Case Cleaning

[sneaky one]

My version is close to L-52's.

Sonic clean them all. Push out the spent primers, clean the primer pockets out using a small cordless drill, and a case holder- to a vise mounted unit- or by hand held items,, Tumble for an hour- In walnut clean shells, compressed air- clean , check for primer hole pluggage- Then, lube them all , same as L-52's method- spray from multi angles- Have a tiny thimble full of Hornady 1 Shot - and a few Q tips , to lube the inside of the case necks.

Done deal dudes, & dudetts! Full length Size as per usual..

[Klem]

My current process is:

Lee universal de-cap dirty brass
Tumble polish in red walnut media
Depending on how much residue that leaves, I will ultrasonic clean.
I used to put the brass in plastic containers and spray with One-Shot.
Now I'm using the load trays and getting 4 spray angles on the brass.
Run through Hornady full-length sizing die
Tumble polish again
Knock out media from flash holes
Chamfer the necks
Debur with steel wool inside a socket on a drill
For Grendel, I have yet to need to trim due to the lack of significant case length growth (1.530" is Grendel chamber length to the neck, most cases never go past 1.525").

I'm looking to streamline the process some more, and the Hornady case prep station looks tempting.
For other cases that need trimming (.260 Rem for example), I'm looking at a single operation that does trimming, chamfer, and debur.

If you are looking to streamline, why tumble them twice?

Let's be realistic, the practical benefit from tumbling is to save wear and scratches on the dies, not the chamber. The cases don't go into the chamber with the same tight fit as the dies so there's arguably no benefit there. And again, being realistic, what the cases look like; shiny or dull has no bearing on the accuracy of the ammunition.

If you agree that tumbling is best before sizing then why not leave your first tumble on for longer and eliminate the second tumble? You could then eliminate the stage where you manually check the cases for media stuck in the flash hole. The de-priming pin will be clearing out any stuck media in the holes so no need for a visual check.

With rifle cases I lube by rolling on a pad. I do about five at a time, to save time. I save the one-shot spray for handgun loading and for this about 200 at a time all laid out on their sides on newspaper. Just one spray for a couple of seconds as by the time the third or fourth case goes into the re-sizing die it's an even coating inside the die from then on.

I also notice the closer to loading you do the tumbling the less lube you need. If I tumble and leave the cases for weeks then they are slightly stickier going into the dies and need a little more lube. They must tarnish or something over time. Like 55 I don't change my media very often. Maybe once a year. I notice a build-up of caked crud on the bottom of the tumbler when you pour out the media so every now and then I slip it into the dish washer when the Mrs is not looking. ;-)

[Klem]

citric acid?please explain never heard of that

Citric acid is a weak organic acid...Citrus fruits contain it; lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits. Lemons and limes have the highest amount. It's an age-old cleaner. I use it to get rid of stinky guts smells when hunting. When normal soap isn't enough. On your hands and knives it strips it all away. I even saw someone on that CSI telly show rubbing it on their face to get rid of gunshot residue so the Cops can't catch you...LOL!

I use a couple of squeezed lemons for cleaning brass in solution but no doubt you can buy the stuff pure. Vinegar (acetic acid) is another cheap source of weak acid for cleaning.

[LRRPF52]

I usually do my initial tumble for a day.

The 2nd tumble is to remove lube.

I could replace the 2nd tumble with ultrasonic cleaning, but I hate drying out the brass.

[Klem]

I usually do my initial tumble for a day.

The 2nd tumble is to remove lube.

I could replace the 2nd tumble with ultrasonic cleaning, but I hate drying out the brass.

OK...

To get the lube off I sandwich the batch I am loading (say 50 cases) in a towel on a bench and push them back and forwards for 30 seconds.

[ricsmall]

OK...

To get the lube off I sandwich the batch I am loading (say 50 cases) in a towel on a bench and push them back and forwards for 30 seconds.

+1. I have laid out a towel, about 30" long I guess, line up cartridges on one end, spray other end with brake cleaner then quickly fold and do the klem roll. Lol. Works good.

Richard

[Blanco]

My process is not going to help you much but my brass looks fantastic.
On once fired I decap and resize first. After I get a good sized batch, I load them in my wet tumbler with stainless media. I add a drizzle of Dawn Ultra and a small amount of Lemi Shine (citric Acid). The length of time in the tumbler is determined by my scientific method of reckoning how many and how dirty... Generally 2 hours for a small batch that's pretty clean to around 6 + hours for dirty cases.
I usually dry them for a couple of days, then I run them in my walnut media vibratory tumbler with some NU-Finish car polish added. Slicks em up and they fly through the loader.

[Sticks]

Depending on the quantity for streamlining. You can't really streamline if you are not doing this in Bulk. If I was only doing 500 or less at a time, I would do all of one phase at a time.

My only reloading time is/was during winter lay off, and I would camp out in the garage for 2 weeks reloading all my 5.56 and .40 & .44 for the rest of the year. I would have two tumblers going and go through about 7k rounds of 5.56, loading up about 800 - 1000 rounds a day once the loading process started.

First cleaning

Dumped into gallon freezer bags and sprayed with home brew case lube (25% Pure lanolin, 75% Isopropyl Alcohol [99%])

First run through Lee Loadmaster to deprime, FLsize and trim with Dillon RT1200, slight bell to remove burrs. Periodic random checks to verify sizing and trim length

>>>If the primer pockets were crimped - then over to the drill press with my case jig and primer pocket reamer.

Second cleaning to remove lube

Second run through the press. Deprime again to clear flash hole, powder drop, bell the case mouth, seat bullet, factory crimp. Every 100 rounds (primer tray full) the powder drop is verified for accuracy and at least two random checks during that time, also checking COAL and other measurements.

Final stage is weighing and inspecting each round and culling any anomalies for recycle (+/- 3 grains on mixed head stamp years). I am actually using a RCBS case prep center to simply spin the finished round so I can put a band around the case head to ID it as mine at the range, and that it's already been reamed if LC. Loading onto stripper clips.

I am my own ammo factory for 2 weeks and by the second or third day, everything is running smooth and in various stages of completion.

[cb4017]

For many years I used a vibratory cleaner. It worked ok but the dust and cleanup were a PITA. Last year I bought a wet tumbler. It worked great but it was also a pain to make sure the stainless pins were out of the brass.

Recently I started trying wet tumbling without the pins and I am surprised by how well and easy it works. I decap my brass and throw it in the tumbler with water, Dawn and a little Lemi Shine. Let it run for a few hours, rinse, let it dry and ready to load. Obviously the primer pockets and interior of the cases don't get as clean as they would with the pins but that is worth it for the convenience.

[IceAxe]

I do mine in the same fashion as Blanco except I add a little liquid auto wash (Blue Coral) and wax and skip the second step. I also run them through the annealing machine prior to tumbling to preserve the wax.

[babue]

For many years I used a vibratory cleaner. It worked ok but the dust and cleanup were a PITA. Last year I bought a wet tumbler. It worked great but it was also a pain to make sure the stainless pins were out of the brass.

Recently I started trying wet tumbling without the pins and I am surprised by how well and easy it works. I decap my brass and throw it in the tumbler with water, Dawn and a little Lemi Shine. Let it run for a few hours, rinse, let it dry and ready to load. Obviously the primer pockets and interior of the cases don't get as clean as they would with the pins but that is worth it for the convenience.

Just what I do. I used the pins one time and that was it. Way more trouble than it is worth. I just add 1/4 teaspoon Dawn,a good shake of Lemi Shine and with a full drum a 1/4 cup of vinegar. Just a recipe I found on line but it does a great job. I do not decap, just do all my cleaning in the summer and lay the brass in the hot sun for a couple of days. I still use my dry tumbler in the winter for small jobs but do most in the summer with the wet setup.

[Bruizer]

I picked up a Lyman Case Prep station several years ago and it has been worth every penny. I've also starting wet tumbling with SS media and that does a great job of cleaning out pockets.

[Arkhangel5]

I don't obsess over having shiny brass anymore. As long as it is relatively clean is fine for me.

If I have a match upcoming, I will prep the brass in advance. I will decap, resize then wash in hot water and Dawn. I only use a Hornady Die set, no need for custom neck tension.

Once I am satisfied I got most of the lube off, I will toss into a food dehydrator for an hr or so, depending.

I then finish processing the brass on a Lyman case prep setup. I chamfer, deburr, run a brush thru the neck and clean the primer pockets. Out of the 5 stations I use 3, and 2 primer pocket cleaners.

My target is making .5 moa ammunition, with minimal prep, for the Grendel and doing it this way gets me there.

I do it this way for the Grendel as my time is usually limited, and it meets my objectives for this caliber.

SY

[Commander184]

I am on my 8th load with some hornady brass that I only clean useing walnut shell and vibratory cleaner. It doesn't seem like any one is worried about the build up on the inside of the case, and hurting case capacity. the walnut shell does not clean the inside of mine, should I be too worried about case capacity?

[LR1955]

Question.

Has anyone tried Cascade dishwasher detergent with very hot water?

I ask because I put about a teaspoon of the stuff in a quart thermos with some boiling water and let it sit for a few hours to remove years worth of coffee stains on the metal.

Who knows -- it may be pretty good at cleaning brass too.

LR55