Dirty Brass After Tumbling

[SMSgt]

How many times do they reload those cases? A lot of the folks I know reload pistol cases (straight walled) many, many times.

Couldn't tell you a number, but generally until the primer pocket gets loose. The one guy I follow anneals and trims every time. I've begun doing much the same and have only had the pockets get loose with hot rounds. I reload .223 and a .223-6mm wildcat and get about ten or so reloads.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Hot or full factory Dup. rifle loads will last ten times if you are lucky....

since the case neck or shoulder, will usually give out and split, about the time
the primer pocket starts to get loose.

Just neck sizing rifle cases for one rifle will usually help them last a little longer......
if your chamber is tight and not over sized.

Revolver cases will last longer if a very light crimp is used vs a heavy
crimp on full lead or jacket bullet, loads.

90% of my 38 cases give out at the rim, with a few full powder cases, starting to split at the side walls.

 

[glenwolde]

Now that I have it, I like super shiny brass. Since my wet tumbler will produce super clean brass in two hours flat I see no need to run it three times as long to get it half as clean in a vibratory tumbler. Wet is quieter, faster, and the media lasts forever. I'm sorry I wasted 30-something years with vibratory tumblers.

But it's right that sometimes it's too clean. The tapered 9mm cases really could use some lube. Likewise some of the big magnum cases. I just give a quick spritz with One Shot Lube. Still rather have the clean brass.

 

[glenwolde]

where do you get these pins ?

I got mine on Amazon. Just search "Stainless Steel Tumbling Media Pins".

 

[carpriver]

when I clean brass I run it thru a wet tumbler for about and hour, rinse it and remove the pins put the brass back in the tumbler with some lemon shine let the tumbler run half and hour then put them in the dehydrater for a couple hour. with straight walled case I give the resizing die blast of lub. I like clean brass and clean guns.For me shooting cleaning and reloading is all part of the proccess.

 

[minconrevo]

For dry tumbling in my big Dillon I use either black walnut or corn cob media. I have a bunch of new industrial grade black walnut cleaning media so it's the usual. I add a dab of Mother's Chrome and Mag polish paste to media, allow it to well distribute, then add brass. I toss in 1 or 2 used dryer sheets to catch the dust. The wet cleaning with the tiny SS rods is the new fangled way to clean brass.

 

[AJ]

Been using dry media for 38 years and see no reason to change. I do put a couple of cap fulls of Brasso in the media every other time I tumble. I have started using dryer sheets and it seems to work. Just hard headed old school I guess.....

 

[GaCop]

I used to use a vibrating Lyman case cleaner and treated walnut media. Now I use citric acid. I first sized the cases to deprime and the soak cases for about one minute in the citric acid solution and rinse. Cases are then oven dried at about 150 degrees. I mix my solution adding 3 table spoon of citric acid to a quart of hot water. Cases end up clean inside and out almost looking like new brass. I do have to hit the primer pockets with my RCBS brush.