How to Clean Reloading Brass?
Reloading is a fantastic hobby to pick up if you are a gun enthusiast. Instead of having to buy new rounds of ammunition every time you hit the firing range, you can repurpose and reuse your old ammunition. In the long run, you will be able to save a lot of money if you know how to reload.
Now, spent brass casings that drop off after you fire a shot can definitely be reused. But there are a couple of hoops that you need to jump through before you can get to that. And one of the most important steps to that is cleaning the brass thoroughly.
And no – it is not just because of the aesthetics. A clean and polished brass not only makes your reloaded ammo look more professional but it also ensures that the ammo performs well. Sure, you might be able to reuse a spent casing that has been fired one time, but if you want to use it multiple times, it needs to be cleaned properly.
In this article, I will talk about all the intricacies of cleaning your reloading brass and help you understand how to approach it the right way. So without further ado, let us get started.
Selecting a Brass Tumbler
Before you can clean your spent casings, you need the right tool for the job. And most reloaders would agree with me when I say this – a brass tumbler is essential for any reloader to clean and prep old cases.
This simple device can make this hectic task a lot easier on your end. And since they are available in different price ranges, there is no real excuse not to get one if you plan on reloading regularly.
As of today, there are two types of tumblers available in the market, rotary tumbler and vibratory tumbler. Of course, there are strengths and weaknesses to both variants. I will discuss a bit about both of them so you can decide which variant better suits your requirements.
1. Rotary Tumbler
Of the two variants, the rotary tumbler is the cheaper and simpler option. A rotary tumbler is designed to clean and polish brass quietly and also comes at a pretty affordable price. The downside to these machines, however, is that they are slower compared to vibratory tumblers and also require a higher volume of polishing media.
2. Vibratory Tumbler
A vibratory tumbler, on the other hand, is “loud and proud” and is designed to clean brass casings as fast as possible. Typically, vibratory tumblers also offer a greater capacity allowing you to clean a larger batch of cases at one go. But they are considerably more expensive compared to a rotary tumbler. So there’s a tradeoff here.
Selecting a Case Cleaning Solution
Once you have your tumbler, you need to decide on a case cleaning solution. But since more and more products are hitting the shelves every day, you want to do some research before you buy one. You want to go with a cleaner that can remove powder fouling, discoloration, and dirt from the brass cases.
You can, of course, go with case cleaner kits if you want. Most of the time, these kits come with a cleaning solution that you can use for cleaning about 1500 to 3000 brasses. They can be a good value for your money if you are on a tight budget.
Selecting a Brass Cleaning Media
Cleaning brass using a tumbler also requires using certain cleaning media. While you can use almost anything for this task, people generally go with one out of three options, corn cobs, walnut shells, or stainless steel pins. Let’s talk a bit about how each of these media performs.
1. Corn Cob
This is the perfect media for some light cleaning. Personally, I use this media when I want to clean cases that have been fired once or twice. In other words, if the brass is not tarnished too heavily, corn cob is the perfect media for the job. If you want to take things one step further, go with treated corn cob media.
This product comes with a polishing compound that will make your brass look as fresh as new.
2. Walnut Shell
If you are working with brass casings that have not been cleaned for many reloading’s, then corn cob might not cut it. The tarnish would be too heavy, and even if you run it through the tumbler, it won’t look very clean. In that situation, walnut shell media comes into play.
This media works in both rotary and vibratory tumblers and is designed to get rid of heavy tarnish on the brass cases. Make sure you go with treated walnut shell media, as the untreated variant does not come with a polishing agent.
3. Stainless Steel Pins
Finally, you have the stainless steel pins media, which, frankly, is the best of the bunch. Stainless steel pins media cleans brass more efficiently and thoroughly compared to walnut shells or corn cob. However, the caveat here is that it can only be used in a rotary tumbler.
If you have a vibratory tumbler, using stainless steel pins to clean brass is a bad idea as it can damage your unit. Another advantage to stainless steel pins is that the brass does not require any polish after cleaning. You can also add detergent or cleaning solutions to make it more effective at cleaning brass casings.
Steps to Cleaning Reloading Brass
Now that you have a good grip on the basics and the things you need, you can get started with cleaning the brass. The steps are pretty simple to follow, so I’m sure by the end of this article, you will have no trouble cleaning your reloading brass.
1. Sort the Brass Casings
You want to start by sorting out all the brass cases you want to clean by size and type. While some may say that you can clean different types of cases together, in my experience, it’s just asking for trouble. Smaller cases can often get lodged inside larger brasses when cleaning in the tumbler.
The best approach is to sort them out by size and clean a single batch at a time. It takes longer, sure, but it makes the job much smoother.
2. Set the Machine
The next step is to set up your machine. Make sure you add some polishing powder along with the cleaning media of your choice. If you are using a rotary tumbler and opted for stainless steel pins as media, remember to add some water and dish detergent to the mix. You can also add other cleaning products if you want.
All tumblers are different, so you should take a look at the instruction manual for the model that you have in your home. The manual can contain information regarding which media or detergent you should use, making your task easier.
3. Use the Tumbler
With everything set, you can shut the lid of the tumbler and turn it on. Vibratory tumblers should take around 2 to 3 hours to clean your casings. If you are using a rotary tumbler, it can take up to 8 hours or even more.
Once the machine turns off, check them to see if you want them to be cleaner. In that case, you need to run the brass through the tumbler again.
4. Rinse the Casings
Once the tumbler does its job, you may still notice some leftover debris on the brass. Don’t worry, the debris are from the cleaning media. To remove the debris, run your casings under running water and rub them gently with your hand. Personally, I put my cases on a large strainer and hold them under running water.
Keep it up until all the debris are gone from your brass.
5. Dry the Casings
After all signs of debris are gone, you need to dry the casings. I know, you already spent hours cleaning the cases and now you just want to get to work. But unfortunately, there is no way you can accelerate the drying.
Your best course of action is to lay the cases on a dry towel and let them air dry. The cases can take a couple of days to dry fully. Do not try running them under a hairdryer under any circumstances.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning your reloading brass is the first step to reloading. And I know that it can take a while, and the entire process is quite tedious, but there’s no way around it. But look at the bright side – once you are done with the entire process, you should have a good number of brasses you can use for reloading immediately.
Hopefully, my article on how to clean reloading brass could help you find the perfect method to clean your brass casings efficiently. Good luck!
