1895ss wrote:

Well ............. I for one will stick to my tried, tested and true Lyman Turbo Tumbler. Thanks I don't want to wait weeks for the water to dry from my cases.....

Didn't say that was necessary did I....??

And...FWIW...a third dip in isopropyl alcohol will net zero retained water pronto if in a big damned hurry.........

I'd not trade shakin' a drop or two of alcohol outta a flash hole for pickin' walnut hulls with a toothpick.....

Though now a days....I'd not trade the time saved by not tumbling/dipping for nuthin'........I have more trigger time, you don't.

PaulS wrote:

wildswalker, The case lube that I use won't just "wipe off". I tumble my cases after sized, deprimed and trimmed. That cleans and degreases them in one step. It also tends to remove any burrs left by the trimmer. I only lube case necks - inside and out.

Paul, no harm meant by this but why would you want a lube that you need to tumble off? The plain 'ol RCBS lube just wipes right off clean 'nuff...and in nearly 30 years of neck/full length sizing, never had one stuck case to remove save one that a bud brought by for me to get out for him...

Wildswalker...You retired? If not then I have more trigger time then you. Oh rats...Gotta go feed the horses...There goes my trigger time. I actually only have 37 more years left, but I still have time to shine my cases. Call it pride in craftmanship or what ever you will. I will still make my cases publicly exceptable. Not scroungy lookin' like they just came out of a cow pasture. For crying out loud...Everyone to his own. Now calm down wildswalker. We're in the same boat (hobby)...And as I said before. To each his own. Or if you like "What ever eats your shorts and blows your socks off"...

yzchamp asked this question....."do i need one or is ther any other way to clean brass?"

I offered an alternative to tumbling.......a viable alternative.

I know it came from a new guy here....shame on me.

The guy don't NEED to tumble his cases to get them clean, simple as that.

As far as calming down..??

Just wait 'till I get worked up over sumthin'.......<grin>

The attempt is to give ideas...Not criticizm. We all have our favorite "what works for me" (us). Tell yzchamp what is a good idea for you and don't tell others that they shouldn't lube or tumble. I prefer the "dry" way over the "wet" way myself. It doesn't mean that others who prefer the "wet" way or a rotory tumbler have a better or worse idea. Just that it works for them.

I have noticed that the right way, here at least, is the one that works for you. After 35 years of handloading I have my favorite ways just like everybody else. I have to clean my brass - I use a tumbler - it gets the lube off. I have a nice clean, dry chamber with no oil in it. it's all good!

I do it my way, each of us does the same thing in different ways - they all work. I jab at your way you jab back - It's a game - it means nothing more than a good joke with good beer in our favorite bar. (pub or what have you)
There is no need for getting defensive or protective.

BTW the lube I use is an old RCBS lube. It is a lot like STP engine treatment - it won't wipe clean, no way.

RCBS Lube Pad? Been around a long time...Still works.

yzchamp asked a simple question & got some good responses. I've been loading since 1961 (shot shells at that time). Brass came soon after. Cleaning cases was a chore back then. I grew up with the belief that one "should work smarter, not harder". Eventually, I went with a tumbler as it fit my belief. Today I still use a Lyman 1200 turbo I've had for years. Works great with the right media. I'M surprised yzchamp only addressed the tumbler issue. Cleaning brass is an important step in the reloading process, but, case trimming has got to be the second most important step. Come to think of it, I got down right meticulous over the years...bullet seating, crimping, etc. I spend a lot of time on a reloading project & cleaning brass is the simplest thing to do because of the tumbler.

Now, how may of you get that involved? I'm curious.
Keep it coming...

George...I too, am very meticulous and pay much attention to detail. So much so that in 20 years I haven't had one round fail to fire or go down range. I sure that my time may come when I have a failure, but I don't forsee it any time soon.

1. Inspection of cases
2. 30 minute tumbling
3. Inspection of cases
4. Resize/decap
5. 1 hour tumbling
6. Clean out primer pockets (I made a special tool for this)
I don't have a media stuck in flash hole problem as I use a very fine
media.
7. Inspection of cases
8. Sort by head stamp. Cases from my own stock are kept seperate and
as a set and logged.
9. Measured, trim to length and camfer/debur
10. Box and store

I have several reasons to fail and discard cases that I feel are not to my standard. One being to fail to clean to a bright new look after tumbling. An excessively stained or discolored case is one that I feel is damaged by this stain or corrosion (I will, some times, try to clean small amounts by fine steel wool). Discoloration at the mouth of the case caused by firing is not a reason for discarding. Cases are cheap and come a dime a dozon. Then we have our list for reloading. Which would be a long list. Because we are discussing cleaning (tumbling) here I will not go into it at this time.

Bushmaster wrote:

The attempt is to give ideas...Not criticizm. We all have our favorite "what works for me" (us). Tell yzchamp what is a good idea for you and don't tell others that they shouldn't lube or tumble. I prefer the "dry" way over the "wet" way myself. It doesn't mean that others who prefer the "wet" way or a rotory tumbler have a better or worse idea. Just that it works for them.

I've been lurkin' around here for a while now and decided to join in the fun. I like you and can relate to a LOT of what you say.........

Don't mistake my way of defending my methods as critisism of others....claiming that is a interent cop out.....seen it on many levels.

I'll explain...................

Most of my posts here were in defense of not tumbling and doing it another way.....my latest sentimet was that I no longer tumble/dip as it's my opinion/deduction shiney cases don't shoot any better that dull ones. Cleanliness less any dirt, grime or other chamber/die harming stuff is all my goals consist of.

I get that from humbly taking care of my chitt..............

Not in any way meant as an "in your face post".

Quote::

1. Inspection of cases 2. 30 minute tumbling 3. Inspection of cases 4. Resize/decap 5. 1 hour tumbling 6. Clean out primer pockets (I made a special tool for this) I don't have a media stuck in flash hole problem as I use a very fine media. 7. Inspection of cases 8. Sort by head stamp. Cases from my own stock are kept seperate and as a set and logged. 9. Measured, trim to length and camfer/debur 10. Box and store

Thats alot of steps

Dimitri

First of all, cleaning flash holes doesn't cut into my trigger time at all. I clean my brass much the same as Bushy, but I do have some media that does and some that doesn't stick in the flash holes. When it does it is easily removed with a metal pick.

All Right,laugh at me if you will but I just had to add my case cleaning steps.Ready? If a case is ejected on the ground I wipe it off to make sure there is no grit adhering to it.Thats it.Yes I have as Bushmaster put it scroungy looking cases that look like they came out of a cow pasture.I dont believe that shiny cases perform any better.The only advantage as I see it to shiney cases is they are easier to spot than my "camoflaged" cases laying in the grass or leaves. I dont see how the tarnished brass can be hard on dies and chambers,grit and sand yes, but discoloration,I doubt it.I have been handloading for 14 years and have loaded many thousands of rounds and have never owned a tumbler or any other case cleaner. I am very meticulous in the other aspects of handloading such as inspection,trimming,cleaning primer pockets when required,weighing every charge in my big game ammo,etc but was never worried about the appearance of my brass.

Roklok,

Thanks for opening the can of worms I was thinking about starting since this thread started

Why clean them in a tumbler or with liquids ?? A good wipe down with a cotton cloth and a little brushing on the case neck area it would be clean and good to go so why not ??

I never reloaded so take what I say with a grain of salt. Dont shoot enough to justify a 400$ or more investment in reloading equipment. Well not yet anyways

Dimitri

Dimitri, I can't believe you don't reload. That's part of the fun. And in most cases, you can get better performance out of your firearm if you do. I assume you don't shoot as much as some of us, cause if you did you'd see an immediate return on your investment when you reload. On the other hand, if you do shoot a lot, you must have a line on cheap ammo. If so, let us know where we can get some.

Wait a minute, I got it, you're one of those rich guys, aren't you?
Keep it coming...