spent brass cleaning

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alltieear

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Hi all,

I am planning on purchasing my first centerfire rifle in 243 win and will most likely be reloading in small amounts ( maybe 50 rounds, if that, a month)

I am wondering if i really need a tumbler or sonic cleaner for this purpose. Does anyone clean their brass with just a towel or sponge?

also, if anyone reading this reloads 243 win. How much do you estimate it cost per round?
 
I just started reloading (just today. 223 rem). I use a rock tumbler and stainless steel media.

Seen a post on YouTube about it - it works pretty good.
 
I find I get good results using a vibratory tumbler and corn cob media but ultimately I'd like to upgrade to a wet media tumbler with stainless steel pins. The wet media tumblers seem to do a better job with heavily fouled cases which would be nice for me when I reload for my martini but generally I think the vibratory tumblers are cheaper than wet media tumblers. So really it comes down to budget and how often you plan on using in and what you're shooting.
 
start saving up for a new barrel as i mentioned before the 243 is an excellent hunting round but the barrels wear out if you shoot it a lot due to the case design - do not remember the youtube link off hand but someone did a video on this and why. happy reloading none the less
 
If only reloading 50 cases you can certainly get by with hand cleaning. Swishing with just a little water and dish soap and maybe a pinch of citric acid or lemishine cleans pretty well. Wipe down with a cloth or use fine steel wool or scotch pad if really gungy.
A couple passes through the neck with a brush will remove carbon and make neck expansion easier.

You can get away without cleaning at all often but it's easier on the dies and cases if you do. Most of it's really apperance.
 
Save your money till you can buy a wet tumbler.
You will never regret it.
Also the cases are easier to resize when they are clean.
Especially when you you pull them out of the die
I've been reloading for the 243 for many years now.
It is one of my favourite calibers.
Very effective on prairiedogs and groundhogs, fox and wolf.
It is also deadly on bears with a 100 grain bullets.
 
yomomma said:
Where are you located? For 50 cases, drop by with a beer or two, I'll throw them in my machine.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer. I would have taken you up on it but I'm about 4 hours east of hanilton.

vagrantviking said:
If only reloading 50 cases you can certainly get by with hand cleaning. Swishing with just a little water and dish soap and maybe a pinch of citric acid or lemishine cleans pretty well. Wipe down with a cloth or use fine steel wool or scotch pad if really gungy.
A couple passes through the neck with a brush will remove carbon and make neck expansion easier.

You can get away without cleaning at all often but it's easier on the dies and cases if you do. Most of it's really apperance.
Click to expand...

I'll probably do this for a little bit until I get bored and enough change for a tumbler. Thanks.


IvoB said:
start saving up for a new barrel as i mentioned before the 243 is an excellent hunting round but the barrels wear out if you shoot it a lot due to the case design - do not remember the youtube link off hand but someone did a video on this and why. happy reloading none the less
Click to expand...

I haven't read about this. I'll have to look into it. Thanks
 
Note - I only load for rifle cases - no experience with "pistol" cartridges. I find that "clean" is for best function, but "sparkly shiny" is mostly for looks. You will want your cases "clean" before sizing - as in no grunge or grit on them, but tarnish discolour doesn't seem to matter. After you resize, you will need to trim to length / chamfer and remove the lube residue. I very seldom do more than 100 at a time, more often 50. So I re-size on a single stage press, then install the brass on a Lee Case spinner in a drill, trim to length with the Lee pilot trimmer, chamfer, then spin it in a damp towel with appropriate solvent (often just water) for the lube removal. Repeat for next one. For larger batches, I de-prime in a Universal de-primer so no lube needed, then all the brass goes into a Frankford wet tumbler with Dawn, Lemishine and stainless pins. After drying, then as above. Every attempt that I have made at tumbling after re-sizing has resulted in dinged up case mouths, so that is why I am stuck with the one-by-one length trim then removal of the lube, after sizing. I would be interested to hear if there is an easier way.
 
I reloaded for 40 years without a tumbler, only buying one after I got into 9mm and 223 semi auto shooting. My cases when shooting with bolt actions didn't get spread all over the grass and gravel. For what your doing I would hold off spending money on tumblers and buy more components. Give your cases a wipe down if they are a bit dirty. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
If you're not doing large batches a wipe with a cloth or steel wool if you want them shiny works fine. I have a vibratory tumbler but still clean small amounts by hand & it works fine.
 
You can clean small amounts in a bucket of hot water and soap, give them a little scrub with a bronze bore brush, or a scotch brite pad.
 
Magellann said:
You can clean small amounts in a bucket of hot water and soap, give them a little scrub with a bronze bore brush, or a scotch brite pad.
Click to expand...

I have been doing this. Bought a bucket and two lids, one lid I drilled holes so it functions like a strainer. I just turn and shake by hand. Works surprisingly well.
 
I used a small rock polisher tumbler for many years, then bought a Frankford Arsenal vibrating thing. I also started cleaning cases with citric acid.

I Know it will be too easy for some, but a teaspoon or so in a quart or liter of water, warm or cold, will do a nice job. Simple, I know, but it works just fine. Put the citric acid in the water, put the brass in (I deprime mine first), stir every couple minutes until the cases look clean, or until you can't wait any longer, dump the solution into a plastic container, for re-use again and again, until it gets too dirty. Dry the cases thoroughly by whatever method seems reasonable.

After the cases are completely dry, I resize then give them a shot in the vibrator.

You don't need the ingredients for some magical super cleaning solution, you will only need citric acid. Kool Aid works, sans the sugar. Don't use BRASSO!

I bought a 1 lb. packet at a Bulk Barn. That will likely last me for years!
 
kjohn said:
I used a small rock polisher tumbler for many years, then bought a Frankford Arsenal vibrating thing. I also started cleaning cases with citric acid.

I Know it will be too easy for some, but a teaspoon or so in a quart or liter of water, warm or cold, will do a nice job. Simple, I know, but it works just fine. Put the citric acid in the water, put the brass in (I deprime mine first), stir every couple minutes until the cases look clean, or until you can't wait any longer, dump the solution into a plastic container, for re-use again and again, until it gets too dirty. Dry the cases thoroughly by whatever method seems reasonable.

After the cases are completely dry, I resize then give them a shot in the vibrator.

You don't need the ingredients for some magical super cleaning solution, you will only need citric acid. Kool Aid works, sans the sugar. Don't use BRASSO!

I bought a 1 lb. packet at a Bulk Barn. That will likely last me for years!
Click to expand...

Why do you put them in a vibrator after resizing?
 
I deprime my brass and put it in a smallish rubbermaid tote then I use a ratchet strap to secure a palm sander to the side of it and cover the bread by 3 inches of diluted simple green or whatever and run that for 30mins. Then I stand them to dry. Ala poor man's ultra sonic cleaner. I have to many hobbies to have every piece of kit, I improvise slot.
 
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