Cleaning BP casings

[John in B.C.]

I want to shoot BP in my 1873 SAA replica and am wondering about cleaning the casings. Will a regular tumbler and media do the job?

Sorry if this has been covered before. Can someone answer this question or point me to a previous post that does?

 

[John Spartan]

I've heard some will get an empty bleach jug and fill it with water and soap and drop the brass in right after its fired. Let it sit overnight before dumping out the brass and rinsing it off and drying before doing a quick tumble.

 

[mooncoon]

I drop my cases in a "freshy" container full of hot water, usually with a bit of soap and soak for a while then rinse them several times and sit them on top of the hot water tank to dry for a day or two. The important thing is to wash with water to remove the sulfur and saltpeter residues which are hydroscopic and corrosive. I also anneal my cases every 4 or 5 shots to reduce the risk of cracking during resizing.

cheers mooncoon

 

[ben hunchak]

I let them soak awhile in hot soapy water, clean inside with bottle brush, rinse, let dry, tumble in conventional media.

 

[sportee]

Ive heard of a lot of methods...one of them was to drop them in vinegar which supposedly gets rid of the corrosive qualities of the bp residue...i tried it with a few cases. They all corroded and turned green. In other words...DONT USE VINEGAR. The soapy water method seems to work best.

 

[Kevan]

I use a mixture of vinegar, oxy-kleen, and boiling water.
Leave the brass in that for 20 min., remove, rinse, and put in tumbler with ceramic media and cleaning solution.
I run the tumbler for a couple hours or whenever I remember that I've got cases in it. Take the cases out and they're shinier than new, even the primer pockets.

 

[nessy357]

Strong black coffe works also

 

[hakx]

Vinegar (it reacts to the residue), rinse w/ hot water, air dry, then tumble.

 

[sportee]

ive seen a couple plugs for vinegar here...how come my cases got that nasty green corrosion on them when i tried the vinegar rinse?

 

[Rod B]

I put my empty cases into a jug of hot water that has a little dish soap added. Let them soak & agitate a couple of times.

Rinse, let dry & then tumble until clean & shiny then reload.

 

[hakx]

ive seen a couple plugs for vinegar here...how come my cases got that nasty green corrosion on them when i tried the vinegar rinse?

Only thing that I would guess is the cases were not thoroughly rinsed with water after the vinegar.

 

[mooncoon]

Strong black coffe works also

If the coffee is strong enough, you don't notice the taste afterwards :>)

There is an industrial cleaner called Citriclean which you can mix with water and will clean the cases but bear in mind that it contains a strong caustic; probably lye, and if you forget your cases for a week or two it will gradually dissolve them. I did use it for a year or so but went back to hot water and titch of soap

cheers mooncoon

 

[John in B.C.]

Awesome!!! You guys are the best. Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[Dmay]

Warning : If you use the vinegar/water mix, do it outside. It smells.