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If you’re a firearm enthusiast, a prepper, or a combination of both, you probably know what reloading is. No, not putting new rounds into your firearm. What I mean by “reloading” is the act of taking your spent casings and preparing them to be used again in a process known as tumbling your brass.
When you reload, the only thing that is reusable from the round is the brass casing. That’s where all of the savings come in.
The same brass casing can be used over and over again if it’s kept in good shape. You can avoid buying new rounds from the store. Purchase the different components that go into the casings in bulk and rebuild them yourself.
Of course, firing a firearm puts a lot of stress on the casing of the bullet and some damage occurs. Particulates coat the surface, they’re scratched up, and they get damaged more when they’re ejected and hit the ground. So, casings won’t perform well or last as long if they’re reloaded without being repaired and cleaned.
You might be asking, “How do I clean casings so they’re as good as new?” It’s simple and fairly cheap. You use a brass tumbler.
Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ 110V Vibratory Case Tumbler for Cleaning and Polishing for Reloading
Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series 110V 7L Rotary Tumbler and Media Separator for Cleaning and Polishing for Reloading
What is a Brass Tumbler
A brass tumbler is basically a machine that resembles a bowl sitting on top of a motor. The bowl is filled with either crushed corn cob media, walnut shell media, or steel pins.
Then, the brass casings are thrown into the bowl and the motor beneath it vibrates. This causes the brass casings to be gently tumbled around in the bowl with whatever media is chosen to be used. The brass casings are cleaned over the course of a few hours.
There are a number of resources on the internet, such as Diamond K Brass, if you want to get a better understanding and see some of the products used for tumbling.
Benefits of Using a Tumbler
As mentioned above, casings are damaged when they’re fired. When you reload a damaged or dirty casing, you take the risk of the firearm being damaged. You could also seriously hurt yourself. Not only that, but a poor quality casing can affect your accuracy with the firearm.
Tumbling your brass before you reload it makes your cases as good as new. They’ll be free of any minor damage and dirt from firing them and they’ll perform a lot better when you go to use them.
Tumbling your brass can save you a large amount of money if you’re an avid firearms enthusiast or a prepper who practices with your firearm. You will experience the savings that come with reusing casings. Additionally, you’ll keep your gun operating smoothly for a lot longer than you would if you fired dirty and/or damaged bullets through it.
If you’re proficient in reusing brass, you can replace the bullets you spend during a day at the range. This is a lot more cost effective than if you simply bought new bullets outright.
You can even fix up bullets that have sat too long without proper care. Use your tumbler on the casings after you break down the old bullets.
The Recycling Factor
In today’s times, it seems that recycling, in general, is becoming more and more popular. Whether it’s a way to support a healthier planet, or if it’s simply to save a few bucks. Recycling is a big thing right now.
Without recycling your brass casings on your own, you’d either let them stay where they fell, or you’d return the brass to a recycling plant where you’ll probably see minimal paybacks.
When you take the time to reuse your brass to make reloaded bullets, the savings you keep from not buying brand new bullets far outweighs any payment that a recycling company would pay you for the metal. It’s simply smarter to reuse it yourself if you’re going to need bullets anyway.
By reusing your spent brass casings, you not only have a positive impact on environmental issues, but you save money. Bullet prices fluctuate depending on a number of factors. But you can be certain that the price will never be anything to scoff at.
Saving precious dollars on bullets is crucial and allows you to purchase other prepping materials or even to just use the extra cash in normal life.
