Tumbler

[PigBoy Crabshaw]

I'm got most of my supplies and at long last jumping into the reloading hobby.
I do need to pick up a tumbler for cleaning brass and see that every company has two sizes. Everything that I've read kind of pretains to buying  a safe, buy bigger than you think you"ll need.
The real queston is one better than another? I know of a few people that are happy with there Mid Way blue ones. Any thoughts or reasons for buying another? I know RCBS has an issue a few years ago. -g

[Graybeard]

I bought my Midway tumbler perhaps as much as 25 years ago. They had some sorta recall on the motors on them and just replaced the tumbler rather than the motor. I've had my Hornady almost as long as they've been selling them. I'd guess mine are kinda middle of the road size not the largest by any means but they do make smaller also.

How many brass you expect to process at once kinda determines size needed. Some times I'd like a larger size but with two I can usually fit all I need to in. I keep walnut hull in one and corn cob in the other.

[Scibaer]

i bought a midway blue tumbler last year, and been running the snot of it ever since. it has yet to fail me, sometimes i let it run all nite.

[PigBoy Crabshaw]

Thanks for the replys. I was reading product feed back on the RCBS from a few years ago when the had an overheating issue and the tub was melting. Harbour freights were crapping out in a month or coming apart.
I guess there's going to be an issue with any givin product at some time.
I may try a MidWay. It should server me fine until I get into heavy production. I guess I wait for a larger one until a Dillon gets crancking out the pistol rounds.
GB, what applications are walnut hulls used that corn cobb is differant?

-gary

[stimpylu32]

Gary

The Walnut is more for cleaning with a sharper texture , were as the corn cobb is a polishing media .

stimpy

PS -- I love my Lyman Vib unit . 

[johnjohn]

I've got one of them blue one's. Its about 12 or 13 years old. Sent it in for the re-call and I use it a lot no problems.

[Tom W.]

I have one from Midway that I got after the recall... Still runs, and does a good job.

[LaOtto222]

I have a Thumler's Tumbler that I have used for a lot of years - a true tumbler. They are made for continuous running even months at a time for polishing rocks and you can use wet media in them if you want. A couple of years ago I bought a vibratory polisher - a Lyman's 2500 Pro Magnum. Shortly after I got it, I loaded it up with 500 223 cases and a bunch of media. I guess it was too much for it and it broke the vibratory part out of it - motor would run, but no vibration. I figured it was my fault and bought another just like it and limit it to 300, 223 cases and have had no problems since. I use walnut hulls in the Lyman and corn cob in the tumbler. The cases come out OK in the Lyman with walnut media and are clean, but if I want a real nice finish I then run them through the corn cob media. They come out real shiny. Just make sure if you are using one of the vibratory polisher that it sets on a smooth hard surface so that air can circulate through the motor and aid in keeping it cool. I put mine on a concrete floor as it wants to walk If I do not have it loaded up pretty good and I am afraid it will walk off the bench onto the floor. It is quieter on the floor too. I do not run it overnight because my wife is disturbed by the noise. I can run the Thumler's Tumbler over night, it is much quieter. Good Luck and Good Shooting

[mrbigtexan]

they have a really good deal in midway on a frankford with the sifter and bucket. 75.00 if i remember right.

[45-70.gov]

they have a really good deal in midway on a frankford with the sifter and bucket. 75.00 if i remember right.

thats what  i got  after  my   25 year old one  died

also  get  a cheap plug in   timer......keep it on the floor..out in the garage  [noisy]

[Darrell Davis]

Midway has done OK by me.

I had one of their units for a number of years and the motor finally got tired.

Contacted them to see about buying a new motor and they said to send the tumbler back.

Wasn't long and a new one showed up at the door.

May be better ones out there, but theirs is OK by me.

Keep em coming!

CDOC

[mechanic]

I have a "Thumblers Tumbler" that dates from about 1976.  The only thing replaced is the belt..

[Dezynco]

I've got a blue one from MidWay, which is a Frankfort.  Works fine.  My dad has a big Dillon that turns them over really fast, and will polish several hundred 32 magnums in about 15 minutes.

Keep in mind that according to the Lee manual for reloading, all you need is a little steel wool to polish the outside of the case, and that there is no real value in polishing the case in a polishing media (for everyday plinking).  I polish mine to get the case lube off of them after resizing, and to put a little shine on them.  Other than that, there is no real reason to polish the brass. If you're in need of some other piece of equipment, the tumbler can wait until later.  You can accomplish the same task with a little Windex or lighter fluid on a soft rag, it's just more manual labor.

I'm not saying that you don't need a polisher, just that you can put one last on your list of stuff to buy.

[Pumah25]

Oddly enough mine is an RCBS it was on sale when I got into this three years ago. It is the only RCBS piece of equipment I own. (Not by design or preference just by chance) I have a good medium sized one and love it. I have left it running 1-2 days on end cleaning range pick ups on many occasions and it is flawless. I can do a couple hundred 45 colt cases in it and I rarely shoot more than that at one time. The size is totally dependent on your shooting habits.

[quickdtoo]

Gary,

I've had the FA blue one that Midway sells for $50 for a while now and it works great, but if I were buying one now, I'd get the Midsouth unit for $35 and shipping, it looks just like the FA unit to me. I added an inexpensive appliance timer so it will turn off after a couple hours, I use crushed walnut shells from the local pet store and add a little Flitz case conditioner every once in a while. I have a small handheld vacuum cleaner that I sit over a veggie BBQ pan to pour the media and brass into, the vacuum keeps the dust from filling the room, sift the media from the BBQ pan into another pan, then empty any remaining media from each case.

Tim

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=00047SR100

[huntducks]

I started off with a Lyman 500 added a larger bowl used it for 20 years also had a orange midway used it for 10 up graded both in the last 3 years to a Dillon 500 and a Thumler tumbler I got both from private partys without a doubt the TT is 50% quiter and works just as well if not better.

Both are pricy if you go out and buy them, so you might want to look at the lyman 1200 W/auto flow IMO worth it's weight.

[SHOOTALL]

Got a lyman that is 25 years old and working great and a RCBS that is maybe 3 years old and works great .

[wncchester]

"The real queston is one better than another?...few people that are happy with there Mid Way blue ones. Any ...reasons for buying another? I know RCBS has an issue a few years ago."

No reason to call one better than another.  They are quite simple devices, a plastic bowl and base, some springs and a cheap motor.  No secrets to making them either. 

Midway, RCBS, Hornacy, Dillon, Lyman, etc. are all at the mercy of the makers of the motors so don't blame the brand when a run of motors goes bad.  If the seller makes it good that's about as much as we can ask of them.

I wonder how many repairable tumblers get tossed and new ones bought  simply because of a broken power wire or motor gone bad.  I had a Lyman 1200 motor burn out on one of the first vib tumblers on the market, after several  years of use.  I had a "toss out" kitchen exhaust hood my wife had me replace at that time, it had a motor that fit so I made the swap.  It's still running after many more years of use.  But, I could have bought a replacement motor at a local electrical supply house for about $15 or so, full retail.