Best way to clean 100 cases today?

Used a dry tumbler for 25+ years with corn also walnut media. Changed to wet tumbling with stainless steel pins , cleans the carbon from the inside of the case & primer pockets when spent primer is removed , I use a Q - Tip to dry the primer pocket. Changed to wet tumbling , when talking to reloaders on wet cleaning, at first I didn't like the idea of water. After watching some video's on line. Ordered a tumbler from Harbor Freight for smaller quantities. Ordered the tumblers model B tumbler for larger quantities. Very happy with wet tumbling & glad I did. Check it out before you pull the trigger on a tumbler.
 
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No need for depriming prior to washing.
Just dry the cases in the oven, old primers and all.
The primer pockets will get dry.
Make sure dinner isn't baking in there, though.
 
Stainless steel pan on stove top. Submerge brass in water, bring to boil, add a spoonful of auto-dishwashing detergent, and stir for a minute or so. Drain water, and rinse in strainer. Toss in 200 degree oven for half hour, and then load.

I prefer to deprime first, but not necessary. jd
 
I own one, it ha weight and strength and power an ma last in til doomsday.

A tumbler is a weighted motor on a heavy bowl that is spring mounted to a heavy base, and as that motor throws the weight around, the drum shakes. The only thing that can wear out or break is the replaceable motor.

It's worth the price. Shipping will hurt,and the price will be the same everywhere online
 
I have been picking up range brass. I use the 45 ACP for loading at this time. They can have been siting in mud and other debris that is why I wash them.

I will throw 200 or so in a bucket and a dash of the low suds laundry soap (HE) in the bucket. Ill stir them up well and flush well a couple times. Then throw some white vinegar and lemi-shine dry powder and water in and mix them up well then let them sit for 5 Min>. Flush and repeat a couple times.

I find the flushing well is important particularly because the primers have been in. I use a large strainer to flip them around to get more of the water... out. I have plans to get a decaping die to quickly get the primers out before I wash so I can flush the pockets better.

After I am happy with the cases being well drained I will put them out in the sun on a towel for a few hours that heats them up well to dry.
When I remove the primers I get some soap stain in the pockets so I will get that out when I start with depriming before washing.

I have two walnut vibrators but seldom use them. I don't need to.
 
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I like using Iosso if you need brass quick, it also takes tarnish off quick. Warm up the oven and you'll have clean brass in 10 minutes or less.
 
I shoot and reload about 2,000 rounds a month thru my handguns -- and 80 % of it is 9mm...and washing the cases makes no sense to me ( Just in terms of the time involved alone in washing and drying).....

Using a vibrating cleaner ....I can easily clean 5,000 cases in 15 min of my time ...in 6 or 7 batches....( my time to fill and dump cases in and out is only 15 min )....tumbler runs for an hour per batch in shop unattended....and I don't resize and deprime prior to cleaning.....

After they're cleaned, I still inspect and dump them into a " clean and sorted box" .....ready to be case lubed and dumped into case feeder of press / ready to run thru press...
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All my spent brass is swept up off concrete range floors ....so no Mudd or heavy soil on them.....but I would still only wipe them down on a towel ...not wash them...even if I picked them off the ground outside. But to each his own....
 
I am confused?

"... I discovered that having to sit down and deprime them with my press wasted about 20 minutes just for 100 rounds. I am going to get a tumbler and go that method since I can deprime and size in one stage on the Lee which will save time."

How were you depriming them? The sizing dies both deprimes and sizes so how did you waste 20 minutes?

If this is your first time reloading, don't reload all 100 rounds with the same recipe. Load 5-10 to make certain that load will cycle the pistol. Then you can reload the rest of them.
 
I use a universal priming die, it just pop's the primer. I clean my brass in a wet tumbler, so it cleans the primer pockets. With the primer out , case measurements aren't effected. If your looking to save time , size & deprime with one complete cycle.
 
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washing the cases makes no sense to me ( Just in terms of the time involved alone in washing and drying).....
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Washing takes but a few minutes, maybe a little more more if it soaks for awhile.
No time out of yer life there.
Rinse takes even less time.
And the oven does the drying, all by itself.
If you just want clean brass and are not trying to make jewelry, washing and drying take hardly any effort or time at all.
 
I used to clean all of my brass with a frankford arsenal tumbler using Nu polish car polish for a shiny finish, but I recently switched to just purchasing already polished brass. Its incredibly affordable and much easier. If you are interested you should check out http://www.monmouthreloading.com/shop/once-fired-9mm-brass/

I have ordered from them and they have great service and ship out fast! I am going to place another order now.
 
I usually do 100-200 at a time. Procedure?
Level the brass in a Tupperware bowl
Add white vinegar almost to cover the brass
Add two drops Palmolive or other dish liquid
Add HOT water to cover brass and shake/sift 15 min

Dry in the sun, then deprime

check primer pockets with q-tip.

Load
 
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I wonder If anyone has ever tried using Coke, the beverage not the powder?

Baddarryl, I have used the Frankford tumbler and they work fine. One caution, do not tighten the lid too tight. I pulled the rod out of the bowl fixture (broke through the plastic) and had to replace it.
 
Go to Wally World and get some citric acid in the canning dept. Add about a heaping tablespoon or a gallon of hot water and stir in your brass. Soak for about 15 min. stirring occasionally. Then rinse, roll in a towel and put them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 220 degrees for 1/2 hour. This gets them clean and passivates the brass so it doesn't tarnish so bad with time. It sounds way more involved than it is in practice.
 
I found this over at THR. My question what mix of baking soda for the rinse? They are soaking now.

"1 pint of water, 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of detergent". Mix the solution in container. Shake 10 minutes with brass. Rinse 10 minutes clean water. Sun dry. This was printed in an NRA reprint of loading for the 45 acp many years ago. Dont forget to Give it a rinse with hot water+baking soda to neutralize the acid after the wash.
< Baking soda Not in Reprint of article Use at your own risk."
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I anything worked better than vinegar I could not stand it. And then there are those that start sentences with 'I'; no one using lanolin and something mixed with it mention Jack O'Conner. Jack O'Conner hands hurt all of the time, he found he could get relief with lanolin, so, he said when he was sizing cases he added lanolin to his hands in one of his books in 1954. And then there was before vinegar, I had a problem with the old formula because it would eat up the cases if while using it I answered the door or the phone rang and the caller said "don't hang up the phone because I have a deal for you".

Baking soda? The old way before the Internet suggested boiling the cases twice; in boiling water, not a problem but the old way turned the cases black, the old guys called the process "pickling cases" because the black clean cases were stored in sealed containers. SO! Should someone come across sealed containers full of black ammo cases use them.

F. Guffey
 
I clean cases about 100 at a time all the time. Here is what I do:
Put 100 or so pieces of brass in an old pan I use for stuff like this, non cooking.
put about 1/2 cup of vinegar, one squirt of dawn, one teaspoon of lemishine, a handful of empty .22 brass, and cover the brass in the hottest water from the tap.

I stir this with a wooden spoon for about 20 seconds and let sit for a few minutes. Then I stir it continuously for about 1-2 minutes. Then I dump most of the water out and rinse with the hot water, I rinse one or two times.

Then I dump a couple tablespoons ( I don't measure any of this..) of baking soda in, I know the vinegar hasn't been rinsed because of the foaming (besides, now it has foaming cleaning action!) I then rinse this several times with the hot water.

I dump all of this in a colander I use only for this. Then I stand them all up upside down on a paper towel. I usually let dry overnight and the primer pockets are dry after I deprime. I have deprimed right away, but my Lee hand press has the old primers drop into the ram and I don't like the moisture in there.

The cleaning goes quickly. Putting the brass on the paper towel takes the longest, and of course, isn't even required.
 

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I reloaded for 12 years before I got a tumbler, I just wiped each case with a solvent (mineral spirits) dampened rag as I inspected it. No, I got no scratched dies and yes, I could spot any defects in the case. I assembled some pretty safe, accurate ammo that way and only got my first tumbler out of curiosity. There are many ways to clean brass as mentioned above, but 95% is just cosmetic as my dull brass ammo shot just as good as my shiny brass ammo. I've been reloading for over 30 years and have no need to impress anyone at the range, and my self satisfaction comes from holes in the target, not shiny brass.The only need I have for shiny, virgin looking brass is for my 45 ACP and 30-06 brass which is easier to find in the dirt, rocks, trash at the "range" where I shoot my 1911 and my Garand. Way too many new reloaders think they need a tumbler right away to make decent ammo (often fueled by forum "experts")...

Go slow, double check everything, and most important, have fun...:D
 
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I reloaded for 12 years before I got a tumbler, I just wiped each case with a solvent (mineral spirits) dampened rag as I inspected it.
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Typing slower: I clean the worst of cases with vinegar for a maximum of 15 minutes and that is for the life of the case. Back to the worst of cases: I paid $14.00 for 1,400 once fired 30/06 surplus cases. The cases were cheap because no one wanted to clean them, for me? Not a problem; I submerged the cases in 2 gallon of vinegar in a 3 gallon jug for 15 minutes. And then I rinsed the cases in boiling water, twice. I could have sized the cases but instead I tumbled the cases for about 1 hour. using the vinegar reduced tumbling by 4 days.

(often fueled by forum "experts")...
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I am still waiting to hear from a reloader making all of these claims that has read R. Lee's book on modern reloading. R. Lee discussed the pros and cons of cleaning cases. I have a choice, I choose to clean my cases and when it comes to showing off I can do that also.

F. Guffey
 
Get a tumbler, I had a Midway, now have a Lyman. Both work. I bought the Lyman at the local BPS for well under 100.00. It doesn't take long to clean a batch of brass and they are dry. You can just wash in dish washing soap and water but you'll have to dry them and they won't shine. I don't always leave them in the tumbler til they shine like new but I do want them clean.
 
Another vote for the Frankford vibratory tumbler. Ive had one for a few years and it hasnt given a hickup. They are about $35.

As far as washing, go for it. If you are on a single stage press just wash em, decap em, then leave em out next to the wood stove, on a warm side walk spread out good. Doesnt take much to dry em out if you dont need em right this minute.
I have a lottle toaster oven dedicated to powder coating that I use to dry cases. About 275 for ten minutes per pan is plenty as long os youve shaken the bulk of the water out.
 
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