brass tumblers

[Texas Shooter]

James M

That's what I was trying to say, you just did it in a simpler way.

Thanks,

Texas Shooter

[Ray Newman]

I think what you guys need to do is find a well-stocked firearms dealers to view & handle the to various types of reloading equipment out there & compare the cost of the equipment.

&/Or view the on-line catalogues of dealers/suppliers as Midway, Graf, Natchez Shooters Supply, Cabellas, etc

http://www.grafs.com/

http://www.midwayusa.com/

Or go to the gun shows & look for what is for sale in the “used” department. Some ranges/clubs also have “For Sale” boards.

It would also be wise to strike up friendships w/ reloaders & view their equipment & get some pointers & advice….

You can ask all the questiions you want here, but nothing surpasses a hands-on-experience....

You could also do as I & several others have done & that is to obtain a curios & relics FFL from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. Many dealers will then give you a “trade discount”. From what I’ve saved on components, theUS$30.00 fee (for a 3 yr license) has been well spent. W/ a C&R FFL, you can also gain admission to the SHOT Show.

http://www.atf.gov/

http://www.shotshow.org/

I would also suggest that you subscribe to such BPCR related publications as the Single Shot Exchange & the SPG Black Powder Cartridge news. The American Single Shot Rifle Asso is another interesting organization as well as the Cast Bullet Asso.

http://www.singleshotexchange.com/

http://www.blackpowderspg.com/

Also if you aren’t already members join the NRA, or Gun Owners of America, etc., & your State rifle & pistol associations.

[Gunny]

BuckeyeShooter,

If you use ceramic media and a rotary tumbler no brush is needed, there is no need to do any prepare work at all. Simply deprime and tumble. The ceramic media will clean the inside of the case to as new!! That is not a mis statement, the inside of the cases are just as clean as when you first bought them, and just as shiney inside and out. This stuff is unbelievable.

Gunny

[James M]

Ray,
That curios & relics FFL sound like a great idea. If I had that, could Shiloh send a Sharps directly to me ?

[PowderFlask2]

Kelly O

Yes, item # 2 in my post, there is no dust, not that Ive ever detected

Ray

I honestly don't know how big the vibrator is as it is an old one.
I ordered Dave's 8# batch and it fills it about 3/4ths full. If you already have a vibratory unit I would order the 8#s and go from there. If I ever burn this one up I'll Buy a Thumler's Thumbler Model B just because I think (which is dangerous for me) that I could cut my cleaning time even further.

Gunny is correct, I have one of Buffalo Arms inside case brushes and haven't used it since getting the ceramic media since it is not needed

[taw1126]

James M:
I've never tried ceramic media in my vibratory cleaner so I'm not sure how it would work, but the one I have is the same as the base model "store brand" that MidwayUSA sells.

Regarding the C&R: I've had one for several years and unfortunately they won't do you a bit of good for buying reproductions. There are quite a few modern guns that can be purchased using a C&R (all pre-'64 Winchesters, factory engraved Colt SAA's, Winchester commemoratives, etc.) but reproductions are specifically excluded.

Trey

[Lee Stone]

Gentlemen,

I have both a good vibrator and a Thumblers model B. I purchased the Thumblers because it became obvious that the combined weight of the ceramic media, the water/cleaning fluid, and the brass were really lugging the vibrator down. The Thumblers will clean a load off brass in less than half the time it takes a vibrator with no signs of stress what so ever. And as has been stated by others, the brass come out as clean and shiny as new, or better, both inside and outside. The ceramic media may seem a bit pricey at first, but it will not wear out so you wont have to replace it. But it just simply does the best job and I sure don't plan to ever use anything else.

[BuckeyeShooter]

Gunny, I do use a thumlers tumbler and ceramic media, it's just that I like to get as much of the fouling out before I stick them in the tumbler, it just makes for a neater job when emptying the tumbler. I usually don't put my cases in any water or anything before I leave the range and when I get home I deprime them and drop them in some hot soapy water and run the brush in them before I throw them in the tumbler.

[Ray Newman]

"That curios & relics FFL sound like a great idea. If I had that, could Shiloh send a Sharps directly to me ?"

No.

Generally speakingc a C&R FFL is only for firearms 50 or more yrs od, or those deemed by ATF to be "curious & relics".

The ATF wbe site has a list of such firearms.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/curios/2001index.htm

[Ray Newman]

As I said in an earlier post today, you really should find a well-stocked firearms dealers to view & handle the to various types of available reloading equipment out there & compare the cost of the equipment. As well as look the available reloading books. And view the on-line catalogues of dealers/suppliers as Midway, Graf, Natchez Shooters Supply, Cabelas, etc. As well as strike up friendships w/ reloaders & view their equipment & get some pointers & advice….

I think that there is really no pat answer as to what kind & how much equipment you’ll need. Some Reloaders are of the mind set that they must have every new product & have the financial wherewithal to do so. On the other end of the spectrum, some Reloaders go the more economical route w/ a Lyman tong tool or the Lee Precision products. Some Reloaders have a strong manufacturer loyalty would not consider anything but RCBS or Redding, etc. The there are others who have a mix master of reloading equipment collected over the years.

http://www.leeprecision.com/

http://www.lymanproducts.com/

http://www.garreloading.com/

In addition to the magazines that I suggested, Paul Matthews has a series of BPCR shooting & reloading & bullet casting BPCR-related books. I would advise that you read the books in the order published as in some of the later books, he admits that what he tried earlier didn’t work or he discovered something better. I believe that these books are still published by Wolfe Publications, Prescott ,AZ.

Steve Garbe’s & Mike Venturino’s “SPG Black Powder Cartridge Reloading Primer”, while some say is dated, is also a good basic text. Its ’available from either:

http://www.blackpowderspg.com/

http://www.ballardrifles.com

A BPCR reloading on-line primer, published by our very own Coydog:

http://www.ssbpcrc.co.uk/Resources/Intr ... oading.pdf

I'm not sure if Lone Star Rifles, other than its Remnington Pattern Rolling Block rrifles, has any reloading, casting ,etc. equipment .

http://www.lonestarrifle.com

Some of the older Lyman, Ideal, & other reloading handbooks have a great deal of information on reloading & bullet casting. I’ve seen these @ used book stores.

As for casting, the basic thing to decide upon is the type of furnace: electric or a propane type of heater. Then:

Do you want to dip or bottom pour from the furnace to fill the mould?
Wheel weights or a lead alloy?
Bullets: grease groove, paper patch, or swaged?
Moulds: base or bottom pour, single or double cavity, store bought or custom-made?
Use a Lubrisizer to size & lube or a shoot as cast w/ pan lube?
Lubes: store bought or your won homemade brew?

I’ve heard it said by Those In the Know that casting the match grade bullet is a Science or an form of BPCR Alchemy….

Let’s see, we still haven’t touched on reloading issues: full length or neck sizing, wads, compression--ah compression how much is enough or not enough?, OAL, primers ,etc.

The discussions on relaoding & casting could & does go on & on.

This is why I made suggestions in my earlier post about subscriptions, looking @ equipment, & talking to people.

For those of you who do reload, esp. w/ White Powder in these cavernous BPCR cases, I found this little bit of reloading wisdom from the late Phil Sharpe:

http://www.darkcanyon.net/And_the_angels_sing.htm