How do you clean your brass?

[rhodesengr]

I wet tumble but that gets the brass very clean. Some might say too clean. I have to use case lube both inside and out. Otherwise I get galling on my flaring and crimp dies.

 

[AR15barrels]

I dry tumble with ground walnut shells and a little Nu-Finish.
It gets the brass clean and shiny but leaves some dust which keeps the cases from galling to expanders or sizing dies.

 

[2aALLIn]

I take the simple wet tumbler route-
Dawn dish soap

Lemon juice from 1 whole lemon

Let it tumble for an hour. Take them out and dry in sun.
Gets the brass clean to reload and repeat after shooting.

 

[Bun_groker]

For pistol cases my process is nearly identical to yours but it ends once they're dry. No sorting tumbler/second rinse/etc. First wash I ever did involved stainless pins and an hour in the tumbler, cases came out pristine so that may be what you're missing. It was such a pain to separate the pins that I never did it again, but Frankford makes a rotary separator that I am interested in.

 

[2aALLIn]

That is the same reason why I stopped using pins. I also looked into the separator, let me know how it works and it’s worth the investment

Reloading is fun!!!

 

[sirgrumps]

Corn cob media, a tablespoon of NuFinish liquid car wax, a splash or 2 of mineral spirits, and a couple torn unused Bounce dryer sheets (collects the dust) in a Dillon tumbler for an hour or so, depending on how used my corn cob media is.

I buy my corn cob media from Grainer in 40lb bags, sell 20 and I good for a couple of years.

I also used a Dillon media separator, basically a slotted squirrel cage that empties the media in a big bin.

Eazy Pezy.

Wet tumbling seems like such a pain. Especially having to decap before tumbling.
Plus 2 or 3 steps seems like too much work.

 

[BigBossman]

Wet tumbling seems like such a pain. Especially having to decap before tumbling.
Plus 2 or 3 steps seems like too much work.

Yup.

Similar to you - a mix of corncob and walnut with some polishing compound mixed in, and tumble for a while. Comes out clean and shiny, no water, no drying, no mess.

 

[han_solo]

I use SS pins in a rotary tumbler . 1 1/2 tsp of creme of tartar , dawn dish soap and water . Rinse and run again just water . Then use a baby bottle holder for all the brass vertical upsidedown .with a fan blowing up for drying .

THIS IS THE WAY !!

 

[mindwreck]

That is the same reason why I stopped using pins. I also looked into the separator, let me know how it works and it’s worth the investment

Reloading is fun!!!

I just use their regular separator in a dollar store dish pan. super easy. https://www.frankfordarsenal.com/ca...q9MzgAEkGCe3w1R4s1L5ptNBzL3NsvY8YqmXG&start=1

 

[painkiller]

Damn and lemishine added with my stainless pins

 

[sirgrumps]

Corn cob media, a tablespoon of NuFinish liquid car wax, a splash or 2 of mineral spirits, and a couple torn USED Bounce dryer sheets (collects the dust) in a Dillon tumbler for an hour or so, depending on how used my corn cob media is.

Correction, I meant to say USED, very used Bounce Dryer sheets. It collects the dust and lint very well.

 

[Hylander]

First, deprime.
Wet tumble with hot water, one tablespoon dawn dish soap and 1/4 teaspoon Lemi Shine for 45 minutes.
Then rinse with cold water in kitchen sink in a colender. Come out very nice and Shiney.
If I want a mirror shine I add stainless steel pins.
However, I have not needed to for the last 15 years.

 

[Dooder]

Wet tumbling seems like such a pain. Especially having to decap before tumbling.
Plus 2 or 3 steps seems like too much work.

Meh, same same but different. If you can deal with dirty primer pockets from not decapping with dry media then you can deal with it wet. Same crap different toilet. Neither is better than the other, its just what you want to do. I use both dry and wet tumbling. They both work fine. Neither is better than the other. Do what you want. man sometimes I don't even tumble pistol brass. My loads burn clean and if I'm shootin indoors then I'll load that stuff without cleaning. I can do that with my match load pistol load and the sd will still be single digit.

 

[skb720]

I don't reload 9x19 so cannot comment on that process. I handload for various rifle cartridges (308, 223/5.56, 6.5 Creedmoor, 30-06) and 357 Sig and 45 ACP. I only dry tumble using treated crushed walnut shells, I do it outside in my backyard and tumble for couple hours, longer if brass was random range pickup dirty. Case prep is the Most time consuming, boring, tedious part of the reloading process. I full length resize and decap same time. Cleaning primer pockets, I just use the small/large pocket brush that comes with the Lyman multi tool and put it on my power drill.

 

[brass slinger]

What’s the benefit you see of priming before loading? I’m curious, I know some people do it but what’s the idea behind it?

I have better guarantee that the primer is seated fully instead of dealing with it later. Once in a while I had a case progress to powder charge without a primer and get it all under the shellplate. With 5.56, even with using a primer pocket swager, I run into priming issues that are easier to deal with priming as a separate step.

 

[AR15barrels]

I have better guarantee that the primer is seated fully instead of dealing with it later. Once in a while I had a case progress to powder charge without a primer and get it all under the shellplate. With 5.56, even with using a primer pocket swager, I run into priming issues that are easier to deal with priming as a separate step.

The lack of a primer has absolutely nothing to do with the primer pockets being dirty or clean.
Primers will seat fully in dirty pockets just fine.

 

[HammerDown]

Good ol' fashion corn cob media in a Dillon tumbler.

 

[Striker777]

Habit from single stage days. Also if there’s a step where the progressive is gonna hiccup it’s priming. I just like taking it out of the equation. Also I still single stage a lot of my cowboy calibers and 7.62 nato. So….habit

absolutely spot on if you were a single stage guy also myself you get it!

 

[Striker777]

Good ol' fashion corn cob media in a Dillon tumbler.

2 dillon tumblers I like walnut I go to the bird feed store and buy it bulk then mix cob works great.

 

[HammerDown]

2 dillon tumblers I like walnut I go to the bird feed store and buy it bulk then mix cob works great.

I have used the walnut/cob combination as well. I think I got the bulk walnut at Harbor Freight. It worked well but would load up in any 17 caliber cartridge.