DRY TUMBLING VERSES WET TUMBLING

[CQB45ACP]

Pic of some dry tumbled 308 brass. Us dry tumblers are no amateurs when it comes to tumbling brass.

View attachment 1131660

Nice but just imagine the filthy primer pockets!

 

[CQB45ACP]

My favorites are the, “I am the most important and knowledgeable person in the universe and you are a fool for not worshiping me!” threads.

You reading my CV again?

 

[CQB45ACP]

Dry tumbling vs wet tumbling and Lee FCDs are my favorite threads.

Ever tried wet tumbling an FCD? Comes out all beat up and ugly looking—like a new Hornady.

 

[BBarn]

I dry tumble but was thinking of getting a wet tumbler so many told me its better?Guess i will try one, what brand wet tumblers are good?

I have both the Lyman Cyclone Rotary Tumbler and a Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler Lite. There is a significant difference between the cleanliness produced by those two tumblers. I always tumble with pins and follow each manufacturer's directions regarding how much to fill the drum and the amount and type of detergent to use.

Running de-primed brass in the Lyman for three hours results in 95% of the cases looking new-brass-clean both inside and out. The same tumbling in the Frankford produces cases that are mostly new brass clean outside (including the primer pocket on many), while the inside of the cases are generally clean but not shiny.

The Lyman comes with pins and a set of sifter trays that are very handy for separating water, brass, and pins. I use them anytime I wet tumble.

The advantages of the Lyman are somewhat quieter operation and better cleaning. The primary advantages of the Frankford are lower cost and the ability to tumble smaller batches of cases. The disadvantage of the Lyman is higher cost and the need to run a larger batch of cases. The disadvantages of the Frankford are it's small capacity (which can also be a benefit), poorer cleaning performance, and the lack of any sifting/separating features/accessories.

I'm not sure why the Lyman cleans better. It seems to turn the drum faster and the inside of the drum is rubber lined, which may increase the tumbling action as well as reducing noise. One disadvantage of the rubber lining is the tendency of a few cases to get stuck sideways in the drum near the ends.

Lastly, the Lyman runs on a built-in timer, while the Frankford has a simple on/off switch.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I only wet tumble range pick up pistol brass because it’s usually very dirty.

Rifle brass gets the dry treatment because the wet process puts dings in the case mouth.

I’ve read that before…you mean the banging together I presume and it’s a problem beyond cosmetic? I only shoot pistol but haven’t noticed any problems cosmetic or otherwise. What does it look like?

 

[cfullgraf]

I use both wet and dry tumbling methods depending on the condition of the brass. Dirty stuff gets wet tumbled with pins. Subsequently, it's several load cycles with dry tumbling before another round of wet tumbling.

Wet tumbling with pins requires considerably more effort, partially due to the need of larger batches for best results. And some wet tumblers do a much better job than others. Dry tumbling is quicker and less work.

This is basically my process although my times between wet tumbling is longer.

I wet tumble when the spirit moves me mostly because the extra time needed to rinse the cases, separate the pins and dry the cases. I need to have nothing else to do for several hours when I wet tumble.

I do like the shiny cases though.

 

[BBarn]

Sometimes cases get wet tumbling before "needed" because I need more cases in the drum to achieve an optimum fill for best results.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Lastly, the Lyman runs on a built-in timer, while the Frankford has a simple on/off switch.

You must have the Frankford Lite wet tumbler with one cap on the drum.
The bigger Platinum wet tumbler holds a lot more brass, it has two end caps and has a timer switch.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

You reading my CV again?

It’s boilerplate for every GS10 and higher resume. Now, if you were tumbling a metric ton of brass a week for profit maybe it would be justified.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Didn't mean to sound judgemental...

Forgot one very important fact; case cleaning is 100% personal choice. Brown ammo shoots just as good as pristine, new looking brass, so it all depends on what each handloader chooses...

Maybe but I’ll make a friendly wager…if they choose to comment on the appearance of ammo, more fellow shooters will favorably comment on these vs grungy ones:

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Maybe but I’ll make a friendly wager…if they choose to comment on the appearance of ammo, more fellow shooters will favorably comment on these vs grungy ones:
View attachment 1131733

Yeah, I just can’t tell you how many pigs scoffed at my slightly less shiny ammo - right before the LSWC went through their chest cavity.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Yeah, I just can’t tell you how many pigs scoffed at my slightly less shiny ammo - right before the LSWC went through their chest cavity.

I hit a pig on the Fla Tpke with a shiny minivan. Actually I missed it someone else hit it.

 

[Big Wes]

Last night I had some extra time with nothing to do but drink some beers. So I had some dirty range brass that I seperatedby calibers that can be tumbled together. 30/06, 308, 243, 223, 300 Blackout, 30 cal carbine.
I dug out one of my dry tumblers and dry tumbled the dirt brass in walnut media for two hours.
My Lyman dry tumbler
View attachment 1131592

The brass after dry tumbling.
View attachment 1131593

Then I put it in my Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler for an hour.
Look how much crude that was left on the cases after they were dry tumbled for two hours.
View attachment 1131594
The brass after I wet tumbled it.
View attachment 1131595

I dug out the old dry tumbler to actually see and compare the difference between two tumbling methods.

This is why I strictly wet tumble
I like my brass completely clean inside and out.

Does it have to be super clean?
NO, but if you take the time to tumble your brass why not get it absolutely clean.
I have three wet tumblers for when I buy large volumes of range brass.

I have several dry tumblers the are taking up space on a shelf.

I think you forgot to turn the dry tumbler on, I dry tumble and never run it for two hours, I usually run mine for an hour and all my brass comes out shiny. shiny enough anyway. Did you put some polish in it? Just curious is all. Your wet tumbled brass looks great btw!

 

[jmorris]

Maybe but I’ll make a friendly wager…if they choose to comment on the appearance of ammo, more fellow shooters will favorably comment on these vs grungy ones:
View attachment 1131733

I have been at a few matches over the years, the only time I had anyone comment on how they looked was when I tested the effects of running a batch for 24 hours, wet with pins.

Everywhere the pins could touch turned OD green, still shot fine though.



I haven’t found any on paper accuracy improvement between the methods I use but I spend so much time on my benchrest brass, I wouldn’t allow any of them to crash into one another in any style of tumbler.

For drying I lay them out of a piece of stainless steel, in the Texas sun they are not only dry but too hot to hold in your bare hand in 2.5 beers.

I fill the Dillon media tub full of water for the final rinse and it cures the surface tension issues with the pins/soapy water, so they fall into the bin. I then dump the water through a mesh bag that allows the water to flow through and captures the pins.



This is the style bag I use.
https://www.containerstore.com/s/la...0XdAFtY7Fj0HJxjxKX8aAmYXEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Nature Boy]

I’ve read that before…you mean the banging together I presume and it’s a problem beyond cosmetic?

Yes, banging together in a rotary tumbler puts dents in the case mouth. If surgically clean, jewelry grade brass is a paramount concern, then tumble away. However, if maximum accuracy and consistency is important then you really don’t want this….

 

[CQB45ACP]

Yes, banging together in a rotary tumbler puts dents in the case mouth. If surgically clean, jewelry grade brass is a paramount concern, then tumble away. However, if maximum accuracy and consistency is important then you really don’t want this….

View attachment 1131744

My eyes can’t tell nor could my old hands these days
Thanks

 

[Nature Boy]

My eyes can’t tell nor could my old hands these days
Thanks

look at 6 o’clock

 

[CQB45ACP]

look at 6 o’clock

Hard to imagine a little tumbling could do that but I’ve seen stranger things.

 

[Highland Lofts]

I think you forgot to turn the dry tumbler on, I dry tumble and never run it for two hours, I usually run mine for an hour and all my brass comes out shiny. shiny enough anyway. Did you put some polish in it? Just curious is all. Your wet tumbled brass looks great btw!

It ran a full two hours with just walnut media. No additives.

Years ago one of my uncles only used factory ammo for hunting. He had it in a leather ammo belt and it use to get the green tarnish on the cases from years & years of being in that belt. He would take steel wool and clean it up right before deer season
It worked for him and he shot a lot of deer with that old ammo.
The looks of your brass is a personal thing between us.
Each has their own opinion and thought about it.
The way I look at it if I'm going to tumble my brass I want it as clean as I can get it.
Plus I have a huge amount of personal brass. I could shoot all year with out running out of clean brass to reload so I have all the time it takes to get my brass dry.
All of my personal brass is wet tumbled and resized, the pistol brass is resized and flared before it goes in to my storage containers.
When our rain season stops I take my grandson shooting every weekend. He shoots three to four hundred rounds of ammo every weekend.
If I had to buy factory ammo it would cost way to much. So reloading is the key to keep him supplied.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Yes, banging together in a rotary tumbler puts dents in the case mouth. If surgically clean, jewelry grade brass is a paramount concern, then tumble away. However, if maximum accuracy and consistency is important then you really don’t want this….

View attachment 1131744

Very cool! That’s the advantage to reading a community board with every kind of shooter and every kind of reloader. It never would have occurred to me that the tumbler would create dings a die wouldn’t straighten out sufficiently for “accuracy.”

Then again, it also never occurred to me to compare the day-to-day operations of a commercial, for-profit mass producer to a single user’s personal methods.

I grow basil and other herbs in my garden - don’t mean I’m going to be trying to emulate ConAgra.

 

[CQB45ACP]

It’s boilerplate for every GS10 and higher resume. Now, if you were tumbling a metric ton of brass a week for profit maybe it would be justified.

An old timer told me years ago to stop killing myself and use boilerplate…billing hours are the same. Now I guess he’d suggest ChatGPT.

 

[jmorris]

It never would have occurred to me that the tumbler would create dings a die wouldn’t straighten out sufficiently for “accuracy.”

I have tested the methods of tumbling, relating to accuracy and I haven’t seen any clear winner but as I said before I don’t tumble my benchrest cases at all (not looking for a one hole group but the smallest one hole group). I don’t have to hope my dies have to straighten anything if I don’t allow them to get messed up in the first place.

If I am looking for shiny on a case, give it to me at the case mouth, that’s the most important spot to me. What ones would you pick, the ones on the right are brand new Winchester cases, where the last step was polishing off the final annealing evidence. The ones on the left were cleaned laying in my ultrasonic, even the oldest eyes can see the difference if you zoom in.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

An old timer told me years ago to stop killing myself and use boilerplate…billing hours are the same. Now I guess he’d suggest ChatGPT.

Discord. Chat is so blue check!

 

[Targa]

Very nice results with the wet tumbler, that’s for sure. If I had started with a wet tumbler that is what I would be using today but I started with a dry tumbler with walnut media and that’s what I will most likely use until I am no longer reloading. It works well enough for me.

 

[GW Staar]

Cleaning brass is one of the most talked about steps in reloading but the least important. 99% cosmetic and I don't need to impress shooters to with my glossy handloads. FWIW in my early reloading ('70s, brown ammo was a sign of a reloader. Sorta a "badge of pride"

Frankly, that badge of pride just caused me annoyance. I got tired of having to explain myself to concerned neophytes, that it shot just as good or better than factory. I prefer that they can't tell the difference....so they mind their own business. I never get comments about how shiny my brass is......the clean primer pockets are hidden behind new primers.