Good tumbler?

jrcarbine

jrcarbine

Regular
Rating - 100%
36   0   0
Location
Southern Onatrio
I'm looking into purchasing a tumbler and I came across the Hornady m2 case tumbler. It has solid reviews on Cabelas and Bass Pro. Just wondering if anyone on here had experience with one. Do the cases come out fairly clean?
 
I just received one from my wife for Xmas...because she doesn't like using dirty brass and my old Lyman shook itself apart last winter.

The new Hornady is smaller than the old one but is quieter when running. The bowl shape seems to create a bit more aggressive cleaning action than the Lyman. They appear to be mostly similar in shape but the Honady has more "movement" of the media in the bowl. The media I have was used a considerable amount in my old machine but still cleans brass (altho a smaller volume) in less time. You have to realize no matter which machine you have, occasionally you will have the odd brass that retains some of its baked on dark color, not every one is going to shine like new.

My observations for what their worth with only a couple or three batches put thru the machine.
 
The Canadian Tire one for $79 is pretty good....works better then my Lyman 1200, bigger bucket with a bigger motor.
 
i wanted to get one but when i got the the store they were soldout. i ended up buying the 2l ultrasonic and it works great although the noise it makes is very annoying. cases arent as shiny as with a tumbler so eventually i ll get one as well. they seem to do a very good job and i am sold to hornady so far
 
I made one out of an copying machine its still working after 30 years, I wanted to try the steel pins, however my coffee can wasn't waterproof so I bought a Thumlers R-12 it turns at 30 RPM way to slow. Long story short I'm back using my old one that turns at 50 RPM with the rubber drum from the Thumler.
 
Nothing beats stainless pins. I switched from ultrasonic and brass looks like new inside and out never got thats from ultra. I cleaned some brass that was in the mud at the range for god knows how long and looks like brand new now
 
I explored the option of changing to ultra sonic or stainless pins but came to the conclusion that even tho the cleaning time of an old fashioned vibrating tumbler it is lengthy, it is still more convenient than the other two. I can turn it on, go do something else for a couple hours, shake out the media and load immediately after...with the other two both require drying time and more handling time by me. Both of these method have been reported as doing " a better job" which may be true but I have never had an "inadequate to my needs job" by a vibratory tumbler.
 
I use a Hornady and am completely satisfied with it. Whatever you choose, be aware that tumblers are designed to polish brass. Regardless of the media you choose for your tumbler, it will last far longer and provide better results if you pre-wash and dry your brass (1/2 hour in the oven @ 175 F works well). This helps eliminate any dirt, sand etc before it gets into your tumbler to become imbedded in your brass and eventually possibly scoring the chamber of your firearm. I have used Birchwood Casey Case Cleaner with good results. It is reuseable many times. However, in a pinch I have also soaked brass in a heavy duty pressure washer cleaner degreaser from CTC. Use it the same way. Soak for an hour; rinse well under hot water then into the oven (1/2 hour in the oven @ 175 F works well). As for selection of media, I use only corn cob for polishing. I am a little apprehensive about any polishing media that may erode my brass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom