just curious

[sv44]

not sure where this should go but here goes... if i am reloading for target shooting, plinking at the range how critical is it to clean the brass each time before reloading? what happens if i reload it once or even twice before cleaning it all. talking about 44 special / 45 colt brass specifically.
thanks

[quilbilly]

Not very critical unless the brass has corrosion you can feel. My routine for found brass is to de-prime and run it through the tumbler for a couple hours. If the brass is really corroded (green color) and not just stained, it could be compromised so I toss it. Welcome to the site BTW.

[Wayne Smith]

When I started reloading for my Dad's 30-30 we had no concept of cleaning brass. That brass must have gone through a dozen loadings and never was cleaned.

[country gent]

Depends on how dirty shooting the load are. As brass gets the build up in it the volumes change slightly affecting the load. Another consideration is where you shoot and what dirt it picks up, a indoor range is better an out door range wit dirt or gravel floor and dust brass can pick up mire dirt and grit. I polish every loading for a couple reasons, 1 I like clean brass, 2 its faster and easier with the lower fouling and build up., 3 it just looks better and more professional.

[Winger Ed.]

I went for a few years just washing them in soap & water.
After I got grounded from the oven when the 2nd .45ACP cooked off,
I'd lay them out on a towel for a couple days.

[rancher1913]

I was 18 when I started reloading 357mag and never knew you could clean brass much less did it. my cases were black after about 20 or 30 reloads and they still worked just fine. got dirty just loading but I was having fun, when the cases split I tossed them, thought unique was the only powder made.

[sv44]

boy i am glad i asked- this should save a lot of time for me. Thanks everyone!

[tazman]

I usually run the brass through the tumbler after each firing. I am not anal about how they look since I only run the tumbler for about 60-90 minutes before I take them out.
They aren't shiny by any means but they also don't have a lot of dirt build up on the outside either.
No problems with feeding.

[avogunner]

Absolutely necessary? No, not really but I do clean all brass before loading - to protect my dies. Dirt, grit, or other foreign matter can scratch a good sizing die quickly so tumbling (or other brass cleaning methods) is simply easy prevention.
Semper Fi

[bedbugbilly]

Since you don't specify what "load" is - BP gets cleaned every time - smokeless get's cleaned as needed - by that I mean it depends on where I'm shooting and the conditions. Revolver brass is easy to keep clean as you can just eject it in to a container and it never hits the ground (at the range) - my semi-auto ejected is another thing all together. Most of my revolve4r loads are lighter loads - for the same purposes you are using yours. Depends on the gun/cartridge but if I get some blow-by and soot not the casings, I'll wipe them down. I don't tumble - I just deprive and toss 'em in a bucket of hot water with some dish soap and citric acid added - stir them up good and let them sit for an hour or so and then rinse in hot water and lay out to dry. It doesn't matter to me if they are shiny or not as long as I'm not sliding dirty/gritty brass in to y dies or cylinder chambers.

[jrmartin1964]

After I got grounded from the oven when the 2nd .45ACP cooked off

Are you seriously saying you not only placed live ammunition... or even primed empties... in an oven, but that you did so at least twice?? SMH.

[Froogal]

I have reloaded quite a few without cleaning the brass, but my .45 Colts ALL get a thorough cleaning, including the primer pockets. I was having some issues with primers not seating completely, but no problems since I began making sure the pockets were clean. I use a brass, pencil brush in a Dremel tool.

[458mag]

Are you seriously saying you not only placed live ammunition... or even primed empties... in an oven, but that you did so at least twice?? SMH.
not hard to do when dealing with large volumes of brass. besides, it keeps life interesting.

[mdi]

I reloaded for 12 years before I got a tumbler. I just wiped each case with a solvent dampened rag as I inspected it, first step. I had no ruined dies and no scratched chambers. Today I'll often just run the brass for an hour or so to get the dirt, and grit off before processing, and if I am cleaning 45 ACP or 30-06 I will tumble them to a shine (easier to find in the dirt, rocks and stuff at the "range")Unfortunately today, mostly from reading forums, new reloaders get the idea that tumbled, shiny brass is absolutely necessary.

[Kraschenbirn]

I usually run the brass through the tumbler after each firing. I am not anal about how they look since I only run the tumbler for about 60-90 minutes before I take them out.
They aren't shiny by any means but they also don't have a lot of dirt build up on the outside either.
No problems with feeding.

+1 on this but I've got a fairly substantial supply of brass for each caliber I load so, upon return from the range, I dump my empties into the appropriate coffee can and, when the can gets full, I'll run those though my big Dillon for an hour or so before storing in my RTL (ready-to-load) bins. That way, I've always got a ready supply of brass on hand for everything I shoot.

Bill

[JBinMN]

Absolutely necessary? No, not really but I do clean all brass before loading - to protect my dies. Dirt, grit, or other foreign matter can scratch a good sizing die quickly so tumbling (or other brass cleaning methods) is simply easy prevention.
Semper Fi

Ditto on this^

[Wayne Smith]

I agree, the one exception is Back powder loaded brass. It gets cleaned asap, and I often have a jug of soapy water at the range to drop them in. Then into the ceramic beads with water and soap. From there to the Lizzard Litter to dry/polish.

[jimb16]

I usually reload three or four different calibers when I start reloading. I throw the first batch in while I size and deprime the second batch to get the sizing lube off of them. When the second batch is ready to go, I take the first batch out of the cleaner and replace it with the second. Same routine with the third and fourth batches. When I'm done with the sizing, I start reloading the first batch while the last batch gets cleaned. When done, I take the last batch out of the cleaner and start reloading the next batch....BTW I clean primer pockets about every third or fourth reload so the primers seat properly. I almost always have nice clean looking reloads. Works for me, but your mileage may vary.....

[GhostHawk]

I got my Frankford Armory hand decapper about the same time I discovered citric acid wash for brass. (Fruit fresh from dollar store)

For me now it is more of an image thing. If I want a particular set of loads to look nice, I'll decap, citric acid wash, then run a brush through primer pocket and roll the case on a towel on my leg. Seems to get some of the last stubborn grubbys off.

But about half the time I don't bother. Ussually especially with pistol it is just me shooting, no one see's my loads.
I'm more concerned about them shooting well. And frankly I have not noticed a difference.

But it is easy enough to do, ice cream bucket or similar container. Half a gallon of hot water, a teaspon of fruit fresh, few drops of dawn. Swirl 2 or 3 times, let sit, swirl some more, rinse twice with hot water then its primer pocket cleaning time.

When I'm all done I just lay the brass in a towel over the kitchen stove pilot light. Nice warm spot there, half hour and they are dry and clean.

I do like running clean brass in my dies. Which probably is the biggest single reason I do acid wash as often as I do.

[Yooper003]

Certainly not critical but, I got a FA lite tumbler couple months ago & now I usually clean my brass every time. He wet wash with the pins do s a great job fast. Brass is clean inside & out, primer pockets also. Previously I just wiped them down each time & maybe a swipe with fine steel wool.
Just like the looks of nice shiny brass.

[T_McD]

Definitely not critical, but I still do it every time. You could easily get away with cleaning every other loading.

[Texas by God]

About every 5 loads for me; I wipe and inspect every round as they go into the box. Eventually I’ll throw them in the tumbler. My ammo doesn’t have to be shiny to work.

[facetious]

Even if I don't run them in the tumbler I will wash every thing in a bucket of hot water with dish sope and rinse in hot water with asplash of vinegar then let dri. I will often deprime the cases first with a Lee decaper . If nothing else it is nice not to have your hands all nasty when you are at the bench.