Cleaning brass?

[grobin]

I am just getting into reloading and was wondering if cleaning brass after resizing using an ultrasound cleaner is a good idea?

 

[427mach1]

Cleaning before sizing is better in my opinion. Keeps dirt out of the dies.

 

[NikA]

I think you'll find most people clean brass before resizing to prevent carbon and crud from getting into the dies and possibly scratching cases. I used to use an ultrasonic cleaner, which worked well but required frequent attention; I currently use dish soap and citric acid in a large sealed tub with stainless pins, shaken by hand, which can sit for days without being in the way or affecting the brass quality. Doing that in the ultrasonic stained the brass (but it was still clean enough to reload).

 

[Clovishound]

I used to clean mine about every 5th reloading or so using dish soap and citric acid. I have since switched to the more common vibratory tumbler. I much prefer this method. The tumblers are cheap and effective.

 

[AzShooter1]

I use a dry tumbler from Dillon with corn cob media before resizing. Brass comes out nice and clean. I tumble after every usage. It makes my dies work better.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I use a vibratory tumbler with a 50/50 mix of corn cob and crushed walnut shell media with a squirt of case polish. The shells come out shiny clean and ready for sizing.

 

[Chief 101]

its nice to have pretty brass to shoot but getting all of the case lube off can be important if for some reason the ammo is not used up quickly enough. I do whatever cleaning I deem necessary after case prep...

 

[Tom W]

I wipe mine down, resize it with carbide dies and then clean it. Every step is an inspection step.

There are times where I'll just take my decapping die and decap, clean and then resize, depending on the amount of brass needing attention.

 

[mikld]

Not to detract from any of the feller's answers, but as long as you don't get any grit/dirt in your sizing die cleaning is 99% cosmetic. FWIW; I reloaded for 12 years before I got a tumbler, I just wiped each case with a solvent dampened rag as I inspected it. No ruined dies or chambers, and yes I could spot all defects. Many new reloaders are lead to believe that cleaning their brass to a high luster or surgically clean brass is a necessity. Some talk about "pride in workmanship", and that's OK but I personally would rather see small groups on my targets rather than glossy, pretty reloads. There is nuttin' wrong with wanting or achieving shiny brass, if that's what you want, but I believe too much emphasis is place on shiny clean brass for new reloaders.

I'm not "anti-shine" cases for handloads, but the only brass that gets a high gloss is my 30-06 Garand brass and my 45 ACP cases. Easier to find in the dirt, rocks, stuff at the "range" I shoot at...

Jes an old guy's opinion... :mrgreen:

 

[cleardatum]

i like beautiful ammo, so after de priming, i wet tumble, with pins. i use warm water, and a few drops of dish soap (no acid, vinegar, lemon, or anything else). they turn out gorgeous. after trimming, chamfering, sizing, i then dry tumble, and load 'em up. it may seem like a lot of work, but that initial wet cleaning actually makes everything else go quicker...

 

[wizofwas]

There has to be more threads on cleaning brass on this forum than Carter has Little Liver Pills. What I do. Decap first, if you have a decapping die. Then clean. The inexpensive way I used to do is to put the brass in a plastic Maxwell House coffee container that has a cap on it. Add water, soap detergent and some lemon juice and shake well. Rinse until no more soap is on the brass. Then let the brass air dry. Then proceed with the resizing and reloading. I've never used an ultrasound cleaner, so no comment. I now have a tumbler with the walnut shell medium that I use and I like the results of that very much. The usual disclaimer, YMMV

 

[contender]

As noted,,, lots of different methods of cleaning brass. As for dirty brass vs clean stuff,,, I've seen reloads with scratches along the cases from grit & such in the resizing die. I prefer to clean my brass.

But another tip I picked up from world champion shooters.
If you are using a auto-loading firearm,,, clean brass,,, WITH a LIGHT application of silicone can possibly help assure feeding properly. A world class shooter needs to have his/her ammo function perfectly all the time to stay on top. They usually have a silicone cloth that they lay out on a table. Dump the brass to be inserted in the mags on the cloth,,, fold it over & rub it around,,, coating the ammo lightly. Then fill the mags & shoot the ammo. Just another tiny step to assist in trying to achieve 100% reliability.

 

[DGW1949]

As noted,,, lots of different methods of cleaning brass. As for dirty brass vs clean stuff,,, I've seen reloads with scratches along the cases from grit & such in the resizing die. I prefer to clean my brass.

But another tip I picked up from world champion shooters.
If you are using a auto-loading firearm,,, clean brass,,, WITH a LIGHT application of silicone can possibly help assure feeding properly. A world class shooter needs to have his/her ammo function perfectly all the time to stay on top. They usually have a silicone cloth that they lay out on a table. Dump the brass to be inserted in the mags on the cloth,,, fold it over & rub it around,,, coating the ammo lightly. Then fill the mags & shoot the ammo. Just another tiny step to assist in trying to achieve 100% reliability.

In all due respect...while what you are describing may indeed work just fine for (most) pistols firing (most) pistol ammo, it's not something which should be practiced with high pressure rifle cartridges, or even in conjunction with high pressure pistol ammo being used in a platform with less than optimal strength and/or case support. Reason is...because of the increased bolt thrust which "lubing the ammo" is surely going to create.
I'm purty-sure that the ammo makers warn against such practices, as-has the NRA. That's not to say that I think your post is totally wrong, just saying that the OP didn't specify what caliber of ammo he is reloading, or which particular platform it will be used in.

Details...life is all about details, that's the point.

DGW

 

[daveg.inkc]

I put just fired brass in Lyman tumble media container. Flip open lid and a carry handle. I keep .223 separate. I had .223 vibrate into .41 M brass and have to pull apart with pliers. Tumble clean before decap and resize.

 

[contender]

DGW,,, you are correct. I should have specified pistols only. I forget sometimes that I'm thinking handguns,,, & not consider rifles.
Also,,, note that the LIGHT coating of silicone is gently applied by a pre-lubed cloth. It's a very light application of silicone to the brass,,, so I've not seen any issues with their method. I personally do not have their skill level,, so I do not do the same things like that. I'm just relaying a tiny tidbit of info,, as I was thinking on the folks who don't clean brass, or fail to pay attention to minor details. For a world class shooter,,, the tiny details can mean a difference in winning or not. I am speaking of USPSA handgun shooters here.
(I saw Todd Jarrett lose a major match once,,, due to a jam. All he had to do was shoot a fair, clean run,,, as he had a big enough lead to "cruise" to a victory. He had a jam,,, it cost him time,, and bumped him from a match win to 3rd place. It happens.)

 

[DGW1949]

I put just fired brass in Lyman tumble media container. Flip open lid and a carry handle. I keep .223 separate. I had .223 vibrate into .41 M brass and have to pull apart with pliers. Tumble clean before decap and resize.

Good tip on keeping brass separate.
Just two weeks ago, I had to remove a 9MM case from the inside of a 45LC case. I found it in there while looking for a reason why the de-capping pin wouldn't allow the bigger case to go up into the re-sizing die. There's no doubt in my mind that it being there was the result of me accidently leaving the little 9MM case behind in the cleaning media.

Yeah it's true, even an old guy who's been reloading for decades can still make a mistake. :lol: :lol: :lol: .

DGW

 

[Clovishound]

What's worse is a .22 inside a .38 or .357. You can't see them unless you look inside. I once stabbed one with my decapping pin, and had it stuck on the pin. Had to chuck it up in my wood lathe to get it off.

 

[dougader]

I decap my brass, soak it in a citric acid solution for about 5 minutes, rinse it off and let it dry. Then I tumble it in corncob media that's got car wax blended into it... oh, for about 20-30 minutes, and it comes out super clean. Better than just tumbling.

You guys must know how brass cases get tarnished when you're shooting magnum rounds that have been loaded with slow burning ball powder like H110/W296. Overnight tumbling, 12 hours, won't take that off... but the citrus acid does, and it does it quickly. Tumbling in the corncob media just shines it up a little.

I was looking into the stainless steel pins but decided against the amount of ca$h needed for pins and a wet tumbler. $$$