Originally Posted by hdwhit

Cases should be cleaned at least once to remove dirt and debris that could damage dies and other reloading equipment.



Please note that "cleaning" is distinct from tumbling or polishing the cases. Tumbling or polishing brass cases is primarily done for cosmetic purposes - although polished brass is arguably easier to visually inspect - and is NOT required.

But you can see the number of posts so far that have taken your question about cleaning and turned it into a referendum on tumbling and/or polishing. Tumbling and polishing is the least important part of reloading yet it seems to generate the greatest amount of discussion.

There's nothing wrong with wanting brass that is not only clean but also shiny - even shiny as a mirror. But, it would be a mistake to think that there's any correlation between how shiny brass is and the quality of the ammunition assembled with it.