Cartridge case cleaner?

[danno50]

Wondering if any of you handloaders have ever used the Birchwood Casey "Brass Cartridge Case Cleaner"? Down side comments or positive feedback welcome. Are liquid cleaners in general not considered to be in the the same class as the long accepted tumbler style Cleaners? Heres the Birchwood Casey link:
  https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/Cleaning-and-Maintenance/Cleaning-Maintenance/Brass-Cartridge-Case-Cleaner.aspx

[badsection]

I'm not sure about this one, but most put a tremendous amount of lead in the air and usually in a closed area.  Did you read the  cautions with this product?  It's not exactly a friendly chemical.  I don't even "tumble" indoors!   

[terminator]

Dan:I researched several years ago and it seemed like more hassle and not quite as good as media tumblers.They might be better now though. I just throw my brass in tumbler with corn cob media and Turtle wax and let it go over nite.

[dubyam]

I tried the Iosso brand liquid cleaner years ago. I was less than satisfied based on the residual stains on the brass from the primer compounds (which in this case were pink splotches due to the red priming compound in the Fed210s) and the overall dull appearance and slightly chalky feel of the brass afterward. I stopped after a single use. Still have the cleaner if anyone is close and wants to pick it up. I won't be using it again.

[PARA45]

I am old fashion and continue to use the corn/walnut media with Dillon polish, and I like the results.  Like Roger said, ti seems like it's a lot of work.  After you clean the brass, you have to dry them. 

Bad, if you stick a sheet or two of Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets in your tumbler, it will help minimize the amount of dust particle.  I don't recall where I read about it, but it works.  I also, wear a mask when I take the brass out of the tumbler, just in case.  I tumble in my garage

[musicman]

Back in the day, I tried all the excepted methods, all to good success.  I also observed that some black powder cartridge shooters will dump their empties into a big plastic pickle jar with Walmarcado Windshield Washer Fluid.  It neutralizes the corrosive salts.  Then they dump them wet in the tumbling media.  I guess it is like cheap Windex.  One fellow I knew bought "hamster bedding" from a pet store instead of tumbling media.  He said it was the same walnut stuff, and a lot cheaper.  I never checked into that.  Another avid shooter I know, uses stainless steel pins as tumbling media.  These are the diameter of a pencil lead, and maybe a quarter of an inch long.  Supposedly will last forever.  And he swears by those.  I would imagine he bought them from some shooting supply place.  MM

[Blackbear3]

I don't know if I'm messing up, but the friend that taught me to reload said all you need to do is run a brush in the case mouth. I have never cleaned my brass in almost 40 years of reloading, if you guys think I should please let me know.

[7mmweatherby]

Blackbear 3 loading for 40 years and you getting consistent and accurate loads no since in changing

I do clean at times , never really seen any difference in performance in ammo as far as feeding or accuracy in rifles .
 
I use a thumlers tumbler with stainless media for last five years or so when have the time

[.257]

I don't know if I'm messing up, but the friend that taught me to reload said all you need to do is run a brush in the case mouth. I have never cleaned my brass in almost 40 years of reloading, if you guys think I should please let me know.

Your not messing up. I have never used a cleaner or tumbled my brass either. I use case lube to full length size and put a little lube in the neck with a Q-tip before resizing. After resizing I clean all lube off the case but not the inside of the neck, clean primer pocket, check for case length and they look like new. I have never had a problem with this method

[Blackbear3]

Thanks guys!! No I've never had any problems, I usually use a dry lube inside the case necks and then lightly spray the outside. I've kicked around buying a tumbler but figured it's mostly cosmetic, but then again it doesn't hurt to ask.

[danno50]

I don't know if I'm messing up, but the friend that taught me to reload said all you need to do is run a brush in the case mouth. I have never cleaned my brass in almost 40 years of reloading, if you guys think I should please let me know.

Your not messing up. I have never used a cleaner or tumbled my brass either. I use case lube to full length size and put a little lube in the neck with a Q-tip before resizing. After resizing I clean all lube off the case but not the inside of the neck, clean primer pocket, check for case length and they look like new. I have never had a problem with this method

So I guess cartridge case cleaners and tumblers are a safety precaution mainly for brass that has somehow become tarnished or brass that has been used multiple times (when burnt powder deposits might accumulate) or possibly for old brass that may have been picked up at the range. I'm also guessing that Doug and Mike are careful with their brass, inspect it, and don't overuse their brass whether its new or once fired brass? 40 years for Doug, and 36 years for Mike is a long time to use a reloading procedure without incident.
I'm Curious Doug and Mike, how or what do you guys use to gauge the usefulness of your brass as regards to how acceptably clean it needs to be before its not useable anymore. Does it just come down to wear and tear of the brass itself, and that cleaning the inside or outside has not been necessary for the amount of times you use the brass to reload? Pretty interesting stuff.   

[Blackbear3]

Danno I've always been overly cautious and just tossed the brass if I have any doubt what so ever. I always use a dry brush to clean the inside of the case mouth and then gently tap it to make sure nothing is inside the case. I keep clean rags around to wipe off the outside of the case after sizing and they usually look fine. My belted magnum cases I usually reload 3-4 times and toss and my 270 and 25-06 maybe 5-7 times and toss.
I only use new brass or brass from factory ammo I fired. I've never noticed a lot of fouling in my cases, that's why I asked the question if you consider it cosmetic or a safety reason. Would you go without tumbling Danni? The friend that got me into reloading passed away about 5 years ago from lung cancer so I can't get his opinion on it.
I've never tossed brass from being to dirty. Just wear and tear.

[danno50]

Doesn't look like a bad way to go to me. I would only be using once fired brass (mine) and I think I could get by without a tumbler or cleaner using your method.

[.257]

I inspect each case carefully thru the reloading process. I also keep track of how times each batch has been loaded. Also how many times it has been trimmed. I will only trim once and when it is ready to be trimmed again I toss it. I feel by the time it is ready to be trimmed for the second time there has been enough brass flow for thin spots to be developing. Mainly around the base. I don't ever remember tossing brass because it was dirty, and I cant remember anything I have forgotten 

[musicman]

I always tumble it after resizing, to get all of the sizing goo off.  That stuff is a magnet for grit and crap.  If I used the spray dry lube, I didn't have to do that.  But when I was running thousands of rounds of .223 reloads a year, I wanted the cases as clean as possible, to ensure proper functioning in the AR.  I was loading in grups of 100 or so cases, and this was more time effective than just wiping the cases.  I imagine, if loading in groups of twenty or forty, wiping with Windex would be quicker.  A criminally cheap buddy of mine would buy this nasty horrible looking .223 and 7.62 ammo; all corroded up exterior, live ammo.  I guess it was stuff salvaged from sunken ships.  He built a homemade tumbler out of a truck wheel and washing machine motor.  He would tumble LIVE ammo, to clean it up so it would chamber reasonably often.  At least he had the sense to set the apparatus up back behind his shop, in case one of the rounds would let go.  I shiver to think of it.  When I shot competitively, I grouped my ammo into 100 round groups.  I would anneal every second or third firing.  When my group got down to 88 rounds, having lost 12 to split necks, I would dump the rest into my "creek bank," ammo stash.  These I would reload with a standard 55 gr. cheap FMJ, and these I would use when taking people out to the farm to let them blast, and hopefully entice them into becoming a firearms owner.  I would still pick up the brass, but would not cry if I lost any.  MM