Tumbling brass, does it make a differnce?

[GWS]

There are so many reasons, but the three that I like tonight, is:

1. Clean and shiny brass means it's clean and shiny safe! That means I can quit worrying about whether if I got it clean enough to put in my dies or my guns.

Before I bought my first tumbler......maybe I cleaned it maybe I didn't.......two weeks ago. Couldn't always remember, so I don't doubt that some got cleaned more than one.....and that's frustrating.

2. Bling makes good ammo look like it's good ammo. It gives others the impression that maybe your "reloads" are as professionally done as factory ammo. Yes I know, that could be a shallow perception of reality. But perception is as important as reality if you want people to feel safe around you. Just don't screw that up with dangereous shiny reloads!

3. I shoot better. The ammo doesn't......I do. Why diminish a good mood with ugly ammo. I bet everyone shoots better when they feel good, mentally, or physically.

[FrankenMauser]

The only significant reason I used to tumble brass, and currently have a 2+ year backlog stacked up and waiting to be cleaned.....

...is because 90% of my "new" brass is range pickup brass.
It's usually dusty.
Sometimes it's muddy.
Once in a while the cases might even have some grit embedded in them.

And, even my good brass often hits the dirt, in the middle of the desert, when I'm shooting.

I don't want that crap getting anywhere near my dies.

I'll get another tumbler, one of these days. But, until then, I'll continue running the nasty, dirty brass into the universal decapping die that's mounted in a Lee Reloader press (I don't want that nasty grit on any of my good presses, either ), and piling the brass up for that 'one day'....

[rtpzwms]

it is well know that clean pretty brass will make clean pretty holes in targets. dirty ugly brass will make black holes.(think deep space)

[WVMountaineer]

I have to admit, while I have loaded some without tumbling/cleaning them, the vast majority were tumbled between stages of processing.

Certain things aren't meant for chambers,bolts, barrels, etc... Tumbling removes all the things that don't belong. If you don't remove the crud from your brass, your firearm will. My firearm isn't a dust pan. God Bless

[tobnpr]

"Finish" makes no difference, never have "gotten" the rationale to spend hundreds of $$ on ultrasonic and the like, then have to dry your brass in the oven, etc. I'm all about spending less time- not more- on reloading.

"Clean", however- can make a huge difference. I usually single-load my bolt guns at the range- so the brass goes from the case, to rifle, back to case.

With semi's like our AR-15's and AR-10, the brass ends up on the concrete, sand, and grass. If it's not thoroughly cleaned, any grit- small as it may be- can scratch your sizing die and the brass. Remember, the tolerances you're dealing with here are in thousandth's of an inch, or less.

[William T. Watts]

I can't improve on shootest's comment, I didn't clean my cases for a time because I couldn't afford a tumbler.. William

[mikld]

I memmer going to a police range in the mid seventies and watching a couple old fellers shoot their 1911s, and they were shooting a lot. First thing I noticed was they picked up all their brass. Then I looked at the targets; no X ring left, all shot out (also known as "good shootin'!"). When I got a little closer I noticed all their ammo was brown, not shiny brass. I guess this was before tumbling became a necessity or a measure of a reloader's quality...

[Marco Califo]

Toxic compounds are present in the residue on fired brass. Lead is there even if you are using jacket bullets, because all US primers contain lead. Look at your hands after handling fired brass. Then wash your hands.

Dish washing detergent in hot water removes 99%. I deprime first so they drain better. Tumbling gets the other 1% and convinces you they are clean. The shinier the better.

Clean brass is also much easier on sizing dies as all grit is gone.

Then I tumble after sizing, to remove the sizing lubricant. I use Lithium grease to prevent bipolar brass.