[monkey469]

whats the deal w/ the tumblers. are they worth the money and what purpose to they serve. are they the just to just make the brass look nice.do i nned to have one or not?
thanks

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Jay

 

[maxwayne]

A tumbler does make your brass look nicer. It also makes it go thru the reloading process easier and is not as hard to work. I also find that clean brass is easier to find on the ground after firing. You can get a Midway tumbler for around $50.00 and I consider it a worthwhile, but not absolutely necessary item to have.

 

[Steve333]

I haven't been reloading for very long and didn't have a tumbler at first. I finally relented and bought the small Dillon model and really like what it does for the brass. Like maxwayne said, it's easier to see your brass at the range, I believe it's easier on the dies and it's easier to see defects in the brass like small cracks.

Not necessary but really, really nice to have.

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Steve

 

[bad4u]

I've been meaning to get a tumbler, simply to shoot prettier brass.

To this point, I just wipe down the exterior of my .45 hulls with foded paper towels to wipe off any dirt and oil residue, and inspect cases for cracks.

 

[Car Knocker]

I think there's a sense of pride of pride of workmanship that enters into nice shiny reloads. It tends to say "quality". I know this is a personal bias, but when I see people shooting tarnished, smoke-stained brass, I kinda wonder about the quality of their ammo.

As was also mentioned, clean brass is easier on your dies and shows up damage a lot better.

 

[EBSDallas]

As an extension of maxwayne's comment about the reloading process, I also feel that the polished brass feeds through the gun better than unpolished brass.



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[Ralph]

If you load for a semi-auto rifle, a tumbler will be a "must-have" item, I can assure you that if you have 4-500 empty resized cases looking at you that need the lube taken off,you'll quickly find out that a roll of paper towels and some elbow grease is'nt gonna get it,(maybe, if you have a week or so...)they do save some wear on your dies, make finding bad brass much easier,and get resizing lube off rifle cases quickly,they are a very worthwhile item to have.

 

[markmcj]

Sorry, but you have to clean your brass. My reloads are better than the factory stuff. My reloads are just what "I" need!!!!! My brass has got to shine.

[This message has been edited by markmcj (edited 08-05-2001).]

 

[Silver Surfer]

It's easier to inspect clean brass for cracks and other defects before reloading. Also it makes finding them on the ground easier.

 

[cecILL]

The inside is cleaned, also. What kind of dirt and grit do you like in your barrels?

 

[bad4u]

Actually, I just ordered a case tumbler and media from Midway.

The Midway 1292 Tumbler is on sale at $39.99.

15 pounds of quick-clean corn cob media is on sale at $9.99.

UPS Ground is $11.46 to my home.

 

[JohnL]

I tumble my brass for all of the reason stated and it is easier on your dies. All that crud will erode the carbide ring.

bad4u - you can get walnut or corn cob media at Petco or PetsMart in 25# bags a lot cheaper that you can from Midway.

 

[jpwright]

Okay, JohnL. Good you brought that up!

There is a guy in one of our local gun stores who considers himself the last word on anything concerning reloading. If you're not careful, you'll hear more than you want to on any topic you bring up.

Anyway ... his comment on the polishing media you can get at PetsMart is that it contains foreign matter that is bad for your cases. Anyone know if that is true?

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If God didn't want us to own guns, why did He make the 1911?

 

[Ralph]

My understanding is that the petsmart stuff is just ground up walnut shells, the lyman stuff(red) is ground up walnut shells with jewelers rouge in it, The rouge DOES polish up cases nicely, Some people claim the rouge will get into your barrel and over time ruin it, I don't think that's true I've been using it for a long time,(bought a pile of it on sale) and have seen NO loss of accuracy in any of my rifles or handguns

 

[Car Knocker]

As an abrasive, wouldn't jewelers' rouge, it time, cause extra wear on your dies? Particularly all-steel dies?

 

[Ralph]

I haven't seen it yet,The rouge itself doesn't stick to the cases,as a abrasive it is very, very,very, fine, rouge is used by jeweler's to polish soft materials like gold, silver, so not alot of material can be removed,if it did, they would'nt use it, and most steel dies are made from very,very,hard steel, if there is a wear factor here, it is a very small one, So,no, I don,t think it will wear your dies,

 

[Car Knocker]

Thanks, Ralph. I don't use the stuff myself but was just curious of what others thought.