Cleaning Brass

[crash0ride]

How often does everyone clean their brass?

Each firing? Does it matter?

 

[velvetant]

every firing
no it does not matter but it does make it easier to see defects
Also easier to find shiny brass on the ground

 

[BK]

More than that... I don't want dirty brass damaging my brass, so I tumble before sizing, and then I tumble again to remove the sizing lube. But then I am a bit of an anal-retentive German Virgo.

 

[Elkman]

only when it starts looking dirty, when I am loading hunting ammo, I have no fixed standard.

Some are very anal about it I am not.!!!

 

[brianwyo]

1. I de-prime with that universal? die that works on almost anything.
2. tumble the cases for a day or two. I NEVER put a dirty case in the re-size die.
3. Inspect and resize.
4. Tumble again to remove lube.
5. wipe them down and prime.

I always want some cases ready for powder and bullets when want to try something new.

 

[SJB358]

Same here. I tumble every firing. I like clean brass going into the die and clean brass is easier to see defects in. Scotty

 

[JD338]

I clean my brass after every firing.

JD338

 

[big rifle man]

Clean after every firing. I deprime with a universal decapper, run the brass through a sonic cleaner, and after rinsing and dry, tumble. I then lube, size, trim, and then tumble for approximately one hour to remove the lube. Sounds like a lot but the brass comes out great and defects are easy to spot. Also the primer pocket comes out spotless.

 

[DrMike]

Like most of the others posting, I tumble after every firing.

 

[hubcap]

I clean with birchwood casey case cleaner to remove the dirt, lube, Then rinse and dry. Then I run the cases thru the vibratory case polisher with some added polish solution from birchwood casey. After every fring. Yes sir.

 

[jmad_81]

Every other firing usually for me.

 

[Charlie-NY]

WOW - we've got some clean freaks lurking here. :lol: I RARELY clean my brass. Based on 30 years of reloading I have rarely found it to be necessary. I clean the inside and outside of the necks and reload. Shinny brass is nice but it doesn't improve accuracy, at least not in my experience. I've fired brass 10x or more without cleaning.

I do clean the primer pockets after every firing for whatever that's worth and I clean pistol brass after every firing because they get filthy on the exterior of the case, unlike my rifle brass.

 

[BK]

What can I say, I'm German (mostly).

 

[crash0ride]

yay! I'm not the only one

 

[DrMike]

I confess, I'm a neat freak (though you wouldn't believe it looking at my desk or my reloading bench).

 

[SJB358]

I confess, I'm a neat freak (though you wouldn't believe it looking at my desk or my reloading bench).

Whoa, I am glad you guys can't see my reloading bench/man cave. It has alot of "stuff" in there. I really had good intentions of cleaning it up last weekend, but homework got the best of me. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

The quintessential phrase, "Mañana," serves me well whenever I am tempted to clean my man cave.

 

[Bruce Mc]

I believe in the old axiom, "a clear desk is a cluttered mind and inversly a cluttered desk is a clear mind". I have the clearest mind in Texas. Well maybe just Edna.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I just wipe cases off with a soft cloth but many of my cases are flash nickel plated. These cases last better when not tumbled and they stay pretty clean. The surfactants in the Hornady One Shot Case Sizing Wax cleans the nickel cases pretty well without tumbling.

 

[Bruce Mc]

Oldtrader, I use nickle plated cases in my .257 Roberts and 7mm Rem Mag. I have cleaned them several times in the vibrator with corn cob and pecan hulls. I haven't noticed any wear from it. How many times does it take and what should I be looking for? I never gave any thought to the vibrator removing the nickle.