My turbo tumbler croaked last night, going to be getting a new one figured I’d ask if there is a holy grail of tumblers out there. Probably go with corncob media over the steel type, but open to suggestions.
Brass tumbler
- Thread starter Alaskashooter
- Start date
I've got regular and extra large Dillons and they've been great for years.
Another vote for Dillon and traditional media.
Ive been getting my brass annealed by a party that uses steel pins to clean.
I note way more effort pulling a size neck ball through brass that has been cleaned with pins vs cleaned with cob media. It sucks.
If you dont use a neck ball than no issue.
In the future Im hoping the annealer will clean my brass with cob or Ill have to buy my own annealer.
Ive been getting my brass annealed by a party that uses steel pins to clean.
I note way more effort pulling a size neck ball through brass that has been cleaned with pins vs cleaned with cob media. It sucks.
If you dont use a neck ball than no issue.
In the future Im hoping the annealer will clean my brass with cob or Ill have to buy my own annealer.
I've got the STM Rebel 17 - it works great. I did however, stop using their SS pins and now use SS chips from Southern Shine Media (https://www.facebook.com/southernshinetumblers/). At 30 minutes with a teaspoon of Dawn and just a bit of Lemi-Shine, 100 6.5 Creedmoor cases are very clean. At 60-90 minutes they are spotless, including primer pockets. The media appears to be chips of stainless steel, probably a byproduct of a machining operation. There is a very small amount of steel chips which rust away in the first few cycles.
My only issue with the pins were that they periodically got stuck in the mouth of a sized 6.5 case. These SS chips easily pour out of the casings and are easy to clean up with a magnet.
My only issue with the pins were that they periodically got stuck in the mouth of a sized 6.5 case. These SS chips easily pour out of the casings and are easy to clean up with a magnet.
What Rhed said... I've tried vibratory and tumbling with corn cob, walnut and rice and ended up with the STM Rebel - couldn't be happier with the results. Drying time is the only down side. Clean primer pockets and if you limit the tumble to 60-80 minutes you won't get the necks "too" clean. If you do, a dip in graphite and bullets seat like butter. Seating pressure differs by less than 5 psi and accuracy is in the .1's. Couldn't ask for better consistency.
I don’t like using the expander ball in my dies. I feel like it over works the brass. And it doesn’t make sense to use the expander ball when I full length plus neck tension (Redding type S Full Die). I just use a separate Sinclair expander die to get all the dents and kinks out before resize.
Tried SS media and too much of a PITA. Thumler UV-18 with walnut media and a used drier sheet. Brass comes out clean but not too clean.Franklin Arsenal media does not get stuck in the flash holes. Brass comes out clean but not too clean and run a soft nylon brush through the neck after trimming. Seat bullets with a arbor press with psi gauge with very consistent neck tension. Use either bushing dies or honed dies without the expander.
I prep on a Dillon S1050 with a Rapid Trim.
I get my semi brass mixed in with my bolt brass and sometimes I get necks that need work.
My first station is a standard size die that about 80 percent sizes and irons out the necks with the expander.
At the Rapid Trim station I final size/trim.
The rapid trim size die under sizes the necks.
After the rapid trim I run a 21st Century turning mandrel die to get .002 tension.
Sounds like a lot of working it but when I can size and prep thousands of pieces of brass in short order I wont be changing.
Just fired some new made ammo with the added step of the 21st Century neck mandrel.......Im liking the results.
Yes Im a progressive loader building what many consider sub standard ammo..........I dare you to stand anywhere from muzzle to 1000 yards and disrespect my ammo.
No cleaning of brass?
I've done that also, no negative effect as far as I could tell. The only need to clean is really dirty stuff to be good to your dies. Primer pockets don't matter in the least and the ammo looks rough but shoots as good as any. I clean now just to have pretty ammo.
I clean my brass.
Primarily for the reason you state to keep grit out of my dies.
Less is more.
1/2 hour only in good corn cob with a squirt of Nu Finish and a tablespoon of mineral spirits, reasonably clean brass comes out looking great.
Kewl. I've really found zero difference in accuracy between highly polished brass and that hand wiped and reloaded. .1's are hard to find but definitely not related to the cleanliness of brass - clean or dirty. I like consistent but either seems to work. Confirmed with my BR buds. IMHO...
Thanks for the reply’s guys! I think I’m gonna go with a Dillon media tumbler for my precision stuff and a SS one for all my nasty range brass
I shoot PRS matches where your recovered brass is often muddy or caked with dirt because brass isn't picked up until the end of the stage and it's frequently stepped on by other shooters or the RO. Dry media doesn't do well in that area. Additionally, SS is fast. In 30 minutes I'm done. I don't aim for like new, bright casings. Timed right, the case is clean and there is some residual carbon in the neck.
Both dry and SS work well. Either way, get the cases clean enough to inspect for cracks or other signs of stress.
Both dry and SS work well. Either way, get the cases clean enough to inspect for cracks or other signs of stress.
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I've had good luck with my Hornady M1 Tumbler, walnut media, and RCBS polish, and it only cost about $75 total and the brass is bright, shiny, and clean.
However, my brass never makes it into the mud, so that's not a concern for me at all. I've heard you really need to use SS for dirty brass, so that's a different beast altogether.
However, my brass never makes it into the mud, so that's not a concern for me at all. I've heard you really need to use SS for dirty brass, so that's a different beast altogether.
Another vote for Thumler's. I have the UV-10 that has been running strong for the past 6 years. The 10 holds a fair amount but I'd imagine the 18 is better for larger batches.
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