Sonic or Tumblers???

G

gene10pntr

New member
Which is better to clean rifle brass...sonic or a tumbler?
In everybody's opinions,who makes the best or a real good one?

What media does everybody use in each type of cleaners?

Thanks!

Gene
 
Stainless steel pins in a tumbler makes them cleanest IMHO,
I use a fairly large rock tumbler from Lortone, a commercial manufacturer
out of Wash. State
 
I use a sonic cleaner...the large ine from harbor freight..works well enough..I'm not o interested in shiny brass...jus clean inside and out..
 
I have a Hornady sonic cleaner and its amazing! also I have a cabelas brand tumbler. I will mix distilled or filtered water with half distilled vinegar and 2 drops of dish soap. run that in the sonic cleaner for a total of 24 mins. then empty out and fill it with water and a pinch of baking soda for 8 mins. empty then straight water for 8 mins. then I will throw the brass in the tumbler with corn stuff and a fabric softener sheet and a little bit of case polish and let it roll around for anywhere between 8-24 hours. I have compared my brass to many other peoples clean brass (outside, inside and primer pocket) and I have yet to see any that compare with mine.
 
Originally Posted By: Smokin BarrelI have never used a sonic cleaner, but you'll have to pry the SS setup out of my cold dead hands. For me, shiny=clean.

Same here!!
 
Sinic cleaners do clean very well & usually do it quicker but leaves the brass very dull. If you want it shiney you then need to tumble in walnut or corncob media to get a nice look (then you have about the same time spent). The wet SS media does both. It cleans inside & out & if used with a dash of lemonshine the brass comes out looking better than from the factory.

NOTHING beats the SS media in a good tumbler.
 
I use a sonic cleaner..works great,, got it at a hospital auction CHEAP no one really knew what it was.

Actually I dont really clean my brass at all,,0000 steel in the drill and call it good.
 
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Originally Posted By: Buster HindendOriginally Posted By: coleridgeNOTHING beats the SS media in a good tumbler.



I feel the same way. SS is the best system I've used

Yep!
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Originally Posted By: Buster HindendOriginally Posted By: coleridgeNOTHING beats the SS media in a good tumbler.



I feel the same way. SS is the best system I've used

I have a Thumbler Tumbler how long should I tumble with the SS pins?
 
I put off getting the SS system for a while thinking since I already had a regular Lyman tumbler and it worked fine so why change.
What pushed me was I had two 5 gallon buckets of pretty old .223 brass that I really needed to clean up and use since things got tight. Glad I finally made the move.Since then I have started loading 9mm and I have been picking up brass at a pretty good clip... this weekend I picked up 32 lbs of about half & half .223 and 9mm while at the range.

I have been running mine for 3 hours but not sure if it really needs that long. In the past month or so I have cleaned about 4000 pieces and it sure does the job.
Most of it I decapped before tumbling which is best so it can clean out your primer pockets too. As stated it looks better than new.
I still have way more needing processed than I have that is cleaned but at least I have it when I need it.
 
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Originally Posted By: venatic As stated it looks better than new.


Yep it really does. Even if you through in an old varnished peice in the looks like it was shot by George Whashington (yeah, little known fact he too liked AR's too), it all looks the same when it comes out. Can't find the old piece in the bunch...



 
Those look amazing..

I have a tumbler and put the brass in a bucket of hot water with lemi shine and pour it in the lyman tumbler and let that go for a few hours.. Drain and let dry.

Then pour them back in and add walnut media (i get it at the pet store since it's a lot cheaper) add an old dryer sheet to soak up the gunk,(it works) and a table spoon of brassO. They look great and are shinny, without buying a bunch of expensive tools. I make do until i can afford a better set up.
 
So can you use you're regular tumbler then? Do you add water in it? I have the Frankfort Arsenal tumbler...will that work with the SS pins?
 
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