Do you clean brass every loading?

[eric n]

eric n ; Carbon is highly abrasive . If it will scratch brass , it will also scratch hardened Die steel . I made cold header dies for about five years , and they work by pushing a piece of clean , lubed brass wire cut-off into the die to form a small bolt or screw blank . Most dies had to be re-made after 10-15,000 blank runs . And they were carbide dies . Diamonds come from carbon under pressure , and carbide is formed from carbon with alloys and other things added .

I’ve looked at the soot on the necks both before and after wiping it off with a paper towel with both a 10x loupe and pocket microscope. It looks more like ash or powder residue to me. It looks like a stain when you wipe it with a paper towel. Even if I don’t wipe the black stuff away and size it, it’s really smooth where the TiN bushing sizes. I don’t see any scratches anywhere below the point the bushing sizes or down to the body/shoulder junction. That’s why I stated I don’t believe it’s carbon.
I guess I better qualify this by saying I don’t know what carbon looks like under a scope but I sure don’t see any scratches.
Using varget, r15, and h4895.

 

[D-4297]

Going back to my first post on this topic , I stated that "ALL" of these cleaning procedures were "Discipline specific" , meaning what is generally "Accepted Practice" in BR is not the same for F-class , PRS or other types of L/R shooting . Only you can decide what is best for you , and your equipment . Based on the type and style of shooting you are doing . And you received that information from every corner . And for the record ; if it's burned residual , black in color , it's carbon . No matter how fine it is . Gun powder is made from cellulose , which I think , by definition is plant-like . When burned , it creates carbon .

 

[Longtrain]

There really should be an award or something for fellas that go that extra mile

There is, it’s called a high “X” count.

 

[243winxb]

Bottle neck -Remove dirt/soot/carbon on neck & shoulder with fine steel wool. Wipe outside with towel. Nylon brush/lube neck inside. Clean primer pocket.

Pistol- Throw 50 brass in a fluff towel. Fold over. Roll it around on a flat surface. Load it. Clean pockets about every 3th loading.

 

[jimmymac]

Most of this cleaning stuff is overblown in my opinion. A tumbler is not something I use with any regularity because it just isn't required for what I do. I shoot from a bench. The brass gets ejected on to a towel or a piece of carpet. The cases get wiped down with Ballistol to get rid of the crud around the neck area. So much for carbon build up. There is none if handled this way. After that, it's back to the loading bench to prep brass for the next relay. The process there is short and sweet. Cases get a quick wipe with a rag in case they picked up any grit, imperial lube is applied, then the brass is sized. After sizing, the primer pockets get cleaned and a brush gets run through the neck for a stroke or two. After that, the cases get rolled on a towel that has a little brake clean on it to remove the sizing lube. Now it's time to re-prime, drop powder and seat bullets. Done.

If my brass was being ejected on to the ground, I'd handle the brass a bit differently than I do now, but not much. I simply don't care if the outside is shiny because it doesn't matter on the targets. I also don't care if the inside of the case including the neck area is black. By the time I'd get enough build up in there to cause me a problem, the brass is in the trash bin anyway.

 

[Ackman]

Yes, clean before reloading but in different ways. My chambers are mostly cut with my own reamers with dimensions very close to brass dimensios whether turned neck or not. And most are AI chambers. The case bodies always look fine, not shiny new but very clean. Only the necks get dirty, and sometimes they'll even come out clean, just depends. I mostly necksize, almost never FL size. That Ti coating is extremely hard and with a Ti bushing you can get away with a dirty neck and do no harm but still, nothing goes into the die dirty. With only say 50 or 100 cases, it's quicker to just give the neck a wipe with a soaked patch. For hundreds of cases, the vibrator tumbler gets used. And that takes quite a bit longer., they also come out looking shiny and new. So it just depends on how many and how fast it's to be.

 

[powderbrake]

Standard calibers I clean each time by tumbling in corn cob with Dillon polish added. They come out clean and slick, and do not carry dirt to my dies.

Benchrest (turned, thin necks) do not go into tumbler. Polish off carbon from neck with steel wool, wipe off on old T-shirt. If really dirty, add a little solvent or WD40 to T-shirt to get stuff off, Imperial Sizing Wax on case, then size and deprime.

 

[dunraven]

clean and anneal, every firing, for prs and f class

 

[JSH]

Every thing every time.

 

[rkittine]

Today my Harvey decapping tool arrives. My new process will be: Decap. Separate by caliber headstamp, BR Rounds go in the ultarasonic cleaner so as to not bang up the brass (My BR brass ejects on my PMA shooting Matt and does not get banged up. BR brass then gets annealed. All other brass goes in the Rotary Tumbler with dry medium and polish. Then ready for final prep. After three times at the PA Original 1000 Yard Benchrest School, and three times at Bob White and Harley Baker's Bench Rest Clinic, I have had it drummed into me.

Bob

 

[PopCharlie]

I clean every firing , I also like to keep my bench and equipment clean... just saying.

Ditto for me. Clean in corncob media. Decap, anneal. Then fully prep. I like to clean the brass because, if there is a problem with it a piece, it's easier to see if it's clean.

 

[rkittine]

How car you get consistant burn rates if their is any junk inside the cases.

 

[Daddymac]

If I am working on a rifle load and doing just a few at the time, I clean necks and primer pockets, if I'm working on a batch, the brass gets the full treatment, shines like a new nickel.
Does a clean car run any better? Not really, but after all the work that goes into cleaning it we feel like it does, so, if it gives you an advantage, real or perceived, use it, no justification needed.

 

[people]

I have tried everything over the years. Now I just do the pins. Never more than 20 min. at a time.

Even with once fired machinegun brass really cleans up in only 20 min. Not great but enough to start working it. Then 20 min in hot water with dawn to get the lube off. Then after the rest of the work trim and flash hole debur. The final one is really a quick 10 min tumble.

 

[Jason_A]

When using Ballistol do you still lube the necks before sizing or is the Ballistol enough lube?

 

[Papa Charlie]

I clean with Walnut in a vibrator and anneal every firing. After resizing, I wash with Dawn and Lemi Shine to remove case lube and then dry in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes. The complete the case prep.

 

[fgcook]

Could you expand on how it would wear on the barrel? I'm by no means a benchrest shooter and feel I may be missing something.

Thanks

Ave

Dirt, dust and grime is like sandpaper to metal. Albeit usually small amounts, over time it could add to degradation. If you are going to the ends to measure powder to the kernel and try to shoot sub 1/2moa, cleaning is probably in your nature anyway.

 

[Plumsask]

Dirt, dust and grime is like sandpaper to metal. Albeit usually small amounts, over time it could add to degradation. If you are going to the ends to measure powder to the kernel and try to shoot sub 1/2moa, cleaning is probably in your nature anyway.

This makes sense- thankyou

 

[Down South]

Every time.

Same here.

 

[rardoin]

Rinse off with a little Dawn in water in a bucket, dry off in a case dryer, lube and size, clean off lube. Nothing else...anymore.