What did you do in the reloading room today?

[retrieverman]

Got tired of it peening the mouth of my cases, but the cases are cleaner than virgin, went back to cob only after sizing for 30min. If I could get away from any lube I don’t think I would clean at all.

It's not necessary to clean off the lube. I've reloaded some rifle rounds 15 times or more without cleaning at all. I wipe off the brass after firing; that's it, and usually just the neck gets wiped off.
Then reload as usual.
That bit of sizing lube doesn't cause problems.

I acquired a brass tumbler with pins on a deal I did a few years ago, but in 20+ years of reloading, I’ve never cleaned a case. I’m not concerned with cosmetics, and it’s never effected accuracy.

 

[Dumpstick]

I acquired a brass tumbler with pins on a deal I did a few years ago, but in 20+ years of reloading, I’ve never cleaned a case. I’m not concerned with cosmetics, and it’s never effected accuracy.

I started reloading around 1986 or so. I reloaded for 20 years or more without any sort of tumbler - wet, dry, anything. When I started reloading, most people didn't have a tumbler. I eventually acquired a vibratory tumbler in a 'lot purchase', maybe 10-12 years ago. I still have it, and do use it; especially for handgun brass.

I would wipe off any dirt, and occasionally wash the brass in hot water and soap, but that was it.

New reloaders don't seem to understand that folks were reloading metallic cartridges for 100 years before tumblers ever came out on the retail market.
There's been a huge amount of time and effort spent in what is probably the least important part of reloading: cleaning the empty case.

 

[bas402]

I started reloading around 1986 or so. I reloaded for 20 years or more without any sort of tumbler - wet, dry, anything. When I started reloading, most people didn't have a tumbler. I eventually acquired a vibratory tumbler in a 'lot purchase', maybe 10-12 years ago. I still have it, and do use it; especially for handgun brass.

I would wipe off any dirt, and occasionally wash the brass in hot water and soap, but that was it.

New reloaders don't seem to understand that folks were reloading metallic cartridges for 100 years before tumblers ever came out on the retail market.
There's been a huge amount of time and effort spent in what is probably the least important part of reloading: cleaning the empty case.

I agree with your assessment on brass cleaning to a point, if all I was doing is hunting, I probably wouldn’t even reload unless I was shooting a wildcat. If you are prepping 300+ cases for a match then I have a different outlook. It’s not that I get crazy like when I started but I do prep my match brass differently. It’s all personal preference IMO and what you have tested /proven to be of value in your process, that’s all that matters. Yes it can be a rabbit hole if you let it.

 

[kwaynem]

I clean all my brass not all of it will come out shiny and I don’t care if it does or not but it gets the inside clean without having to wait for it to dry from washing all the dirt out from where I picked it up a dirt pit

 

[retrieverman]

I clean all my brass not all of it will come out shiny and I don’t care if it does or not but it gets the inside clean without having to wait for it to dry from washing all the dirt out from where I picked it up a dirt pit

Tell the truth. You spend the extra time cleaning your brass to have an excuse to stay out in your reloading room and away from your wife.

 

[kwaynem]

Tell the truth. You spend the extra time cleaning your brass to have an excuse to stay out in your reloading room and away from your wife.

We haven’t been married over 34 years by spending all our time together lol

 

[dlbleak]

Found a new in the box breech lock press at a pawn shop for 30 bucks. Put it together and mounted it in place of my 20+ year old non breech lock press. Now to lube it up a bit and get all the dies set.

 

[ClintC]

I put together some 223 rem loads.
5 shot groups
lapua brass with neck tension of .0005 and .0015
Berger 77grain OTM
24.6 grains of N140
bullet setting depth OAL 2.35
I didnt get ES and SD. Forgot to reset the chronograph. Going to try .002 neck tension next outing.

 

[rockchalk06]

I put together some 223 rem loads.
5 shot groups
lapua brass with neck tension of .005 and .015
Berger 77grain OTM
24.6 grains of N140
bullet setting depth OAL 2.35
I didnt get ES and SD. Forgot to reset the chronograph. Going to try .02 neck tension next outing.

I love the 77 grain in a 1-7. I've switch both my 18" and 16" barrels over to all 77 grain

 

[Dumpstick]

Some 357 Mag for the break-barrel single shot.

358156 home-cast bullet @ 164gr, Tac Lube, Aluminum check. HS-6 powder; smack in the middle of the data from Lyman Cast #4 manual.
Got the barrel back from threading, gotta re-zero the (4x) scope.
Then run some over the crony.