Vibratory vs rotary tumblers

[Merc]

Which tumbler works best? Vibratory or rotary? How effective are they at cleaning case interiors?

Merc

[Allen]

Vibrator tumblers work well for polishing. Both type tumblers will clean the interior of cases but if real dirty use the rotary tumbler with stainless steel pins and soapy water. This media will probably not work in the vibrator type. The pins are heavy so you need the rotary movement. This method also cleans the primer pockets where the use of corn cob or walnut media will end up plugging the flash holes. Others will comment on your thread but I own both types and this is what works for me. Ebay is a good source for the tumblers and the SS pins.

[PhillipM]

The rotary one can be packed full of beer, ice, and salt water if you want a really cold beer!

Other than rhat, what Allen said is accurate. I own both. I mainly use the vibratory to clean the lube off finished rounds from my Dillon.

[Merc]

Typically, how long does the media last? Does it become toxic?

Merc

[Allen]

Ground walnut shell and corn cob media are of course organic. To polish and protect the brass a non- amonia cleaner is added to the media such as NuFinish auto polish. This would be a liquid. If you add to much and don't use your tumbler over a long period of time the moist media will mildew and decompose. As far as actual use I would guess a few months to a few years depending upon how often you used it, how dry the media was left while in storage and how dirty your brass is. The SS pins should last forever. It's not an exact science and the media does not cost much to just dump it if in question.

[tmark]

I have always used the RCBS rotary drum tumbler. I use liquid brass cleaner concentrate and dilute it via trial and error to get the minimum amount of conc to work effectively.

Of course, the liquid solution cleans inside as well as outside the 06 cases. The brass comes out bright and shiny.

I stopped using corncob media because corncob particulates get caught in the primer pocket of many shells.

I dry the wet cases on a low oven setting, about 150 degrees for about ten minutes or until dry.

[Merc]

One last question. Is it better to punch out the primer so the primer pocket gets cleaned and then remove any media that gets stuck there with a toothpick, etc. or just leave the primer in place and not worry about it?

Merc

[Allen]

Well, one way or another the primer pocket needs to be cleaned. If you elect to leave the spent primer in you can use a small reamer to clean the pocket later. The problem with using the walnut or corncob media with the primers removed is yes, you will need to remove the media from the pocket and flash hole but depending upon when the plugging occurred the pocket may still be quite dirty. Some cases will come out clean with no plugging at all. It's a pain to have to use a toothpick or paper clip on your brass as such but if you load small quantities at a time it isn't a deal breaker. Using the SS pins in a rotary tumbler will eliminate this problem and is one of the main reasons they are used. If you haven't bought a tumbler yet and money is an issue and if you want the more expensive rotary tumbler you might check ebay for used Thumblers Tumblers (model B only) which run about half the cost of the RCBS. Vibrator tumblers are available everywhere including gun shows, Bass Pro shops, Midway and of course ebay.

[PhillipM]

I know a few competitive pistol shooters firing thousands of rounds a year that never clean primer pockets.

I use a uniformer on my rifle rounds with a drill about every thee firings.

Although very rare, I have had two SS pins wedge in a flash bole. I think they started selling pins slightly larger in diameter than my ..041" because of this.

[Merc]

The whole story - I have both types of tumblers. A small rotary that can hold 10-15 cases that I've used for many years to clean coins, etc and a vibratory that my kids bought me for Father's Day that can hold 250 cases.

I've been reloading for a while and have only been cleaning the outer surface of the cases by hand paying little attention to the inner surface of the cases or the primer pockets other than running cotton swabs through them. The powder that I use burns completely and doesn't leave much ash or soot behind. I have a primer pocket reamer for my .303 British cases but haven't used it very much. The pockets have some dark areas but the new primers still press in easily and flash every time.

I haven't had any problems firing the several hundred reloads I've cycled through my three antique rifles so far but I figured I've pressed my luck far enough and I want to start doing things right. I don't usually reload more than 20-30 cases at any given time so unplugging the flash hole with a tooth pick or a paper clip won't be a problem.

So, now in addition to being able to clean the cases inside and out, I inspect each case for defects (neck cracks and stretch marks) neck size only, measure, trim and chamfer each case neck, anneal each case neck to prevent cracking, measure the weight of each powder charge and measure the COAL after pressing each bullet to insure proper length. Seems like lots of work when I can buy PPU ammo at Cabela's for about $17 for a box of 20.

Thanks for sharing your case cleaning experiences.

Merc