What should cleaned brass look like?

[stogiejim]

I don't have a tumbler yet. I did the NRA technique with dishsoap, salt, vinegar, adn water.

Brass came out pretty clean but doesn't look new. There are dark spots still left on a lot of the brass. Still clean but darker up top on some near where the bullet goes. Is this normal?

Do you veteran reloaders make your reloads look factory new? Anything unsafe about shooting this brass that I've cleaned.

It's 9mm brass if that matters

Jim

[m&p45acp10+1]

As long as they are clean, and free of debris that will scar your sizing die they are fine. Pretty doesn't shoot any better.

[dahermit]

Do you veteran reloaders make your reloads look factory new?

Walnut medial will clean and make them bright (especially of "treated" with Jeweler's Rouge, a mild abrasive), if one wants them "shinny", which is not necessary, one can tumble them with corn cob media which does more shining and less cleaning. I do not use corn cob, but have always used untreated walnut media and find that they get both clean and shinny enough.

[ScottRiqui]

Although I'll admit it doesn't shoot any better, I'm a sucker for 'shiny'. Here are the "before and after" pics of some particularly cruddy brass I tumbled with water, stainless steel pins, dish soap and citric acid:

[stogiejim]

Thanks for the posts guys. So basically I need a tumbler?

Now there is still some "stuff" inside the shell. Its not bad but still there. Would that mess up my resize die?

[stogiejim]

And HOLY CRAP Scott!! That's awesome!

I'm a sucker for shiny things as well. Especially brass

[mikld]

I reloaded for 12 years, or so, before I got a tumbler. I got one of the small ones from Harbor Freight and some Lizzard Litter from Petco. Until that time I would only wipe each case with a rag slightly dampened with mineral spirits to get rid of any grit, dirt, or grease. My dies didn't wear out any quicker and I could spot defects while inspecting. But I do have one now that I use for brass and cleaning rust/gunk from tools. For me it's 100% cosmetic. (I remember I could spot the reloaders at the range by their dull brass. They usually shot a lot and collected their brass when done). But today, many reloaders are going for new looking brass (for their personal satisfaction ) and consider tumbling a "must".

Your method will clean your brass, removing any soot, grease, etc. but won't leave them shiny, as some type of polishing, tumbling, or vibrating is needed for that. Unless you use a polish with ammonia you brass is ok.

FWIW; I believe the only "need" for virgin looking brass is when shooting around gravel, dirt, or grass with my 1911, shiny brass is easier to find...

[stogiejim]

just to show what I'm talking about, here's the latest batch I cleaned with that method.

[Ozzieman]

Last year I purchased 1000 rounds of military 30-06 in bandoliers with end blocks for the M1 Grand. These are ether Lake City dated 1954 or EW 1942 or 43. I won’t shoot them because they have corrosive primers so I remove the bullets, dump the powder in the garden and rework the components.
I don't have a photo of the before but trust me they were crappy. No corrosion but a lot of tarnish and the bullets are dark.
The attached is after 4 hours in the vibrator. The bullets look new except for a little glue/varnish used to seal the case. This will come off with a little paint remover. But for my use in military guns I don't worry. As far as cleaning/polishing compound don’t use any thing with ammonia in the polish. For Media I use nothing but Quick-N-EZ
For polish its Frankford arsenal polish.
Both can be found at MidwayUSA
The medium is the best I have ever used and there is no dust. The polish is what I like and the only one I will use and it gives the brass a soft slick feel but no residue.
And here is your senior (30+years) reloader trick of the week.
Do you want that fresh summer spring smell to your brass?
Do you want the best smelling brass at the range?
Then just cut up a dryer sheet into 3 inch squares and put it in when you clean. It removes the dust and gunk from walnut medium and makes it last much longer.
If you don’t what that fresh smell then use USED dryer sheet and it works just as well.
I don’t and won’t use any litter product. It works well but I have tried two different products and they do clean well but the dust was so bad that it was like working in a coal mine.

[NWPilgrim]

Where you shoot makes a big difference. At the gun club we have a concrete floor so brass stays clean and dry and could easily be reloaded as-is. At the gravel pit in wet/snow weather the brass can get muddy and if not attended to until next morning can be covered in light corrosion. In this instance a good long soak in warm, weak citric acid solution will remove corrosion and powder residue but not leave them shiny. For shiny I run them in the vibratory tumbler for an hour with corn cob and a squirt of car polish.

That stainless steel media looks like a terrific method all in one step.

[jag2]

I wish Scott would quit posting those pictures, my will power is very weak. Damn those look nice.

[stogiejim]

Awesome stuff, thanks!

So a little bit of gunk inside the case is not a problem at all? I just don't see how I'd clean them all unless I do them by hand, but that just seems like a HUGE waste of time.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

guys... honest...best thing since sliced bread... clean pockets, clean inside the case, shiny & new looking... if my wife hadn't given me the ultra sonic a few years ago, that sucker would be for sale...

[m&p45acp10+1]

The soot inside the cases will not hur your dies at all. Make sure there are no clods inside the cases, and that nothing is cloging the flash hole. I only tumble bucket brass that super cruddy. My revolver rounds I never bother with clenaing. They shoot just the same.