Do you need to clean the scale off of 22lr jackets?

[2005f22c]

Hi, my apologies if this is a dumb question. I've just started swaging 22lr hulls into .224 bullets. After derimming and annealing, the jackets turn a dark greenish color. From what I understand, this is the formation of scale from the annealing process. Do I absolutely need to clean this scale off? I'm asking because I kind of like the color, as opposed to the shiny brass color it becomes after cleaning:


(top is not cleaned, bottom is cleaned)

Will it hurt anything if I leave the brass the dark green color and shoot it that way?

[Red River Rick]

It would probably be Ok, but rather than take the chance and perhaps ruin your bore, I would clean them.

After Annealing, and before any swaging operation, I clean my brass .22 cal jackets in my Tumbler Tumbler with 4mm ceramic balls, enough water to cover the media and jackets and add a 1/4 tsp of Lemi-Shine. They come very clean and shiny.

[DDriller]

I wouldn't run them in a swaging die without cleaning them. Dirty brass will destroy your swaging die in very little time.

[THEDarkSpartan]

Idk if you should or not, but I kinda like the brass on brass look.

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[Gew]

Oxides are harder than bare metal. Keep the jackets clean. Citric acid and Simple green Lemon in a tumbler work for me. 1 teaspoon of each in a harbor freight tumbler is all you need after annealing.

[Sasquatch-1]

I anneal with a torch. It leaves a black spot on the brass where the flame makes contact. After annealing I will run them through the wet tumbler for a couple hours with the normal solution. This will get all the black off. After seating the core and forming the point I will run them through the dry tumbler to remove any lube and to wax the bullets.

[Lord Va]

If you do clean it with citric acid, make sure to neutralize the acid with baking soda so that it won’t eat away at your dies and bullets.

[Jimmynostars]

I can only imagine the oxide is like grinding paste in your dies and barrel

[ReloaderFred]

If you do clean it with citric acid, make sure to neutralize the acid with baking soda so that it won’t eat away at your dies and bullets.

Citric acid is derived from lemons. You can even make lemonade from it. I've never found the need to neutralize it with anything other than a water rinse.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[2005f22c]

All, thanks for the responses. I'll make sure to clean all of the scale off before core seating and point forming from now on.