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Posted: 10/16/2008 8:03:24 AM EDT
I used to own a boat and I know that sometimes I needed to buy "marine rated" things and sometimes I did not.  I am looking at getting into reloading and was checking out harbor freight and noticed they have a cleaner/tumbler for only 60 bucks.  Will this work as well as the 100 dollard and up Lee or RCBS tumbers???  Anyone use this one or a similar one?  they also have this one too but it doe snot look like a normal cleaner/tumbler

Does anyone know of any other cheap components that are used for things other than reloading?

Thanks
Link Posted: 10/16/2008 8:49:29 AM EDT
[#1]
Link Posted: 10/16/2008 8:50:27 AM EDT
[#2]
Or, cement mixer, for those LARGE lots?  

Actually you don't even need a tumbler, you could chemically clean your brass.

Then......IF you're looking for another suggestion on a cheaper way to do things.  How about a reamer instead of the Dillon swage for removing military primer pocket crimps?

Course, what and how you do things is your call.

Aloha, Mark
Link Posted: 10/16/2008 9:44:35 AM EDT
[#3]
I appreciate it, I know that some things are going to be very specific, but I was hoping that the massive amount of experience and brainpower on here that people may have come up with "alternatives" of some kind.....  

Link Posted: 10/16/2008 10:07:13 AM EDT
[#4]
Link Posted: 10/16/2008 4:20:28 PM EDT
[#5]
Don't listen to these guys.  I use a single drum Harbor Freight rotary tumbler and it's great.  I got it for like $21 on sale.  Take your pick, it'll hold:

200 9mm cases
100 .223 cases
50 .30-06 cases(tight, but doable)

Fill it with water until it's to the level of the cases, or just below.  Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and a few drops of Ajax dish soap.  Cork it and let it roll for a half hour to an hour.  Rinse the cases.  The cases will come out very clean.  I don't use an abrasive media, so I can't polish really dirty or tarnished cases, but for regular carbon and mud, it's the cat's meow.  I roll the cases around in a towel to get them dry on the outside and then transfer to another dry towel so they don't water spot or tarnish.  For bottleneck rifle cases,you want to use a LEE universal decapper to knock the primers out, so the pocket gets a little cleaner and so water isn't trapped inside the case.  I don't worry about it for pistol rounds like 9mm.  I recommend the rotary tumbler.  It's a great, cheap tumbler that works great and uses cheap media.  Go for it.  
Link Posted: 10/16/2008 6:30:46 PM EDT
[#6]
You may take a look at this don't know much about the quaility
Link Posted: 10/17/2008 6:25:42 PM EDT
[#7]

Quoted:
You may take a look at this don't know much about the quaility


She's so hot that it makes me want to buy stuff from that guy.
Fake edit: I'm a virgin
Link Posted: 10/18/2008 4:25:36 AM EDT
[#8]
I used a "rock tumbler" for many years which was the same as the Harbor Freight model.

Canned_Ham is correct on quantities. I never ever used it as a wet wash though. I always used walnut shells and later corncob media.

I bought a vibrator tumbler like the one panther308 lists (actually FA makes the "Midway" tumbler). That was 20 years ago and it is still running.

I used it twice and then threw the rotating drum tumbler away because I knew I would never go back to that time consuming mess!

As often as not cheap translates into slow. But only you can decide what price your time is worth.
Link Posted: 10/18/2008 4:50:40 AM EDT
[#9]

Quoted:
You may take a look at this don't know much about the quaility


I have one of these and it runs like a freakin' champ. That's a ~ price though, you can get it from Midway in a combo pack that includes the rotary media separator for like $65 all together. The media separator is a must if you don't want to make your own or spend hours dealing with media everywhere.
Midway Link
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