Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

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XDm45
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Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by XDm45 »

Just like the title says, trying to get some opinions on what you guys prefer if you have used them both. I can read online reviews until I'm blue and still noy have any better answers than I do now, so I thought I would ask people from a community that i am tentatively trusting of. :D
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BobK
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by BobK »

Depends on your purpose and volume.

By far, tumblers will clean the largest volume of cases easily with minimal effort.

If you have a personal preference do get your cases spotless, including the inside of the case and primer pockets, then ultrasonic will clean more thoroughly. However, it is more time consuming and takes more work. More time consuming because I can tumble 1,000 9mm cases at a time, but ultrasonic cleaners have far less capacity. Also, ultrasonic cleaners require you to set the cases out to dry.

However, there is little practical benefit to have them that spotless. I suppose if you are doing bench rest competition ammo, you can delve into the ultimate levels of pickiness.

For the rest of us, tumblers do the job just fine. Handloaded ammo doesn't really case if the inside of the cases do not look sparkling brand new.

Here are some of my tumbled cases. This is certainly good enough top make effective ammo and to avoid scratching my dies.

Image
Image
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JustaShooter
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by JustaShooter »

[quote="BobK"Here are some of my tumbled cases. This is certainly good enough top make effective ammo and to avoid scratching my dies.[/quote]

What do you do so that the insides come out so clean? I've never seen them get that clean from tumbling and I've even forgotten and left some running for almost an entire day!
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BobK
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by BobK »

JustaShooter wrote:What do you do so that the insides come out so clean? I've never seen them get that clean from tumbling and I've even forgotten and left some running for almost an entire day!
That middle picture is an anomaly. Those are small primer .45 brass, which burns very clean. The inside of those cases was clean even before I tumbled. The bottom picture is more typical for tumblers.
I am a: NRA Life Member, Texas State Rifle Association Life Member, Texas Firearms Coalition Gold member, OFCC Patron Member, former JFPO member (pre-SAF).

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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by JustaShooter »

OK, thanks for clearing that up - I thought I was doing something wrong for the past 20 years :shock:
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XDm45
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by XDm45 »

I went ahead and ordered the cabellas tumbler kit. Comes with the sifter, corn cob, and polish. I was surprised, they had it in stock.
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BobK
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by BobK »

XDm45 wrote:I went ahead and ordered the cabellas tumbler kit. Comes with the sifter, corn cob, and polish. I was surprised, they had it in stock.
The Cabelas Tumbler and Sifter was my first tumbler purchase. Here are some other things to pick up for a great tumbling job:
  1. Start saving your used dryer sheets.
  2. Mineral Spirits
  3. Nu Finish car wax
    Image
  4. Zilla Ground English Walnut Shells Desert Blend. A 25 quart bag is less than $20 from Amazon. Free shipping on a $25 minimum order.
    Image
Your recipe, approved by Little Evan, is walnut shells, a capful of NuFinish, a 1/2 cup splash of Mineral Spirits, and a used dryer sheet cut into 4-6 pieces. Run 4 hours for normal brass. If the brass is in really bad shape, run it 8 hours or overnight.
I am a: NRA Life Member, Texas State Rifle Association Life Member, Texas Firearms Coalition Gold member, OFCC Patron Member, former JFPO member (pre-SAF).

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rubin31
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by rubin31 »

What tumbler would you guys recommend for someone just starting to handload?
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BigV
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by BigV »

I have 2 tumblers.
RCBS media tumbler that costs around $90, and a 5lb Harbor Freight tumbler that costs $55.
The RCBS had the motor go out 2 times in 4 years. RCBS sent me a replacement motor and it went out in less than 3 months. They sent me a new unit a month or so ago. It has a hard plastic bowel and is very loud.
The Harbor freight runs great and is much quieter as it has a softer type plastic bowel. The only problem is if you use mineral spirits the rubber seal for the lid swells up and it take a day for it to returns to normal.

I process a lot of brass and use both tumblers when I do. I prefer the Harbor Freight over the RCBS.
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rubin31
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by rubin31 »

Thanks, BigV. For the amount of brass I will be processing at first I will go with harbor freight. Other than the seal problem with mineral spirits, any other issues with it?
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BobK
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by BobK »

For cost effective, Smart Reloader makes a nice sturdy tumbler.
I am a: NRA Life Member, Texas State Rifle Association Life Member, Texas Firearms Coalition Gold member, OFCC Patron Member, former JFPO member (pre-SAF).

This froggie ain't boiling! Shall not be infringed! Μολών Λαβέ
More Obamination. Idiots. Can't we find an electable (R) for 2016?
BigV
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by BigV »

rubin31 wrote:Thanks, BigV. For the amount of brass I will be processing at first I will go with harbor freight. Other than the seal problem with mineral spirits, any other issues with it?
I had mine for over 3 years and not a single problem with it.
BigV
rubin31
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by rubin31 »

Thanks guys. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread.
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by Cloudwraith »

I have an Frankford Arsenal Tumbler and a Hornady sonic cleaner.

I bought the sonic cleaner first and used it for a while. It cleaned well but you had to dry the brass completely which meant waiting a while for air dry or sticking them in the oven for a bit. Then I spilled some of the cleaning solution, unknowingly, into my bucket of 9mm brass. I realized sometime later that it seemed to tarnish and eat through the casings it had touched. I ended up throwing them all out instead of tempting fate. The primer pockets get cleaner with the sonic. I only tried the Hornady one shot cleaning solution and never got into the home recipes for solutions. While the brass was clean and usable, it wasn't shiny looking by any stretch. You can only do small batches and with the Hornady sonic cleaner you can only run it for 8 min at a time and it usually took 3 or 4 cycles which means you have to babysit it.

I then got a tumbler for Father's Day last year and have used it exclusively since. The cleaning media is cheaper, you don't have to babysit it (just let it tumble) and the brass comes out much shinier. Downsides are the noise (it runs in my basement), picking media out of the primer pockets (which don't get as clean), and dealing with the dust if you are indoors.

All in all, i prefer the tumbler. I do still use the sonic cleaner but mostly for the wife's jewelry and occasionally I'll stick gun parts in it to clean.
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cisco7200
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Re: Tumbler vs Ultrasonic... Who's used them both?

Post by cisco7200 »

XDm45 wrote:I went ahead and ordered the cabellas tumbler kit. Comes with the sifter, corn cob, and polish. I was surprised, they had it in stock.

I picked this kit up at Cabela's Bargain Cave in Columbus for $47.00 because the box was dented but there was nothing missing and it works fine. After I bought mine they had another one up on the shelf. Go in the bargain cave turn right and look up on the shelf. I love it.
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