
 
Last edited:
Dillon Case Lube (8 oz. Bottle)

Dillon Case Lube (8 oz. Bottle) is a pump, so there is no propellant needed. "environmentally correct," non-aerosol case lube." This replaced the old Rapid Lube 5000. This would seem to be the safer choice, if one wanted to use a spray type lube. :confused: I can not find any MSDS for it.
 
I use Pam cooking spray. Vegetable oil. I spray very little into a tub of brass and shake it a while. Resize it, tumble it, reload it. No issues in 10 years, even on old hand loads. I do change out the walnut media more than others to avoid buildup but a 20lb box still lasts me a long time. I have even sprayed primed brass with no issues. Pam is cheap. Media is cheap. Caselube ain't cheap.
 
Sounds like some pretty nasty stuff but it is commonly used in other solvents, and is in gasoline.
Click to expand...

There are lots of nasty stuff in gasoline. Numerous chemicals that are known to cause cancer such as benzene and touline. Solvents of this nature(N-Hexane and the like) may convey lead percutaneously(through the skin).

I'm not a chemist but I have worked in several chemical by-product plants and slept uh made it through many a safety course.
 
I am pretty environmentally conscience and it looks like water contamination with One Shot would be pretty rude to fish and such but a #2 health hazard and a #3 flammability hazard are probably better than mamas hair spray or a can of Lysol. LOL.
If you guys want to try something that has really caught some attention lately, try 1oz of pure liquid lanolin in 12oz 99% pure ISO alcohol. Do the spray in gallon plastic bag thing and prepared to be amazed.
 
but a #2 health hazard and a #3 flammability hazard are probably better than mamas hair spray or a can of Lysol. LOL.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with that and when the solvent evaporates the case lube that's left does not contaminate powder or primer. You breathe more N-Hexane filling up your gas tank or you lawn mower than you would get from a spray of One Shot.
I don't know, I been using it for years with rifle and pistol cases and it works fine for me. I haven't seen any reason to change to another brand as of yet. But the bottom line is neither one will contaminate powder or primers.
 
Myself and another fellow shooter on my hometown shooting forum just spent the weekend experimenting with this concoction. I didn't expect what I got but I am hooked.
Home Health Liquid Lanolin. I found mine at Whole Foods but you can get it here: Home Health Liquid Lanolin
Mix it with Iso-Heet which is 99% Isopropyl alcohol. 1:12 ration.
 
Last edited:
You can buy pure Anhydrous Lanolin at any decent pharmacy.

I bought a baby food jar of it at the pharmacy years ago, and the druggist scooped it out of a big container and filled my jar for very little money.

Rc
 
It's not N-Hexane that is the lubricant. I think it's an Iso Parrifin that must be in the proprietary mix that is not stated. I have a Mil Spec spray that has the same ingredient. I just have to find it in the garage or basement but it's a petroleum ingredient before I can get the name.

As far as lubing cases, I use the RCBS glycerin and I put 150 cases in a plastic bag and squirt in some of the lube and roll the bag around some then I let it set for 2 or 3 days. The glycerin will creep around the cases and into the neck. I stopped using the pad for large number of cases and went to the plastic bag. I do tumble the cases and make sure they are clean first and I simply wash the cases in clear water after resizing and allow them to dry. kwg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

geo57
RCBS Dry Case Neck Lube For Handgun Brass ?
Replies
12
Views
402
mdi
mdi
L
  • Locked
What characteristics of smokeless propellant result in consistent handgun loads?
Replies
9
Views
529
Walkalong
Walkalong
1861
  • Locked
Reloading black powder
2 3
Replies
62
Views
5K
.38 Special
.38 Special
C
  • Locked
New OSHA Rulemaking-Black & Smokeless Powder, Primers, Ammo
2 3 4 5 6 7
Replies
150
Views
18K
Art Eatman
A
Snidely70431
  • Locked
Discussion about Muzzleloading Pressure, Recoil, and Velocity posted in chuckhawks.com
2
Replies
43
Views
2K
Eyrie G. Dogg
Eyrie G. Dogg
Back
Top