I have been reloading now for 2 decades. From the beginning, I've been cleaning brass with a vibratory cleaner and treated corn cob. It works. I'm not saying it's the best, but it gets the job done. I'll often times mix brass. I'll throw pistol in with rifle. I'll throw grossly dissimilar rifle brass in together. I've learned (sometimes the hard way) that some things just don't go together.
Examples of mixes that work fine: 44 Mag and 308 WIN. 223 REM and 9mm. It's easy to separate and one doesn't get stuck inside the other.
The worst is 9mm and 45ACP. Yikes! The 9mm goes into the 45 ACP and gets stuck, and then you've got an extra hour or so pulling the 9mm out and losing most of your fingernails in the process. Another one I make sure of not to mix is the big animal litter corn cob and anything that's smaller than 35 Cal. The big chunks of corncob go in (say 30-06) and they don't come out. This past weekend I found out some new ones; my sons collect their range brass and bring it to me. I clean it and sort it as needed.
New Discovery #1: Don't mix 38spl and 30-06. The 38spl goes over the top of the 30-06 and blocks it. It's easy to remove, but the inside of the 30-06 does not come clean.
New Discovery #2: Don't mix 22LR brass in with 30-06. Those little buggers get in the 30-06 and you have hell to pay getting them out. I used a Kenetic pullet puller.
Feel free to add to this list.
