Cleaning Brass

[Telgriff]

Hey everyone, i've just started reloading for my .260 and I am wondering how much/how thorough cleaning the brass needs before reloading with it.

I don't have a tumbler (they are $200+ here) so I am wondering if, cleaning the primer pocket and the externals will be sufficient. I.e. does the inside of the case need to be spotless or is it more a concern of the outside and primer pocket?

[cdoc42]

All you really need to do is clean the primer pocket, remove any visible dirt from the case so the resizing process doesn't embed it into the case or scratch the inside of the die. You can use brass polish and a rag while you're watching TV, but eventually you'll get a case cleaner because it's just an inherent part of the reloading process to end up with a nice, shiny, brand-new looking cartridge that you've put together which ends up being a reflection on YOU for the care and dedication you've put into building your product.

[William T. Watts]

Ditto! There are number of smaller tumbers that's less than a $100. Search MidwayUSA and Cabelas, often they can be found in used condition, usually they last for many years! William

[Jim243]

Telfriff

You can use any rock tumbler, just put ground up corn cobb or walnut in it. You must have small tumblers under 100.00 dollars ausi over there.

You just need to clean off the outside of the case to keep your dies from getting scratched.


Jim

[SL1]

You only need to make SURE that you don't size the cases while they have grit on them. For a revolver, it is easy because you can keep the brass from hitting the groung. And, shooting a bolt-action rifle from the bench, you can catch the brass pretty easily to keep it from hitting the ground and getting gritty. But, autoloading pistols and rifles create some grit issues that need to be addressed with cleaning. Powder residue is not a problem. You can wipe it off the outside of the cases with a rag dampened with something like CLP.

Residue INSIDE the case is NOT removed by most reloaders. Residue in the primer pockets is USUALLY not a problem, but, IF it makes the primers not seat fully, then there are cheap hand tools (stiff steel brushes of the right diameter) that can be used to clean it out with a simple twisting motion.

Shiny isn't necessary. If you decide to go with a brass polish to make them shiney anyway, make sure that the polish does NOT contain ammonia. Ammonia tends to make the brass susceptible to eventual cracking.

SL1

[ryalred]

A minimal amount of cleaning is actually necessary--enough to get off any grit that would harm your sizing dies and enough to get the sizing lube out of the case neck.

A cheap way to brighten up brass (if you use the Lee trimmer inserted in a hand drill) is to use some relatively fine steal wool and grasp the case with the steal wool and turn the case with the drill--shines up pretty good.

[Telgriff]

Thanks for the info, will work on keeping them clean and as far as grit is concerned, my cases NEVER touch the ground, single shot fired, spent brass goes back in the ammo carrier in the stock (which is closed and away from any chance of dirt)

.260 brass is EXPENSIVE, dont want dirt on them.

[Shoney]

For the first 30 years of my 50 years of reloading. I did not have a tumbler. I used several various, liquid brews to clean brass. I even tied brass in old socks and ran it through the washing machine when the wife was not home.

During the 50 years of loading, I cleaned primer pockets for about 2 years, while I was learning. I haven't cleaned primer for the last 48 years

In the early 90's I started competitive pistol shooting and realized the need for a tumbler. I remember when I tumbled my first batch, about 250 cases. I opened the lid and the as the brass glittered, all around a blinding bright light shined, heavenly voices were singing to wonderful harp music, and life was good.

[cdoc42]

Telgriff, I may be mistaken, but isn't a .260 a necked down .270 or .30-06? If so, can't you just run those cases through your .260 die? Others here more knowledgable about the .260 feel free to correct me.

[Woodyed]

No, the 260 is a necked down 308 case, not a 30-06 or 270 case.

[SL1]

Isn't the problem that Australia outlawed "military" cartridges, so that NEITHER the .308 NOR the .30-'06 are readily available, as they are here in the 'States? Hence, you need to make .260 cases from other sporting cases instead of the cheaper ones like the 7mm Mauser, etc. Bummer.

SL1

[DogoDon]

I even tied brass in old socks and ran it through the washing machine when the wife was not home.

And we wonder why our wives think we're crazy sometimes?

[ryalred]

Shoney:

I had a gallon plastic jug with a lid that I used to tape (with duct tape) to the drum in my wife's clothes dryer. I would put brass and cleaning media in it and run the dryer (with no heat)--took a long time, but it did work--biggest problem was having to reset the timer on the dryer all the time.

I also used to wash golf balls in the washing machine.

My wife put a stop to all that, though!

[Brian Pfleuger]

Somebody needs to try a paint can shaker. I'll bet that would work, and quick!

[WillyBow8]

For cleaning primer pockets I've found a little trick. RCBS makes a primer pocket wire brush head (several sizes) that screws into a screwdriver-like handle. If you take that head and insert it into your electric drill its much easier, faster and better cleaning, with much less wear and tear on your hand and wrist.

Have fun,
Bill

[howlnmad]

You can put them in a closable mesh bag and run them through the dishwasher then stand them upside down to dry. Brass doesn't have to be shiny, it just needs to be clean. A friend was hassling me about some 7 mag loads that were truly ugly until I was cutting holes at 300 yds.He shut up. Oh yeah, run a brush down the necks also.

[SL1]

There is lead residue from the primers, even if you are using fully plated bullets. Putting cases in the dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, even oven, can put it inside YOU. Also, cleaning case with the normal equipment, but without gloves or a lot of hand washing, can put lead into you. Especially be careful about inhaling the dust from a tumbler when you dump out the media with the cleaned cases in it.

SL1

[shootingblanks00]

I made a cheap, easy and effective brass tumbler from a plastic Folgers coffee can, some inexpensive hardware from Home Depot and a cordless drill. For the media, I use Zilla Reptile Bedding (crushed red walnut) from Petsmart.

Watch it in action here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvunTv-5x7A

I've made some adjustments since making the video made the shaft shorter and made a better support for the drill.

Working on getting a DC power supply to power the drill. Gets annoying having to switch out the battery every couple of hours. Tried using a corded drill but could not adjust the power switch. It either ran way too fast or not fast enough. Throw in some Nu-Finish car wax from Chinamart or whoever carries it and you are good to go.

[jamesicus]

Time is not a factor for me and I only reload (mostly 30/06) forty cartridges during a session - therefor, I hand clean each case using brass wool.

JP

[noylj]

You have to wipe of the case exterior so any dirt/grit doesn't scratch your sizing die. Cleaning the primer pocket is little more than a feel good activity with most loads/rifles. It falls into the "can't hurt and might help" category.
You can spend lots of time and money cleaning brass, but you aren't going to get any better performance than with "wiped clean" cases.
You will also have to wipe the case exterior of case lube if you are using one of the standard lubes. Otherwise, with rifles, you will get a lot more bolt thrust than your rifle was designed to handle.
The thing about cleaning the primer pocket, though, is that with rifles (particularly for recreational shooting and hunting) you are going to be individually handling each case anyway, so you can take the 3 seconds or so to scrape out the primer pocket and not be out any time.
There seems to be some competition in certain circles for who has the shiniest brass.

[m&p45acp10+1]

A shop towel and some denatured alcohol work pretty well. It dries pretty fast too. I then lube with sillicone personal lubricant. Then I size the case, then wipe down again with the alcohol. It takes less time than my tumbler.
I do use my tumbler for range pick up brass if it is realy dirty stuff, or the stuff I use as trade fodder. A lot of the time guys are more willing to trade stuff if the brass is already clean.

[Telgriff]

Woodyed: I use factory .260 Brass from Nosler. Norma also makes really good .260 brass but it costs even more.

SL1 - Military cartridges aren't banned, except for a few of the .338's. I just prefer to use factory .260 brass instead of sizing and trimming 308. Plus I get a nice '.260 Remington' stamp on the bottom of all my brass . Seeing as I dont own a .308 or .243 I dont have spare cases around, the price difference is only $15 between .308 brass and .260 brass so I may as well save myself the extra work for now.

I also am fully away of the lead residue from the primers, hence why I didnt want to go the dishwasher/washing machine route. A flathead screwdriver seems to clean the pocket out as effectively as a primer cleaning tool would. Was more concerned about the carbon deposit inside the case and whether it affected loading pressures etc.

[azjohn]

If you want to clean the inside you could try citric acid. Info at this link.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=83572
I haven't tried it yet but will be doing so in the future.

[Rico567]

When I need a liquid tarnish remover, I've always just used white vinegar in hot water, let sit for 20-30 minutes, then rinse well. Naturally, your cases should be deprimed for this. It works......to an extent, and is certainly cheap. The brass will clean up fine, as long as the tarnish isn't serious. The brass comes out clean but with a "frosted" look. For those who demand the highly polished look, this can be done by a subsequent trip through a tumbler in the normal fashion.

Looking to improve my case cleaning, I recently bought some citric acid at Wal-Mart (trade name Lemi-Shine, comes as a powder in a 12 oz. container for $3.77); there's not a whole big shelf of it so I had to look pretty closely in the laundry products area. Saw this stuff recommended on a forum, so I bought it- not interested in an investment in a bulk box of 15 pounds of citric acid, or paying for the food grade stuff.

I've got a couple thousand .40 S&W cased deprimed, and I'm ready to give them a soak in this, and will post the results to this thread. I will soak in a solution of 'Green Cleaner' and hot water first to remove all soil possible.