Cannot fully clean the brass

[R2BRO]

I do deprime cases first, and only after that i put them in a wet wash with steel pins/ lemishine/cleaner solution. They come out nice and clean.

then i do all operations on cases, then i AGAIN put them in a wet wash with lemishine/cleaner, but without steel pins.

and after above last operation i assume them to be IDEALLY clean INSIDE. however, when i check with cotton swab - after few cases that cotton swab again becomes kinda dirty and with some small amount of brass powder. really annoying, now it means i have to cotton swab EVERY round to make it as clean as i can before loading.

can someone tell me quick and easy solution to THOROUGHLY clean it so that nothing is left after final wash?

[ricsmall]

Don’t worry about it and load them.

[grayfox]

o. my first thought is, and no offense intended, but..... ocd? They sound so clean to me that it won't make any appreciable difference one way or the other.
A brass case is a pretty complex shape.
As long as there is dirt and dust in the air, how could anyone really say they are thoroughly clean, as in "clean-room" clean...

I'd bet that if you loaded and fired 10 rounds of cotton-swab clean vs 10 rounds of no-cotton-swab, there would be no statistical difference in the 2 sets.....
just my $0.02 (2 really clean pennies- LOL!) worth.

[centerfire]

Don't listen to these guys, you need to wash out the inside of each case at least three or four times. Do you cut powder kernels?

[qviking]

How long are you tumbling the brass? Also, are you rinsing them when you take them out?

[Mad Charlie]

Don't listen to these guys, you need to wash out the inside of each case at least three or four times. Do you cut powder kernels?

And don't forget to weigh the primers! Sometimes my old Lyman 55 cuts a powder kernel, I just call a shrink and she gets me over it, and lined up.

Seriously, don't worry about it! Just be sure the cases are DRY before you load them.

[Klem]

R2,

Size and load 50rds of your double washed cases, and 50rds without cleaning at all. Just pick them up off the ground, shake the sand off them and load them up.

Then shoot for groups to see if there's any difference in group size between the clean and dirty cases.

Then figure out what you're going to do with all that free time.


Seriously, in your shoes I would ask myself what is the practical reason cases are tumbled prior to loading? Save the sizing die from long-term scratching maybe. In the chamber most of the case does not even touch the sides. Will dry tumbling for a couple of hours be good enough for that? Learn to live with smooth but stained cases.

Less cleaning, more shooting.

[Mad Charlie]

I only pin tumble occasionally, what I like about it mainly is that it knocks down small burrs and scratches, and cleans primer pockets. When I use my catcher and they aren't landing in mud and such, I usually just clean with a cloth and blow them out and load. Unless they need trimming or other processing.

[Djgrendel]

Sorry she doesn't shine like she used to, but you can still depend on her. I picked mine up on a range somewhere years ago.....oh you said brass. Same thing. Tumble, load and shoot. I have given up trying to make my reloads look like brand new factory ammo. It doesn't make the rifle anymore accurate. I met a guy 20+ years ago that used
Brasso on his cases to make them shine like gold. Big no no! I'd rather shoot than clean anyway

[Kswhitetails]

Sorry she doesn't shine like she used to, but you can still depend on her. I picked mine up on a range somewhere years ago.....oh you said brass. Same thing. Tumble, load and shoot. I have given up trying to make my reloads look like brand new factory ammo. It doesn't make the rifle anymore accurate. I met a guy 20+ years ago that used
Brasso on his cases to make them shine like gold. Big no no! I'd rather shoot than clean anyway

This is good stuff.

[Bayouhunter1960]

When I do clean I run my brass 30 min to an hour in the tumbler with a shot of dawn dish soap, some lemon juice, finish shine and and about 5lbs of stainless steel chips I bought online. I flush several times in the tumbler until the water is clear.
Pick them out a few at a time the the SS. chips fall out easily. Primer pockets are clean. Been saving the racks from the wire out dishwashers my wife has went through perfect for drying the cases.
Brass looks almost new the older they get a little grooming does no harm.