Is it really “OCD”??

[dh1633pm]

Yup, everyone saying how they feed their OCD for clean brass. And I do like shiny brass. Nobody really answering the question. Does shiney brass Shoot better. I say nope. Just looks nicer.

 

[Charlie98]

Does shiney brass Shoot better. I say nope. Just looks nicer.

I would agree with you, however, shiny brass... clean brass, anyway... has it's merits.

 

[Buzznrose]

I decided to go through my brass to see what needed attention and found 2 gallons of .223 that I’d accumulated. I had tumbled in walnut media and polish about a year ago and stored it in a 2 gallon plastic container. By the time I’d deprimed the lot, my hands were very dirty, so I said screw it and started wet tumbling in Dawn, Lemishine, and got water. First batch is drying now while remainder is in the wet wash.

Oh well…back to shiny for now…

 

[GW Staar]

Brass I take to the range can certainly wet tumbled clean in less than 30 minutes and completely dry in the toaster oven in 15.... I don't accept that dry tumbling is any faster period... range pickups dug out of the mud are clean in an hour....
This is not calling you out!!!!!!!
Just setting the record straight...

I don't doubt you....just depends on the brass. The small bucket of MG 7.62 LC brass I got once at Widners was grungy stuff that took two one hour tumbles......and as I said I don't wait around for it. Typically I start a batch at 7:30AM set the timer for 1 hour and drive to work. So it gets an hour. If it only needed 30 minutes....oh well.... Do I still dry tumble? Maybe once in several years.

This is half of that nasty gungy LC brass.....two hours ain't bad when it now looks like this...inside too :

One caveat......It wouldn't size with wax (imperial) had to use RCBS water base or STP......a dozen with STP was enough....too much of a mess. Glad the RCBS lube worked. MG brass is a little over sized! and there's no lube effect as with using corncob.

 

[nettlle]

Brass I take to the range can certainly wet tumbled clean in less than 30 minutes and completely dry in the toaster oven in 15.... I don't accept that dry tumbling is any faster period... range pickups dug out of the mud are clean in an hour....
This is not calling you out!!!!!!!
Just setting the record straight...

Dry tumbling is not necessarily faster. Dry tumbling is less hassle. Dump it in the tumbler, flip a switch, turn the switch off, and sift. No dealing with chemical disposal after every session, no drying of any sort. Yes, the tumbling media does have to be changed but I can get almost a year out of dry media. Not saying that dry tumbling is better. Certainly wet tumbling does a a more thorough job. Both have their advantages. If time and trouble were not a factor I would certainly go to wet. But the time and trouble is a factor for me.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I like it shiny clean because it's easier to detect any problems with the brass, like a crack in the case if one exists. .....

Dull and dirty can hide problems with fired brass. I clean and inspect before sizing.

 

[Charlie98]

So it gets an hour. If it only needed 30 minutes....oh well

Set it, and forget it. Literally. When I was driving OTR, I set some .45-70 cases to tumble... then left the next day for 3 weeks. When I got back... it was shiny! ...but, very likely no more shiny than after an hour or two. It is what it is...

Dry tumbling is not necessarily faster. Dry tumbling is less hassle.

+1

I've already invested in the dry tumble method, and it works well enough. About 1 minute of effort invested in each load...

 

[CQB45ACP]

Set it, and forget it. Literally. When I was driving OTR, I set some .45-70 cases to tumble... then left the next day for 3 weeks. When I got back... it was shiny! ...but, very likely no more shiny than after an hour or two. It is what it is...



+1

I've already invested in the dry tumble method, and it works well enough. About 1 minute of effort invested in each load...

Three weeks? Might try that just to annoy my neighbor. She has wind chimes hanging next to property line. Clang, clang, clang all night long.

 

[lightman]

My arguments for are;
Shiney brass is easier to find on the ground.
Shiney brass is easier to inspect or to sort.
Shiney brass gives me a sense of pride in my ammo.
I'm running clean brass through my chamber or dies vs dirty brass

My arguments against are:
Shiney brass does not shoot any better than dirty brass.
There is a little extra work and expense to make brass shine.

Probably some more arguments for each that I'm forgetting!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

My arguments for are;
Shiney brass is easier to find on the ground.
Shiney brass is easier to inspect or to sort.
Shiney brass gives me a sense of pride in my ammo.
I'm running clean brass through my chamber or dies vs dirty brass

My arguments against are:
Shiney brass does not shoot any better than dirty brass.
There is a little extra work and expense to make brass shine.

Probably some more arguments for each that I'm forgetting!

That seems to sum it up nicely though. I think it’s wrong to discuss it in terms of wet v dry, though that is how every conversation about brass goes eventually.
The discussion is about squeaky clean and shiny v clean enough to handle, process and store.

The consensus seems to be that squeaky clean requires more post processing work - lubricants and such - for processing but inspection is improved. Clean is less burdensome and processes more readily but if the process leaves carbon inside the case inspection might be adversely impacted.

By the way, NOBODY is saying they load dirty cases and that is not part of the conversation - or, it shouldn’t be, anyway.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Set it, and forget it. Literally. When I was driving OTR, I set some .45-70 cases to tumble... then left the next day for 3 weeks. When I got back... it was shiny! ...but, very likely no more shiny than after an hour or two. It is what it is...

On the Dillon site somewhere they ran their vibratory tumbler for 2 years to test the motor…
Results were the motor passed, but the brass was THIN…..!!

 

[Buzznrose]

I agree with Lightman above and will admit I like clean brass because I am kinda careless…when my fingers get grimy, I often get wrapped up in whatever I’m doing and end up smudging grit and grime places that I have to go back and clean or I end up staining clothing…that does not make for a happy wife!

At my root, I am not OCD nor am I inclined to take extra steps to do things…so making brass spotless isn’t an obsession or a want.

I’m pretty much a lazy reloader. I like reloading, but I don’t love reloading. I see it as a thing to do to get to an end. I can live with “good enough” without worrying about “best possible”.

I don’t sort brass by headstamp unless I find a headstamp that really sucks for me (PTAC 9MM is the only headstamp I won’t use). I don’t anneal brass. I don’t make more than 3-4 different test loads when loading new cartridges. I don’t load to max so I don’t have to sweat switching primers as brands become less available. I don’t measure every piece of rifle brass. I don’t hunt out new powders for another 1/4 MOA. I inspect brass quickly and that’s way easier when it’s clean. And I force myself to use a cartridge gauge for every round I make.

And understanding that I can get in a hurry and/or lazy, I load on a Dillon 550 because it’s an easy button while it forces me to manually index to help make sure I don’t get ahead of myself.

I clean and deprime brass and store it until ready to load. I like having a ready supply or prepped brass. Cleaning and depriming sucks but I find doing in bulk makes it go faster, at least in my mind. I did learn a WAY faster to deprime…so simple I feel dumb for not doing it earlier…but I digress.

So while I did try the “not sparkling” route, I’m going back. I will still final tumble with walnut to make shells interface better with the powder funnel, but that’s a simple 15 minute tumble. Long post…sorry.

 

[Walkalong]

then left the next day for 3 weeks. When I got back... it was shiny!

You have me beat, I only forgot some for a few days once.

 

[Pat Riot]

What do y’all think? Other than aesthetics is there any advantage to squeaking brass vs just clean enough brass?

Yup, everyone saying how they feed their OCD for clean brass. And I do like shiny brass. Nobody really answering the question. Does shiney brass Shoot better. I say nope. Just looks nicer.

You’re right @dh1633pm I, for one, didn’t answer the question.

Here are my reasons for clean polished brass. I think 2 of these have already been posted by others.
1. Clean brass won’t mar or scratch dies or gun chambers.
2. It’s easier to see cracks or other problems with clean shiny brass.
3. Now this is a supposition on my part: Clean brass isn’t adding to the dirt, grime or carbon in the chamber when shooting a match or an extended plinking session.

 

[Caplock]

I'm with whoever mentioned finding your brass on the ground. I got lazy and didn't tumble some 9mm brass I knew would just be getting shot up in the next couple of days. Trying to find those cases was like looking for needles in a haystack.

 

[Olon]

I always assumed that old timers just have too much time on their hands which is why they sort pistol brass by head stamp and get everything all shiny

 

[Mostly Lead]

We joke about the need for shiny brass and varying methods of getting there but it really made me wonder: is there any real advantage to squeaky clean brass versus just cleaning off the lead and dust deposits?
In my experience, clean metal with a light coating of carbon is good. Adding a grease or wax polish is okay for some applications but not others. But just because something works for me doesn’t mean it’s going to work for anyone else. In fact it probably won’t.
I don’t think it’s a real disorder to want shiny brass. Personality disorders are destructive behaviors and polishing brass is not a destructive behavior. It’s just funny to call it obsessive or a compulsion but I don’t think it is either.
Probably not anyway.
What do y’all think? Other than aesthetics is there any advantage to squeaking brass vs just clean enough brass?

Well, there are three questions there:

1) Is it really ODC? No, but some folks enjoy drama and being dramatic. Mayo Clinic has better information on the actual disease.
2) What do y'all think? That mental health issues are not all that funny...
3) Other than aesthetics is there any advantage to squeaking brass vs just clean enough brass? No, but I like shiny anyway.

 

[Soonerpesek]

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

You’re right @dh1633pm I, for one, didn’t answer the question.

Here are my reasons for clean polished brass. I think 2 of these have already been posted by others.
1. Clean brass won’t mar or scratch dies or gun chambers.
2. It’s easier to see cracks or other problems with clean shiny brass.
3. Now this is a supposition on my part: Clean brass isn’t adding to the dirt, grime or carbon in the chamber when shooting a match or an extended plinking session.

By the way, NOBODY is saying they load dirty cases and that is not part of the conversation - or, it shouldn’t be, anyway

I guess maybe the problem here is, as far as some folks are concerned, brass is either squeaky super bright or it’s dirty.

 

[Tall]

For many years I didn't clean my brass at all. It got dirtier and dirtier but still shot fine. As I got older I bought a vibratory cleaner - from Lyman - and wore it out over the past 20 years. Now I take pride in cleaning my rounds so they look great. I currently have a Hornady vibratory cleaner, and a FART. Does it help accuracy? Not that I can tell. But the resulting ammo looks better.

 

[Soonerpesek]

I guess maybe the problem here is, as far as some folks are concerned, brass is either squeaky super bright or it’s dirty.

Yeah............
I don'y have any qualms about how anyone else does/likes it.
I think the corncob and NuFinish makes 'em plenty clean as to not "dirty" up the press, yet slick enough to help with sizing and such............................(yes, your fav lube is still needed for bottleneckers)................

 

[Pat Riot]

I guess maybe the problem here is, as far as some folks are concerned, brass is either squeaky super bright or it’s dirty.

I just love clean shiny brass. I don’t consider tarnished brass to be dirty if it’s had some form of cleaning.
I like clean guns and clean brass. That’s just the way I am.

 

[Pat Riot]

One thing this thread has done for me is I am definitely interested in getting a wet tumbler and trying it out.

 

[Soonerpesek]

I like clean guns and clean brass

" I LIKE CLEAN GUNS AND I LIKE CLEAN BRASS"..............................................................................sounds like a song in the making....................

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I just love clean shiny brass. I don’t consider tarnished brass to be dirty if it’s had some form of cleaning.
I like clean guns and clean brass. That’s just the way I am.

Me too. But I don’t mind a little carbon in the case and if the TiteGroup scorching is still visible as a slightly darker spot of brass than the rest of the case, but there’s no measurable difference, that’s fine too.
But that’s just me. I can see a difference between mud-crusted brass and brass that never touches the ground.