Got a new gun room toy!!!!

[Sniper338]

So, how many Grendel brass do you guys add to the drum per load?

I don't resize dirty brass either, makes the dies really dirty and could promote premature wear on them.

But my fired brass is usually pretty bad.

i reload 100 at a time for my rifles... i have 200 pieces of brass that i run for my rifles at a time... i shoot off of box one until they are shot up, then shoot off box 2.... then while im ahooting off box 2 im reloading box one... when im shooting off box 1 im reloading box 2... works for me...


so to answer your question i do 100 at a time...

[mwilkins]

So, how many Grendel brass do you guys add to the drum per load?

Last cleaning ran about 75 pcs through at one time. If the motor on the tumbler has an issue getting the drum started, then it is too big of a load. Thus the reason I only use about 2.5 lbs of media. I also have a strip of adhesive backed abrasive tape on one end of the drum to prevent slipping on the rollers.

[lead chucker]

I have run 200 PCs of Grendel at a time. Or 400 blkout. I shoot suppressed so my brass is usually nasty and 2 to 2.5 hours will do it.

[Boostmeister]

I've been using the stainless steel media tumbling method for about four years with great results. I pretty much follow the recipe that SSM recommends. Two tbl of Dawn, and 1/4 tsp of Lemishine. I deprime the brass so that the primer pockets get cleaned, and tumble roughly 150 pieces of brass (if I had 200 to clean, I'd do the 200 in a batch). I throw the brass in and then fill to within two inches of the top with hot water. Tumble for 3-4 hours, and then rinse in cold water (very hot water can dull or discolor the brass). I use a compressor to blow out the flash hole, then toss them into a wood box with screen in the middle, a light bulb, and a muffin fan. The brass is ready to load in a few hours.

FYI - When it comes time to reload, I give the brass a light spray of Hornady One Shot lube. This just make the resizing easier. Sometimes I wipe the finished product to remove the lube, but most of the time I leave it in place as I feel that it assists in chambering a round as well as extraction. The original reason for the use of the Hornady One Shot was the result of issues I was having reloading pistol brass on a Dillon 550B. The brass would tend to stick to the powder through die (mouth belling). After polishing the die with minimal results, I finally chucked it into a drill and worked it over with emory cloth to reduce the diameter about .001. It helped quite a bit but did not totally eliminate the sticking. I finally sent a query to Dillon to see if anyone had ever reported this issue. They immediately responded and said that their guess is that I was cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner or stainless steel media. They indicated that while it removed all of the contamination from the brass, some of the carbon left behind in conventional tumbling acts as a lubricant. Bingo! When reloading pistol brass, I now either spray it with One Shot or keep a cloth handy with some case lube to wipe the outside of the powder through die every dozen or so pieces. In spite of what your mother told you as a child, sometimes you can actually be to clean! In spite of the sticking issue, it hasn't driven me back to conventional tumbling.

[Adam Lilja]

For mine, the reccomended recipe is:
5lbs media
1 gallon water
2lbs brass (Maybe 200 pieces for Grendel)
1-1/2 tbsp dish soap (e.g., dawn)
1/4 tsp Lemishine
tumble 2-3 hours

It's worked great, so I haven't tried any variations

This + or - on the water

[Sniper338]

This + or - on the water

This is what I've been doing.. Got it all set up, cleaned some 9mm brass and it came out really well... I have a new batch of 40 cal brass going now, I went ahead and have 600-1000 cases in it going at one time.... Yes I know thats a lot but I wanted to see if it would do it... I ran it for 2 hours last night and checked it and they were getting clean, just needed more time. So I have had it going all this morning and am about to check it again. See what happens... haha! I have tons of brass to clean up right now and prep for handguns... I gotta turn all this 40 cal brass into 357 sig... works like a charm! just not enough time to sit and get it all done in one day!

[NugginFutz]

Well,

I jumped in and picked up a rotary tumbler - saw this on sale, so no point in putting it off. Since it's on sale at $165, down from $229, it was quite convincing.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/713881/frankford-arsenal-platinum-series-rotary-case-tumbler?cm_vc=ProductFinding

[PredatorDown]

^^I got one of the Frankford Arsenal ones a month or so ago and it definitely gets the job done. It's made some of my oldest Hornady brass (10+ firings) look brand new again! I don't think I'll be wet tumbling brass every firing, seems like overkill IMO. I'll probably do it ever 3-4 firings, with dry tumbling in between. After hearing about media getting stuck inside the cases, I've started checking every one before loading. Out of the 300 or so Grendel cases I've done in it, I've had a handful that had a pin stuck sideways in the neck.

[NugginFutz]

Were those stainless steel pins the ones which came with the tumbler or were they ones you'd bought separately? I'm curious if there is a preferred media size.

[Heorot]

+1

Got the media from Midway and used some interweb knowledge to put something together that turns out some amazingly shiny brass with water, Dawn and Lemishine.

[PredatorDown]

It was the media that came with it. If I ever get a little low I'll probably get some from STM

[Boostmeister]

Heorot, I assume that you aren't overly concerned about bearing or roller shaft failure.

[bwaites]

Heorot, I assume that you aren't overly concerned about bearing or roller shaft failure.

I was thinking the same, then wondering where to get it!

[BluntForceTrauma]

Lemi-Shine is an amazing product! (Like Oxi-Clean, but I digress. . . .)

And, Sniper338, I've got a Glock 32 and have a hell of a time feeding it. Sounds like you're my new best friend! ;-)

[NugginFutz]

Well, my Franklin tumbler arrived yesterday, and I must say I .. am .. impressed!

I ran some LC 5.56 cases last night for 90 minutes, using the provided sample of "Franklin Arsenal's Expensive Dish Soap", and I may have to retire my Ultrasonic cleaner. The cases were easily 100% cleaner on the inside than the Ultrasonic could do in 30 minutes. Primer pockets were whistle clean and the brass looks gorgeumous.

Tonight, I ran some 300 cases of AA stamped Grendel brass, again for 90 minutes. Since I had no more free samples, I used the recipe listed most frequently: Dawn and Lemi Shine. (Note to self - use less than 4 caps full of Dawn next time. Very sudsy, otherwise). The results were nothing less than perfect (suds aside). The cases came out looking brighter than new and, again, with the sparkly clean pockets and interiors.

There is plenty of room in the barrel for at least another 300 Grendel cases, and I would likely run the unit for the full three hours available on the timer. Did I mention the unit has a timer? Another nice feature, which allows me to set and forget. (I seem to remember someone relating how they'd left their red tumbler running overnight, and ended up with illegible head stamps and slightly looser primer pockets. Probably exaggerated.)

Anyway, last thing I'll mention is stainless steel pins. Lots and lots of stainless steel pins. Do NOT turn your back on these little gizmos or they'll find their way into every nook and cranny within 50 yards. A good pickup magnet is a MUST. The kind with the release handle is best (~$10-15), so you won't end up flicking those tiny stainless steel pins across the workbench. (Mine arrived today, but sure would have been real handy last night).

I suppose my ultrasonic cleaner will serve for cleaning gun parts, such as bolt assemblies and other such things, but I'm pretty sure it's seen its last load of brass for the foreseeable future.