Cleaning Brass

[Ram]

Is it necessary or good practice to clean the brass before reloading? All of my rifle brass is contained and does not touch the ground, so my normal practice is to wipe the exterior with a shop towel, clean the primer pocket and brush the neck ID only.

I've never found a tumbler to do anything for the interior, but a friend told me that powder residue would build up and could cause much higher pressures.

 

[masterblaster1]

Well for the most part, the people that are on these forums are highly anal and inflicted with severe OCD. Being that consistency is key to accurate shooting I would say yes you should clean and uniform all brass and components.

 

[CatShooter]

Well for the most part, the people that are on these forums are highly anal and inflicted with severe OCD. Being that consistency is key to accurate shooting I would say yes you should clean and uniform all brass and components.

;D ;D ;D

I have loaded some cases 40+ times and never had a problem. Don't let the OCD people get to you.

This is supposed to be fun.

 

[masterblaster1]

Fun is shooting 5 rounds through 1 hole, its very costly once you do it the first time, kind of like golf, you can hit 25 over par but on the 17th or 18th hole you have a perfect drive and par the hole, it keeps you coming back.

 

[Nomad47]

I guess I also suffer from OCD because I think you meant to say afflicted, not inflicted, masterblaster.

 

[CarolinaBrass]

I envy the ability to shoot super small MOA's however I don't envy the fact that you can't just throw them in a stainless tumbler and call it a day I am interested to know the proper cleaning procedure for those high end bench rest shooters brass.... I am very new to the anal retention scene (i mean this with the most respect)

 

[masterblaster1]

Yes I did, a great point in being anal retentive.

I guess I also suffer from OCD because I think you meant to say afflicted, not inflicted, masterblaster.

 

[GSPV]

I'm pretty anal, but I clean them by wiping the lube off of them with a paper towel and rubbing alcohol after they come out of the FL sizer and running a worn out brush wet with same inside the neck.

After that, I length trim, chamfer and debur, then clean the primer pocket.

I haven't tumbled brass in years. I see no purpose in it unless you have to clean in bulk.

 

[Greyfox]

If it's really important to you to get the inside of the case and the primer pocket clean, a rotary tumbler (like a Thumler's) and stainless steel media will do it. I only use it now and then for brass picked up on the range and annually for batches of prairie dog brass. For benchrest brass I wipe the necks immediately after finishing a relay with a cotton cloth/bore cleaner and will usually clean the outside of the necks with Never Dull wadding polish as I am reloading. I don't give a rip about shiny brass, I only care how it shoots.

BTW- I've never seen powder residue build up on the inside of a case to the point it increases pressure.

Rick

 

[amlevin]

BTW- I've never seen powder residue build up on the inside of a case to the point it increases pressure.

Rick

And yet there are those who shoot those "one hole groups" who even go to the point of using an ultrasonic cleaner on their brass after every match or practice session. One local shooter kept track of weight gain on his cases after shooting and not cleaning the interiors. It was noticeable enough for it to be a problem to him. Maybe that's why he's able to go into the last match of the year and win the annual overall, even if he looses this weekend (doubt he will though).


If removing ALL variables from your ammo is essential then why settle for that unknown, the amount of carbon buildup inside the cases and whether it's even.

 

[GSPV]

Our friend, Greyfox, is pretty decent at those "one-hole groups". He owns several records in the UBR score format.

 

[Greyfox]

BTW- I've never seen powder residue build up on the inside of a case to the point it increases pressure.

Rick

And yet there are those who shoot those "one hole groups" who even go to the point of using an ultrasonic cleaner on their brass after every match or practice session. One local shooter kept track of weight gain on his cases after shooting and not cleaning the interiors. It was noticeable enough for it to be a problem to him. Maybe that's why he's able to go into the last match of the year and win the annual overall, even if he looses this weekend (doubt he will though).


If removing ALL variables from your ammo is essential then why settle for that unknown, the amount of carbon buildup inside the cases and whether it's even.

Folks do a lot of things like cleaning primer pockets and such that they "believe" make a difference. If you/he/anyone believes something matters, then it matters..... There are plenty of other people who don't do that stuff that shoot small as well. Personally, I don't have the time to spend on a lot of things that can't be shown to work. If someone else does, then it's their business. I told the OP how to get his brass clean, so maybe that will help him if that's what he wants.

Rick

 

[Dave T]

I clean the burnt powder residue around the necks with brass polish, just wipe off sizing lube, clean primer pockets and clean inside necks with q tips and go shoot. Don't waste time cleaning brass, spend that time with your wife and family, then your wife will let you spend more on your hobby, just sayin'.
Dave T

 

[Ram]

BTW- I've never seen powder residue build up on the inside of a case to the point it increases pressure.

Rick

And yet there are those who shoot those "one hole groups" who even go to the point of using an ultrasonic cleaner on their brass after every match or practice session. One local shooter kept track of weight gain on his cases after shooting and not cleaning the interiors. It was noticeable enough for it to be a problem to him. Maybe that's why he's able to go into the last match of the year and win the annual overall, even if he looses this weekend (doubt he will though).


If removing ALL variables from your ammo is essential then why settle for that unknown, the amount of carbon buildup inside the cases and whether it's even.

Folks do a lot of things like cleaning primer pockets and such that they "believe" make a difference. If you/he/anyone believes something matters, then it matters..... There are plenty of other people who don't do that stuff that shoot small as well. Personally, I don't have the time to spend on a lot of things that can't be shown to work. If someone else does, then it's their business. I told the OP how to get his brass clean, so maybe that will help him if that's what he wants.

Rick

Shiny brass does not matter to me. I just want the brass clean enough to not damage the die. I use Unique to lube and it takes off the little carbon I get around the neck. If I were a benchrest competitor, perhaps I would do things differently.

I'm going to continue my standard practice, thanks for everyone's input.

 

[5spd]

I've never found a tumbler to do anything for the interior, but a friend told me that powder residue would build up and could cause much higher pressures.

Pffttt.................another old wives tale, bet he couldn't measure the buildup after shooting if his life depended on it.
Just load & shoot as your brass stays contained.

 

[Area Man]

I fixed an electric drill in an upright position on my bench and fabricated a level to push the trigger with my knee. I have Lee caseholders that I chuck in the drill. I spin them under some 0000 steel wool and run a brass brush inside the neck. Really quick. I have better things to than fool with tumblers.

 

[Barlow]

Awhile back I wanted to see how much powder residue I could get out of fired 6 Dasher cases. I chucked them in my drill, spun them and used a bent piece of wire to score the inside of the case while it was turning. It was so little, literally zero, it is not worth the effort to clean them. I polish the exterior with mild abrasive pads and brush the necks with a nylon brush. Barlow

 

[jlow]

BTW- I've never seen powder residue build up on the inside of a case to the point it increases pressure.

Rick

And yet there are those who shoot those "one hole groups" who even go to the point of using an ultrasonic cleaner on their brass after every match or practice session. One local shooter kept track of weight gain on his cases after shooting and not cleaning the interiors. It was noticeable enough for it to be a problem to him. Maybe that's why he's able to go into the last match of the year and win the annual overall, even if he looses this weekend (doubt he will though).


If removing ALL variables from your ammo is essential then why settle for that unknown, the amount of carbon buildup inside the cases and whether it's even.

Folks do a lot of things like cleaning primer pockets and such that they "believe" make a difference. If you/he/anyone believes something matters, then it matters..... There are plenty of other people who don't do that stuff that shoot small as well. Personally, I don't have the time to spend on a lot of things that can't be shown to work. If someone else does, then it's their business. I told the OP how to get his brass clean, so maybe that will help him if that's what he wants.

Rick

I am certain that there is a lot of truth in what you say. My own problem is usually figuring out what actually matters. Some things make a difference but a small difference which my guess is very difficult to measure. The concern would be enough of these small difference makes a noticable difference?

 

[watercam]

I dry tumble every firing for 1.5-2 hours. That's it. Getting 15 plus firings from Lapua .308 brass and my velocities and accuracy do not seem to change.

 

[Webster]

I don't think there is any proof that the carbon builds up and gets thicker with each shot. This sounds like an assumption without proof. Expert short range bench rest shooters at National Meets shoot the same 5 cases for all 4 days of competition. Never heard of any competitor cleaning the inside of the cases at a match. Maybe the gases rushing out of the case at 2000 degrees F, 50,000 PSI and several thousand miles per hour does a little self cleaning. I have loaded some cases in a 6MM Rem cartridge around 40 times without cleaning. No pressure build up, no obvious carbon buildup. I'm sure this will set off a lot of comments. I don't think anyone has measured the carbon thickness after 1 shot and many from the same case.