Patrick Sweeney Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 A friend of mine left his big Dillon cleaner running (he forgot) when he went on vacation. Sometime in the two weeks he was gone the vibrator walked off the bench, hit the floor and thrashed around until it was completely busted. He swept the parts up and shipped it off to Dillon and got a new one. Everything reloading I buy is in blue, and has been for 15 years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Merricks Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 LOL. Thats pretty funny Pat. I guess I should send my Dillon bag back to them. The one with a bullet hole in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Everything reloading I buy is in blue, and has been for 15 years now. What kind of 12ga press do you use?? (I really want a Dillon, but $900??) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sweeney Posted November 7, 2002 Share Posted November 7, 2002 I bought a used MEC for $50, found out the sizing die had rusted in storage, replaced it, and use that. (600? 600 Jr?) I bought it a long time before the Dillon came out. I'd do it again, as the components that came with the press were worth more than what I paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gm iprod Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 I was lucky enough to have a go with the SL900. As usual Dillon is the best. Yes it is expensive, who cares. Buy the best if you can afford it, if not save up until you can. BTW, I am currently saving like hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 sigh...after 18 months or so my little Midway burned out due to incessant use...I had a bunch of brass and just kept filling and emptying, filling and emptying, only to return home to a dead tumbler. Guess I'll go with Dillon...anyone have a small used Dillon they want to pass along?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 Guess I got lucky. I have been using the same generic gunshow tumbler "Vibrashine Vortex" for over 10 years. Sometimes I leave it on overnight by accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 I have the Lyman and have left it on overnight a couple times. Sure does make that brass shiny! Hard on the media though. Dunno how many thousand rounds it has polished. No complaints. (Edited by kimel at 6:44 pm on Feb. 2, 2003) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmaass Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 The large Dillon has served me well for years now, after the Lyman shook itself apart. I bought a lamp-type timer that turns itself off after the specified period, and plug the vibrating cleaner into it. I can set it for 2 or 3 hours, and it will turn off at the appropriate time. The large Dillon will handle a *lot* of 9x21 or .38 Super cases, but for most efficient cleaning, throw the cases in the tumbler ASAP after returning from the range, before the crud has a chance to harden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Doh! A timer! Now why the heck didn't I think of that! I only have a half-dozen of those sitting around on a shelf about 20 feet from the tumbler. Mutter mutter mutter..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phara Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 I have the smaller Dillon and after two years it recently has started to bog down. I need to manually rotate the motor shaft to get it started. It's like crank starting an old model T. I think this possibly could be a dangerous thing. I have emailed Dillon about it last week but have heard nothing back yet. (Edited by phara at 11:16 pm on Feb. 2, 2003) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 I have the smal Dillon, burned it up after about 6 months of heavy use. They reaplaced the motoe in about a week, shipped it back, still going strong. Pet store corn cob + Dillon rapid polish= Very shiny brass. I don't know why, but shiny brass makes me happy. SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 I don't know why, but shiny brass makes me happy. SA LOL! It's why I have a dead tumbler!! So much of our game is attitude and perception that it's these little things that can get us. We don't trip over mountains, we trip over molehills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Yea a timer makes too much sense. I like shiny brass. It has to function better( I know rationalization) and you can spot flaws easier. Its also easy to spot "your" brass after shooting a stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phara Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Quote: from Steve Anderson on 6:26 am on Feb. 3, 2003 I have the smal Dillon, burned it up after about 6 months of heavy use. Steve, Im very curious about the "burned it up" part of your post. Did it really go up in smoke? If so I wonder if its really a good thing to let the case cleaner do its job with no one to monitor it. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogmaDog Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 I bought the Midway combo for $75 that included the vibrating cleaner and the separator, along with 2 lb of media, and some case polish. They are now sold under the "Frankford Arsenal" brand, and the site mentions something about a part now being made of steel that once was plastic...probably relates to the fire hazard recall mentioned before. Anyway, the tumbler seems sturdy and well made, and the brass comes out nice and shiny. So far, so good. I bought a heavy duty timer from Sears (it needs a grounding plug!!!), and I set it to start some time before I leave for work, and to stop some time before I get home. That way it can only disturb the neighbors, whom I don't care about. I can clean about 350 .45 cases in it at a time. I clean a couple loads of cases during the week, so the work is spread out, and doesn't seem like too much. The separator works just fine, but the crank handle that's included sucks donkeys 24/7...I just stopped using it, and push the thing around in circles like its a basketball or something. Other than that, I have no complaints, but I've only cleaned about 2000 cases so far. Every component from Midway is smaller than the Dillon equivalent, which was important to me because I live in an apartment, and most of my reloading stuff has to fit in a closet. Semper Fi, DogmaDog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Midway has pleasantly surprised me...I dropped them an e-mail on the deceased tumbler and they are standing behind it...after over a year. They gave me an RMA # and the assurance if it can be fixed, it will be and if not, a new one will be sent to me. A winning deal regardless, though I will still look for a Dillon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 So, what does one ask for when one goes to the pet store for media? I asked at my favorite pet store the other day for ground corn cob or walnut shells and the young blonde lass behind the counter looked at me like I had a third eye in my forehead. She asked me what it was for and pointed me toward a local sporting goods store. At least if I knew which dept to look in that would help. I looked in the bird section and the cat/dog sections but no joy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 Ah ha! Found it in another thread. Now I know where to look...reptile section! Dunno why I didn't think to look there. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogmaDog Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 Kimel, Huh. I haven't seen any iguanas at my local matches. What the hell do they need to clean brass for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 There's 2 or 3 guys that look like iguanas at our matches. I am pretty sure they are human though. Although their eating habits ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 RCBS gives a limited lifetime warranty with their tumbler. If it craters, take it to the nearest retail location for a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tax Cowboy Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 For corn cob media, go to http://www.bestcob.com and look at AmmoFractions. I haven't had the chance to use it yet, but their prices certainly beat the sporting goods store selling a two liter bottleful for 4 bucks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrf Posted February 10, 2003 Share Posted February 10, 2003 Just recently got a Berry's Mfg tumbler and their new media separator. So far I've been very happy. 1000 9mm cases fit no problem. It is also pretty darn quiet in comparison to the lyman I have used. I got the whole package deal which included the tumbler, rotary media separator, 5gal bucket, 6lbs of corn cob and brass polish. The media separator is awesome! I really like how it has a top and bottom. I don't get any dust using it. J.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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