Tumbling brass, does it make a differnce?

sd38,

I reloaded my first 80,000 pistol rounds without using a tumbler. I just wiped each case off with a paper towel and put them in the reloading machine (Dillon SDB). Calibers were 9mm, .45acp, 38sp, .357mag. The reloaded rounds looked tarnished but they functioned well. No scratched reloading dies either.

Now I run everything through a Thumblers tumbler with stainless steel pins. Looks pretty but no difference in function unless you count fewer high primers due to carbon deposits in the primer pockets which are now being cleaned out by the ss pins.

best wishes- oldandslow
 
Two things shiny brass does for me. It makes the cracks easier to see sooner and it gives me a good feeling about the quality of my reloads. I can find no difference in the way it shoots.
 
Two things shiny brass does for me. It makes the cracks easier to see sooner and it gives me a good feeling about the quality of my reloads. I can find no difference in the way it shoots.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much how I feel about it also, truth be known, I knew what your answer would be because it really doesn't matter if they are tarnished looking or not.

I does make small differences if they are not clean. The crud in the neck of the case can increase the finished diameter of the case after it's been loaded and cause problems, the crud gets into the dies and cause problems with resizing, the crud takes up a small amount of case capacity and so on.

There have always been two camps on this opinion.

Those of us who take pride in making ammo that looks and functions as good, mostly better than factory ammo and those of us who are utilitarian and make ammo that just plain works.

Which is best? Eye of the beholder, as long as they work and your happy with them, it really doesn't matter much.
 
I have been reloading for a while now, 15 to 20 years I would guess. I’ve never owned a tumbler. The way I figure it, a hole in the X-ring doesn’t care if it came from a bright and shiny piece of brass. I can understand people wanted nice looking reloads, but don’t really see it as a necessity.
 
a hole in the X-ring doesn’t care if it came from a bright and shiny piece of brass.
Click to expand...

How do you know? Have you asked the hole in the x-ring? :D

For years, I didn't tumble my brass. Just sloshed them around in a bucket of soapy water. They didn't look good, but it got the range grit and powder fouling off enough to recondition the brass without chewing up my dies.

Then I started tumbling in corn cob. Now I tumble in corn cob before reconditioning; followed by a wet tumble in SS pins after reconditioning. My brass is all shiny now and primer pockets clean. This makes me happy.

Bottom line: It's just personal preference.
 
I also loaded for 10+ years before I owned a tumbler. An old dry t-shirt was the closest they came to getting clean.

I can't say they didn't shoot well, but the difference in the absolute volume of dirt and filth in your entire shooting life is radically altered. Without the tumbler, your hands end up always filthy all the time if you don't tumble your brass. I can imagine that Nick's soapy bucket of water was far better & cleaner than my "doing nothing."

There is no possible way I would even consider going back to my old ways, I tell you that.
 
Nope, the biggest difference is I yer head...

My "pre-tumbling reloading span" was 12 years and since I inspected each round before I did anything to it, I just wiped each case with a solvent/mineral spirits dampened rag as I looked at it. Nope, no scratched dies, yep I could spot defects. Some will say "pride of workmanship", well mebbe, but I'm the only one to see my ammo and no one else will shoot it. I don't shoot in public so I don't have to impress any bystanders. Do I like glossy, shiny, blinding brass? Sure but it's far from necessary and ain't worth all the work.

For me, and my ammo the major reason I tumble ammo is for uniformity. All my reloads look the same. Except my 45 ACP and 30-06 brass. I will put a good shine so they sparkle. My M1 and 1911 flings empties out in the dirt/rocks/trash of my "range" and a shiny case is easier to find...:D
 
I tumble rifle brass only. The polished finish seems to give the impression of making sizing easier and smoother (still with lube of course). Makes no difference with functioning other than perhaps with facilitating chambering of semi-auto rounds.
 
Last edited:
I tumble because I don't like the idea of dirty brass in my dies and, more importantly, in my firearms.

Does it actually make a measurable difference? Who knows - but I can tell you with 100% certainty that it does not hurt. and because of that, it is a good thing for me.
 
I agree with most here- You dont need to, I only do for other reasons that have been stated also. I know clean brass does resize a lot easier.
 
I have not tumbled my brass in my lifetime of reloading. Is this affecting the function or performance of my ammo?
Click to expand...

Seems a rhetorical question. What's the right answer? My brass is not only clean but shiny, so I can feel my ammo is as nice or better than new from a box. Shiny brass is a beautiful thing. Besides, I 'm a good housekeeper and also mindful of personal hygiene, so maybe it's a personality type thing.

I never tumble dirty brass. I wash it first. Then the pricey media, with a shot of polish occasionally, lasts indefinitely, and 1-2 hours is plenty run time to have nice looking brass. I usually leave a patina of oxidation, since I find excessively polished and raw brass will tarnish very quickly.
 
Last edited:
Mildly tarnished or shiny, it shoots the same. I do tumble pistol brass, since it can get pretty carboned up. I rarely tumble rifle brass, though I do clean the neck and shoulder with a quick twist of steel wool which will show a split neck if I have one.

One thing to mention is that I have no semiauto rifles, so my brass rarely touches the ground. It goes from the action directly into my pocket, usually.
 
A good friend reloads .45acp and .44mag, while I load piles of 9mm and .38spl. When we shoot together , we dig into each other's ammo and shoot each other's guns. His ammo is forever filthy with dirty lube and finger prints and gunk, while mine is always polished and gloriously shiny.

My guns (and my clothes, shooting table, and the spot on the ice chest lid I grab to open it) come home absolutely filthy after a day of shooting with him, while things are relatively clean when using only my gear. The transfer of grime is ridiculous.

He doesn't tumble his brass, nor does he clean his finished cartridges. They work just fine!!! They just make a dang mess.
 
Funny, I never knew anyone reloaded without a tumbler! I just started reloading about 3 months ago, first piece of equipment I bought was a tumbler. Cleaned and sorted buckets of range brass while saving for a press, loved seeing the piles of shiny golden cases just waiting to be loaded!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top