Now, WHAT tumbler?

[Nordeste]

Hi all. Currently I own a small Smart Reloader Nano Tumbler and a small ultrasonic. For my reloading needs (max. 200 9 mm shells per week) it was OK for the moment, but now that I have a proper man cave, it's probably time to move on to a bigger tumbler.

I don't need anything too big. If it would be able to polish 300-400 9 mm rounds, that would suffice. The quieter, the better. Remember I live in an apartment, as most people do here in Europe.

Something important is how it handles used media. I don't have the chance to separate the media from the cases outdoors, and I am concerned about lead residue getting airborne inside my house. I saw some tumblers that have some sort of a "tap" underneath them that can be used to extract the media, I wonder if that is a good solution (probably not).

Feel free to suggest. Your advice is appreciated.

 

[Rule3]

For a dry tumbler these are the best actually made in the USA (motor) also not China. ( I know you are in Spain) They are very quiet Next to my Lyman the Lyman is twice as loud. Can barely hear the Thumler running.

As to changing media. Just put a plastic trash bag over it and dumb it in and seal the bag.

Not sure if you can get them were you live and they are not chap but well worth it,

Different sizes for whatever your needs are.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/31...be-case-tumbler-110-volt?cm_vc=ProductFinding

 

[horseman1]

I have an inexpensive one from Harbor Freight Tools (Made in China) that would be way too loud for use in an apartment. Tales of the lids vibrating off are legendary. I blew my budget on other equipment and had to go low end on the tumbler.

 

[DANNY-L]

I have this one that I'm going to sell since switching to stainless. I used it for 3yrs and it works good $50 plus shipping. I have have used media which is still good that could go with it for the shipping cost,probably large flat rate box.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1064118670/lyman-turbo-1200-case-tumbler-with-auto-flo

 

[22popnsplat]

I have gone to wet tumbling with stainless pins for media , nothing airborn. It is a bit costly to setup but it does a great job . I use a universal decapping die and then run the brass through the tumbler . it cleans the primer pockets and the brass come out like new . I dont think it is quite as loud as the dillon tumbler i have , I dont like the noise so i run it on a timer for 3 hrs . It can be done with smaller rock tumblers and less pins , I have seen some home made setups that worked well . Here is what i use
http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

 

[ZGunner]

My Frankford Arsenal has served me well. $50 from Amazon IIRC. I've had about 150 .223 rounds in it. I've also never really worried about changing out media. My brass always comes out clean and shiny so I'm not too worried about it.

 

[medalguy]

I've used a lot of tumblers through the years, and I can say that any vibratory polisher will be quite loud compared to a rotary tumbler. The Thumler's Tumbler is very good, very quiet, and small enough to work in a small apartment. Be sure you get the higher speed tumbler. There are two different models, one high speed and one lower speed. The difference is in the time required, by about a factor of 2. Removal of media is easy, just dump it into a bag or bucket, let any dust settle, and pick out the brass. Also, adding some mineral spirits and cut-up dryer sheets really makes a difference in dust control.

 

[ljnowell]

I have had a Frankford arsenal tumbler since 2008 and it has literally polished over 100 k cases easy.

I typically turn it on before bed and let it go all night. Still running strong.

It was very reasonably priced too.

 

[codefour]

+1 on the Thumlers Tumbler Model B. I have two high speed models. They run non stop. My first Thumlers has ran non stop the last four to five years straight... The second is a newer Thumlers that has been running for over a year. You can wet tumble and dry tumble.. They just work.!

Money well spent. A good friend of mine has been running one Thumlers for 20+ years of constant use.. You get what you pay for.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I highly recommend the Berry's 400 tumbler! It's extremely tough and quiet. It's a solid buy.
http://www.berrysmfg.com/product-i14546-c47-g8-b0-p0-400_Tumbler.aspx

They also produce tumblers for some very big name dealers like Cabela's and Sinclair. The only difference is the color and a slightly lower price! lol
I have using my Cabela's bought Berry's 400 for at least 7 years now and it's still strong and quiet.

Cabela's Model 400 (it even has the same number but in Green lol)
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...&Ntt=tumbler&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

Sinclair's Model 400 which they even call a Berry's tumbler even though it's still Sinclair Red instead of Berry's Blue.
http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi.../case-tumblers/berry-s-tumbler-prod36851.aspx
And of course the same tumbler from Brownells which is the same company as Sinclair.
http://www.brownells.com/reloading/...rs-accessories/berry-s-tumbler-prod36851.aspx

Graf's Tumbler (in Purple of course)
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/5395

I'm sure there are more but those are the ones I know of. You can also find Berry's marked tumblers in other online stores for a good price too. In reality pick the company you deal with most or the color you like best and buy that one because but for the color they are identical tumblers. The warrant cards go directly to Berry's no matter which company you buy from.

 

[Walkalong]

I have one of the Berrys tumblers and it is a good little unit. It started getting noisy after many, many hours of tumbling, so I replaced the bearings, and it is as quiet as a church mouse again. Well, almost that quiet.

 

[Nordeste]

Thanks for all your advice, gents . Much appreciated.

The available brands over here, when it comes to vibratory tumblers are Lyman, FA, RCBS, Smart Reloader, Dillon and Hornady. Enough to choose from, I suppose, the bad news are the price tags. Take whatever you pay over there, convert it into Euros, then add some more. Sometimes up to a 50% more .

As for the wet tumbling option, it's only the CED model or the FA models that are available, but we're talking prices in the range of the 300€ (which exceeds 400$ US). It made me raise my ears, you know? . Nonetheless... I agree that it looks like the more sensible option, but sorry, not at that price. I think I might roll my own and build one. I have already found a how-to from a Spanish forum and an online gun shop that is selling the (difficult to find over here) stainless steel media. It's not a project that I will be commencing anytime soon as I prefer outdoor activities during summertime , but I guess I'll have something nice to spend my time on when it starts getting cold, rainy, and miserable out there .

 

[straightShot]

One of my tumblers is a Graf's tumbler as well. It's manufactured by Berry's, is quiet, and does the job. I recommend it.