Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 I'm new to reloading straight-wall pistol caliber ammo. I have a Frankford Quick-N-EZ vibratory tumbler. Is tumbling different caliber cases simultaneously any problem? For example, .357 Magnum and .45 Colt? Will the smaller .357 brass wind up inside the larger .45 Colt cases (as some always do in my spent brass range bag), or does the vibration action keep them separate? Thanks in advance. ND Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 2 minutes ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said: I'm new to reloading straight-wall pistol caliber ammo. I have a Frankford Quick-N-EZ vibratory tumbler. Is tumbling different caliber cases simultaneously any problem? For example, .357 Magnum and .45 Colt? Will the smaller .357 brass wind up inside the larger .45 Colt cases (as some always do in my spent brass range bag), or does the vibration action keep them separate? Thanks in advance. ND Yes, you'll find the .357 to be wedged in the .45 cases with enough media to make them hard to get out. Randall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 2 minutes ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said: I'm new to reloading straight-wall pistol caliber ammo. I have a Frankford Quick-N-EZ vibratory tumbler. Is tumbling different caliber cases simultaneously any problem? For example, .357 Magnum and .45 Colt? Will the smaller .357 brass wind up inside the larger .45 Colt cases (as some always do in my spent brass range bag), or does the vibration action keep them separate? Thanks in advance. ND They will wind up one inside the other. If you are using pins or ceramic media the cases can become locked so that you cannot separate them. Only tumble different calibers together if one does not fit inside the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G W Wade Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Not good idea GW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 Posted June 28, 2022 Author Share Posted June 28, 2022 OK, that's definitive enough for me! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 And, don’t tumble nickel and brass together. The one time I did it the brass came out dull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Years ago I read that if you put the larger caliber in the tumbler first and let them get full of media, then add the smaller caliber, that they won't "nest". Sounds logical, right? Tried it once. WRONG!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend P. Babcock Chase Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Howdy Tumblers (and tumblerettes), I use a Lyman Vibratory tumbler with their corncob. Sometimes some 38s get in with the 45s. Some 38s will end up in the 45s. Mostly the 38s come right out, but when one gets a little stuck if can generally be wiggled out. Somewhat of a pain, never has been a big deal for me. I can't speak to other media or styles of tumbling. That's all I understand about what I know about that. Rev. Chase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Don't do it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 I was a commercial reloader for 18 years. Only cas shooters. At first my customers would bring me brass in mixed calibers all together. It took so much time to separate the brass before cleaning I started charging for this service. I also suggested that they separate their own brass at the range as they unload each gun. 10 rounds of revolver and 10 rounds of rifle. Put the brass in separate containers while at your cart. This is so much easier than separating 100 to 120 cases after the match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 1 hour ago, Cliff Hanger #3720LR said: I was a commercial reloader for 18 years. Only cas shooters. At first my customers would bring me brass in mixed calibers all together. It took so much time to separate the brass before cleaning I started charging for this service. I also suggested that they separate their own brass at the range as they unload each gun. 10 rounds of revolver and 10 rounds of rifle. Put the brass in separate containers while at your cart. This is so much easier than separating 100 to 120 cases after the match. That's what we do as I shoot 45 and Ellie shoots 38. They definitely are like teenagers if you tumble them together. And can be like dogs when you try to separate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 6 hours ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said: Yes, you'll find the .357 to be wedged in the .45 cases with enough media to make them hard to get out. Randall and neither are thoroughly clean so have to go back in , it seems i always get a 38/357 in with my 45 brass at a shoot , its worth picking through before they go into the tumbler , even in the bag the little buggers seem to like to hide within each other , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 I use large cookie sheets to inspect and sort brass. The hardest to find is the 45 Colt hiding in my 44 WCF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
German Jim Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Yes, Nostrum Damus, the .38 and/or .357 will copulate very nicely with .45 Colt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 I use a large plastic dishpan with a hardware cloth tray I made on top. I dump either tumbler onto it shake and check the brass for the first time. I have a tumbler and a vibratory cleaner, so never mix brass except for the occasional accident. Usually 9mm with .45 Auto, and inevitably seems to get jammed up. I have some little jewelry pliers with cone shaped jaws which will let me save both pieces of brass if I care to. Both are calibers common enough that the problem goes in the bad brass can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said: The hardest to find is the 45 Colt hiding in my 44 WCF Actually, the .44-40 fits tightly into a .45 Colt case. GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 I have these: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012981319?pid=847836 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 8 hours ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said: Yes, you'll find the .357 to be wedged in the .45 cases with enough media to make them hard to get out. Randall You can do it. pulling apart and resorting is a pain. Much more efficient to tumble separately. I set timers on Alexa to know when to go out and change over Even at today's electricity prices I would rather tumble 2 batches rather than sort and have to pull apart nested cases YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Crimes Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 If you want real fun try 38spcl and 45/70 together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Devil Dale Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Sorry, I don't have a link, but I have seen commercially made plastic drum dividers of various shapes. Try Googling "ammo brass tumbler divider" or something like it. If you try to make one DIY, DO NOT USE ABS plastic. It will erode during tumbling and adhere annoyingly to your brass (don't ask how I know). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 33 minutes ago, Dusty Devil Dale said: Sorry, I don't have a link, but I have seen commercially made plastic drum dividers of various shapes. Try Googling "ammo brass tumbler divider" or something like it. If you try to make one DIY, DO NOT USE ABS plastic. It will erode during tumbling and adhere annoyingly to your brass (don't ask how I know). BRASS SORTER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Duncan Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 12 hours ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said: Will the smaller .357 brass wind up inside the larger .45 Colt … YES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Rich Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 10 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said: Actually, the .44-40 fits tightly into a .45 Colt case. GJ He is referring to sorting it before tumbling. kR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E. Law Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 A few weeks ago, not intentionally, I got a 9mm casing mixed in with my 38 brass. I didn't see it and it slipped through. Got to the de-priming station on my 650 and I ran that sucker all the way up into the die. Took me forever to get that thing out. Moral: don't mix your brass when tumbling, it's bad enough doing this by accident. JEL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 go for it , it will be FUN , they said made the mistake a long time ago , ONCE CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Wheeler Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Looks like the general consensus here is JUST DON'T DO IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaconKC Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 When you get one stuck inside another, you can use a kinetic bullet puller to separate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Devil Dale Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 There really isn't much need to combine them. It seems like you either have enough of one size to tumble or you don't. It isn't like making another tumbler run costs a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 Posted June 30, 2022 Author Share Posted June 30, 2022 5 hours ago, Dutch Wheeler said: Looks like the general consensus here is JUST DON'T DO IT! As you can see above, I figured that out after the third Reply to my OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 So of course, we know not to do it. On purpose. But that occasional different piece of brass sneaks in and you don't find it until afterwards as you are getting that shiny brass ready to reload or whatever. When you find it, you MUST RESIST the impulsive urge to pull them apart right there. Because THEY WILL spill a little pile of walnut, etc all over whatever is below them. Probably the (formerly) clean brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uriah, SASS # 53822 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 I have missed a case or two that got stuck together. The center stud on a running vibratory cleaner makes somewhat easy to pry them apart, the stuck cases are inverted on the stud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 I always separate the brass by caliber. I also inspect it for splits/cracks before it ever goes into the tumbler. While doing that, I'll cull out the S & B and Amerc brass from the rest of it. When someone gives me "range brass", I inspect it the same way only I also am on the lookout for .22 brass that may have invaded the batch of brass. Decapping pins do not like .22 brass inside of the brass you are reloading. Purchase some extra decap pins BEFORE you need them...you can thank me later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Mix a few 380 in with your 45’s just for fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Reilly 12375 Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 I use these Lyman mesh bags to tumble different calibers together and they work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 When any .38s get mixed in with my 38-40s that I miss before going in the tumbler - they will most likely end up embedded pretty good into a 38-40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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