Case Cleaning
Without a doubt the least important and most talked about part of reloading.
1) All that is needed is to wipe off the outside of the case with a rag, unless shooting black powder. All you need to do is remove any dirt/grit from the case exterior so the sizing die isn't damaged.
2) 30 minutes with 20/40 corn will clean and polish the case exterior and remove some of the interior soot. If you deprime first, you will remove the residual white powder sometimes left in the primer pocket. You can get a nice vibratory cleaner for about $86 and a media separator for about $37.
For very dirty cases with dried mud or whatever, ground nut hulls work well--but they also produce a lot of dust that can pack inside a case and take a lot of elbow grease to remove. Some folks like to add an abrasive to polish the brass (jeweler's rouge or Nu-Finish) and some like to add mineral spirits and paper towel/used softener sheets to the media to remove some of the powder. Corn doesn't produce much powder.
3) 20-30 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner, using hot water/Dawn/citric acid will completely remove the soot and give the brass a slight polish. You will need to rinse the cases and let air dry. Some go as far as to dry the cases and then tumble them for more polish.
4) 6-8 hours with a rotary tumbler (some say 2 hours), stainless steel pins, dawn, and citric acid will completely clean and polish the cases. The pins have to be separated from the cases and the cases need to be rinsed and air-dried. It is best to pour off as much of the dirty solution as possible and add enough water and pour off to get the solution clear. Then you need to have a media separator (my RCBS works perfect) with a tub/bucket full of water to get the pins to fall out from the cases.
For all wet "tumbling," I simply air dry the case over night. I see no need to neutralize the citric acid, as the rinse cycle(s) take care of that.
Everything beyond step #1 is done for the reloader's pleasure and not for any need. As a hobbyist, I like to play, but I sure don't see any of these as needed.
I prefer #2, as #1 hurts my arthritis and the rest take more time/money--though I have the equipment for all four.
If you simply have to have really shiny brass, forget the US system and go with the stainless pins--but be ready for a LOT longer time for cleaning and a lot more water usage.
For all methods, I prefer to decap first. The use of 20/40 grit keeps any media from packing in the flash hole or primer pocket.
