Do you clean your brass?

So no one is using rice in their tumbler ?
I tried rice about a year ago but it did not work as well as walnut or corncob for me. Then when my wife ask me to bring a bag of rice upstairs for dinner I had to run to the store. It was a little too gray to pass off after being in the tumbler.
 
I load small batches, 50 at a time and not frequently. I de prime, toss in a vibratory cleaner with corn cob media for a couple hours, inspect and anneal, spray lube and resize, then wipe the lube off with a rag, trim if needed, prime and load.
 
I anneal, then Resize and De Prime, then wet tumble with S/S pins for 4 to 6 hours. Brass is very clean and shiny , and easy to examine for cracks or other defects. Primer pockets are super clean. I Wet tumble cases every second loading. My average batch is 20 cases.
 
I tumble twice, as well. Once after the range session (or within a few days, when time allows) and once after resizing (If they needed resized). I noticed my die's stay cleaner and require less cleaning. I'd rather throw a handful of brass in my tumble then spend 20 minutes cleaning my dies.
 
I use to clean my brass until it was like new in tumblers and with ultrasonic cleaners until I realized that it was actually hurting accuracy and wasting time. After researching and seeing that people like Erik and Alex Wheeler do not clean their brass I realized that I should not be cleaning mine either.

I personally use Redding Type S Bushing Die's without the expander ball - so I only get lube on the outside of the case, which I just wipe off after sizing. No tumbling needed or anything. The only "cleaning" I do to my brass is the primer pockets. I take a primer pocket brush and just remove some of the fouling to get the primer to seat properly. I believe that Alex will tell you that this really isn't worth the time either as he has not seen any accuracy differences - but I still do it anyways.

I follow Alex's method of using a tight brush, like an Iosso, on the inside of the neck with a drill to warm up that carbon right before I seat my bullet. Warming up and leaving the carbon in the case has seem to make seating much more consistent and prevent's some cold weld. If I am using new brass without carbon, then I will use a dry neck lube.
 
I tried rice about a year ago but it did not work as well as walnut or corncob for me. Then when my wife ask me to bring a bag of rice upstairs for dinner I had to run to the store. It was a little too gray to pass off after being in the tumbler.
Leave it in the tumbler and add some heat…and chicken. You may think chicken fried rice is good….but chicken TUMBLED rice is delicious 😁
 
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