What media for vibratory tumbler?

[jrebel]

Unless you have old range brass skip the wet tumbler.  The pins remove carbon from inside necks and peen the case necks.  Both are bad.

I've been wet tumbling for years and have no ill effect.  Brass is in great shape.  Any more info to support your claim.....I kept my old media tumblers just incase it was to good to be true. 

[jasnt]

I like carbon in my necks too with bolt action rifle rounds.  I don’t clean in side my rifle brass. Only steel wool the neck and shoulder.  I like the ash annealing leaves in the neck. Jmo
Never heard of Ill affects of tumbling.

Pistol or ar brass I love the sonic cleaner when I actually do clean it.   

Just how I do it

[HighlandLofts]

 If carbon is so good on the cases why doesn't the factory add it to the new cases?

[jasnt]

If carbon is so good on the cases why doesn't the factory add it to the new cases?

cause then they wouldn’t be new
I like the carbon inside not out side.

[bearpaw]

If carbon is so good on the cases why doesn't the factory add it to the new cases?

cause then they wouldn’t be new
I like the carbon inside not out side.

Are you thinking that holds the bullet in place better?

[jasnt]

If carbon is so good on the cases why doesn't the factory add it to the new cases?

cause then they wouldn’t be new
I like the carbon inside not out side.

Are you thinking that holds the bullet in place better?

no
The carbon in the neck becomes ash during the annealing process.  I anneal every loading.  What started as just being lazy ended up lowering velocity es.  The ash works like a dry neck lube imo.  Next batch I cleaned and es went back up about 25%.  ( this was just with that load combo and the only one tested) Further testing showed not cleaning brought it back down again. 
I’m not saying it’s the right way, just what works for me and the way I reload. 
Cleaning the outside with steel wool keeps my dies and chamber clean, and it’s faster for me than a cleaner, I don’t load huge batches at a time (25-50). I don’t see an advantage to cleaning the inside of the case and did find advantages to not doing so in my process. 

[callturner]

Unless you have old range brass skip the wet tumbler.  The pins remove carbon from inside necks and peen the case necks.  Both are bad.

Peening is caused by too much time in the tumbler and not the right amount of liquid. and over annealing. I want my brass looking factory new before I anneal it. To each his own, but new brass carries no carbon from the factory. I shoot a lot of BP,  45/110 and I want my brass clean as I paper patch.

[HighlandLofts]

Some of my pistolm brass has over thirty reloads and wet tumbled every time with no wet tumbler damage.

[BULLBLASTER]

Stainless tumbling for me also. Have rifle brass with 10+ firings and no issues. If the mouth gets beat up a bit just hot it with the deburr tool before sizing. I havent had to do that since reducing tumble times to 90 min ish.

[Karl Blanchard]

I went down the rabbit hole pretty good on clean vs dirty and the results were very consistent. My consensus was dirty brass didn't gain me any measurable benefit over spotless, like new brass out of my wet tumbler. Here's an example from one of my 300wsm barrels. I was also testing match vs standard primers.  These results were mirrored in 6 other chamberings.


Standard Federal 215's

[Karl Blanchard]

Federal 215 match

[jasnt]

Both instances your es was less with dirty brass.  Not a lot but it was less. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Both instances your es was less with dirty brass.  Not a lot but it was less.

I'm aware but as I stated, it's an inconsequential amount. That ES doesn't move my POI any adjustable amount way out past where I'd be shooting game. The difference in primers moved the needle more than clean vs dirty. Everyone has their own way of doing things, mine is shiny clean brass.

[Okanagan]

FWIW John Barsness, a credible gun writer (to me)  wrote that he did extensive testing and found no ballistic advantage to cleaning brass, so he doesn't anymore.  (Not an exact quote but my paraphrase combining several places he has mentioned this.)  If I recall correctly, he did find that some carbon left inside the case neck eliminated or greatly postponed cold welding (?) of bullet to case in ammunition unfired or stored for a long time.  I'm not sure of the correct term but have found long stored ammunition to have some bullets adhere quite strongly to case.

I like the look of clean brass but have backed off of cleaning more than wiping the outside.

[HighlandLofts]

I'll keep wet tumbling my brass.