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Rusty Hulls

3K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  solway gunner 
#1 ·
Its getting time to go through last seasons hulls and try to clean up the rusty ones :sad:
Ive been reading and watching videos on the net how white vinegar eats rust clean off metal. Anyone ever try soaking there hulls in vinegar to clean the steel base?
I have the wife picking me up a jug of vinegar right now.
 
#4 ·
I have on occasion thrown mine in a tumbler to clean em up I think it took a good deal of rust of and it leaves behind some of the "polish" I like to think that helps protect the head but not ready sure. I dont get rust issues like I used to back east.

Rob
 
#7 ·
eastcoastsoxfan said:
I got a bunch standing/soaking in a baking pan now, guess I'll leave them for a day and see
I hope you're patient. Vinegar is a very mild acid, and might take awhile to dissolve the rust. I'd be afraid it could seep into the hull through the primer pocket during the hours it would take to work.
If I were going that route, I'd use swimming pool acid; it would take about 90 seconds and you could rinse & dry almost immediately....no time to migrate into the powder.

I've had rust on shell heads. It has to be pretty gross to affect the functioning of the hull in an autoloader's chamber. In a pump or break-action shotgun, they shouldn't be a consideration.
Me, I use a quick twirl with green Scotchbrite to remove rust and be done with it....but I seldom have more than about half a dozen rusty hulls at one time to deal with.
 
#9 ·
I have always used steel wool to remove very light rust so that the shell will clean up and chamber. Any heavier rust than that, it goes in the trash. When soaking in vinegar, most likely the vinegar will seep into the hull and get the paper basewad wet which is not good at all. Even with a tightly seated primer installed, it will still seep in. Using anything wet to remove rust is not a good idea when it comes to shotgun hulls. My most used hull is the 2 3/4 12ga hull which I can pick up free at my local skeet range.

Chris
 
#11 ·
Slightly damp scotch bright pad with a little homemade acid blend. I have an oiled steel wool ball as well.

After a scrub with either I rub off the shell with a slightly oiled rag so there is no change that oil can seep into the primer.

No point in removing rust if you don't prevent it from returning.
 
#13 ·
Out here sometimes just going hunting in some areas will cause rust to form without the shell taking a dunk. Hands get covered in salt water or selenium and the metal gets rusty fast - kents are the worst at that.

For those the deal with rust like that, you should really keep those shells separate and before you take them out again, give them a shake to make sure you aren't shooting a rusty slug that will blow up your barrel. If nothing rattles, cut it open - at the very worst you get some un-rusted shot for the next load. At the very best you get to keep all your fingers.
 
#14 ·
its the same here slow shooter, take it you hunt salt marshes?

Anyway, I guess they soaked for about 20 hours, as I removed them I gave them a wipe with steel wool then my oily gun rag, some Kents had to be thrown as the bases turned when i was cleaning them off.

here they are in old baking pan


filled to top of steel base with white vinegar


Some are still a little tarnished but I'm happy with the outcome, they are now by woodstove drying out


On a side note, does anyone know if this 8pt crimp 3" Rem hull is the same as the 6pt steel yellow basewad ones. I think they were lead hulls
 
#15 ·
If they have been wet long enough to rust that much, I throw them away. Not worth having a blown hull. I try to pick up every hull I shoot if possible to avoid the trash in the river. The ones I am going to reload, which are very few, get washed and dried as soon as I get them home. I get all the 2 3/4" hulls I could ever shoot from the trap range. I load them once and toss them no matter what they are. Had some hull separations with Fed Gold Medals that were loaded too many times. Any kind of acid wash to get rid of the rust will also eat the steel and weaken it. Not worth it.
 
#17 ·
Rob,
Don't know that I really need any, just too stingy to throw any away! lol
Prob 3" Rems and Fed Gms, they're both hard to come by around here.

Thanks for the offer
Kris
 
#18 ·
Not hard to tell Im bored, after wildcating a load I decided to coat the base of 3" Rem hull with Minwax.
It is now sitting in a saltwater solution!
Will remove in 10 minutes, then leave the shell out all night to see if it rusts or if the wax protects it
 
#19 ·
BT Justice said:
Just a suggestion but split a few open and look at the inside of the "brass" section also, rust knows no bounds and surface rust can be interior rust too!!
Id take this as read if you hunt in wet conditions,damp ingress passed the primer hole is very real as is rusty shot too.Chancesare rust on the outside is rust on the inside.I dont take chances now ,been there and done the rubbing off of surface rust on hulls,had the jam ups they cause,not worth the grief.I scrap them now and strip em at the end of season.
 
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