keeping brass looking new?

[Crunchy]

Fairly new to reloading, but lucky enough to have reloading under my belt to now have a pet load for my Rem 700 in 7mag.  I noticed during the last bit of deer rifle some of my reloaded casings looked tarnished. Im sure from being in the weather.  I took a lot of pride in making them pretty and wondered how to keep them looking new.  Something I didn't do or could do?

[Bill W]

Either a sonic cleaner or a vibrating tumbler with media will shine those cases right up.    And.... there's nothing wrong with leaving the cases tarnished.  Sorta makes a statement you are a reloader.

[Feanix]

0000 Steel wool and a little time will brighten them right up.

[cwuwildcat]

If it's a handful of rounds, take a rag with ketchup on it and wipe them down.  The acidity of ketchup will clean them right up.  This will cost you nothing, as long as you've got ketchup in your fridge or can go to McDonalds and snag some packets.  Used to do this trick at the Tap room when they had a brass/copper like table top.  We could write dirty sayings in their table top with the ketchup.  Doesn't hurt the brass and you don't need any special equipment.

[gasman]

24 hours in a tumbler with a little polish. looks better then new

[Bigshooter]

24 hours in a tumbler with a little polish. looks better then new

This is the only way to polish brass as far as i'm concerned.

[Feanix]

I believe the OP is talking about loaded rounds.

[Crunchy]

I believe the OP is talking about loaded rounds.

Yes reloaded brass.  I know enough not to toss them back in the tumbler.  They come out clean and brite.  They just took on a different finish after being in the rain all day.

[Fisherdave10]

If it's a handful of rounds, take a rag with ketchup on it and wipe them down.  The acidity of ketchup will clean them right up.  This will cost you nothing, as long as you've got ketchup in your fridge or can go to McDonalds and snag some packets.  Used to do this trick at the Tap room when they had a brass/copper like table top.  We could write dirty sayings in their table top with the ketchup.  Doesn't hurt the brass and you don't need any special equipment.

It would be the acidic vinegar in the ketchup doing the work.  I doubt you'll want to be leaving a bunch of sticky sugars on your brass...  If you want to use this method, use straight vinegar, not ketchup.

When you're doing a final polish in your tumbler, add approximately a capful of car wax to your media.  It will leave an extremely thin, smooth layer of wax on your brass that will prevent it from oxidizing.

When tumbling or even polishing brass that is tarnished by hand, use Flitz.  Either the liquid or paste, Flitz is awesome stuff.

DO NOT put ammonia or any product containing ammonia on your brass.  It will make it brittle and ruined.

[Jekemi]

The question is, is shiny brass of any value? Or is what we are really after is clean brass. While shiny brass looks nice I don't believe it has any real ballistic value. Clean brass, free from dirt and carbon, inside and out, including the primer pocket is what reloaders are after. Traditional tumblers will make beautiful shiny brass but they don't do a very good job of cleaning the inside of the brass cases, they don't clean the primer pockets, and they often leave media stuck inside the primer pockets. You can clean brass in a tumbler with the primers still in but once again, you don't clean the primer pockets.

I contend that de-priming, resizing, and trimming brass can be done in one phase then clean the brass in an ultrasonic cleaner. The brass comes out clean inside and out including the primer pockets. The brass is not as shiny but ready to be re-primed, charged, a new bullet seated and crimped, and ready to be fired. If you are using a turret press or a progressive press this process leaves station one open since the brass has already been de-primed and sized. I've timed the process, for 100 rounds of a rifle cartridge both ways. It's slightly faster cleaning the brass in a tumbler, sifting it, and reloading on a progressive press with the sizing/de-capping die in station one. However, if you add in the trimming process it's slightly faster de-priming/sizing and trimming in one step, cleaning in an ultrasonic cleaner, and then reloading without having to de-prime and resize in the final stage.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Tumble .. and if your storing brass after it is clean and want to keep them that way ...vacuum seal and put away 

[Blacklab]

Tumbler with ss. Heard it's less messy and primer pockets don't get plugged and last forever. Gonna switch as so as I run out of media 

[Bigshooter]

I believe the OP is talking about loaded rounds.

I put loaded rounds in the tumbler also.

[mrolen]

I believe the OP is talking about loaded rounds.

I put loaded rounds in the tumbler also.

Im sure the likely hood of a loaded round going off in a tumbler is very slim that just doesnt sound like a good idea at all.

[Larry S.]

In the reading that I've done on the subject of tumbling reloaded rounds (not empty brass), you should never do this as the process of tumbling and the inherent vibration therein tends to break down the coating on the powder granules. The powder manufacturers whose products I use strongly advise against doing this.

One such article stated it as follows:

“Is it OK to clean live, loaded ammo in a vibratory tumbler?” The basic answer is NO, do NOT tumble live ammo in a vibratory tumbler. There are serious potential safety hazards that can result from tumbling live ammo.

The main reason to avoid tumbling loaded ammo is that tumbling can break down the powder kernels inside the case and/or alter the burn-rate retarding coatings on the outside of the kernels. This can alter the powder’s burning properties, with dangerous consequences. If you vibrate loaded rounds for a long time, you can both grind or shear the kernels and alter the kernels’ external coatings."

Hope this helps.

Larry S.