I HATE Using Corn Cob Media in a Vibratory Tumbler!

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  • j_h_smith

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 28, 2007
    28,516
    Go to Petsmart or someplace like that and buy a 20 pound bag of Kaytee Pet Bird Walnut Litter for next to nothing. It's the best media around. That, a dab of Nu-Finish car polish and a dryer sheet. You can't go wrong.

    Good Luck!
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    I've been using corn cob for the last year with no ill effects. I love how much faster it is. If you're just making pistol/blasting ammo tumble then deprime. And even if there is a small piece still stuck in the flash hole I doubt it would keep the round from going off. The primer explosion would clear out that little flake in a hurry.

    I tumble brass with old primer .. deprime after cleaning brass.

    Having progressive loader helps also.. with deprimer . Will clear the flash hole.
    These. Or not - it's up to you, but I actually like corn cob - it's less dusty than walnut, or at least that seems to be my experience.
     

    DZ

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 9, 2005
    4,091
    Mount Airy, MD
    I use the smallest corn cob grit available from Grainger. Less than 1% of cases get media stuck in the flash hole when I tumble with the primer popped out first. Usually a quick tap on the bench clears it.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    I use 'cob/walnut and like it, but I understand your pain. Especially with .223. Once the media decides to make its way through the case mouth, it's hard to remove sometimes. If it's expendable brass, it goes in the trash and I don't even worry about it. If it's my good brass, I've had to spend a few minutes coaxing the 'cob out. Can be a PITA.

    Get a different size.

    The Lyman media comes out in a media separator.

    The pet bedding has to be dug out of a number of cases. I now only use it for loaded rounds of .223.
     

    EKing

    NRA Benefactor
    Aug 12, 2016
    192
    Sykesville
    Just add a dryer sheet and all of that goes away.

    I tried the dryer sheet trick with corn cob media and was impressed, very little dust.
    Ran out of dryer sheets so I tried Viva Paper towels, no dust at all.
    The paper towels are cheaper too; 4-5 cents per dryer sheet compared to 1 cent per paper towel and the paper towels don't have any dyes or perfumes. I want my brass to be shiny yellow but it doesn't need to smell lemon-y fresh.
    The only down side to using paper towels is that I have to put the lid on the tumbler now because as the paper towel comes around it tends to spill a bunch of corn cob all over my bench.
     

    Jmorrismetal

    Active Member
    Sep 27, 2014
    468
    The fast "trick" is you clean cases with primer still in them and put them into station #1 after that do not take them out until they fall into the loaded round bin.

    No one will be able to see your dirty hole or know it's even there until you fire it again, in which case it would be dirty anyway.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,734
    Socialist State of Maryland
    I learned long ago that cleaning primer pockets did not do much for accuracy and leaving the primers in when cleaning saves lots of time. If you are shooting long range precision, uniforming primer pockets does make a difference as far as consistency goes.
     

    j8064

    Garrett Co Hooligan #1
    Feb 23, 2008
    11,635
    Deep Creek
    The point of "tumbling before resizing" is well taken. Fact is, all my cases are tumbled before they ever go on my presses because I don't want the crud and grit on fired cases in my resizing dies. Then, almost all resized cases are tumbled a second time before being primed.

    Tumbling once is only a "vialble corn cob" solution for cases that do not require lube in the resizing step. On my bench, the second trip through the tumbler to remove lube residue is important in about 50% of the cases I reload.

    We all have ways that work best on our benches. On my bench, the solution is to go back to walnut media when this tumbler full of corn cob is caput.

    ;)
     

    PMD354

    Active Member
    I was dumb enough to start with the red ruse coated media after I deprimed the cases. Not only did I have red dust everywhere but had to get that garbage out of 8 out of 10 cases. When I was done my hands looked like I just gutted a deer. I have since switch to walnut and don't deprime until they are tumbled. I also add about 2oz of mineral spirts in the media and let it get mixed in before adding the brass. I have had great results with this process.
     

    j8064

    Garrett Co Hooligan #1
    Feb 23, 2008
    11,635
    Deep Creek
    Go to Petsmart or someplace like that and buy a 20 pound bag of Kaytee Pet Bird Walnut Litter for next to nothing. It's the best media around. That, a dab of Nu-Finish car polish and a dryer sheet. You can't go wrong.

    Good Luck!

    Petsmart isn't a bad option. I've never shopped for the walnut bird litter there because the closest location is a 90 mile round trip. Y'all gotta remember, us Hooligans live a long way from "your closest mall" - by design and for a lot of great reasons. :D

    It just so happens, after tomorrow morning's Hooligan shoot, Mrs. J and will be making a trip to a place very close to our "local" Petsmart. I'll make it a point to add a stop at Petsmart to our itinerary!

    :thumbsup:
     

    Mike3888

    Mike3888
    Feb 21, 2013
    1,125
    Dundalk, Md-Mifflin,Pa
    I got 2 50 lb mags of walnut blast media from a buddy who runs an industrial paint company. It's available in different sizes. Eastwood company carries it. 40 bucks for 50 pounds.
     

    4570inMD

    Western MD Hooligan #007
    Jan 26, 2011
    1,337
    West Virginia
    Petsmart isn't a bad option. I've never shopped for the walnut bird litter there because the closest location is a 90 mile round trip. Y'all gotta remember, us Hooligans live a long way from "your closest mall" - by design and for a lot of great reasons. :D

    It just so happens, after tomorrow morning's Hooligan shoot, Mrs. J and will be making a trip to a place very close to our "local" Petsmart. I'll make it a point to add a stop at Petsmart to our itinerary!

    :thumbsup:

    Amazon has it in 7 pound bags as an Add-on item for a Prime purchase.

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUFRZU2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Tumbling once is only a "vialble corn cob" solution for cases that do not require lube in the resizing step. On my bench, the second trip through the tumbler to remove lube residue is important in about 50% of the cases I reload.

    Why?

    Corn cob works great for removing lube. Unlike walnut media, it absorbs the lube.

    I use it all the time post loading for lube removal.
     

    j8064

    Garrett Co Hooligan #1
    Feb 23, 2008
    11,635
    Deep Creek
    Why?

    Corn cob works great for removing lube. Unlike walnut media, it absorbs the lube.

    I use it all the time post loading for lube removal.

    Sure, corn cob media cleans cases well. What the original topic I posted was that corn cob gets stuck in flash holes of de-capped cases and walnut does not.

    Maybe you missed the point of the thread?

    ;)
     

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