affordable tumbler?

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fifty5grains

New member
Guys,
Just purchased a large lot of reloading equipment and
I'm looking for recommendations on an affordable tumbler.Does'nt have to have a huge capacity, maybe something that will run 100 .223 cases at a time would be fine. Any
suggestions would be appreciated. thanks, fifty5grains
 
I just got a new tumbler from Cabelas, and am really impressed. $54 for the tumbler and media, polish, and a cheap sifter, and it cleans way faster than my old Midway and is quieter too. Also has a switch, which I guess some don't now. I've heard it's made by Berry's in Oregon (or is it WA).
 
I have one that is very similar to THIS one that was a clone made under Midway's name and I use the Lyman Tuf-Nut media that is rouge impregnated... It's fast and has worked well for over 10 years...
 
Originally Posted By: 204 ARI just got a new tumbler from Cabelas, and am really impressed. $54 for the tumbler and media, polish, and a cheap sifter, and it cleans way faster than my old Midway and is quieter too. Also has a switch, which I guess some don't now. I've heard it's made by Berry's in Oregon (or is it WA).


I have the same 1 from Cabelas,no probs,works great
 
The above mentioned Midway tumbler does a great job. And do not underestimate how much easier and cleaner the filter bucket is. I thought that bucket was a gimmick until I started using the bucket. It is actually a very handy tool. And will keep your hands considerably cleaner, as well as just "working". Tom.
 
Originally Posted By: 204 ARI just got a new tumbler from Cabelas, and am really impressed. $54 for the tumbler and media, polish, and a cheap sifter, and it cleans way faster than my old Midway and is quieter too. Also has a switch, which I guess some don't now. I've heard it's made by Berry's in Oregon (or is it WA).

My father in law just bought this package, he loves his.

I went with: Nano tumbler

It is cheap, and small capacity, but it works very well. If you don't tumble a lot of brass at once its great. I bought and installed a switch for less than $3.00.
 
I made my own, has a 33rpm motor and a bucket for chlorine tablets. It rotates rather than vibrates.

tumb3.jpg

Load it like this.

tumb1.jpg

It runs in this position. Takes about an hour with a mixture of cob and walnut.
 
Originally Posted By: claimbusterMy next one may come from Harbor Freight Tools.
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=tumbler
I have a Lyman and a Berry right now and they probably will never wear out.

The drum machines might be OK, but NEVER buy the Harbor Freight vibratory machines - I ran twelve of these machines, cleaning .223/5.56 mil pick up brass, bought at US govt auctions, and they sucked. They were very noisy, hard to empty (with a full load), and they cost as much as the large Dillon.

We were constantly taking them out of service because of breakdowns, and repair parts were ALWAYS 6 to 8 weeks late. MTBF (mean time before failure) for each machine was 6 months of use (40 hours a week)...

... my personal large Dillons (two of them) have not been out of service in 10+ years, and I run them very hard.

If you buy a vibratory machine, make sure that the bowls are wide dish shaped so you can empty them easily (get a Dillon) - never buy a vibratory machine with a Goldfish bowl shaped holder - you have to turn it completely upside down to empty it.
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Meow.
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The Lyman Turbo 1200 has been working well for me.
It's the only tumbler I've ever owned, so I can't do any comparisons.
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I have two of the Frankford Arsenal ones that I paid around $50 bucks apiece for. I've had them for probably close to 10 years with no problems. One of them is filled with corn media for everyday cleaning and the other is filled with walnut for the really dirty brass.
 
I have used one from Harbor Freight for 5 years and works fine. I use one of my wifes old colanders over a five gallon bucket to empty it.
 
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