Case Cleaning

[sportsmandan]

hey, i'm new to reloading, I am currently looking for the best way to clean brass riffle cases. doing some online research it appears everyone has a different opinion on what they call clean.

Does a vibrating tumbler clean the inside of the case, primer pocket and the outside well? What media should be used? Can stainless pins be used in one of these? Some guys are concerned with the residual left over from walnut shells/corn cob, is this a problem?

Does ultrasonic clean the inside of the case, primer pocket and outside well? some guys are using home solutions. My concern is keeping the cases dry. also I have read that some models do not clean the primer pocket well, also i read that cases are clean but no polished, this is not my concern.

Does a rotating tumbler clean the inside of the case, primer pocket and outside? these are the units that guys seem to use with the stainless pins, and say they have great cleaning.

If anyone has used all three tell me what you have found, like I said I'm new to reloading and I'm in the market for a case cleaner/polisher and I want the best bang for my buck. I really could care less about cosmetics but i want to make sure they are clean.

[elkhunter11]

Vibrating tumblers do not clean the inside of the case, and they don't clean the primer pockets. Actual rotating tumblers using stainless pins clean the cases inside and out, so well that they could pass for new cases.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by sportsmandan

Does a rotating tumbler clean the inside of the case, primer pocket and outside? these are the units that guys seem to use with the stainless pins, and say they have great cleaning.

that is the absolute best way to clean cases. it's fast and it does the best job.

the downside is the cost.

[Nyksta]

I use an ultrasonic cleaner (brookstone jewelry cleaner for $15 off kijiji) holds about 1 litre of liquid and i can fit 50 308 win brass in it. Before i put them in i have lubed, resized, and obviously popped the burnt primers out. I use the primer pocket cleaning tool to get the larger bits of carbon out of the pocket. Then i check for length trim and chamfer if they need it. Them they are ready to wash.

I put them neatly stacked vertically next to eachother so i can fit the most in. Touching doesnt take away from the cleaning ability.

I use a home brew of water and 50% vinegar with 1 drop of dish soap for 24 minutes, then dump the water. Then new water with 1/2 tsp of baking soda for 24 minutes. Then dump water. Then really hot water for 8 minutes and then cold distilled water for 8 minutes. Costs about $1 per batch.

After the wash they are shiny and completely clean of all carbon inside and out.

Ive found the primer pockets hold water drops for a long time so i Q-tip the water out of the pocket but otherwise they dry well.

I lay the brass parallel to eachother on a towel with a fold in it and i put the open neck of the brass tipped down and any water makes its way out. Leave them to airdry for 24 hours and its all done with shiny clean brass.

[260 Rem]

If the reason for tumbling is improve accuracy/consistency or reliability (goes bang every time), I would defer the decision to purchase a tumbler until such time that my shooting was at a level close to goal I set for myself.
I reload about 3500 rounds per year and routinely get .3 - .5MOA groups using hand cleaned brass that has been fired as many as 30 times, which suggests that tumbling is not necessary for that level of consistency. Perhaps I could improve results by tumbling, but before trying that I would look at rifles with robust barrel contours and flat, wide bottomed forestocks.
I have never had a misfire that I could attribute to dirty brass.
Using a tumbler may well shave time off high volume reloading sessions. I have timed my routine which on a 20 round run, takes about 70 seconds per load for the complete brass prep to a loaded cartridge. Of course, experience may vary.
I would like add that I believe that handling each piece of brass that little bit of extra time may even add to understanding the whole process.

[markg]

I am an ultrasonic guy. I agree with what 260 and others have said about accuracy.

The reason i use the ultrasonic is as follows:

You shoot a deer and your hands are covered in blood. You can take some dirt and grass and rub the blood off or you can go to a creek and wash it off. What is better?

I like the qtip idea! I will try that. One trick I use to dry my cases is give them a blast with a blow (hair) dryer for a few seconds.

[robfraser]

How do you hand clean your brass.?

[play.soccer]

I see the firearm specific rotary tumblers are quite pricey, could a rock tumbler work just as well?

[Smason]

would you mind sharing your technique to hand clean brass?
thanks

Originally Posted by 260 Rem

If the reason for tumbling is improve accuracy/consistency or reliability (goes bang every time), I would defer the decision to purchase a tumbler until such time that my shooting was at a level close to goal I set for myself.
I reload about 3500 rounds per year and routinely get .3 - .5MOA groups using hand cleaned brass that has been fired as many as 30 times, which suggests that tumbling is not necessary for that level of consistency. Perhaps I could improve results by tumbling, but before trying that I would look at rifles with robust barrel contours and flat, wide bottomed forestocks.
I have never had a misfire that I could attribute to dirty brass.
Using a tumbler may well shave time off high volume reloading sessions. I have timed my routine which on a 20 round run, takes about 70 seconds per load for the complete brass prep to a loaded cartridge. Of course, experience may vary.
I would like add that I believe that handling each piece of brass that little bit of extra time may even add to understanding the whole process.

[fish_e_o]

a scotchbrite pad with or without soap and water has always worked for me

[260 Rem]

Originally Posted by robfraser

How do you hand clean your brass.?

1). Nylon brush inside of neck
2). Dab of RCBS case lube on a Kleenex. Couple of turns on outside of neck.
3). Dry outside neck with Kleenex
4). Clean primer pocket with a Primer Pocket UNIFORMER.
NOTE: The sooner you apply the case lube after firing, the easier it is to remove the carbon. Same day is best.

When the Carbon seems to be building up a bit...say every 5 - 6 reloads...I will "shine" the neck up with a couple of turns of steel wool or Scotch Brite. If I want it real shinny, I'll put the case in a Lee shell holder/lock stud and spin the case. Another way that works just as well for occasional clean-up is to put some brasso on the outside of the neck and wipe it off. After the "clean-up" with either steel wool or brasso, clean the surface with the case lube to remove any grit. I have never scored a resizing die.

[6MT]

I use a Thumler's tumbler. It's a wet tumbler originally made for the rock polishing hobby. I use stainless steel pins as the media. Mine can hold a couple of hundred cases at one time (it's large). I use ordinary tap water and a small amount of a rinsing agent (dishwasher). I de-cap the cases and tumble for a couple of hours. They come out sparkling clean (even the primer pockets).

I have yet to do anything to primer pockets after wet tumbling (.223, .308, & .338). If I tumble for 2 hours, they are just as they were when new. This is the best system I've seen.

YMMV

[gunluvr]

Originally Posted by sportsmandan

hey, i'm new to reloading, I am currently looking for the best way to clean brass riffle cases. doing some online research it appears everyone has a different opinion on what they call clean.

Does a vibrating tumbler clean the inside of the case, primer pocket and the outside well? What media should be used? Can stainless pins be used in one of these? Some guys are concerned with the residual left over from walnut shells/corn cob, is this a problem?

Does ultrasonic clean the inside of the case, primer pocket and outside well? some guys are using home solutions. My concern is keeping the cases dry. also I have read that some models do not clean the primer pocket well, also i read that cases are clean but no polished, this is not my concern.

Does a rotating tumbler clean the inside of the case, primer pocket and outside? these are the units that guys seem to use with the stainless pins, and say they have great cleaning.

If anyone has used all three tell me what you have found, like I said I'm new to reloading and I'm in the market for a case cleaner/polisher and I want the best bang for my buck. I really could care less about cosmetics but i want to make sure they are clean.

All Iv'e ever used is a vibratory tumbler with corn cob media. No, it doesn't clean the inside of the case to a shiny condition, but resizing lube is absorbed and removed by the media. To me that's all that matters. Nor does it clean the primer pockets. I use a rotary prep station with a primer pocket brush for that. You said you'd prefer to keep the cases dry. I agree as washing them makes drying them another necessary step. As for the outside, cases come out bright and shiny as new, as long as you change the media when it becomes black. I hand load about 2000 rnds. or so a year and I change media about yearly. I built a media separator to separate the media from the brass and all I have to do after that is blow out the flash holes with compressed air.