Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Brass Cleaning Don't-Do's

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.

I use a Thumblers tumbler with stainless pins. Makes it look new. Only way to fly!

Once I went with a rotary tumbler with steel pins, I got rid of the corn cob mess and never looked back.

Fill with water, add a couple of squirts of Dawn and a pinch of Lemishine, and cases come out looking like new. The steel pins never wear out, and even though they are stainless they can be picked up with a magnet, which is handy

Paul

Tumble one size brass at a time...... that is what I do.

If you get a wet tumbler, you’ll laugh at people still jacking with corncob

Clean brass?

Huh?

Geno

PS I generally inspect and wipe off any serious stuff with a green scrubby pad.

One time I threw all of my red union suits into the wash.

Like 5 of em.

When done I looked inside. Inside one suit was the other 4. All wrapped around the agitator.

I nearly had to buy a new wash machine.

Just gotta ask, why you tumblin' 22LR?

If my vibrating cleaner ever dies, I'll go to a tumbler, but I can't afford to just toss what I have right now. The only problem I have is the medium I use gets stuck in the flash holes. I have to keep a paper clip handy to knock them out as I prime the cases. It doesn't happen on every case, probably one in ever 6 or 7. The wet tumbling method would be great with black powder cartridge cases. The water would kill the corrosive salts left over that you usually have to clean out in a separate step.

Beat me to it.

I didn't mean to. There was just some 22 LR brass in the bottom of the pile that I missed.

When I was 16 years old, I started cleaning my brass with an electric ice cream churn with corn cob, turn it on its side. I don’t mind rechecking brass for cob crumbs, might get a crumbs in a primer pocket.

Used that for several years. Played out, moved to the reloading snob level with an ultra vibe tub thingy. I still need to get one of those “hell i was there” books so can feel ‘arrived’

To clean them I reckon?🤣

You reload .22 rimfire??

I can picture that happening.

Like blankets with too much synthetic content, they ball up in the dryer. Then only the outside one is dry.

That's why I hang stuff on the fence instead. And I love the smell of "line dried" clothes, towels, sheets, and blankets. Especially the towels when I bath on Saturday.

As the man of the house I get the washtub before the woman and the dogs (no kids you know)

Geno

PS, back on track. Who likes/dislikes the ultrasonic type cleaners?

Beat me to it.

there are kits to reload rimfire. got one , reloaded 20 22wmr's. got rid of it
they did shoot but what a PIA!

With any bottle-neck cases, it is important to make sure that media doesn't cake at the bottom of the shoulder. It can, and will greatly reduce the capacity of the case, raising pressure.

Wore out a vibrator. Bought another. Been using for 40 years and works for me.

I have no comment.