Brass cleaning recipe

[okietom]

I went quite a while without my Lyman turbo 1200 and I know the easiest way to clean brass. Don't. Wipe any grit that would scratch the die and reload it. They don't have to be shiny.

I do clean brass but I have used tarnished brass too. I have done some brain storming about brass cleaning. Thanks to swampratt and others I have some ideas I want to try. I am in no hurry because I have a 25 pound box of walnut hulls that I just started using. If I switch methods it may go to waste.

 

[swampratt]

I used walnut media (pet litter) for the first year that i was cleaning cases.
GET THIS..i tried many mixes with that..one i liked best was eat an orange..save the peeling..cut or tear peeling into small pieces
and let sit on counter to dry for 10 hours or so..put that into walnut media..I had that along with cut up dryer sheets for dust control.

No you do not need to have shiny cases...I ain't going for shiny...
But But But..
If you have dial calipers that measure ID and want A CHANCE AT BETTER ACCURACY try this
First some history...My savage 10fp shot pretty well this is a 24" bull barrel .308 with accutrigger.
I was cleaning in a pan of hot water with coolaid packet ..stirrrrrrr boil for 4 minutes..rinse and clean..and clean with Qtips inside and out...
TOOK TOO LONG..i got a vibratory..tried everything in it including hot water mixes....
My ACCURACY.. 1/2" to 3/4" groups...with my best handloads..1/2" was only sometimes..mostly larger..

I noticed when seating bullets some seated easier than others..i would mark the really easy seaters and stiff seaters as F with a sharpie...FLIER or possibly a flier..or a group opener...

I wanted to fix this situation...So I read some bench rest shooter that took 0000 steel wool on a bore brush and ran the brush whil spinning into the case necks...POLISHED NECKS inside....I tried this...
My seating of the bullets feels almost all the same now...My groups tightened up...I shot my best it was in the .3" range
I get a few of those now..and large groups are in the 1/2" area.....

So you cant sell me on dirty brass....If you are searching for that .25" reduction in group size anyway.

This is what i want you guys to try with your dial calipers on a case..
I will send a pic to look at....

Insert calipers into case mouth......Hold some tension against the calipers and spin the case with your fingers slowly...
Does the case feel smooth when spinning or does it feel gritty and rough?????
My cases are smooth almost like glass....Dirty or scratched up cases will have different bullet tension and pull.

Now also see while spinning the case slowly if the needle on the dial caliper moves ...This 45acp case measures .449"
I spin it and it stays at .449"...if it is out of round i can see the needle move... possible FLIER>. or group opener....

Yes when i load i do a bunch of measuring....You can measure OD and ID like this...
My pin tumbler cleaner eliminates the need for polishing the neck ID with the steel wool wrapped bore brush.
It also eliminates the need for Qtips....
here is the pic..for further info for your brain..

 

[WessonOil]

I went quite a while without my Lyman turbo 1200 and I know the easiest way to clean brass. Don't. Wipe any grit that would scratch the die and reload it. They don't have to be shiny.

I do clean brass but I have used tarnished brass too. I have done some brain storming about brass cleaning. Thanks to swampratt and others I have some ideas I want to try. I am in no hurry because I have a 25 pound box of walnut hulls that I just started using. If I switch methods it may go to waste.

Yeah, I went many years with just using untreated media, and that's about as much as you have to do.

I have two tumblers, so it's easy for me to use one for untreated media, and another for treated.