Case cleaning

[Tatume]

Hello Folks,

Although I'm an avid and long time muzzle loading rifle shooter, I've never shot BPCRs before.

1. I've watched others drop cases into a jar of soapy water after they shoot them. Is this a necessary step?

2. How do I clean the cases once I get home?

Thanks, Tom

[John Boy]

Is this a necessary step?No ... when you come home, pour hot tap water into a bucket and then a spritz of dishwasher detergent. Swirl the bucket and the water will start turning black from the potassium bicarbonate foul. Drain the bucket - refill - swirl and drain.

There are 2 ways to clean the cases:
1. Vibratory cleaner with dry media - walnut or corn
2. Rotary cleaner with a liquid burnishing solution and ceramic media or steel pins

When clean, dump the wet cases if using a rotary with the liquid onto a towel. Make a tent out out of the towel - put the end of a hair dry in the 'tent' hole and the dryer heats the cases in a couple of minutes that are very hot to the touch. Your done

[littlejack]

As you stated Tom, I as well drop my fired bp cases in soapy water at the range. No, it is not necessary, but you will need to clean with
soap and water eventually. When I get them home, I rinse well with hot tap water, and put them in my drying rack.
When dry, I put them in my vibrator with the walnut shells for a couple of hours, and they are ready to go again.
Jack

[Nobade]

1. Not specifically necessary, but helpful. It keeps the fouling soft and makes cleaning them later easier.

2. My way is to use a Thumler tumbler, stainless steel pins, water and dish soap. But if you don't have this a test tube brush, water,and soap works well - just takes longer. Decap the cases before you clean them so you can clean the primer pockets and so they will dry. It isn't a big deal to keep the cases clean, and they will last much longer if you do.

[John Boy]

Tatume, I forgot to say ... putting the spent cases in the soapy water bucket at the range ... after they have been decapped would aid the cleaning process.
BUT - don't decap and leave the spent primers in causes several issues:
1. If cleaned either with a vibratory or rotary - you will have dirty primer pockets
2. If you want to and should remove the spent primers before they go in the cleaners - you will have one hell of a sloppy mess decapping wet cases

What I didn't post - before I put the cases in the bucket at home, all the cases are deprimmed while they are dry

[littlejack]

+ 1 John. I neglected to mention depriming also.
I made my hand-held case deprimer out of a golf ball initialer. Works great.
Jack

[Seth Hawkins]

I use a universal depriming die on mine when I get home, and drop them into hot tap water. If I remember, I'll put a drop of dish soap in the container. I let them sit a few minutes, then drain, refill, and drain again. Then they go into a tumbler with ceramic media and burnishing compound.

As John Boy stated - getting the spent primers out first is important. The first time I did this, I left the primers in the cases thinking I could deprime after cleaning. It wasn't pretty.

[Mike Brooks]

I don't have any problems depriming after cleaning. Done it both ways, comes out the same.

['74 sharps]

Not sure about all the emphasis put on immediate cleaning of bp fired cases. I removed a fired case from my Sharps, and it had a neck split. I put that aside on my workbench to see how long it takes for it to corrode. That was several weeks ago, and it does not look any different from cases fired yesterday. Corrosion speed is probably related to humidity levels.

[littlejack]

Here in the damp northwest, it only takes a day to notice the fouling on the case to start turning color. It will start at the mouth of the case and will turn cases in a big hurry.
Jack

[Boz330]

1. Not specifically necessary, but helpful. It keeps the fouling soft and makes cleaning them later easier.

2. My way is to use a Thumler tumbler, stainless steel pins, water and dish soap. But if you don't have this a test tube brush, water,and soap works well - just takes longer. Decap the cases before you clean them so you can clean the primer pockets and so they will dry. It isn't a big deal to keep the cases clean, and they will last much longer if you do.

Nobade, get some Lemi Shine and add 1/4tsp to your tumbler you won't believe the difference. Should be in the dish detergent section of the grocery store.

Bob

[Nobade]

Yep, I have some. It sure makes that brass come out shiny!

I don't use it much with my black powder cases, I kind of like the "antique" look for them rather than brand new, but sometimes I will runt them through a second time for 15 minutes or so and they really sparkle.

[nwellons]

I have found that I need to give a scrub with a cartridge brush after soaking the BP cases overnight with dishwashing detergent. It is easier to hold the wet case while wearing a cotton glove.

A quick way to see if they are clean is to swab with a Q-Tip.

[Bullet Caster]

I usually use a bore brush when cleaning the cases. If they're .45 Colt then I use a .45 bore brush. If they're 9mm then I use a .38 cal. bore brush inside the cases. All my once fired brass gets cleaned in a citric acid bath then with soap 'n' water with the bore brush. Works great with the bore brushes 'cause you can get the inside of the case really clean. BC

[Don McDowell]

Hello Folks,

Although I'm an avid and long time muzzle loading rifle shooter, I've never shot BPCRs before.

1. I've watched others drop cases into a jar of soapy water after they shoot them. Is this a necessary step?

2. How do I clean the cases once I get home?

Thanks, Tom

If you deprime the cases at the range, drop them in a jug with about an inch of Simple Green in the bottom and then fill with water and let them soak on the trip home. Then when you get home rinse that jug full of cases with clean water until the water coming from the jug is clear and clean. Then let them dry in a cartridge drying rack, and when dry plop them into your vibrator with corn cob media..
Or slosh them around in a soap and water solution, then rinse and then pop them into the tumbler with ceramic media a case cleaning solution.
Or just deprime toss them into the ultra sonic cleaner for an 8 minute cycle, then change the water and do another cycle, then pop them into your favored case polishing accessory,, or just shoot them as is after they are dry.
None of it is hard or necessarily labor intensive, and it probably takes more time to type it out than it actually does to do it.