Dry tumbling with rock tumbler??

[Nomercy]

I recently got into reloading, but don't have much cash laying around to go out and buy a case tumbler, but I do have a couple old rock tumblers from when I was a kid.....

If I used case tumbling media in the rock tumbler, do you think it would give the same effect?? It has two cylinders, one on each end, about 8" in diameter by 5" deep. I'm going to start out with .30-06 cases, but I do a lot of handgun shooting in .45acp, .357, and .44 mag. If it wouldn't hold enough long cartridges, would it do ok for the handgun rounds?? I'll probably only tumble a box at a time, then reload in 100 batches.

Screw the 10 ring, keep them in the zero!!!

[Mark whiz]

Nomercy,

That is how I started tumbling my brass. Except my son only had the small 3" X 4" tumbler. I used treated corncob media and could tumble about 25 pistol rounds or a dozen .308s at a time. It usually took 3 to 4 hours for a good cleaning that way. Your setup should hold twice that amount of brass in each of your cylinders - up to 200 pistol cases or 100 .308s each attempt.

I would be a little leary of using the rock polish compound though - that stuff would scratch the cases something fierce I'm afraid.


"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)

Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!

[3DNWV]

The same company that sells rock tumblers. Use to sell brass tumblers and may still they look the same, that was 1st brass polisher i every had and it worked/works fine for brass when used with brass media and brass polish.

3DNWV