Lol, almost nobody had tumblers when I started. I loaded thousands of 38, 357, and 45acp with nothing more than shaking in a pasta strainer to get range debri off, then hosing them off. If your spouse doesn't catch you, a basket in the dishwasher or a pillow case in the washing machine work too.
I never would have guessed you were a Valley Girl in the ‘80’s. Go figure!
I don't deprime before tumbling, no safery/health reason, just don't. The universal depriming die I use doesn't touch the case sides, so no worries scratching the die. For me the very first step is inspection. I do a quick check of the case head, looking at the primer and a glance at the headstmp. Then the case neck and body for splits and while I have the case mouth pointed up, look for a single flash hole (for unknown headstamps). Then they go in the tumbler. Sounds like it takes too much time, but only 2 seconds per case. Saves time replacing decapping stems/pins or loading junk/split brass. And my press "captures" spent primers so no burnt debris gets on anything...
It’s better to look good than feel good and you look mahvaleous!—Billy Crystal as Ricardo MontalbanYup, washing them in the sink or a bucket will work just fine. The only part that should touch the case during de-priming is the pin and shell holder. But dirt in the extraction groove will misalign the case mouth and make it more difficult.
Clean cases are happy cases.
Shiny cases are better!
Sorry, y’all, but I know for a fact these shoot better than dingy, dark cases.
“When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you do better.” ~ Grandma R.
“And if I don’t win, as least I’ll look good not doin’ it!”~ Me
Yes. I usually have them in a bucket of soap solution for about a day, agitating the mix several times over that period. A couple rinses with hot water will remove the soap and help them dry faster. I separate the cases from the rinse with an old silverware basket from a dishwasher, but any type of screen will do. Spread the brass out on a towel to dry. A fan or heat source will speed up the drying.
Yes.
Get a tumbler. Washing is a PITA. For dirty gritty brass wash, but for your normal pickups a tumbler is definetly needed.
I still clean with a cloth and q-tip when I only have one or a dozen cases - like from load testing or a trip to the hunting field - just to keep my boxes topped off. Those cases probably have the most rounds through them since I always pull from the same spot. I’ve probably got two or more boxes of .357Max with two or three cases that have hundreds of firings and the rest are still on their first reload.
I'd recommend getting a wet tumbler. Harbor Freight sells a dual drum model for about $60 - doesn't take up much space and will get the brass squeaky clean.
