OK, I posted a "funny" on Buspilot's question to this issue, but I really do have some serious questions on the topic.

It's time for me to start cleaning my cases. I see there are vibratory and rolling case cleaners. There are different types of media. There is dry or combined wet & dry cleaning methods. I'll be cleaning straight-walled pistol cases of .32H&R mag, .357 mag & .45 ACP.

MY (3) QUESTIONS THROWN OUT TO YOU FOLKS:
1) What is the better of the two methods; vibratory Vs. rolling ?

2) What media is recommended for my application?

3) Is dry or a combination of wet and dry recommended?

Inquiring minds want to know !

Thanks in advance,
-Dino

Only 27 days until IHMSA season starts! Woo-hoo !

I don't know what's best but I use a vibrating unit with dry media...the "wet" media tends to stick in the primer holes and can cake on the inside of the case and leaves a film on the case that is a pain. I finish my cases off by a quick polish using a "Crazy Cloth" rag followed by wiping with a paper towel. I like my brass to be clean and look good too.

DB - Thanks. You bring-up a good point. I like my reloads to look good too. BTW - what's a Crazy Cloth?

AND ANOTHER THING - does anybody have any emperical data that clean cases are more accurate? I'm not talking bench-rest, same-bullet-in-the-same-hole at 1000 yards shooting here. I'm talking 1" to 2" groups @ 100 meters or so.

Any takers?

Thanks again,
Dino

Vibrators are faster.

Clean cases do not shoot more accurately, but they feed a lot better and look much nicer.

If your cases are really lousy, use treated dry walnut. If they are just a little grungy, then treated dry corncob.

------------------
http://stevespages.com/page8.htm

I agree with the above. Treated corncob media and vibratory cleaner do the job on moderately fouled cases in an hour or so. Clean cases tend to be easier on dies and seem to have less runout on loaded (rifle) rounds because they size smoother in my experience.

------------------
Growler

Crazy Cloth is a small piece of cloth impregnated with some type of cleaning compound...it is really handy for doing small pieces of metal...the more you use it, the better it seems to work. I get mine from the Sinclair catalog...order one or two each time I make an order....I'm always misplacing mine or giving it to someone at the range.

You'll find Krazy Kloth at most any super market. Look in house cleaning area or near the pots and pans.

Is there anything wrong with tumbling cases after resizing them to get the lube off of them? Beats the heck out of trying to wipe them off with a rag. Just wonder if there was any downside

jeff

Jeff, I figure the media will get dirty faster, but I do it anyway. Media is cheap and time isn't. - Dan

I perform the following on all handgun cases. My process for rifles is slightly different due to slower powders.

1. Deprime fired cases with a universal depriming die. No contact with case.

2. Run fired/deprimed cases through a vibratory tumbler with treated walnut media.

3. Prep cases (size, trim, etc.)

4. Run prepped cases through a vibratory tumbler with un-treated corncob media.

5. Prime and Load cases.

6. Run finnished cartridges through a vibratory tumbler with un-treated corncob media for a final shine. Lot's of folks say this is asking for trouble, but I have never had a round go off in the tumbler after many thousand rounds, and my finnished rounds look factory new. I dont do this with rifle rounds as I have heard the vibration will remove the deternt coating which makes some powders burn slow. That could mean very high pressures upon firing.

Just my two cents. Shark

------------------
"The Constitution of the United States shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." - Samuel Adams

My personal preference is that corn cob would make a better cat litter. I hate the way it winds up stuck in the flash holes.
Walnut is faster and leaves a nice finish.
I've seen lots of posts on spray lubes but have still found good old rcbs to clean up with a damp cloth really fast. (if I have lots of small cases like .223 I found if you lay a warm wet hand towel on a counter top you can put a single layer of 20-30 on the towel and "roll" them between layers of the towel for about 5-10 seconds and they come out clean. I ALWAYS make sure to remove lube from inside the case mouth too--a small midway brush from their "mica" kit works great if wrapped with a small piece of damp shop towel. IN about 3-5 minutes you can swab out the case mouth from about 20-30 rounds easily. Just my system--your hapiness may vary!!