Do you clean your brass?

[Lee7588]

That was interesting to watch while having my morning coffee. Thanks for posting @Lee7588

It gave me a few things to think about.

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

Vibratory w/ walnut for real dirty stuff. But otherwise i use a microfiber cloth to wipe the lube of after sizing.

So no one is using rice in their tumbler ?

 

[Calvin45]

just long enough to get whatever sizing lubricant you use off. 30-40min in dry tumbler

This ^^^^

 

[Calvin45]

So no one is using rice in their tumbler ?

Maybe if you throw in a little soy sauce….

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

Maybe if you throw in a little soy sauce….

I'm going to try it. I saw it on Primal Rights article.

Play With Your Food: Clean Brass With Rice :: Primal Rights, Inc

Cleaning your brass is a necessity. Foreign material in or on our cases can cause all kinds of problems. Damage to expensive reloading dies, damage to rifles, and various other issues can arise if proper care is not taken.

www.primalrights.com

 

[Ol' Red]

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.

 

[justinp61]

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.

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

Maybe if you throw in a little soy sauce….

I was thinking a little car wax.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

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.

 

[Lee7588]

So no one is using rice in their tumbler ?

I use rice with my gravy but not in my tumbler. Lol. I've had the same walnut media for years, I'm sure rice would work just as well

 

[Jcook02]

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.

 

[fnlights]

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.

 

[Calvin45]

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

 

[WapitiBob]

I clean with acetone after all case work and before I prime. They come out of the gun without the tarnish that used to be there after firing. I might tumble a cpl times/year.