Best way to clean brass shells ready for reloading?

Question

What is the best way to clean a large number of .270 brass shells ready for reloading after I have deprimed them. I want to be able to not only get the outside of the brass clean, but the inside of it as well, like the primer pocket. I have a heap of shells resized and deprimed, but I want to be able to get them spotless clean and the primer pockets spotless clean.

Would soacking them in boiling water with a cleaning agent work, if so what cleaning agent, and would boiling water expand the resized shells or anything?

Answer 1

Here ya go, or search for another if you don't like this one

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lyman-Turbo-Twin-Tum...

Answer 2

You can buy chemical cleaners for amunition brass.  it differs from regular brass cleaners because it will not harden the brass.  If you use any cleaners that contain ammonia, you will harden the brass and the cases could split on you when they are fired.  Ammunition brass must be handled with care so as not to damage it and make it unsafe for use.  Almost all metal and brass cleaners will contain chemicals, including ammonia, that will ruin your brass and they must be avoided.  If you can't afford to buy a tumbler or vibrator to clean your brass, you can use one of teh chemicla cleaners specifically designated for ammo brass.  If you have none of these, I woujld suggest that you do nothing morre than wash it in a good dish soap and thoroughly rinse it.  then rinse off the rinse water with distilled water so you do not leave mineral deposits on your brass.  Unless it is corroded, washing alone will get it clean enough to reload it.  If you will be doing very much reloading, you will need to save up some money and buy a tumbler or vibrator.  Keep an eye out at garage sales for rock tumblers that people have gotten tired of.  You can pick one up for almost nothing.  Thoroughly clean it out to get rid of any grit.  then go to some place like Bass Pro, Cabela's, or anyplace that sells reloading supplies and pick up some brass tumbling media.  Put the tumbling media in the tumbler and you are set to tumble clean your brass all for very litle investment.

Answer 3

Get a tumbler. They aren't that expensive, and it really doesn't much matter if you use corncob or walnut shell media for cleaning. I made my own primer pocket cleaner from an old split case, and I use the little brush that's supposed to be used for Pap smears to clean the polishing medium out of the flash hole.