Tumbling media

[masterkwan]

Just curious what everyone is using for Tumbling Media and where they are buying it (if online or local). I have heard that some people go to a local pet store and buy a big bag of media used for lizards or something like that. Also cutting up used fabric sheets help pick up the dirt and grime.

Just starting out ... thanks to all for you help.

[wellfedirishman]

Crushed Walnut shell

Got it from Midway, about $10-12 for a 7 lb bag or so (I think). Works great.

[mike100]

I have a mix of Lyman corn cob media with some cheap $8 pet store walnut bedding for the bottom of bird cages or whatever the original pet application was for. It's about 1/2 of what the re-packaged media reloading companies sell.

[mecam]

I just go to Walmart and buy a bag of crushed walnut for cheap. Corn cob does a better polishing job though.

[scrat]

well what you mentioned is correct. if you go to your local petstore. like petsmart. you need to pick up either walnut or corncob media. Once you get home put some in your tumbler. Now add about 2 capfulls of nu finish. Car polish. turn it on for about 20 minutes. now your good to go. Before you go to put in your shells add 2 dryer sheets. they dont have to be new. Take them from the dryer when your done with your clothes. get a baggy to collect them you will need them. You also want to add either a paper towel or napkin. not the whole thing but cut up 2-or 3 little squares about 2 inches. mix them in the media. now your good to go.

Why the dryer sheets and paper towels. Because all the dirt and lead toxics have to go somewhere. The combination of both the dryer sheets and paper towels will collect all the dirt. . This makes your media last longer as well as prevent air born inhalation of lead and other deposits. Every time you go to pull your shells out replace the sheets. You will see they will come out very dirty.

Other than walnut or corn cob media. i also used rice. yep plain old rice. used to sneak a cup of rice out. put it in the tumbler. Rice works very very good. polishes up the brass very well. Just remember the cap fulls of nu finish. Also if you find that your media is taking longer to clean. you can add a couple of cap fulls of mineral spirits to the media. Run it for about 20 minutes with some dryer sheets in it. The replace the dryer sheets. Then add 2 cap fulls of nu finish. then run it again for another 5-10 minutes. Then replace the sheets again. Then it should work good again.

[masterkwan]

scrat -

You mentioned something that I did not think of before and that is rice. is there any specific type of use? i have lots of long grain white rice around that i could probably use if that would work.

[scrat]

nope any rice. In fact right now in my tumbler is all rice. About a month ago my media was just too tooo old. so i dumped it. Well i had two trips worth of shells that needed to be cleaned. At the time i was talking to my neighbor and we started thinking of what to use as it was late sunday afternoon. Well next thing i knew i was pouring two cups of rice in my tumbler. Then he came over and brought another two cups full. I then added the nu finish and some dryer sheets. The rest is history. on another forum i found out that a lot of people use rice. its just a bit expensive compared to regular media. But as long as my wife dosent find out for now. Then i will take my chances. So next question how long does it last.

Im not too sure i have been using it now for about a month. i have put about 2000 shells through it. Pros it takes a lot less time to clean and polish your shells. Then another pro. the rice does not seem to clog up the primer pockets as easily as regular media.

So to answer your question which rice. looks like any rice will do. just have to sneak it by the wife.

[masterkwan]

Scrat -

Sounds good to me. Thanks.

I'll give it a try this weekend.

[PistolPete75]

corn media at the pet store. it's like 3 bucks for a whole, big bag of it.

[Roccobro]

Bought the lizard litter from Petsmart. Was the perfect amount to use in my Lyman 2500. Cleaned 12k .45, 5k .223, 1k .38sp and 5k 9mm so far. Looks nice still by using cut up paper towels every load and a cap full of odorless mieral spirits every few loads.

Justin

[jandmtv]

ive found the grit of the corn cob media at pet stores to be too large to clean .223 very well. plus it clogs up the throat of the case. i use medium/small grip corn cob media from the reloading store at angeles shooting range. $5 for 4lbs. but i may just have to give rice a try, sounds interesting.

plus it not clogging up the flash hole as much is a big + IMO

[anyracoon]

I was getting a 50# bag of medium grit walnut hulls at the local feed store for under $15.00. I capfull of NU-Finish car polish and a-way we go. I do use a fine corncob for a final polish of loaded rounds for about 10 minutes.

[jandmtv]

I was getting a 50# bag of medium grit walnut hulls at the local feed store for under $15.00. I capfull of NU-Finish car polish and a-way we go. I do use a fine corncob for a final polish of loaded rounds for about 10 minutes.

i think you answered my question, but ill ask anyway.

is it ok to tumble loaded ammo?

[grywlfbg]

i think you answered my question, but ill ask anyway.

is it ok to tumble loaded ammo?

Absolutely. I wouldn't leave it in there for several hours but you're not going to hurt it. Commercial manufacturers tumble their loaded rounds to get a nice shiny finish on them. They also get "tumbled" in shipping so again, you're not going to hurt the powder or anything.

I like to do a final 15 minute tumble of loaded ammo w/ just corn cob to get the case lube off.

For cleaning cases I have been using pet-store corn cob and pet-store walnut shells. As someone mentioned the corn cob from the pet store jams into the mouths of .223 so I need to figure something else out. Straight walnut shells just don't get the cases shiny enough for me

[moulton]

Absolutely. I wouldn't leave it in there for several hours but you're not going to hurt it. Commercial manufacturers tumble their loaded rounds to get a nice shiny finish on them. They also get "tumbled" in shipping so again, you're not going to hurt the powder or anything.

I like to do a final 15 minute tumble of loaded ammo w/ just corn cob to get the case lube off.

For cleaning cases I have been using pet-store corn cob and pet-store walnut shells. As someone mentioned the corn cob from the pet store jams into the mouths of .223 so I need to figure something else out. Straight walnut shells just don't get the cases shiny enough for me

I have been told not to as the tumbleing will break up the powder into smaller powder thus causing it to burn faster when fired and produce dangerously high pressure.