Newbie in reloading, case cleaning

[Bowland blades]

Hi all!

I am just starting to get into reloading and as of now I am trying to figure out how to properly clean cases. At the moment I have a smart reloader nano dry tumbler. On yt videos after tumbling cases they come out clean and shiny. But in my case, popped cases came out not much cleaner than they were before tumbling.
Before tumbling I decap old primers, so I could see more clearly if there is a stuck media in the primer pocket/hole.
I used initially chicken corn as was recommended in my shooting club, they do clean ok I guess but it’s a bit of a pain to get chicken corn out of the 223 cases, they just get stuck inside and won’t come out easily due to small neck and coarse media.
So with combination of small screw driver and compressed air I have to go through every case cleaning out stock media.
Then I tried to use crushed walnut media (it’s more like a sand) for cleaning and since it’s fine, media doesn’t stuck in the cases but for some reason not cleaning very well, especially 308 cases. Both 223 and 308 primer pockets and necks were not cleaned very well, even though I ran tumbler for at least 4-5hrs for each batch.
I have seen some advertisement about additives for dry tumblers to make cases clean and in some way more polished. But not sure if these would work and in the club members told me that they won’t help and that I should switch to wet tumbling. But I would like to stick with dry tumbling for now.

Any advice on what media would clean cases better?
Or maybe I need to add something to the media?

Thank you.

Leave the old primers in right up and though to the re-sizing ! Then let the pin knock them out

 

[HandB]

I have test shot clean vs dirty cases and there's no effect on accuracy so I don't clean them beyond wiping off any blood mud etc. with a tissue. Other than that my reload routine is FL resize, prime, drop powder into cartridge case, seat bullet and shoot. If the case neck gets too long to chamber then I trim it back down to size.

 

[Floralys]

Leave the old primers in right up and though to the re-sizing ! Then let the pin knock them out

I was advised to remove old primers with decap die before tumbling as to prevent potentially snapping resizing die pin if media will be stuck in the primer hole. Tho from what I read it seems like more common for berdan cases which have primers crimped. But thank you for your advice.

 

[chriswjx]

I was advised to remove old primers with decap die before tumbling as to prevent potentially snapping resizing die pin if media will be stuck in the primer hole. Tho from what I read it seems like more common for berdan cases which have primers crimped. But thank you for your advice.

Intrigued by that, I've been led to believe berdan primed brass was not generally reloaded using a decapping pin?

 

[Floralys]

Intrigued by that, I've been led to believe berdan primed brass was not generally reloaded using a decapping pin?

Well from what I read it’s not that people try to reload them but more of caught in surprise after collecting brass from the range not knowing whether it’s boxer or berdan cases .

 

[caorach]

I have test shot clean vs dirty cases and there's no effect on accuracy so I don't clean them beyond wiping off any blood mud etc. with a tissue. Other than that my reload routine is FL resize, prime, drop powder into cartridge case, seat bullet and shoot. If the case neck gets too long to chamber then I trim it back down to size.

That's pretty much what I do except I just neck size mine, the cases are on lots of loadings and haven't had a problem so far. I do trim the necks every loading though, no idea why but it was just something I got into the habit of doing back when I messed about with all the reloading "mumbojumbo" and before I discovered that I was just kidding myself rather than achieving anything.

 

[KimE]

Could I ask, is that into a sonic bath? Or just sit and soak?

I just soak them and stir around a bit, they get almost as clean as in a ultrasonic bath.

 

[chriswjx]

I just soak them and stir around a bit, they get almost as clean as in a ultrasonic bath.

Magic, I'm looking to get into reloading, but don't have any space for any of the cleaning options. Was going just not clean, but couldn't quite get why a sit and soak wouldn't work to some extent!

 

[MarinePMI]

Many in the US just use media and "Nu Finish" car polish wax (run in the media before adding brass).

The old, and simple thing, is to just add kerosene (just a splash) and some red jeweler's rouge to the media.

 

[Bowland blades]

I was advised to remove old primers with decap die before tumbling as to prevent potentially snapping resizing die pin if media will be stuck in the primer hole. Tho from what I read it seems like more common for berdan cases which have primers crimped. But thank you for your advice.

Corn cob media wont break hardened tool steel pins . I would guess most snapped pins are because of poor die settings with the pin wobbling . Crimped in cases need reaming if you can be bothered but its better to buy virgin brass that will of course never be crimped

 

[fixedwheel]

Time to trade her in for a new 2024 model that allows the use of ovens & airfriers....

Be expecting a rush of air fryers onto Facebook / Gumtree / eBay fairly soon, the novelty will wear off with a load of people.

At least there is a good alternative use for them.

 

[LeftHandGuy]

Wet tumbling with stainless pins works the best of everything I have seen or tried. Really does get them looking like never-fired brass. But I don't bother these days. I do deprime with a universal deprime die, but that's just to keep primer dust away from my "good" press, and I clean up the primer pocket if I will be priming with Ginex primers, because they are tight and I have had issues when I didn't clean the pockets out.

 

[gunmandanieltex]

Wet tumbling is the way to go, cleans every case up like it was new, inside and out. would not go back to dry vibratory cleaning if you paid me.
As for drying them out, a cheap £30 off amazon food dehydrator is all you need. Identical - and I mean Identical to expensive Hornady dryers ant 1/5th the cost.
I have a ultrasonic cleaner, big professional heated one - still does not get the cases clean like wet tumbling with SS pins.
If you must dry media clean, you might source media from - sound silly I know - from pet shops. They sell crushed walnut and similar for the bottom of lizard enclosures and the like and its much cheaper for kg i have found in the past.
Also you can try using a tumble dry softner sheet to clean up dirty media - just run it for a while and it cleans the media so you can use it for longer.
Years ago in the days of shooting pistol I must have dry tumbled literally tens of thousands of cases. I used stuff called case polish by Dillon. It smelled like the old Duraglit polish and was bright Dillon blue and impregnated the media, it really did shine them up. I suppose the suggestion of autosol or t-cut is the same thing.

 

[25 Sharps]

If you want them clean, shiny, like new inside and out including primer pockets then wet tumbling is the only way to go.


You also don’t produce loads of toxic dust.

 

[25 Sharps]

Magic, I'm looking to get into reloading, but don't have any space for any of the cleaning options. Was going just not clean, but couldn't quite get why a sit and soak wouldn't work to some extent!

Lee case holder, electric drill and 0000 wire wool will get them shiny on the outside and a manual primer pocket cleaner.

 

[gunmandanieltex]

I have test shot clean vs dirty cases and there's no effect on accuracy so I don't clean them beyond wiping off any blood mud etc. with a tissue. Other than that my reload routine is FL resize, prime, drop powder into cartridge case, seat bullet and shoot. If the case neck gets too long to chamber then I trim it back down to size.

The cases will at some point get dirty enough to not chamber or make it difficult.

 

[smokey]

Hi all!

I am just starting to get into reloading and as of now I am trying to figure out how to properly clean cases. At the moment I have a smart reloader nano dry tumbler. On yt videos after tumbling cases they come out clean and shiny. But in my case, popped cases came out not much cleaner than they were before tumbling.
Before tumbling I decap old primers, so I could see more clearly if there is a stuck media in the primer pocket/hole.
I used initially chicken corn as was recommended in my shooting club, they do clean ok I guess but it’s a bit of a pain to get chicken corn out of the 223 cases, they just get stuck inside and won’t come out easily due to small neck and coarse media.
So with combination of small screw driver and compressed air I have to go through every case cleaning out stock media.
Then I tried to use crushed walnut media (it’s more like a sand) for cleaning and since it’s fine, media doesn’t stuck in the cases but for some reason not cleaning very well, especially 308 cases. Both 223 and 308 primer pockets and necks were not cleaned very well, even though I ran tumbler for at least 4-5hrs for each batch.
I have seen some advertisement about additives for dry tumblers to make cases clean and in some way more polished. But not sure if these would work and in the club members told me that they won’t help and that I should switch to wet tumbling. But I would like to stick with dry tumbling for now.

Any advice on what media would clean cases better?
Or maybe I need to add something to the media?

Thank you.

i clean before decapping to solve the problem of clogged primer holes. it is better to use corn cob or walnut shells(buy from pet shop supplies not gun shops) if you are using autosol or similar then getting some drying paper sheets from poundland (they are for laundry use) put two of these in your tumbler they will keep the media cleaner

 

[Floralys]

Thank you for your advice!

 

[NullMac]

Pointless exercise. Sell the tumbler and buy something that contributes to making good ammo.

 

[DesG]

Clean cases don't shoot any better, a clean car doesn't drive any better and a clean bed doesn't make you sleep at better, but I know which I prefer.