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A good first tumbler and media

jsquared

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The Hen that laid the Golden Legos
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I am just starting to get into reloading and am looking for a good tumbler that will work well and not break the bank. Also looking for a type of media that works well. I will be mainly cleaning rifle brass (.308 and .223) if that matters.

What are some features to look for in a tumbler besides capacity? Any brands out there that have good or bad reputations? What do yall use for media?
 
you want to be cheap about it .... go to harbor freight and get their tumbler, their walnut media and stop by walmart on the way home for some NU Finish car polish and be done with it.

IF you want the cadillac of brass cleaning, look into stainless steel media and a thumbler.
 
That kinda leads me to the next question: are all tumblers just about the same? Im sure a cheap one will wear out sooner than an expensive one (and I am a firm believer in "buy once, cry once"), but does a super expensive tumbler get brass any cleaner than a cheap one? Im thinking along the lines of a $50-60 Lyman or Hornady unit or something like this which seems convenient:

http://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Master-Tumbler-Kit/dp/B000TTILBC
 
I've been using the same cheap lynman tumbler for years (10 or 12) and haven't worn it out yet. I run walnut and cobb media depending on primer size. The walnut tends to get stuck in the small rifle primer holes.
 
I, personally, have never been very happy with the Frankford Arsenal stuff. I bought one of their scales a few years ago and it would not weigh right right out of the box. The very first tumbler I had was a rock tumbler that my Mother had bought at a craft shop for making jewelry. I used it for abut 10 years until I wanted something a little bigger. I then bought the Lyman vibratory tumbler that I have been using for 25 or so years. I gave the rock tumbler to my neighbor and he is still using it.

You can buy a Lyman for just a little more than the FA one in the above link. It is one of those you buy once!
 
I've had great success with Dillon tumblers, but I go through a lot of brass. For media, I only use Lyman treated corn cobb with a dryer sheet for each run.
 
I would recommend a Lyman Pro 1200 with the plastic grated lid. That one is perfect for beginners. With that tumbler you don't need a media separator. Just get a plastic 5 gallon bucket. When you are done tumbling leave the tumbler running and turn the tumbler upside down inside the 5 gallon bucket. Let it vibrate until the media is out of the tumbler, leaving the cases in the tumbler. Shake it a few times to empty the remaining media from the cases and then unplug the tumbler.

You can't do that with a tumbler that has a solid lid. A Franklin tumbler requires you to pour the entire media into a rolling separator and then turn a crank to get the media separated from the brass. That just seems like too much work for me.

I bought my Lyman Pro for less than $60.00 at Sportsman's Warehouse.

The only negative I'll say about this tumbler is that it does not have a power switch on the cord. If you are handy, you can buy a switch and put it in-line. Otherwise you will need to unplug it every time.

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