Yes but there was a few primer pockets not quiet clean nothing a little longer won’t fix and i’ll tinker a little as they were a little dull as well maybe a different washing liquid next time all in all not to bad for first shot at it
I am surprised. I think it’s not the time that you need. I think you need to get the balance right between the amount of cases/water/media/RPM (mine is generally on first or second speed setting).
I agree with JS I only use the cheapest $1 1L detergent from woolies and 3/4 a teaspoon citric acid 1 hr. Dot put too many cases I use 1kg of pins and on Number 2 speed wise I think that is the second slowest which is wizing away. No need for the bi carb just rinse well and dont let them touch when drying.
I have trouble with 223 cases either pins getting stuck in flash holes or even a pin stuck sideways in the case use some strict quality control before reloading.
I think you will find the primer pockets clean up easier with the primer removed. 
Yes I had the machine on #2 speed 25 x 22-250 brass 2lb media and dish washing liquid but what I forgot was citric acid do you think that was the problem ? I left 5 cases with the primer in to see what they turned out like and the rest had the primers removed they were on for 1hr 55min I filled the drum up to 50mm from top with warm water as was suggested maybe slow it down to #1 and citric acid next time bugga me I don’t know how I forgot that citric acid maybe too much excitement for the old head thanks for that JS and Sungazer i’ll try and scratch up some more old cases and have another go soon thanks again
All in all, this is pretty darn good results.
Thanks mate
Yep the citric acid will make all the difference as far as shiny goes, and we know that red cars go faster.
Not all red cars only the bright red ones
Sooooo, have they always gone bang? IMO Personnaly i view all this tumbling stuff a waste of time, & over the top…sorry.
Regarding decapping, for $40 you can buy a Lee decapping die. I like to give my cases a very basic clean, including the primer pocket to help keep the resizing dies clean.
Yeah Oldbloke they were going bang some of the 22-250 brass were getting grotty but in all fact I think I have a touch of bower bird in me I like things shiny hence the shiny brass and tumbler I just like to keep things nice and clean when working with them I too used steel wool but got sick of it so bought the tumbler works very good so i’m happy I have all the decapping dies for all my calibers I load for just didn’t have a tumbler and didn’t know which way to attack that problem so asked a few questions and made the decision easier but you are possibly right tumbling may not be it all end it all but I think it would be a personal choice I prefer nice clean brass although for many years I just give them a rub with steel wool as well
Each to their own.
I just use water, soap, vinegar & salt in a cheap ultrasonic cleaner for 10 minutes. But i dont shoot off as much as you blokes.
Result is clean but not shiny.
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Perhaps another point of view… How much do you value your time? Personally, I think if anyone shoots under couple hundred dollars worth of ammo per year, there’s just no point reloading, period, there’s heaps of high quality ammo, from match to hunting. But beyond that… I’ve processed close to 600 (probably more) pieces of brass over the last few evenings, in different calibres, my stuff, range brass, bits and pieces… Resized, trimmed. Dirty, covered in Lanox and graphite… That’s not going anywhere near any equipment until cleaned. And that’s just rifle brass. Using anything other than a tumbler would waste hours, I value my time more than $150 I spent on the tumbler.
Ultrasonic is quicker and cheaper… plus no pins
You’re full of it.
No i am not… it’s a lovely day and i am working, but my brownells order showed up so will do some admiring to do
There are plenty of people out there reloading under 100 rounds a year. They do it for many reasons. Some to give them control over the ammo, generally resulting in a better end result. For some reward is the satisfaction of rolling their own not just a time or monetary gains. Its just an extension of the sport. Some get right into it and all the gadgets and others dont. Whether its worth it or not when loading only small numbers is a very individual decision.
+1 I agree, particularly if only loading a few rounds.
Ye, very good point. I wrote that and later thought, even if I shot a box of ammo per year, I’d still load, because I like self sufficiency.
I started with a used 12g classic loader and later with a 30-30 lee classic loader. I would still recomend their use if just starting out and only shooting a few rounds off a year. An additional benefit is you better understand what you are shooting the ammo.
Well I don’t shoot lots of ammo but the little I do ie 40 rounds of 22-250 and 20-30 rounds of 7mm mag and sometimes a few for locals not numbering more than 40 rounds so not many but since I’ve had the wet tumbler I’ve enjoyed working with the clean brass especially other peoples who don’t look after their brass as far as the sonic cleaner being quicker well I can’t comment on it as I’ve not got one or used one but I prefer the wet tumbler because it is more interesting to me and I think people like different things so they like me tend to do things for satisfaction not always for economics but each to their own I say
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