Tumbler

[Tlewis81]

Looking for a tumbler not sure.which one i like yet ?? I see a lot of people using.nu finish how.much do you guys put in the media?

[BigJimP]

I've used the Dillon tumbler for last 20 yrs ( smaller one - they have 2 ) and I clean and Reload about 30,000 rounds a year ( all handgun ammo )....

I use the Dillon polish when I change the media -- about every 6 months -- and I add 2 cap fulls of it only when media is new. So I still have the one bottle of polish I bought 20 yrs ago ....

[RickD1225]

I go the Nufinish route with corn cob media. I don't measure, but I would estimate about a tablespoon about every 5th run.

[briandg]

Adding it in? A very, very slow trickle, with it running, and if it doesn't dissipate in a hurry, flatten the wads up with some tool. The stuff will do nothing but harden if you don't get it dispersed. Myself, I've not used nu finish, I use midway brass cleaner on walnut. I run the stuff in while the thing is running and I have a full load of brass to push it around with

[mikld]

I've used nearly everything imaginable in my tumblers over the years from beach sandt to dried beans, rice, wood chips, BBQ charcoal, cat litter to commercial de-burring media, ad infinatum (sometimes uncontrolled tinkerer). For an additive, Nu-Finish is popular, and I've found almost any auto cleaner/wax works, and now I've been using Turtle Wax cleaner polish ('cause that's what I've had on hand for a while). After all the experimenting, I've settled on corn cob blast media, 14-20, with an occasional dollop of mineral spirits or auto cleaner/wax. This works for me and my tumblers; rotary and wobbler...

[briandg]

mefia is downright cheap at harbor freight. $20 or so for a 20 or so pound box of walnut, cob is cheaper, either store it in a sealed bucket, ziploc bags, pickle jars, etc, a cat litter bucket worked for me.

The walnut blasting media at harbor beats the heck out of lizard litter and it's far cheaper.

[cw308]

I've used dry media , corn & walnut for 25+ years. Changed to wet tumbler using Stainless Steel Pins. Cleans brass inside & out, even primer pockets. Brass looks brand new on every reload. Check it out on line before you pull the trigger on a tumbler.

[T. O'Heir]

"...commercial de-burring media..." That's walnut shells too. So is lizard litter, usually. Small pet bedding(corn cobs) from a pet supply store runs about $30 for 40 lbs., up here. Forty pounds will last a long time.
"...not sure which one..." One of the few times size really matters. Not as much as the price, but cleaning a bunch of cases at a time is a good thing.
Which machine, not so much at all. Been using a Lyman machine for about 35 or more years. Hasn't ever given me any grief. Cardboard box over it shuts it up too.
You don't have to add anything. Brass doesn't need to be shiney. It needs to be clean.

[briandg]

some people like it shiny.

[mikld]

"Commercial de-burring media" meaning ceramic rods, hard plastic pyramids, and glass beads. Yes walnut shells are occasionally used for finish tumbling, but far less than other "commercial" media...

[Ocraknife]

the gun is a S&W 1076 which has a barrel length of 4.25".

I live east of the Mississippi so there isn't much in the woods bigger than a black bear and I rarely see those.

Can anyone recommend a good projectile for that purpose? Do I want hardcast or jacketed flat point or hollow point? Should go for light and fast or heavier like 200 grain?

Thanks.