Cleaning Brass

[Dragoneye9]

Quick question the Lee carbide Die set says you don't need to clean the cases befor you reload but all my manuals say you should what are peoples opinions on this? I've ordered everything to reload except a tumbler to clean my brass and have spent almost all of my budget how nessicary is this pice of equipment to reload .38 specials and .357 magnums?

 

[Sport45]

Did they say you don't need to clean or you don't need to lube?

Always clean brass before running it through the sizing die. It's hard to screw up the carbide die, but it will certainly show in your brass. Simply wiping it off with a rag will do unless it's range brass with caked on mud, etc. Clean is important, shiney is optional.

Before I got my tumbler I washed mine in the washer with a load of shop rags. I dried them in the oven on a large cookie sheet (not used for cooking!) at 190° for about a half-hour. Worked fine.

 

[DragonFire]

Clean brass will save your dies some wear and tear, make handling the cases (unloaded and loaded) less messy, but it isn't absolutely necessary. But I think you will find that almost all reloaders clean their brass, though you probably can't find two that do it exactly the same way.

There are several ways to clean brass without a tumbler. A water wash, like Sport45 said, works somewhat or there are wet chemical washes, but a tumbling is less messy, less time consuming (it runs without you being there) and isn't that expensive.

There are several very inexpensive tumblers on the market, and you can even get by with a rock/jewelry vibarating cleaner.

 

[scrat]

agreed some people dont clean there brass at all. I clean mine. way better for the dies and it just makes a better presentation.

 

[Down South]

Many moons ago hardly any reloaders polished their brass. They prided themselves with their tarnished brass. I know. I was one of em. Cleaning is a different story. Cleaning can be done by washing or wiping off with a damp rag. Dirty brass can reek havoc with your dies plus the chambers of your rifle/Handguns.
A tumbler will clean and polish brass so I could say that it does two different jobs. Most vibatory tumblers are reasonably priced. Corn cob, walnut and other media can be bought very reasonable at your local pet store or even Wally world.

 

[qajaq59]

If they are flying into the dirt I'd definitly clean them. But if you don't have a tumbler yet just wipe them down while you're inspecting them. It'll only take a second or two, and you should be looking them over anyway.

 

[MaterDei]

You only need to clean it if it's dirty. If your revolver brass goes from box to gun to box then it doesn't get dirty and probably doesn't need to be run through a tumbler.

I tumble all my brass whether they are dirty or not because I like them SHINY!

 

[Evenflo76]

Hi, I am about to start some basic hand loading. I have ordered a Lee Classic hand loader and the recommended extras to make it complete.

At first, I only plan to hand load new brass until I am confident in my ability.

My question for you is, When you speak of cleaning brass for reloading, Do you clean both the inside and outside of the used brass? Or is it only necessary to clean the outside?

Thanks In Advance

 

[45ACPUSER]

the only way to clean the inside of fired brass is liquid methods. I use a bore brush to clean case necks of rifle rounds. Ultrasonic cleaners work well for cleaning the whole case!

 

[Flash!]

to me its a matter of pride..... I like my brass shiny so I clean them every reload....