Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Brass cleaning with water, vinegar, salt, and soap ?

Redhill, you'll find liquid cleaning easier, faster and more thorough. Like many others, I tumbled my cases, but sifting and picking through cases was no fun for me, so I switched.

Some of the people that use liquid baths or ultrasonic cleaners have their own recipes. That's fine if you enjoy experimenting, but for quick, complete cleaning, hot water and citric acid will do the trick. This is best done at home, I think (unless you're competing in a BP shoot). I have used vinegar and soap in the past, but found Hornady One Shot or citric acid did the job with less fuss (and smell).

You can get ultrasonic cleaners on ebay or at Walmart cheaply. They clean in minutes rather than hours. Using hot water is best, but cool water will do in a pinch.

With respect to drying time, it's nothing to worry about. As you already know, most people clean their cases at home and do not re-use them immediately. It's alright if you forget your brass is sitting in the sun or over a heating duct.

The only potential advantage corn cob or walnut has is that you can polish your brass. For most of us, that's not important.