Cleaning Brass

[tlawler]

Unless brass is very dirty (such as being retrieved from a mud hole) any flaws, cracks, potential case head separations, etc. should be readily visible even before cleaning.

Yeah, but it's a lot easier to see when the brass is shiny clean. Especially for us old(er) farts who don't have 20/20 any longer. Inspection time is cut way down for me and any imperfection is much more readily apparent with shiny brass. Especially with .357 mag because of the slender and deep casing. Priming is so much easier as well when your primer pockets are clean.

 

[rockquarry]

Yeah, but it's a lot easier to see when the brass is shiny clean. Especially for us old(er) farts who don't have 20/20 any longer.

You bring up a good point, one that I hadn't really thought about...

 

[rwsmith]

Stains on cases.....

Just getting started in reloading ...in fact my reloading equipment is just on it's way . Didn't want to spend a whole lot of $$ from the outset and was wondering about different ways to clean the brass without the dry/wet/ultrasonic cleaners .
I have cleaned about 1000 cases of .38 & .45 brass using a solution of hot water ,white vinegar , Simple Green cleaner & dish soap . Mixed it all together along with the brass & let it sit for about 30 -45 mins in a plastic container . Stirring and shaking it up from time to time. I rinsed it all off real well with more hot water & let it air dry overnight on a towel.
The brass comes out clean looking & pretty shiny .
Just how clean does the brass need to be ? ...any reason this method should not be used ?

Stains on the case are nothing, but if it's not IN the metal and is crud ON the case, it needs to be removed.

I did it the same way you do for a long time until I broke down and bought a vibrating cleaner for about $60. I understand though. I have to reload on the cheap and it took me years get the vibrator high up on the priority list enough to buy it.

 

[robert1804]

I no longer bother to clean most straight wall pistol and revolver brass. I don't use range pickup brass so the cases don't get gritty. The exception is after shooting lubricated bullets. Jacketed, plated and coated bullets don't leave grit attracting residue. Minor ash deposits from primers and inside the cases doesn't harm anything.

 

[Empe]

I appreciate all the responses...thank you !

 

[Drm50]

By a gallon of the concentrate HVAC guys clean AC coils with. Best I've found for deep clean, not shine. Birchwood Casey sells case cleaner in concentrate form too.

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

First thing I do when I get home from the range is de-prime everything. I just use a dedicated de-priming die. This keeps all the crud from getting in my dies. Then I wet tumble with stainless steel media, a touch of dish soap and a tiny bit of lemon brite (I think is the name). This gets them literally sparkling inside and out as well as the primer pockets. They come out looking like jewels. I bought an ultrasonic cleaner, but it doesn't even come close to wet tumbling. This pic is from tumbling for 1 1/2 hours.