Cleaning B.P. Brass Cases

[Hares Ear]

While trying to find effective ways of cleaning my rifle, I paid little attention to my cases. I would shoot them, place them back in my plastic ammo box, and bring them home to reload.
Then I would spend hours trying to clean them with soapy water and little bottle brushes, and washing out my ammo box.

A friend told me he placed his cases in a plastic bottle of battery acid for a few minutes. I tried it, and it did clean the residue from my cases, but it discoloured the cases, and I thought it was rather dangerous.

I then tried dunking them in a solution of vinegar and water. This worked well, but still discoloured the cases. I then gave them several cycles in an ultrasonic cleaner, which made a very good job, but they still needed a final clean with metal polish.

Eventually I tried a solution of bicarbonate of soda. This worked well, but my cases still needed a final clean by hand.
I then found a powder called 'Bruclens', for cleaning and sterilising wine brewing equipment. I started experimenting.

I now take a pint plastic milk bottle onto the firing point, with a solution of water, a teaspoon of bicarb, and a generous pinch of 'Bruclens'. I place my cases into this solution immediately after they have been shot. When I have finished shooting, I give the bottle of cases a good shake, and bring them home. By now the water has turned black, and the cases are quite clean. I decap them, and give them another soak in the same mixture, for perhaps another hour.
I then rinse them in clean cold water. If there are any that are still a bit dirty inside, I give them a quick blast in the ultrasonic cleaner. I then give the whole batch a swill off in clean water, and leave them to dry.
When dry, they get a final polish in a tumbler, and they are ready to go again.

[Smokeless Coal]

Avoid using acids on brass. It eats the copper molecules but not the zinc and turns them black if left for too long. A long alkali rinse helps to neutralize the action but the damage is done and the cases weakened.

Tumbler or ultrasonic is a matter of choice. I prefer tumbled for four hours including a while with metal polish added.

Seems you're into old style shooting HaresEar, BP catridges, 130 yo m/l. I wonder whether the m/l is smooth bore or rifled.

[Hares Ear]

http://www.swissrifles.com/vetterli/article/

Rifled

[Smokeless Coal]

Nice, what caliber?

[Hares Ear]

10.4 x 38 Swiss. It's shoving a .429" 310 grain slug at 1350 fps at the muzzle.

[Smokeless Coal]

Er, is that rimfire? I have a vague recollection of them having their own special caliber beast.

[Hares Ear]

The original calibre was rimfire. The rifle has to be converted to centrefire. Then you need to butcher .348 winchester brass. they need to be shortened, then expanded at the neck to accept the Vetterli slug. Then they have to be fire formed. I use a set of modified .44 mag pistol dies to do this with.