cleaning cases

[STORMIN29]

I have alot of once fired cases that are fairly dirty from powder residue.
Should I clean the cases before depriming and then again afterwards to clean out the primer pockets ? I will be loading on a Square Deal press from Dillon once it arrives loading .44 mag ammo. Thanks for the help.

 

[Sunray]

Tumble 'em before you do anything. Re-size/deprime, wipe 'em off with a cloth and a bit of solvent and carry on.

 

[Tony Z]

IMO,

Just tumble the brass then reload it. For a .44 mag you really dont need to mess with the primer pockets. I use to clean them years ago.

I found that it did not help me any, also took up to much time. Now for pistol loads, I just tumble and reload.

If you have the time and want the pockets clean then tumble resize/deprime then clean your primer pockets then finish loading them.


Tony Z

 

[HogRider]

If you wanna be real anal ( like me he he) you tumble in walnut medium ( occasionally treated with a table spoon of mineral spirits) - then deprime with a non sizing decapper die - then tumble again in Corn Cob Medium ( with some polish/no ammonia ). From all the methods I have tried this will give you "almost new" looking brass.

Disadvantage: Time consuming and also when you take it out of the corn cob there are chances that an occasional piece of corn is stuck in a flash hole. I use a Paper clip to push them out during the final inspection when I sort and bag it.

Aah, there is always something special about digging through a large pile of new looking brass -

 

[JoeHatley]

I use a Lee Depriming die to pop the primers out 1st, then tumble in walnut media. A few of the flash holes will be plugged, but I leave the depriming pin installed in my sizing die, so any walnut gets popped out there.

Works for me...

Joe

 

[Desert Eagle]

No need in handling brass any more times than necessary. Tumble, deprime and reload that's all ya need to do. I've used Corn Cob Media with Brasso for years that cleans them fast and clean without a problem. There's an old wife's tales about ammonia weakening brass that many of us old kids know ain't true.

DE

 

[Zak Smith]

No need for all those steps - they really kill the reloading rate.

Buy crushed corn cob media at your local "feed supply" store for about $15 for a 40 lb bag. Add some Dillon or Flitz polishing compound.

Tumble the fired cases for a couple hours; separate from the media. Spray some Hornady One-Shot case lubricant in the box of now-clean cases. Wait 15 minutes for its carrier to evaporate and then run them through your SDB.

-z

 

[HSMITH]

Just load and shoot them!!!!!!!!!

Unless your brass is possibly comtaminated with abrasive particles like sand or dirt all you are doing by cleaning is making them look better. It helps nothing as far as performance goes. Cosmetics ARE secondary to marksmanship last I checked......

Roll them around in hot water and some Tide if they might be abrasive, otherwise quit worrying about it. If you have time to tumble them fine, but it is NOT necessary. Tumble primer IN, lots less chance of a flash hole being blocked and a squib load.

 

[Mike Kerr]

Tumble. Seperate media and cases. Reload. Zak Smith and HSMITH covered it very well.

Good luck.

 

[gharsh]

I agree with Zak and HSmith. I do tumble mine and then load them. I tumble with the primers still in to keep out the media. Also using a SDB and have had no problems.

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

Cleaning Primer pockets

During my long career in loading millions of rounds and firing a goodly amount in police competition, I have never cleaned a primer pocket and never will!!

 

[fnbrowning]

I've been using Brasso for years also. Now up to this point, I would tumble with a few tablespoons of Brasso in my media.

Then I would spray lube, resize, and then wash the cases in warm detergent water to remove the lube and media dust. Afterward, I rinsed again in clear water and dried the cases.

I just naturally washed the cases 'cause I didn't like the feel of lubed cases, and thought the lube would pick up and retain dust over time.

I never saw any problems from using Brasso. However, it might be said that the wash I do removes any chance of an ammonia problem.

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

I do things just a bit differently.

I use Birchwood Casey case cleaner (2 oz to 1 quart of hot water) and put the dirty critters in for about six minutes. You can save the solution for other cleanings...no need to throw away unless the solution begins to look grayish.

After they are air dried I tumble (I use Lyman's walnut w/jewler's rouge) with the primers in and I clean the primer pocket and seat and flash hole with an RCBS steel primer brush after they are decapped and sized.

I used to size/decap them first and then I got to thinking that the cases are dirty.....in time it's gotta take a toll on the dies with all that grit. Plus I hate rehandling cases with plugged flash holes and primer pockets.