Cleaning brass

Primer pocket cleaning, brass cleaning, ect makes absolutely zero difference to how loads perform, chamber nor does it protect dies from wear. This has been pretty well tested by cleverer people than me. However I quite often tumble cases to make them less cruddy looking in the knowledge that I’m doing it for fun rather than function.
 
In theory not a good idea, since Brasso contains a lot of ammonia, partially how it works so well. Together with abrasive. But ammonia can attack your brass invisibly, potentially making it more susceptible to splitting or cracking.

I use crushed walnut shells sold as pet litter/reptile bedding, with a dollop of liquid car polish and a small amount of powdered jewellers rouge. A small amount, not a teaspoon full as I tried at first :eek: Having bought a huge pot of it for very little money. Rouge being a superb material for fine polishing even down to telescope mirrors and lenses. Not many jewellers would use Brasso to polish silver or gold.

I reckon that's what's in the commercial products, the reddish coloured ones, the rouge is very effective and any dust left on the cases when resizing might even help keep the dies nicely polished inside. The car wax polish I think just helps keep the cases from tarnishing later on, which is an effect that certainly occurs on surgically clean brass as from ultrasonic (which does not polish) or wet pin tumbling.

I then clean the primer pockets with a scraper or brush, it's not necessary for them to be spotlessly clean, merely to have removed the deposits that might interfere with proper primer seating.
Have used jewellers rouge as well. That works.

Autoglym for club stuff.

Im in the fortunate position of having several tumblers for hundreds of cases. After the heavy tumbling, it goes into fine media. Nothing left on surface. Super slippery to touch, feeds well and can store for long periods in zip bags.
 
I tumble cases so that they are shiny, so that after doing the full prep on them I can find them in the undergrowth, doesn't improve how well they shoot, whether they shoot better after fully prepping them is debatable, but at least I can find my precious:eek: (sorry, can't find a Golum smiley!).
 
I use an ultrasonic cleaner on my brass. Citric acid, washing up liquid does a good job, rinsed and dried and ready to go.
Also does a good job done on my moderators
 
And this makes case inspection easier?
ive never tumbled or felt the need to.. I know what to look for and when to discard and as for accuracy the 4 calibers I load for are all sub moa with no failings!
do what ever makes you happy, my mates all tumble but there rounds are no better than mine.
 
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