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Tumbling Dissimilar Brass Simultaneously

2K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  BC605 
#1 ·
So I was setting up to wet tumble, with SS pins, on my decapped 45 ACP cases. They are all LP pockets, and I have a handful of SP cases that I don't dare add in because I would have to sort through them again. I started thinking, dangerous I know, about "stringing" the SP cases together on a thin wire like a necklace. This would keep them in a group easily found and the pins should still be able to get inside to clean them thoroughly.

Could also be used for keeping 38 Special and .357 cases apart...maybe 9mm and 9 Mak or .380 Auto.

I didn't try it this time as I was too lazy to look for some fine wire...but maybe an experiment in the future. What do you guys think? ( to jump the shark...the wags will say to shoot more so I have a good batch of each caliber ;) )
 
#2 ·
I tumble .38 Special and .357 Magnum together, as well as .45 ACP and .45 Colt. Sorting them afterwards doesn't bother me. I sort out the small primered .45 ACP and chunk it in another container for tumbling, if and when I ever need it.
 
#3 ·
Anything using .355-.358 bullets goes in the tumbler together, 44-45, 223-30, then the rest of the rifle brass. Nickel plated is sorted the same but tumbled by itself, as it usually takes 1/2 the time.

 
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#5 ·
uhh--umm-well you see-ahh I have enough dirty brass of each caliber that I can load the tumbler easily with one caliber.
many times it may take 2-3 batches to clean all of it as I usually don't clean brass until I am in the several 100's of cases dirty.
I don't see a real advantage of wiring cases together , I mean you still have to handle them the same number of times as IF you just look at the primer pocket size after cleaning.
 
#8 · (Edited)
It has an "Interesting Concept" label printed all over it

thought the small print says "But why? You have to invest as much, if not more, time and effort into completing the exercise. Why bother?"


If you re determined to commit this act, I suggest .020" stainless aircraft safety-wire for your consideration.
 
#9 ·
It has an "Interesting Concept" label printed all over it

thought the small print says "But why? You have to invest as much, if not more, time and effort into completing the exercise. Why bother?"
The genesis was the 5 SP 45 ACP cases with 500 LP vases needing tumbling. I don't collect enough of the former to justify tumbling a dozen or so.
 
#10 · (Edited)
As previous posters pointed out, I generally sort by bullet diameter before I tumble them and hold them until I have enough to do a batch. After they're tumbled, I sort by caliber.

I cut a piece of broken fluorescent light waffle cover to fit in the bottom of a salvaged cake pan. It's about a 1/2" grid, and when I drop a handful of cases on it and shake it, most of the cases wind up base-down. Turn the few that didn't over and it's easy to inspect the cases. Bringing the pan up to eye level makes it easy to distinguish between similar cases of different length, such as 9mm/.380/9mm Mak, or .38/.357, or .45/.45GAP. Lift the waffle grid out, and it's easy to hit the cases with some One Shot spray to lube them for reloading.

With the .45, before lubing I put a piece of corrugated plastic over them in the tray and flip the pan over. Then it's easy to check primer pockets.

As far as the .45 SP goes, I hold onto about 500 just in case there's another primer drought. The rest I toss back for my fellow brass rats. For a while, I would take a number of the the SP mixed with .45 GAP to the IDPA matches. There was one guy who was always trying to shark other people's brass, and if I got squadded up with him, I'd toss the GAP and SP cases into his bucket to help him out.
 
#11 ·
I got i imagine 5-600 45 acp small primer cases.
mainly if i ever go with soeone to shoot say out in the woods/farm etc where likely will not find much of the brass, but also just in case i ever can't find/or have large primers and need to relaod some 45 acp.
its all resized , cleaned and awaiting reloading in a coffee can.
I tested my different loads with large primer VS small primer brass and could not tell one bit of difference, so I load it all the same.
 
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#12 ·
I will tumble cases together that won't nest but are easy to tell apart, examples: I will throw in 45 colt or 44 magnum cases with 45acp, 357 or 38 special with 9mm, 25acp with 223, i don't reload small primer 45acp cases but if I did I would sort them before tumbling.
I also don't mix 38 with 357 or 45 colt with 44 magnum because I don't want to have to sort them again.
 
#13 ·
I tumble most of my brass in groups by size. For some unknown reason, I bought a Dillon 2000 tumbler almost thirty years ago, so I do not have to clean very often. All of the rifle brass gets cleaned in this monster, as well as my most plentiful pistol brass i.e. .45 ACP and .38 Special. Smaller batches of assorted calibers are cleaned in my two Lyman 1200 tumblers, which are both over twenty years old and still going strong. Finally, I have an old Midway tumbler that I used to clean brass between shooting sessions. This brass never gets very dirty so I use plain white rice as a tumbling medium without any cleaning additive.
 
#14 ·
I say give it a try cant hurtI have about 500 sp 45 ACP cases when I first got a 45 a friend gave me about 1500 mixed primer pocket cases plus I bought some once fired cases that had both mixed in the order. I just haven't loaded any yet. When I do go to the range with them I will be careful not to mix them up
Let us know how it works out, I have some SS.28 GA wire I use for fishing lures I had a bottom pour pot a long time before I started pouring bullets
 
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#16 ·
I hate sorting stuff over and over, so I'll do things like tumble my 9mm and 357 together, or 380 and 38 special together, or 45acp and 45 Colt together.
But I don't tumble two cartridges that are so similar that they take careful sorting together. I'll even tumble 45acp with 44 mag or 44 special. BUT I don't tumble two calibers where one will fit inside the other together.

With these kinds of combinations sorting them afterwards is a breeze. The "string 'em together" thing wouldn't work for me 'cause I deprime on the press when I'm loading. But if you deprime before tumbling, I don't see why stringing them together on a fine wire loop wouldn't work. Seems like a bit of a pain to string them together though, unless there are just a few.
 
#17 ·
I don't mess with the SP pocketed .45 AUTO cases. They go into a can.

If I'm not mistaken, these newly developed factory lead free primer loads were originally developed for indoor range use to reduce airborne contaminants. These special primers weren't available to handloaders last time I checked.

I also heard another reason for the SP .45 AUTO case is that there are pistols on the market that have beefy extractor claws that come awfully close to hitting the primer if the slide is closed on a live round.

Yeah, the SP cases can successfully be reloaded with other standard primers, but when I have five coffee cans full of LP brass vs. a cottage cheese container of SP, the SP's can sit on the shelf for awhile longer.
 
#18 ·
I don't mess with the SP pocketed .45 AUTO cases. They go into a can.

If I'm not mistaken, these newly developed factory lead free primer loads were originally developed for indoor range use to reduce airborne contaminants. These special primers weren't available to handloaders last time I checked.

I also heard another reason for the SP .45 AUTO case is that there are pistols on the market that have beefy extractor claws that come awfully close to hitting the primer if the slide is closed on a live round.

Yeah, the SP cases can successfully be reloaded with other standard primers, but when I have five coffee cans full of LP brass vs. a cottage cheese container of SP, the SP's can sit on the shelf for awhile longer.
As an aside, it's usually possible to identify the SPP once fired 45 ACP by how clean the interior of the case is. Markedly different from the LPP cases.
 
#19 ·
I've never strung cases on a piece of wire and tumbled them but my first thought is the cases and wire would ball up.

Give it a try and see what happens, you just might have a solution of how to tumble a few cases and not have to sort through the whole batch to pull them out .
Another thought might be to use heavy monofilament fishing line...it would be flexible and not ball up .
Gary
 
#20 ·
Give it a try and let us know how it works. I presort my brass and when I get enough to tumble I tumble them. In my area there seems to be a whole lot of the spp .45acp cases around here.
 
#21 ·
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