CatShooter Brass cleaning ?

TrapShooter12

TrapShooter12

Member
Since you have/are in the buisness of reloading Brass. What is the opinion of tumbling/vibrating loaded brass.

I have read that the manufactures clean loaded brass before boxing and shipping. Is this true.
 
Originally Posted By: TrapShooter12Since you have/are in the buisness of reloading Brass. What is the opinion of tumbling/vibrating loaded brass.

I have read that the manufactures clean loaded brass before boxing and shipping. Is this true.

Yes... American manufactures polish their cases after forming and final annealing. "We" like our ammo looking "nice". Europeans don't care about annealing colors.

With American ammunition, the cases are made, then final anneal, then polished, then loaded, inspected, and boxed.

European cases are made, cleaned, annealed, then loaded, inspected, and boxed.

I am not a believer of tumbling brass (it's not a safety issue, I just don't use tumblers [so far])
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Last year, I vibro-polished over 2,000,000 rounds of loaded .223/5.56 ammo. The twelve polishers were ~ten feet from my desk, and I never gave it a second thought (except the noise
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Meow.
 
+1 i tumble all mine loaded cause the small case mouths are a pain in the arse to get the media out of, and you dont have to worry about it in you flash hole. if you seat the bullets shallow in the case and dont crimp you can lose a bullet or two and the powder is in the tumble but still no explosions so far lol
 
Originally Posted By: nastynatesfish+1 i tumble all mine loaded cause the small case mouths are a pain in the arse to get the media out of, and you dont have to worry about it in you flash hole. if you seat the bullets shallow in the case and dont crimp you can lose a bullet or two and the powder is in the tumble but still no explosions so far lol

For my own cases...

If I have bought fired brass (G.I range pick-up or otherwise), I first wash it with enough liquid Tide to clean out the dirt and garbage. Then I rinse it, and treat it in Iosso for a few minutes until the cases are clean of dark oxidation color. Then dry them.

Then I lube with RCBS-II lube and FL size them, withOUT removing the primers, and wash/dry them again.
When I FL size them, I set the FL die to MAX SAAMI headspace dimensions, or a crush fit in the rifle.

Then I polish them with corn cob and case polish.

Then de-prime them with a separate de-prime die, and they're ready to load.

Lotta work? Maybe, but my loaded ammo looks like it came from Tiffany's jewelery department...

.. shoots like it too
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Meow
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Catshooter. What is the benefit of resizing without de-priming? Will 2 dies do a better job? "each having its own role in the reloading process" than 1 die will to do both jobs at the same time? This is interesting. Thanks..
 
My guess is to keep the media from clogging up the flash hole.

I have taken to using an ultrasonic cleaner, then a little bit of time in a tumbler with some walnut media and Lyman's case polish and they come out sparkling.

I use the really fine media to keep them from lodging in the flash hole.
 
Originally Posted By: Orneryolfart357Catshooter. What is the benefit of resizing without de-priming? Will 2 dies do a better job? "each having its own role in the reloading process" than 1 die will to do both jobs at the same time? This is interesting. Thanks..

The benefit is if you size without depriming, you can polish the cases without having to pick out the corn cob from the primer pockets. Otherwise, the pockets will pack (hard) with corn cob and has to be cleaned out with a dental pick
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.

I have found a source of very small corn cob, and I would like to try that. If it works, I will deprime when I size.

I am also thinking about the stainless steel cleaning pins. They look good, but don't do a lot of cases at one time.

Cleaning cases well, is an endless search, like searching for the Holly Grail
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Meow.
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I recently switched over to ground walnut bedding for lizards,
IIRC. I get it a Petco, and the last batch(30 lbs) was
purchased online. I add a cap full of Berry's Mfg. Case
Polish about every two batch runs in the media. The walnut
shell is ground so small it NEVER clogs the primer pocket, or
flash hole...Or at least not in the last 10,000 pistol/1000
rifle cases I have cleaned so far this year. And with the
case polish the brass comes out very pretty.
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For heavily tarnished range brass, I also bath it in ISSO for
a few moments, and then vibrate clean in the walnut bedding.

One can get it at Petco, or probably most good pet supply
stores. Give it a try with your favorite polish additive.
You won't be buying the coarse stuff, and picking it out
of pockets and flash holes, any more.

Squeeze
 
Originally Posted By: Squeeze I recently switched over to ground walnut bedding for lizards, IIRC. I get it a Petco, and the last batch(30 lbs) was purchased online. I add a cap full of Berry's Mfg. Case Polish about every two batch runs in the media. The walnut shell is ground so small it NEVER clogs the primer pocket, or flash hole...Or at least not in the last 10,000 pistol/1000 rifle cases I have cleaned so far this year. And with the case polish the brass comes out very pretty.
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For heavily tarnished range brass, I also bath it in IOSSO for a few moments, and then vibrate clean in the walnut bedding.

One can get it at Petco, or probably most good pet supply stores. Give it a try with your favorite polish additive. You won't be buying the coarse stuff, and picking it out of pockets and flash holes, any more.
Squeeze

Thanks...

I have been looking for something more effective than the corn cob I have been using (Midway - I bought a 300 pounds when it was on sale and I got a good deal on it).

The walnut that most guys are selling is like pebbles - very course. It cleans the green corrosion off of the cases, but it does not polish.

This sounds good. I also heard that PetCo sells a fine grade of corn cob, and I also came across this stuff.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200351124_200351124

It is an ultra fine corn cob that is used for cleaning stuff by air blasting - I would think it is sooo small that it can't clog cases. I haven't tried it yet

I am getting good polishing now, but I need a way to get the job done faster - I sell the ammo, and people LOVE beautifully polished ammo, but the time my machines take now, limits my total production
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...
I can load it faster than I can clean and polish it, even with my polishing machines running 24/7
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Meow.
 
CatShooter: The gentleman is right on about the walnut hull media. I think once you go to that you'll give up the corncob stuff.
I get mine in 20 lb bags from the local Petland Store
 
I tumble all my brass before resizing and decaping for maybe an hour at most. After resizing and decaping I wash with lacquer thinner to remove any sizing lube, drain, then tumble till it is polished like new.


I got a bucket of ground Walnut shell when I got my tumbler many many years ago and only changed it once or twice. Outside of brass comes out looking like new and does not clog the primer pocket or the flash hole.

I still look through each case to make sure all is OK. Never had to pick any out yet.

DAB
 
Originally Posted By: DAB After resizing and decaping I wash with lacquer thinner to remove any sizing lube, drain, then tumble till it is polished like new.



Try leaving out the lacquer thinner step and see how it works.
My cases go straight from the press to the walnut hull in the tumbler and they come out clean and dry.
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Originally Posted By: fw707Originally Posted By: DAB After resizing and decaping I wash with lacquer thinner to remove any sizing lube, drain, then tumble till it is polished like new.



Try leaving out the lacquer thinner step and see how it works.
My cases go straight from the press to the walnut hull in the tumbler and they come out clean and dry.
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I know that your way works but my way keeps the tumbler media from getting contaminated with lube.

DAB
 
A half second spray of brake cleaner/carborateror cleaner into a pile of lubed brass, followed by a quick swirl or two using a paper towel on the pile takes just seconds and gets most of the lube before tumbling. Works on Imperial Wax too.
 
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