How do you clean your brass

yomomma said:
"Set it and forget it" I don't really time my cleaning. I start it and go do other stuff. Does no harm to the brass unlike SS pins would do if forgotten about. Usually ends up being 6-8 hours for me to remember that I have brass on the go.
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Well I did forget a batch one time and they were in for at least 5 or so hours. They didn't look any different than when I only go 2 hours.
 
Find anytime more than 3 hrs in DT doesn't help.
yomomma said:
"Set it and forget it" I don't really time my cleaning. I start it and go do other stuff. Does no harm to the brass unlike SS pins would do if forgotten about. Usually ends up being 6-8 hours for me to remember that I have brass on the go.
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yomomma said:
"Set it and forget it" I don't really time my cleaning. I start it and go do other stuff. Does no harm to the brass unlike SS pins would do if forgotten about. Usually ends up being 6-8 hours for me to remember that I have brass on the go.
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Perhaps dry tumbling takes longer, Ive found that with wet tumbling it doesn't make any more difference after about an 1 1/4 for me.
As long as its clean, thats all that matters
 
camster said:
I feel kinda like a filthy dude...

I don't actually clean/polish my brass yet. New to the hobby, and can't justify the expense and time for outcomes. I do have brushes for internal cleaning (neck), and one batch of brass was actually dirty when it came in, but I just shook it with mild dish detergent, and rinsed in hot water.

One day I can add the step, but for now can't justify it.
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The first two times I just washed the brass in a bucket an stirred it around for a few minutes, it did clean them up pretty good considering the crude method I used. Most of the dirt came off.
 
Reeferman said:
Well I did forget a batch one time and they were in for at least 5 or so hours. They didn't look any different than when I only go 2 hours.
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Thats what I have found as well. Once you know what the sweet spot is for time I just set the timer and go on to something else.
 
I'm a corn cob media and a cap of nu finish kind of guy. Far and above the shiniest brass I've ever seen, and because I'm a bit anal with my reloading, I like them all looking immaculate.
 
I use both ultrasonic and tumbled walnut media cleaning methods. Both have pros and cons.

Ultrasonic cleans primer pockets better but needs to be dried before use.

Vibrating media shines up better considering the ultrasonic leaves water marks. Downside is the media seems to jam the primer pocket.
 
The primer pockets are always the stubborn part in the cleaning process. Perhaps a bit of Lemi Shine in the Ultrasonic cleaner will eliminate the water marks, its worth a try.
 
I run my ultrasonic with the same 1:4 mix of cheap bulk white vinegar to water plus a dash of liquid laundry detergent that is so often suggested. I don't recall this leaving anything in the primer pockets other than an occasional very light stain which I don't worry about.

Note that it's important to rinse well in a pretty large sink full of water to remove the traces of vinegar and soap. If you're getting water marks I'm thinking you're not switching the rinse water often enough. Or perhaps your water is HIGHLY hard with minerals and everything you have comes out water marked?
 
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wet ss tumbling is more effective for large batches.
I can clean to perfection 1000 cases of 223 by tumbling for 2 hours, rinse, oven dry, done.
No dust, no trouble, no nothing.

It's not worth it for smaller batches IMO, too much trouble. I only do batches of 1000 or more.
 
I'm in no hurry, so can do smaller batches with lizard bedding (walnut) and Frankford Arsenal polish - just don't overload the tumbler with too much media or brass so there's lots of movement/action in the mix and 3-4 hours = decent results:

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How clean does the primer pocket need to be? I've noticed my 1F lapua cases have very clean pockets compared to some winchester ones. Does it matter ?
 
Kryogen said:
wet ss tumbling is more effective for large batches.
I can clean to perfection 1000 cases of 223 by tumbling for 2 hours, rinse, oven dry, done.
No dust, no trouble, no nothing.

It's not worth it for smaller batches IMO, too much trouble. I only do batches of 1000 or more.
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I started with a small wet tumbler for rifle brass and pistol cases for up to a hundred or so if more is needed I use a bigger one I purchased later
 
M16LR.50 said:
How clean does the primer pocket need to be? I've noticed my 1F lapua cases have very clean pockets compared to some winchester ones. Does it matter ?
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They don't Need to be spotless, a lot of fellas that don't clean their brass in a tumbler just use a pocket cleaner brush to scrape out most of the crud.
 
I don't clean primer pockets at all anymore. I used to run a Lyman primer pocket cleaner in every pocket, every reload, but I read a lot of comments from old timers who said they never cleaned pockets and had no issues. I stopped cleaning pockets and several thousand rounds later I haven't had a single FTF or issue. No issues on pistol ammo and no issues with rifle ammo loaded for accuracy. My ~3/4 MoA rifle still shoots ~3/4 MoA out to at least 300yds (ranges from 1/2 MoA to 1 MoA depending on the weather and myself).

I dry tumble in a Lyman with primers in so when I pop the primers out, they're as dirty as they can be.
 
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