COLT45SA
Silver $$ Contributor
Not s competition shooter but would never use steel. If you like the fine 0000 grade, get a white scotch pad~!I have found that just having a paper towel handy and wiping the neck and shoulders after firing while the brass is still warm to be quite effective, I definitely would not be using steel wool as that is a contaminant that just should not be in your loaded ammo as residue.
Saying that, I clean {wet + SS pins} and anneal @ time so it is not an issue but for sure when the brass is still warm it is easy to wipe the soot off rather than later having to scrub it off.
I would recommend that you consider using a nylon scrubber. They come in various grades and the green ones that are common are quite coarse so use them gently or better yet get the light grey or purple ones from a paint shop or wood working store, {used in lieu of steel wool in wood finishing to avoid rusting steel particles left behind}
This subject had been covered in the past here and I remember some saying that they used those “wipes” to clean the neck and shoulders. Again, right after firing while the brass is still warm.