To tumble or not???

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springmom

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OK, guys: we're finally about ready to get the reloading setup going. (Archerandshooter has yet to get my new floor down in my office, but he's going to work on it next weekend).

So when we were at Carter's today, we talked to one of the guys there about which tumbler to buy. He said that in his opinion, the only reason to put the cases into a tumbler is because you care how they look, and that there is no serious cleaning that happens in there. He could have given us a different opinion and made a sale, but he told us he never cleans his brass and they shoot just fine. I was impressed with his honesty, but this is the first time I've heard this.

So what do y'all think? Is it necessary to clean the brass in a tumbler or not?

Springmom
 
Well their your dies so I guess it's up to you . .. .most of my cases have been fired in an autoloader and they seem pretty dirty by the time I take them out of my range bag. I'd hate to scratch a die . . . plus it just looks right. :)
 
Yes....it is necessary and the person that provided the info is wrong.

Unless you clean cases chemically or ultrasonic, you will not get all of the residue left from the inside. But, you will get some of it.

Answer these questions:

Do you want to size dirty cases in your expensive dies?
Do you want to shoot dirty cases in your expensive rifle chambers?

Dirt/grime attracts more dirt/grime.
 
I always tumble cleaned my ammo

I have been a shooter since the 1940's and started reloading in 1952 while in high school and on the #1 rifle team of the California National Guard practicing for the 1954 State Championships. The Guard gave me thousands of rounds of ammo for practice and my first reloading business was converting some of the ammo to 7.7 jap for the rifles brought back by WW2 veterans.

As a competitor wanting the best ammunition and longest life from my Star reloaders I tumble Cleaned all my brass to remove range dirt, powder and abrasive primer residue containing lead styphnate that I did want myself or my children handling.

As a Commecial Police and Civilian reloader with 11 Stars and two 5,000 round per hour reloaders I used cement mixers to tumble clean my incoming brass.

The important word here is CLEAN for my machines and for the best appearance of my ammunition for my customers as if two competing commercial reloaders presented their ammunition for approval of a contract, the best looking anmmunition will get the first trial for the care in its manufacture and cleaniness of the ammunition entering the officers weapons.
 
I shoot a lot of cast in autos and I see a big difference when I tumble clean. I used to believe that shoot and reload without cleaning stuff and experience taught me better. An ultrasonic cleaner will work as well, but the brass may not be as shiny. I don't like dealing with the stacking and drying so I quit using the ultrasonic cleaner.
 
Clean, uniform, consistent

How can one expect quality results from the handloading process, and the kind of uniformity and consistency accuracy requires, without working with clean components?
 
How can one expect quality results from the handloading process, and the kind of uniformity and consistency accuracy requires, without working with clean components?
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Good point, and welcome to THR!

As we've seen in many threads, many of these employees at stores do not give the best advice and this is another example. Start with clean shiny brass and you'll like the look and your dies will like the cleaness. :)
 
One thing to factor in also is how to handle the dust with tumbling. That dust will contain lead, bad stuff to be inhaling or contaminating your area. Eventually it can make it into your bloodstream if you don't take particular caution.
 
I'm a firm believer in cleaning brass and have been for over thirty years. It's better on your dies and helps keep things consistent.
 
springmom,

Your salesman was correct you don't need to tumble your brass as long as you wipe it down. When I started reloading 33 years ago no one I knew was tumbling brass, there was no vibrator tumblers back then only the rotary type used by rock hounds. I have reloaded thousands of rounds that were never tumbled only wiped down with a rag and they never degraded my dies or the chambers of any of my guns. By the way tumbled shiny brass will tarnish after time and look like brass that was just wiped down with a rag.

With that said, I started tumbling my brass about 12 years ago. I now
tumble all my brass in a 50/50 mix of walnut and corn cob along with a cap full of Nu Finish and a used dryer sheet for 2 hours. It is easier to tumble brass then take the time to wipe down all the brass. Besides, my brass comes out looking like brand new; not only does it look nice but makes it a lot easier to find after it is shot.
 
After you hand wipe several thousand cases you will wish you had a tumbler. Few, if any at all except maybe the ultrasonic ( hate wet brass), clean the insides of the case to like new and who cares what the inside looks like anyway. Tumbling (or wiping each case) protects your dies. Tumbling them will give you a good looking end product.:cool:
 
So what do y'all think? Is it necessary to clean the brass in a tumbler or not?
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Yes, it is necessary. As stated in a previous post, dirty cases are not good for dies, and it makes the handle of the press much harder to operate. If you inspect each cases as I do, it helps keep your hands cleaner.
My brass cleaning station:
DSCN1874Small.jpg
 
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Thanks all, for the input. I thought that seemed an awfully odd statement, but he was so sure of himself that I thought it best to come ask the gurus for the straight scoop.

Off to buy a tumbler this week. Again, many thanks!

Springmom
 
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