corncob or walnut

[M.O.A.]

what do you guy use to tumble you shells in

[thomae]

I use walnut because it is inexpensive. I get the finer grits so that it does not stick in the primer flash hole. Never had a problem with it. I throw in a few used dryer sheets and that cuts down on the dust a little. (It's still dusty, though, and if you have anyone allergic to walnut in your home, you ought to try something different or do it outside)

Other people use corncob. It is just as effective but not quite as abrasive.

Still others use a wet stainless steel. It is expensive to startup, but the media lasts forever and really cleans the begeebers out of the shells.

My purpose in tumbling is to clean only. I don't need shiny.

Drillspot.com sells bulk media for what I think are very good prices. 40 pounds for about $35 My recollection is that is enough to almost fill two 5 gallon buckets.

You can also get Lizard Litter at your local pet store (usually ground up walnut shell, but perhaps not as fine as what you can get from drillspot.

Some folks add a little of this or that to the mix: I have heard of folks adding brasso, flitz, comet kitchen scouring powder, and probably other stuff.

Hope this helps.

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Just corncob media. No additives. And the used dryer sheets do make a big difference with the dust.

[M.O.A.]

thanks for the input guys ;-}

[6mmBR_Shooter]

corncob as well. ditto on small squares of used dryer sheet. i always check the flash hole for media afterwards. in the few thousand cases i have tumbled, i have had just a few that have had a piece of cob stuck in the flash hole.

[RSG]

This was on a forum I saw a time ago and it works great. Walmart white rice, no dust too.
RSG

[M.O.A.]

rice ;-} ill have to try that

[wbm]

what do you guy use to tumble you shells in

Why tumble them at all?

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Why tumble them at all??? If you reload your ammo, it's a good idea to have clean brass so no junk gets in and scratches your reloading dies and the action as well.
If you can't be bothered to clean your brass, buy factory loaded ammo, fire it and dump the brass.
And if you're shooting dirty ammo, I would wonder how well you take care of the rest of your gear. And if you don't reload, my guess is you'll never know the full accuracy potential of your rifle. And, picking tumbeler media out of the flash holes gives you another chance to inspect your brass for defects.

[6mmBR_Shooter]

i tumble to clean the brass before running into the die. if the brass is tarnished and nasty it is hard to find small cracks when you inspect it. i also like having good looking rounds.

[wbm]

Guess I don't see the logic flow of if you don't tumble that might mean you don't take care of your gear. I use a fine polishing compound on the outside of my cases after each range session.

Tumbling is just fine for those who feel the need. But a lot of experienced shooters do not. Been shooting for over 50 years and have never tumbled a piece of brass. The most accurate rifle I ever shot was a Hart barreled Remington in 6PPC. The bench rest shooter that owned it used Lapua brass and never tumbled it...just exterior cleaning. He won a lot of matches at Ben Avery in Phoenix with that barrel before he passed on at 87.

[M.O.A.]

i havent tumbled any brass yet never have just getting tired of wipeing it down ;-{ its very time consuming

[Nor Cal Mikie]

wbm: The "logic flow relates to someone that wouldn't bother to clean their brass. Stuffing dirty brass in your action would be the last thing I would be doing. And if they couldn't be bothered to clean their brass, I would wonder how well they take care of the rest of their gear?
When someone mentions using a "tumbler", the first thing that comes to mind (to me at least) is they're talking about cleaning their brass.
If you clean your brass by wiping it down, it's the "exterior cleaning" that you're concerned with. At least you're going to the trouble to get the grit off.
After a good range session, the last thing I want to do is wipe down 300+ .308 cases from my M1A, one at a time, by hand. My BR brass never hits the ground. Single feed, extract , inspect and back in the box.
I like clean brass that gets a close inspection, each and every time.
If you don't use a tumbler, at least you're cleaning your brass.

[M.O.A.]

thats why im asking about tumbleing ;-} wiping brass sucks

[Blue Avenger]

walnut - to clean
corn cob - to polish
Lyman red to polish and then have a red mess to clean up!

Corn cob is the better of the two if you are wanting to clean/absorb sizing oil from your brass
Pet store - lizard litter is fine ground walnut, cheap price

White rice? on the list of things to try!

[wch]

Any of you tried the stainless steel media for tumbling?

[Nor Cal Mikie]

SS media is fine if you don't use it "all the time". It does in fact wear the brass.
IMHO, if you've got dirty (range pick up) brass, do the SS treatment than after that, maybe every 4th or 5th firing.
The SS will clean out the inside of the case. Too much of a good thing if you use it at every cleaning. I have seen gold dust in the wash water. How much does it wear? Don't know how much but just seeing the gold dust lets you know that it will wear.
I'll stick to the untreated corn cob.

[Blue Avenger]

Any of you tried the stainless steel media for tumbling?

Not as easy or cheap to come buy, but you only buy it once.

[kschilling]

Tumbling.... what a pain. 30 Seconds in ISSO Cleaner then soak in hot water for about 10 minutes. Blow dry with air and process. I gave my tumbler and media separator away.......

[wbm]

Tumbling.... what a pain. 30 Seconds in ISSO Cleaner then soak in hot water for about 10 minutes. Blow dry with air and process. I gave my tumbler and media separator away.......

ISSO is pretty good stuff for sure.

[loneranger04]

I like the Walnut from the pet stores best. Cheap and works good. I usually wash my brass in dish soapy hot water after lubing them for sizing. Some run them through the vibratory cleaner. To each their own. Sorry but I like shiny brass.

[Mike Vegas]

what do you guy use to tumble you shells in

I'm using Cabelas Tumbler

Corncob

Good:
- Cheaper than walnut media
- Makes brass shine more than walnut media
- Media looks dirty after some use, but it doesn't need replacing. It supposed to last for a while.

Bad:
- It takes a thousand years to get the brass shiny. 5 hours plus, at full load capacity.
- Sensitive to static, it makes a lot of mess because it sticks in the case or where there's static (yes I use used dryer sheets)


Walnut

Good
- The more course the media, the faster the brass shines/cleans at 3 hours time. But the more course the media the more it will show a dull shine.
- Still affordable even when it's slightly expensive than the corncob
- Not as sensitive to static, thus less mess
- It lasts forever!

Bad
- NOT as shiny as the corncob even with same amount of tumbling time as the corncob. It has a dull shine to the brass.
- Walnut media gets stuck in the primer flash hole
- Very dusty at first, but it goes away after a while as the dust sticks to the used dryer sheets

[loneranger04]

I bought some .223 brass that a guy had used the stainless steel and soap and the brass really does look brand new but I'm not going to spend that kind of money although like BA said, "only buy it once".

[Mike Vegas]

I bought some .223 brass that a guy had used the stainless steel and soap and the brass really does look brand new but I'm not going to spend that kind of money although like BA said, "only buy it once".

I actually own a Thumler Tumbler also and they do clean the nastiest brass you can throw in it. But here's some of the issues I have. I tumbled 338 Lapua Magnum brass, 30-06, 6.5 CM and even .223/5.56 and if you have the brass chamfered and deburred, the brass gets banged up against each other and the case mouth as the mouth of the case curls and shortens the brass by .01" it takes longer to clean the brass. Tumble the brass, decap, tumble in ss media. Too much work.

But its great for cleaning the surplus brass for the first time and all the nasty range brass you picked up. It is perfect for all pistol brass as well as the pistol brass don't need to be chamfered or deburred. Drying the cases are easy, all it need is a big cotton towel. Dump the brass in the middle of the towel, after removing as much excess water as possible and shake em like how you shine a bowling ball. Lay them all flat using a microfiber cloth, do a quick wipe down as you are spreading the brass evenly on the towel. Depending on the humidity of your location, mine drys out in 1 hour or less during the summer.