Can I get my cases too clean?

I can confirm this. But, it's really not the huge of a problem. On my Lee Classic Turret it's almost a help in that it give the powder in the holder a little shake and may help with drop consistency.
It is more annoying on the Dillon 650 and so I removed the powder funnel, rolled it back and forth on the table while holding a very fine metal file on the part that enters the case and then repeated this with an emery board.
Problem solved. Some will recommend using lube on the cases but I will not let that crap inside where the powder goes.
Sounds like you have read most of the same things I have and I am happy with my results. Best of Luck.

Super clean brass has wanted to stick a bit in my carbide dies. But I don't want to run dirty brass through my equipment. So, what I've found to work well is to lube about every 10th case or so. Now, my case prep is just walnut tumbling with some Nu-Finish. I wear nitrile gloves through the whole process to not get fingerprints on my rounds.
Then, if at the end of the run, if the finished product isn't looking factory new, I drop the loaded rounds back into the tumbler for a quick spin, 15 min tops, and they all wind up looking factory fresh. The last bit is up for debate, but I've never had any problems and achieved very good results.

“Too clean” is a problem, lube is the solution. A little graphite brushed into a few case necks to transfer to your funnel will handle your powder charging issues, a bit of One Shot on the outside will handle sizing.

Clean, bare metal will have a tendency to "grab" or gall on other surfaces, metal and plastic (and will also tarnish quickly too). Your solution removes any oil, wax, etc from the metal and you get nekkid, bare brass. I have read using an auto wax/polish in the solution will leave a very light film on the brass sort of like a case lube, but much lighter.

Super clean brass can be a problem. The W&W leaves just enough polish to work as a lube so your good to go. I keep a jar of Imperial Neck Lube close if I start having a problem. Just dip the necks in and give it a twist is all it takes. All it is is graphite mixed in with some polymer balls the about the size of #8 shot.

Lots of people like Dawn, I prefer Auto wash and wax (+citric acid)
Car gets what ever flavor W+W is on sale, brass gets whatever I am using for the car.
Used Armour All, Turtle, Formula 1, and some others can't really tell any difference in the results on the brass. (or the car either)

Be generous with the wash and wax, I just use a dollop out of the bottle say maybe 2 oz.

In the Lee Reloading Manual, it indicates that uncleaned brass helps to lubricate carbide dies. A lot of folks do not clean pistol brass. I have no issues when I don't. YMMV

I wash mine in old socks in the washing machine with ammonia.

No media to get rid of. Been doing it this way for 40 or so years.
Works like a charm.

Old socks?
Adds new meaning to “this ammo stinks”!


I suppose shooting Trail Boss will make your socks stink...

So, what is being discussed here is a new, active brass surface, minus any oxide which may help with lubricity. Caused by tumbling, which mechanically removes any existing brass oxide layer. Yet ANOTHER reason to use ultrasonic cleaning instead of tumbling!

Yet ANOTHER reason to use ultrasonic cleaning instead of tumbling!

Click to expand...

or just use wash and wax.
I had a small ultrasonic and by the time I waited between cycles and ran multiple cycles it took as long as wet tumbling, and I had far fewer clean cases.
Brass was clean but not as clean as the wet tumbled brass.
Nothing wrong with Ultrasonic but nothing wrong with wet tumbling either.

For a long time before buying a tumbler I just soaked brass in a bucket of soapy water for a week and swished it around. (hhmmm maybe the unwashed socks worn for a week might have improved this process)
Seemed to shoot fine, just not shiny and spotless.

I remember when I first started polishing the brass for my uniform that no matter how clean and polished it was, I could always make my polishing cloth dirty, after all to polish you have to be moving metal.

Have you ever heard the phrase “squeaky clean”? It means perfectly or completely clean and the squeaky part is what you get. If you have any problems introduce them to some case lube or try some of the other tricks so a slick film is left on the cases when you dump the mix out and let them dry.

Corncob/walnut and polish also keeps them slick enough for smooth sizing.

I just put a little liquid Turtle wax in my polishing media. Keep the dust down and the brass comes out with a thin coating on it. Makes sizing easier, does not stick on the funnel/expander, powder does not stick to it and keeps the brass from tarnishing as quickly when stored.

Cleaning, tumbling, polishing brass for reloading is prolly the most talked about part of reloading, yet the least important...

Too clean? For some, the quest for clean and shiny brass has no limits. “Surgically clean” and “jewelry grade” are sometimes used to define the goal, lol

You know you are a bit of an ammo nerd when you start reaming off the bur on the inside of the flash hole on your 9mm reloads.
umm, yeah, I have a friend that did this.

Brass too clean is like saying a girls too pretty. No such thing. Never had any problems working with clean brass.

Strat Rider said:

You know you are a bit of an ammo nerd when you start reaming off the bur on the inside of the flash hole on your 9mm reloads.
umm, yeah, I have a friend that did this.

Click to expand...

Confession will lighten your heart. Fear not, you are among friends.

Got a large coffee can.. one of those folders plastic ones. Dump two to three hundred rounds of 9mm in it. One second burst of one shot lube, shake it around, another one second burst, shake it around, and let dry while I fill primer tubes. Done, no sticking.

At this rate I wonder how long the spray lube will last as it feels like it's a new can and it's lubed at least 10k rounds

Found these at Midsouth Shooters. Black oxide coated brass in 41, 454and 460.
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply....ulk-41-remington-magnum-black-oxide-500-count

Strat Rider said:

You know you are a bit of an ammo nerd when you start reaming off the bur on the inside of the flash hole on your 9mm reloads.
umm, yeah, I have a friend that did this.

Click to expand...

Your "friend's" got it BAD!