cleaning reloads??

Discussions covering the components and techniques of reloading for your handgun.

How often do you clean your brass?

1) after every firing
26
87%
2) after every other firing
0
No votes
3) when I feel like it
4
13%
4) I just blow off the sand...
0
No votes
5) when they stick in the barrel
0
No votes
6) cleaning? you gotta clean them???
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 30

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rog54
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by rog54 »

Every time. Sonic then tumbled in walnut. I like um pretty. just in case someone looks at them.
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Fyodor
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by Fyodor »

I usually shoot on an outdoor range, where the casings fall into the sand. I deprime and wet tumble before each reload.
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by larryw »

Every time
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by bluetick »

I don't care if the brass is bright, but I want to be assured there's no traces of grit on a case when it's being run through my dies.
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by RBHarter »

I haven't found the need to run the tumbler every time I tend to do large batches of brass when I do run them so pistol brass may go 2-3 cycles before a run . I do tend to do rifles each time but again with big lots and not when I'm doing work ups with several lots of 20-30 rounds that are going from the bench to gun to bench , just because each round is captured and returned to the hole it came out of . My process also has several wipe down steps so it is less worrisome about die wear/damage .
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by scotland »

I clean before reloading. This is my way of checking the brass.
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by 9x80Drilling »

I clean and inspect each case before each loading. Most rifle and pistol cases go into the tumbler. A few might simply get a hand polish with 0000 steel wool.
Shotgun shells are particularly thoroughly inspected for incipient crimp failure, bulged shell heads, cracks or just funky rough areas. I'll wash dirty shotgun shells in the sink with dish soap, put them in a mesh bag and run them through a washing machine cycle, or on rare occasions throw them in the tumbler.
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by Fyodor »

My brass usually is picked up from wet sandy ranges. To not damage the dies, I need to clean. But I don't do this excessively, I wet tumble for 30 mins and dry in the oven. Total time to clean ca. 300 cases .38spl is 45 mins from dirty to clean and dry.
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by mikld »

I reloaded 12 years before I got a tumbler and I just wiped each case with a solvent dampened rag as I inspected it. For me tumbling for shiny brass is 99% cosmetic. But since I wrecked my knee, all the rain in So. Oregon and some forest fires, I've not bee shooting much. So I have waaaay more time in my reloading room than I have at the range. I have a ton of reloads to check/shoot and don't actually need to reload anymore so I'll process some brass when I'm bored and I've tumbled nearly every case I own (for 7 pistol cartridges, mebbe 1,800-1,900. For 4 rifle cartridges, mebbe 1,100-1,300) and primed most of them. So, how would I answer the poll?

I've gone so far as to trim some 44 Mag.brass, clean some primer pockets and even chamfered some flash holes on my 7.62x51 LC brass... :roll:
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Re: cleaning reloads??

Post by mr surveyor »

I didn't post a response back when this started, but did respond to the pol. Guess I'll elaborate now ....

My brass usually gets deprimed and run through the (small, 35 yr old) US cleaner either the same day/night, or within a couple of days. Then left to dry and be bagged for future reloading. I've never (in my long 8 years of reloading ... lol) let multiple calibers/piles of brass stack up in the dirty pile.


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