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Thread: A Brass Polishing Question

  1. #1
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    A Brass Polishing Question

    When you guys trade brass do you want it to be polished or do you prefer it as it was collected with the primer still intact? I recently made a trade with a member and he had tumbled his brass and I feel kind of bad because I did not tumble mine. Thanks for your thoughts.

  2. #2
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    If it’s a caliber I already have, or something I can tumble with something I have, I’ll tumble it before trading (assuming I’m planning on running a batch through the tumbler before trading). And if I tumble, I’ll always decap first.

    I’m never bothered if I receive brass that’s still as fired though. I don’t mind the prep work.

  3. #3
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    I typically process my brass before trading (remove primers and wet tumble), but if I haven't had the chance then I will state that it is as I found it at the range, or that it is unprocessed, etc. When I trade I don't really care what state it is in and I will trade clean brass for dirty, but I do want the person I am trading with to accurately tell me the condition/state of his brass because it may effect my trade ratio.
    Last edited by WarEagleEd; 04-19-2018 at 07:03 PM.

  4. #4
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    Thanks for the replys. It looks like this just needs to be discussed as part of the trade.

  5. #5
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    I wet polish everything that comes that I receive or find, even if I don't reload it. The only thing is that with the calibers that I don't reload I just decap only. I am retired and I have time on my hands. What did you say honey, oh I forgot to do what? Gotta go.

  6. #6
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    I always clean and deprime my trading brass in a wet rotary tumbler in stainless steel pin media. I want to remove ALL carbon traces.. If it's a caliber I have dies for, it is also sized, trimmed to length, and chamfered inside and outside.

    I like to send people pretty brass that is ready to be reloaded.

  7. #7
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    Thanks for the replys. I was of the opinion that most reloaders would want to see the brass before it got tumbled. I'm set up to decap and wet tumble so thats not a problem. I'm also retired and I go from being really busy to bored from day to day. Thanks again, and my apologies to anyone that I've traded with for sending dirty brass.

  8. #8
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    I don't really care which way they come into me. They decapped, that's fine. They have been tumbled but not decapped, that's fine. They not cleaned or decapped, that's fine too. When I make trades I always tell them first in the PM that the brass I will be sending is already decapped, polished in a wet rotary tumbler with stainless steel media, sized, trimmed to length, chamferred inside and out, and final polished in corncob with a half and half mix of Flitz media additive and NuFinish car wax. A couple of times that almost killed the deal, but that is my standard procedure when I come back from the range with a bag of empties.

  9. #9
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    I decap (except handgun brass) and quick tumble to allow a visual inspection. Otherwise, most guys repeat the whole procedure, anyway. Everyone has their own processing methods.
    Load and shoot: 6.5mm (Dutch, Jap., Carcano, Swede), 7x57, 7.35 Carcano, 7.5mm (Mas, Swiss), 303 British, 7.65x53, 7.7 Jap, 7.62x51, 30-06, 8x50R & 8x52R Siamese, 30-40 Krag, 8x57, 7.62x39, 7.62x54R, 8x 56R, 30 Carbine, 450/577 Martini, 300 Win Mag, 45 LC.

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    Quote Originally Posted by lightman View Post
    Thanks for the replys. I was of the opinion that most reloaders would want to see the brass before it got tumbled. I'm set up to decap and wet tumble so thats not a problem. I'm also retired and I go from being really busy to bored from day to day. Thanks again, and my apologies to anyone that I've traded with for sending dirty brass.
    The problem with that is I get the brass home from the range, and I immediately tumble it. I don't necessarily do it for trade brass, I do it because I may use it and I like it to be shiny and ready for reloading. I can also see any defects much easier on the brass if it is cleaned and shined, so any brass I do send won't be defective and you don't feel ripped off. I mean I have had brass that the tops of the primers pop off when I decap it , but the sides are still wedged in the flashhole. Splits are easier to see if it's shiny. It helps me to make sure I am sending you good brass.

  11. #11
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    Thats a good point. I had a couple today that left the shell of the primer in the primer pocket. You can get them out, sometimes, but its often not worth the effort. I would hate to send someone a bunch of those.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Happyguy View Post
    I wet polish everything that comes that I receive or find, even if I don't reload it. The only thing is that with the calibers that I don't reload I just decap only. I am retired and I have time on my hands. What did you say honey, oh I forgot to do what? Gotta go.
    Yeah, I do that too, even with the cases I pick up off the ground at the range I don't shoot. I likes to send cleaned brass when I trade them off for something I do shoot. I bought a Lee Universal decapper just for that reason.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check