[Myrddin]

I prefer corn cob with a tablespoon of Dillon brass polish. Walnut is good for a first pass on grade 3 brass purchased from Midway or similar. A finishing pass with corn cob makes it ready for use.

I've noticed that nickel plated .357 Magnum brass is most likely to split at the case mouth. Plain brass is less likely to work harden and split. For .454 Casull, the StarLine brass is best. I've tried reloading Hornady brass. It fire forms to the cylinder and must be tapped out with a wood dowel. The StarLine brass falls free with a tap of the extractor. That's important if you have need of a reload in a hurry. Think bear.

[Shooter 2.5]

Since I was scrounging brass from the range, the stuff was always filthy. At the time, I only concerned myself with getting the dirt off and cleaning it so there wasn't an residue. I found some loaded .45 Colt that was horrible looking in my stash and I couldn't remember why I had let things go like that.

It changed my way of thinking. From now on, my finished product is going to look like something I can be proud of.