after 38 yrs +/- need some help

[da gimp]

Webought an old Thumbler's Tumbler in the early 1980's & it is still going strong....but the new vibrating style is much quicker..........

On the "supposed need" for taper crimp dies,,,,,,,....... we haven't had to get/use a taper crimp die yet in 40 years of reloading, nor do we plan too..............ain't NEVER needed one to reload.45ACP, .40 S&W, 9mmp, .30 carb. .223 Rem. .308 Win etc on our Rockchucker or our Dillon550B........pay no attention to those who say it is a must.......

On revolver cartridges.... .38spec-.357, .41mag, .44spec/.44 mag, .45Long Colt we use a heavy crimp & as joem says, it is easier to do it on seperate stations..............

[duke133]

I decided to try out the old press so I got out the 30 carb set and de-primed all the cases and then experimented with the resizing but without cleaning just to see what the cases (only a couple) looked like afterwards. The dies still work well to my surprise after all these years. Now to track down the equipment and I will check E-pay. Guess I'll track down a tumbler but should it be a wet or dry one?????
Thx all.

[psteinmayer]

I used to use an old rock tumbler. Last year, I picked up a Cabelas branded vibratory tumbler and it was night and day better! I use the corn-cob media and the polish that came with the tumbler kit. The kit, which included the tumbler, media, polish and sifting pan cost under $60 dollars!

Ultimately... what ever press, dies, powders, etc. you wind up with... when you find what is working for you - Stick with it! Reloading is a very personal thing, and methods and loads vary greatly from person to person.

Best of luck!
Paul

[jimb]

I'd go with a dry vibrating cleaner. That gives you the choise of going for a high polish with crushed walnut shells or a simple cleaning with ground corn cob. And since I make my own shot for my shotguns, I can also use it for polishing and graphiting my shot.

[Hefights]

From the folks at Sierra - "Taper crimping is the best choice for any firearm which headspaces on the case mouth. Cartridges intended for use in self-loading pistols, such as the .45 ACP, should never be given any type of crimp other than a taper crimp. Because of the method of headspacing on the case mouth, a slight ledge must be left to provide positive positioning of a chambered round."

I've tried it both ways, including trying to make a std factory "roll crimp" die work on .45 ACP, and taper crimp dies, and I find using taper crimp die is superior. For Lee 3 die sets, Lee states "The Bullet Seating Die is an adjustable crimp from slight taper to full roll." As such you apparently can (and should) taper crimp with them for cases that headspace on the mouth. Their Taper Crimp die states "These dies offer little or no advantage when used wth 1986 or newer Lee Dies as the crimp angle is already modified taper crimp".

As stated above, its your choice.

[da gimp]

ain't never needed the taper crimp yet, in all those years & when I was on the door kick squad, we shot 300 rds a week thru our sidearms alone..........on the tumblers........ Maury said to try the new stainless steel pin media instead of corncob or walnut hulls, with water, a lil Dawn detergent & said that all his brass comes out super clean , including primer pockets in 1 hour or so, MidwayUSA's site supports this in the old style Thumblers tumbler......... the media is re-washable & lasts forever with no damage to the brass.