thinking about buying a new tumbler ?'s about media

[sandman228]

ive been looking at tumblers on e bay and midway usa . ive been reloading roughly 8 years now and am on my 2nd cheap tumbler I started out with a 50$ cabellas tumbler and it was fine till one day it just didn't work anymore so I replaced it with a frankford arsenal quick and ez tumbler bought locally. I wanted something a little better but that was pretty much all I could find at the time .now its only about 2 years old it works fine but the bowl cracked on bottom I don't overload it I have no idea why it cracked . I have it patched up with duct tape for a quick temp fix . replacement bowls don't seem to be available and every time I use it it leaks dust out everywhere . I was thinking about replacing it with a rotary tumbler , I was looking at thumblers and lyman on midway if nothing else at least it will be quieter I wont run my tumbler now while I'm working in the reloading room cause its just to loud . from the reviews I'm reading stainless steel media with cleaning solution seems to be the thing now. with rifle brass I resize and de cap before tumbling because of lube on the cases, but with pistol brass I usually just throw them in the tumbler and resize-de cap after tumbling . most of the time my pistol brass goes right from tumbler to the press to be sized and de capped I don't want to have to mess around drying cases between . can stainless steel media be used for dry tumbling ? or do I have to use cleaning solution with it to get decent results ? if cleaning solution needs to be used then I probably wont even mess with stainless steel media . i'll just stick with my 50/50 mix of corncob - walnut shell and live with the results .

[Calamity Jake]

The liquid in the pin tumbler is not only a cleaner but a lubricant to keep the pins from
eating away the brass.
After going thru a couple of cheep vibrator cleaners I tried a "Berry's"(the same people that make
the plated bullets) it has a detachable bowl, clear lid and is pretty quite.
Take a look at one at berrysmfg.com

[georgerkahn]

I had/have the slo-speed Thumler's Tumbler with walnut shell + rouge I've used for years and years. Sadly, the occasional chunk of media does get stuck in flash hole, as I always decap brass before tumbling. I, too, learned of stainless pin + Dawn + LemonShine + Armor All Wash n Wax tumbling, and for that bought a hi-speed Thumler's Tumbler. This works swell, too. To speed up drying, they purvey (and I bought) the Frankfort Arsenal Brass Dryer -- a slick series of plastic trays with a fan-heater to quickly dry the brass from the wet/ss pin tumbling. Guess what? The pin or two or three will also be found in the ocassional case flash hole. BUT -- either/or does the job, and if I had to choose which was a tad better it would be for the hi-speed ss pin version. I have a bathroom fan timer for plug-in of each, so I just start them, then do whatever, knowing they'll be shut off at whatever tumbling length of time I elect.
Neither Thumler was/is what I'd call "cheap" -- but I'm satisfied with both. I do my ss-pin tumbling in garage, so noise is not an issue -- not that it's really loud. The weather -- COLD here -- is -- so in winter/cold times is when I mostly use the walnut shell tumbling.
To my ears, both Thumler tumblers are significantly not nearly as loud as Vibratory tumblers friends have.
Just some thoughts...
geo

[salpal48]

Most Loaders after a time, the the cheap tumbler loading companies sell do not have a long Like. They will keep buying and they will keep going bad.
good tumbling equipment is Not Cheap

There are several Good US manufactures . LOTONE 12LB, Thumler Model b , . Then There is Covington, Or Diamond Pacific. I have all 4 .

[runfiverun]

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.co...kage-kits.html
I'm using the rebel.
I'm also using dry tumblers.

I generally pin tumble.
then throw the wet cases directly in the media tumbler with some nu-finish.

if I lube and size the cases, I use the dry tumbler to get the lube off.
the good news is the wet tumbler will work with dry media.
the bad news is you don't want case lube in your pin tumbler.

[tdoyka]

i've been putting mine in a lyman turbo tumbler using a walnut media. i've had the lyman for 20+ years.

Lyman Products Your Primary Source for Reloading Equipment

[Randy C]

I have bought the cabelas kit first and love it. http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/produ..._SEQ_104661180
I gave my first one to family, and I replaced it with a Hornady, bought locally, I consider them equal in quality, I wouldn't wont them on the table next to me but I keep it in the other room when reloading, I Don't clean as much brass as avid shooters do, so both are working and they are many years old. I like the cabelas media and case polish, I've tied others but always go back to the Cabelas media kit.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Horna...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds
I also have the Model B / I don't use it much, its for bringing brass back from the dead, I have a rack that goes in our dryer for delicate close to dry the brass with, then I put the brass in my Hornady for a few min to keep it from tarnishing.
http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.co...igh-speed.html

[Randy C]

I would bet a lot of them are made buy the same people, with different names on them. Its all about how much you want to spend.

[runfiverun]

they are certainly similar.
I just pulled the M-3 bowl off my Hornady and put it on a harbor freight base.
I think the motor on the M-3 is slowing down a bunch but then again it is from like 1986.
the harbor freight motor is marked Pittsburg and shakes the little bowl that come with it a bit too violently.
it circulates the big bowl like a champ though. [4-5 lbs of brass is fine in it]

I'm pretty happy to have both systems available to me and they certainly complement each other.
I don't just use one over the other all the time I just want my stuff clean enough to not scratch my dies or rifles chamber.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

i've been putting mine in a lyman turbo tumbler using a walnut media. i've had the lyman for 20+ years.

Lyman Products Your Primary Source for Reloading Equipment

+1 with the Lyman.

I bought my first inexpensive "Turbo Pro-1200" Lyman tumbler about 20 years ago.
about 10 years ago, it quit working, and I bought another Turbo Pro-1200...thinking I'd have a second bowl...for just in case?
After I started using the second unit for a while, I took the first one apart, cleaned it, and reassembled it...and then plugged it in and it worked. Then it quit after a few minutes. I bumped the cord near the strain-relief, and it started working again. So, while it needed a cleaning, the problem was the cord. I replaced the cord and use that one all the time, and the new one sits on the shelf as a back up.

[seaboltm]

I used an old Midway walnut tumbler for 20 years. Repaired is several times. Finally switched to stainless steel pin tumbling. Will never go back.

[Murphy]

My first tumbler (over 30 years ago) was a gift from a friend. It was a Thumblers Tumbler Model B. It lasted me a good 10 years or more. I know that may sound short for the life span of a Thumblers Tumbler, but I had a bad habit of over loading it and leaving it running much longer than needed.

When the time came to purchase one, I went with the Lyman 1200. It lasted many years and more tumbled more brass than I can even begin to recall. When the motor went on it, I went right back to the Lyman 1200. They're a great little machine. Ones need in a tumbler (or at least I believe) depends on how much it will be used, and how they like their brass to look when it's ready to load. Some are happy to just remove the smoot, others want it to look like new again.

Media. Being in a rural area and only having one bad of corncob media that came with my first Tumblers Tumbler, replacing it when it got old was an issue. Zero reloading shops in my area and not that much coverage in gun magazines about it either back in those days. A member of our gun club suggested rice. Huh? Rice? It's different and loves getting stuck in flash holes, but I used it for years. Finally, I found better sources for media and went with corncob. Walnut works for some, but apparently it doesn't like me that well. All my brass came out with a red tint to it, and the inside of the bowl was covered in a fine powder...too messy for me. These days, I get my brass in the Lyman and run it 2-3 hours and call it good.

I do have a Rebel 17 with stainless pins, and I will say this, nothing tops that if you want that 'like new' again look. I wouln't want it for all of my brass (too much). But for certain occasions I enjoy loading up competition or hunting rounds in it.

Oh, one other thing. Long ago I found that buying a timer (the kind you use for turning things on/off automatically) and plugging your tumbler into it. Sure saved my tumblers a lot of work & tear because I forget they were on out in the shop.

Murphy

[BoolitBill]

I guess I am the odd one here, I use a Thumblers tumbler and I run the brass with water and Dawn's dishwashing soap for about an hour. Then drain and rinse, refill with water and a teaspoon of cream of Tartar powder and run for a couple of hours. Clean and very shiny brass is the result. If you size before tumbling then be sure to clean off the case lube by running it in the dishwashing soap for a longer period of time. (run with just brass, no other media needed) May be more work than other methods but I am happy with it.

[nvreloader]

I run a Thumbler Model "B" since the early 60's,
I have used everything from sand to rice hulls and everything in between,
NOTHING will clean brass from EOM clean or better than the SS pins.

I started using 5 lb's, and it worked OK, long run times for very dirty brass,
then I changed to 10 lb's of pins, which changed the running time down to about an hour,
depending how dirty the brass was.

I upgraded the TT motor to a sliding adjustable base, for use with HD round vacuum belts,
I fill the model "B" barrel to within 1/2-3/4" of the lip with what ever brass I am cleaning,
fill with HOT water, add a good dash of Dawn dish soap, a scoop of Lemishine,
seal the barrel, run for an hour.

If the results are what I want, I use the rotary brass separator,
set in a 5 gal bucket, filled to the top with water, several turns later,
forward and backwards, all the SS pins are removed from the brass,
inside and out.

A HD speaker magnet is placed inside a Ziploc bag, and placed at the bucket mouth,
to hold/collect the SS pins, while draining the water down the shop drain etc.

Dry the brass and then inspect the brass as they are placed into the reloading trays,
checking for any pins that may be stuck in the flash holes and case mouths,
damaged cases etc, then reload it.

I will never go back to any dry method.

HTH,

Tia,
Don