For the best, and safest, results from your reloaded ammunition, the first step in the reload process should always be cleaning your spent brass. Besides the obvious dirt on the outside from your gun’s chamber, there will also be dirt and debris on the inside of your casing, mainly from the powder discharge.

Before Cleaning

Before you begin the process of cleaning your spent brass, it’s important to examine the residue on the casing as it can be a sign of a bad load. For instance, if you notice there is heavy residue on the case body, this could be an indication that the neck of the casing is not sealing quick enough or properly. This improper sealing can be from a light powder charge or using powder that has the incorrect burning rate for your gun. This would also be a good time to examine the casing for any cracks or weak points but the integrity of the casing should be reexamined after running through the die.

Methods of cleaning

Not every shooter will clean their brass the same way. Additionally, some shooters will clean their pistol casings differently than they clean their rifle rounds. Whichever way you clean your brass, you want to ensure you get every speck of dirt and debris out of the case as it only takes a small trace of contaminate to ruin your load.

Tumbling

This is, by far, the most common method of cleaning spent brass. Tumblers come in both electric or hand powered and can fit 50 to 400 casings, depending on the size you buy. The way tumblers work is that, as the drum spins, the cartridges are tumbled on themselves along with the media you decide to use. Different forms of tumbler media might include:

• Cat Liter (clean of course)
• Ceramic particles
• Plastic beads
• Treated Corn Cobs

Tumble cleaning is relatively easy and effective at getting the job done. One portion of the casing the tends to be overlooked when tumble cleaning is the primer. If you de-prime your casings before placing in the tumbler, you will want to make sure no media has become lodged in the primer hole.

                Chemically Cleaning

Those looking for an extremely quick, and effortless, method of cleaning tend to lean towards the chemical route. There are several different cleaning solutions available, many of which have the same process. You simply place the brass in a mesh bag and drop it into the container of cleaning solvent. Let them soak for a short time before removing and rinsing each casing with hot water and let them air dry completely.

Hand Cleaning

This method is the way to go if you aren’t worried about time. This allows for an in-depth inspection of each casing and to ensure they are as clean as possible. To clean the inside, attaching a neck brush to a power drill and using low RPMs is the best way, though you can also rotate the brush by hand. For the outside of the casing, steel wool seems to work the best.

Whichever way you decide to clean your brass, try to do so as soon after you are done shooting as possible. The long the carbon is allowed to set, the harder it will be to clean.