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Old March 21, 2006, 07:46 PM   #1
Stump1
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Cleaning Cases: How important?

How important is it that I buy a tumbler or a vibrator to clean my cases? I've just been using a little soap and water like one of my books says. My reloads don't look shiny enough to win a carshow, but I'm just taking them to the range and then right back to the press for another load.

What kind of performance am I potentially losing? There seem to be no obstructions, chunks, or anything like that. It just isn't pretty.
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Old March 21, 2006, 08:06 PM   #2
Leftoverdj
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You are losing nothing. Polishing cases is an affectation.
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Old March 21, 2006, 08:10 PM   #3
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Affectation

Great word!

Thanks for the help!
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Old March 21, 2006, 08:24 PM   #4
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They only need to be clean enough to keep grit from scratching your dies (well, that's only if you care about your dies).
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Old March 21, 2006, 08:44 PM   #5
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For my target/varmint loads I like to clean and tumble. I use dawn dish soap then a light acidic solution followed by a turn in a vibratory tumbler with treated media.
I clean the primer pockets each time as well. I try to keep things as consistent as possible for the little critters.



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Old March 21, 2006, 09:05 PM   #6
drvector
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Not sure if case cleaning is an "affectation" or an "affliction". Never the less, I do clean my cases. It makes inspecting them easier (at least that's what I tell myself)

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Old March 21, 2006, 09:24 PM   #7
Ozzieman
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I clean all casses very well, Tumbler mostly

It’s not an “affectation” it just makes the cases much easer to work with. The nice thing about a good vibrator cleaner is that there easy to use and require very little work. Just fill and dump in the cleaning medium and walk away for an hour. I will not reload rounds without cleaning them. They look better, they function better (this is more important in an auto) and they will function more constantly. If you think its wasted effort then how many times will you shoot the same brass with out cleaning it?
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Old March 21, 2006, 09:46 PM   #8
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Clean - important
Shiny - unimportant
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Old March 22, 2006, 12:15 PM   #9
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I like my cases tumbled before and after loading. Only load for .45 ACP.
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Old March 22, 2006, 06:29 PM   #10
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Hand gun brass I tumbel for 1hr. Rifle tumble 1hr befor sizeing and 1hr after all prep work is done to remove lube and fileings from trimming etc.. I inspect rifle case flash holes, run a brush threw the neck and blow the case out with compressed air. You could skip the second inspeciton and compressed air with Progressive / plinking loads,by running a universal decap die in the first station to punch the flash hole. I use walnut only, no polish. If you over polish rifle brass it can affect accuracy, or so says David Tubb, but what would he know about rifle accuracy

I have a very sincetific reason for running the tumbler 1hr each time. That is the shortest time I can get the christmas tree timer to set for.
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Old March 22, 2006, 06:46 PM   #11
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I've been reloading for about 3 years and just got my tumbler about a month ago.

I have 45acp brass that is more black, brown and green than brass colored and it has been loaded 4-5 times. Still works fine.

Only reason I got the tumbler was for my M1A 308 rifle brass. I'll throw in 45acp or other caliblers now that I have it, but I certainly didn't need it. Any misfires/FTF's/FTE's I had in the past with 45acp were my fault with too tight of a crimp, over-seated primer, etc.

I still don't polish or anything. Just vibrate the cases for about 2 hours to knock all the crud off them. They come out looking brand new, but a little bit "dusty" from the walnut. They work great.
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Old March 22, 2006, 07:23 PM   #12
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Thanks

Thanks for all of the help. I'm planning on getting a tumbler. The issue has just been how urgent it is.
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Old March 22, 2006, 07:34 PM   #13
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Quote:
If you think its wasted effort then how many times will you shoot the same brass with out cleaning it?
Long as it lasts. Maybe 50 firings in .38 Special.

I'd been loading 30 years before I even got a tumbler.
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Old March 24, 2006, 10:00 PM   #14
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I clean the brass so I can find it after I shoot it.It sticks out like a sore thumb amongest all the dirty ones out there.Well and the bullets look really pretty when there done.Kevin
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Old March 28, 2006, 12:40 AM   #15
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Cleaner the Better

I find that flaws are exposed from cleaning. I have shot next to guys whos brass look like camouflag they are so dirty. Whats even funnier is that after emptying their clip they proceed to pick up my clean brass.

I agree with rimrock! Whats the hurry throw-em in the tumbler. Besides, cases even feel better in your han and eject from actions like revolvers better when they are clean.

I am a avid varmint shooter and like to see my face in my 6mm Remington cases. The friends I have that dont clean their cases have a messy bench as well......
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Old March 28, 2006, 12:56 AM   #16
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Quote:
I am a avid varmint shooter and like to see my face in my 6mm Remington cases. The friends I have that dont clean their cases have a messy bench as well......
Yeah,that!


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Old March 30, 2006, 07:08 AM   #17
ADRIAN B
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Just bought an utrasonic cleaner off ebay. Price around £30. Put 50% warm water and 50% white vinigar. Switch on an leave for a few minutes.

This is ideal after cases have been fired five or so times and had their primers removed. They come out free from internal deposites, very practical and efficient. You may then wish to polish externally afterwards but no need as they will have no clinging debris anywhere.
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Old March 31, 2006, 03:42 PM   #18
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Its so important to me that instead of a tumbler I personally hand wash, dry and polish each and every round by hand. After polishing, I coat each round with wax to prevent tarnish. Takes me about 3 hours to do 25 rounds.

These rounds look so good after I'm finished, I don't want to shoot them. I only shoot boxed ammo from walmart.

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Old March 31, 2006, 05:58 PM   #19
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You never know when you may need to hide a few rounds in a body cavity. I just feel better knowing they will be clean.
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Old March 31, 2006, 06:25 PM   #20
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A New Convert

I had been reloading for many, many years without cleaning brass. On my birthday, this past December, my wife bought me a case cleaner. I'll never go back to the old way.

Last edited by roy reali; April 1, 2006 at 08:01 PM.
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Old March 31, 2006, 10:51 PM   #21
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I think you need to clean 'em, even if its with soap and water, by hand. If you leave 'em gunky, they'll wear your dies faster. Probably wear the chamber of your gun, too.
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Old April 3, 2006, 11:07 PM   #22
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btt


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Old April 5, 2006, 09:02 PM   #23
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Sometimes I run the cases in a tumbler and sometimes I simply wipe them down with a cloth.

Just depends on what sort of urgency is required for the loaded rounds. For example if I decide to go shooting the next morning and need to load up some rounds, I just wipe them down.

Then again most of the time I run them through the tumbler while I clean my guns after shooting them that way they are ready to go next time I decide to load some cartridges. Clean guns like clean brass!
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Old April 6, 2006, 01:58 PM   #24
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The friends I have that dont clean their cases have a messy bench as well......

In my experience, people with spotless shops, dont use them!!! A used shop is a messy shop. If you spend all your time building, and cleaning your shop, the chances are, you should spend more time working on your shop skills. A shop is to be used, not just look pretty. I know plenty of guys who have top of the line everything, and they are sooooo proud of thier shops. They couldnt use 1/2 the tools in it, or make a damn thing in it. JMO sorry clean shop freakz are my pet peave!
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Old April 6, 2006, 11:09 PM   #25
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tumblers

love them, loaded for years before I got one, an actual tumbler, wore that one out, gfot one of the vibratory ones. Love it. I use a couple of different mediums, depending on the results I want. A bit more coarse for cleaning, and a finer one for polishing. Everthing gets cleaned, some things get polished. Just one not of caution, DON"T mix different sizes of brass. Tumble 6 different kinds of .30 cal rifle brass, OK. Tumble 9mm and .45acp brass once, and you will never do it again!
(for those of you who have never done this, the 9mm cases get wedged inside the .45 cases, held tightly by granules of tumbling media. A real pain.)
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