How important is tumbling?

[nemisis1400]

I see reload kits all the time, but only every now and then do I see tumblers to clean brass. So I have to ask is it ok to fire dirty brass? Is cleaning just a matter of aesthetics, or does the brass deteriorate over time without cleaning?

[f4tweet]

Not OK to fire dirty brass, especially rifle. The cleaning process is for ease of re-sizing brass and not damaging the inside of the dies. Not just aesthetics.

[Mstnpete]

I clean fired brass all the time.
Cleaning brass is very important if you reload.
I wouldn't reload dirty brass. To many things can happen when reloading uncleaned brass.

[AC Gould]

Don't confuse...

terms. Tarnish is OK on brass...dirt is not. Tumbling removes both. Brass can also be cleaned with a little 0000 steel wool if you don't have tumbler.

[God Bless The Mauser]

I sometimes tumble it 3 times. First to clean it then after I size and deprime it depending on how dirty the primer pockets are and once more after it's loaded.

[popeye4]

A tumbler is a fundamental tool in handloading. They may not be included in the reloading kits, but those kits aren't all inclusive. Tumblers are not expensive when considered against the total cost of the necessary reloading equipment.

Clean your brass. Your dies will thank you. Brass will not damage a die, but silica-based grit (dirt) certainly will.

[ar15newbster]

Clean brass also cycles better in your semi-autos.

[Darklyte27]

cleaning brass is just as good as cleaning your AR.

[buffybuster]

How important is tumble cleaning brass?

Hypothetical situation: You're shooting at the range/desert. Your brass falls into the grit and dirt, getting covered with said substances. Do you feel perfectly comfortable shaking the girt/dirt out and reloading them? If you do, then you don't need to tumble clean.

No one I know is comfortable with this.

[emilio]

+1 to getting rid of dirt. tarnish might be a slight impediment to smooth cycling, but dirt has grit, and grit means wear.

tumbling is really not a big deal, at least if you can do it where the noise doesn't bother neighbors. i'll throw some in the tumbler and do housework, eat a meal, or even go out and run errands (it's on a fireproof surface, btw). with some good aggressive media like corn cob (or plastic, apparently) you can do a quick clean in 30-60 minutes, or leave it on for 3-6 hours to really scrub tarnished brass. i don't personally use chemicals to tumble, other than dry treated corn cob, but they seem a good way to nuke tarnish very quickly.

- emilio

[nemisis1400]

Gotcha, make sure to clean all brass. Right now I'm kinda trying to figure out what to use as the bare minimum. yeah I know that skimping out will hurt me, that's why I want to figure out what the essentials are.

[Offroader]

It seems like I am cleaning brass more often than I am reloading.

[Ninja45]

I tumble my brass overnight. I like them clean and shiny! Makes reloading easier if brass is that way!

[ar15barrels]

cleaning brass is just as good as cleaning your AR.

My brass is cleaner than my AR.

[Beelzy]

I hardly ever tumble cases, unless they are dirty beyond belief.

Which never happens in my world. I rather spend time reloading than worrying if
my brass is as clean as new.

Anyone looking for a cheap Lyman tumbler??