cleaning range brass...

[ruger22]

Just did my black badge.
Got to pick up 1/2 the brass from our outdoor range.

Picking up the brass.
Washing out the mud and stuff.
Separating the brass thats mated together.
Drying them out.
Separating the good stuff from the bad and from what I do not use.

Surprised more guys do not shoot revolver.

Anybody got a good system for cleaning and sorting dirty range brass?

 

[bnichols]

No suggestions about cleaning and sorting, but agree us revolver guys don't waste brass like the semi automatic guys

 

[Colin]

I wash mine with hot soapy water in a bucket with a scrub brush, let it sit for a bit, rinse a coupole times, let it dry and now that I have a tumbler I also tumble it.

 

[reflexzero]

3 litres boiling water + half a cup of TSP, let em soak on a 3 gallon bucket for about 8 hours, then rinse, dry and tumble.

 

[vagrantviking]

Is there any reaction to the brass with the TSP? I had never thought to try that but sounds like a good idea!

 

[bnichols]

I've got a bunch of found 223 brass I'm going to try TSP cleaning with. Just a matter of getting around to it. If it cleans that I'm sold.

 

[scotty]

Anybody got a good system for cleaning and sorting dirty range brass?

Tumble then inspect and sort.

 

[blacksmithden]

Tumble with crushed walnut with a couple of table spoons of brasso metal polish and a couple more of NuFinish once a year car polish. Tumble for a few hours or overnight. Sift out that media and tumble for an hour with new, dry walnut. It'll look like new....scratch that....it'll look better than new.

 

[sunray]

Brasso metal polish has ammonia in it. Ammonia eats brass.
Picking up range brass to reload is not a good idea. You have no idea how many times it has been loaded, with what or if the loader knew what he was doing.

 

[tigrr]

I like range brass too!
I tried the vinegar and water treatment, it didn't work very well. I got some TSP in an eye once so don’t really want to use that again.
The best method I’ve found is that if you put your polisher in the garage, on a timer set for 20 - 24 hours it will all come out shinny.
Do not use ammonia based brass polishers because it deteriorates brass. 2 tbsp full of car polishing wax in the media is ok.
I also mix 9mm and 38/357 together in the same batch and 45acp and 45lc together in another batch and 40cal and 10mm in another batch, if I don’t have enough of one to justify running it through a cycle.
Have fun.

 

[gushulak]

Range brass gets separated into calibers. Tumble it all. Separate it again by headstamp. I keep Winchester and sell the rest.

 

[medicstimpy]

KEWL! Good to know there is a system for cleaning old outdoor range brass.

Usually I only picked up the fresh stuff since I couldn't get the discolored outdoor ones clean enuff for a good inspection with just corn media and that green Lyman additive.

Good thing about indoor ranges... even old brass doesn't turn brown.