Tumbler Review - Dillon CV-2001

EddieCoyle

EddieCoyle

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I just bought one of these and tried it out over the last few days and it is awesome.

I started out years ago with a small Frankford Arsenal tumbler. It eventually failed, but the poor little thing did everything I asked of it. I cleaned tens of thousands of cases with it, and it held up longer than I expected it would.

A couple of years ago I upgraded to a tumbler about the same size (but better built) from Cabelas. It is pretty good if I stay ahead of my brass, but since I tend to let the cases pile up, capacity became an issue.

So I went and got one of these:

20493_cv_2001_vibratory_case_cleaner_m.jpg


This thing is huge. Last night, I tumbled about 1500 10mm cases in a single run. With my old tumbler, the most I could do at once was 300, and that was overloading it.

The Dillon tumbler ran quieter, and did a better job on five times the number the cases in less time than the old tumbler. I highly recommend this product.
 
Yeah, I have the CV500. Much smaller than the 1000.

However, when my motor died (the vibration comes from an off balance wheel attached to the motor spindle, wearing out the bearing after a couple of years of total abuse... hahaha), I sent the whole thing back to Dillon, and for a flat fee of about $50. When I got it back, they had replaced the motor, the cord with the switch, a spring, and one other small part. Works like a champ again!
 
I have the Frankford Arsenal kit with the seperator and also one of the Cabela's tumblers. It took around six hours to clean 4k 5.56 from NH. They are both small and I will be getting the Dillon after I get a trimmer. The tumblers were turned on and the brass added until they got noticably slower and the cases barely moved in the media but the little FA took about 400 and the Cabela's over 500. I know the small one is not going to last long at this rate.

What are you seperating media with?

EC, I figured you would have gotten a cement mixer for tumbling by now.[smile]http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=35730
 
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Great info EC... Thanks!

I'm still collecting my reloading equipment and needed a tumbler. This sounds like the one.

[grin]

Rich
 
I started off with a colander that I got from the $1 store. But that got too much static electricity. So, I bought a metal one (aluminum), and drilled out the holes. Actually added a lot of additional holes. I flip the media/cases as if they were pasta, and the media falls through the holes. Takes no more than two minutes to completely separate the media from the brass. And, best of all, it was CHEAP!!!

WDI-JR6231-ZM.JPG


Fixxah said:
What are you seperating media with?
Click to expand...
 
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I have the older Dillon Magnum 2000 (or something like that). I bought it used about 3-4 years ago for $50 (probably the best $50 I ever spent). When I bought it, it had about 1500 pieces of .38 special brass in it, and was full of some kind of media. I don't know what's in it for media, but I haven't changed it yet, and still get fantastic results. I run it for about about 2 hours with a pretty liberal amount of case polish thrown in every cycle. I'm also using a colander to separate the media into a joint compund bucket.
 
Uncle Fester said:
I have the older Dillon Magnum 2000 (or something like that). I bought it used about 3-4 years ago for $50 (probably the best $50 I ever spent). When I bought it, it had about 1500 pieces of .38 special brass in it, and was full of some kind of media. I don't know what's in it for media, but I haven't changed it yet, and still get fantastic results. I run it for about about 2 hours with a pretty liberal amount of case polish thrown in every cycle. I'm also using a colander to separate the media into a joint compund bucket.
Click to expand...

That brings up a good question... what is the useful life of media?

Thanks,

Rich
 
richc said:
That brings up a good question... what is the useful life of media?
Click to expand...

I would say.... a pretty long time, depending on how dirty the brass is you are cleaning, etc. If you do the dryer sheet trick it will probably elongate the life of the media a bit. I know at least one guy who probably has media thats 5+ years old and it still works fine, and he probably is putting a batch a week through his tumbler. The stuff almost looks black but it still somehow cleans the brass. [laugh]

-Mike
 
I've had the big Dillon tumbler for about twelve or thirteen years. It's worth every penny. I don't use it as much as I use to but it's still running strong. Much better investment than the RCBS that I had before it. That RCBS is still running but the capacity is so small.

B
 
In answer to the question of media life expectancy:

It's almost more a question of what ELSE gets into the media.

Sometimes I come home with muddy or sandy wet brass. I rinse it off with a hose to get as much off as I can. Then, I dry on newspapers, with a fan. BUT... not all of the sand is gone. So, over time I get sand build up, which raises havoc with the brass. When it gets too bad, I change it out.

As previously mentioned, I use the old stuff on really grungy brass that comes to me. Some of it looks like it;s been laying outside on the ground for years. The sandy old media takes that grunge off quickly, and then I switch over to new walnut shells.

Your mileage may vary!
 
Thanks for the review EC.
I'm still looking for a tumbler for myself. Slowly gathering parts as funding and time permits.
I may splurge and get the big boy that you got.
 
What are people using for media, I just picked up a Lyman tumbler and a bag of walnut litter from Petsmart, my first attempt was few handfuls of .223 brass - and after maybe 2 hours of running I am not really seeing the polishing effect I would have expected.
 
If your brass is still bright brass and has not started to tarnish then try corncob.

I personaly think corn cob works better you can buy it at a pet shop or beede in lowell.
If you get it in a pet shop ask for bird bedding. make sure its corn cob and not pine.
Also try adding new finnish carwax to your mix

oh and this tumbler rocks. I would not buy anyother one .(maybe the smaller dillon for small loads )
 
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calsdad said:
What are people using for media, I just picked up a Lyman tumbler and a bag of walnut litter from Petsmart, my first attempt was few handfuls of .223 brass - and after maybe 2 hours of running I am not really seeing the polishing effect I would have expected.
Click to expand...

If you don't throw in a polishing compound it'll clean the brass but not polish it, regardless of the media. Throwing in a capful of nu-finish every few loads will help... a lot. Let the polish work its way into the media for a few minutes before loading, though.

Maybe I'm weird, but 2 hours isn't nearly long enough. I load the sucker up and let it run 4+. Often I'll throw a batch of brass in before I go to bed and then shut it off in the morning and then then cycle it out when I come home from work and load it up again. If I let it run overnight the brass always comes out great.

-Mike
 
Where is the other half? Not sure how many it will hold but I usually turn the tumbler on and fill until it hardly moves. This allows you to increase capacity but will cause run time to be extended for a short period. Nice job.

I gotta git me one of them big blue ones.[wink]
 
Hey, wiskie762, looks from the pictures that you have some "white stuff" on the insides of your brass. Not sure what that is, but I will advise you that it looks dangerous. There seems to be enough of it that it would affect the volume inside the case, perhaps making for a dangerous pressure situation.

So:
  • What is that white stuff??
  • How did it
  • How did it get in there??
  • And, how are you going to get it out??
 
DukeInMaine said:
  • What is that white stuff??
  • How did it
  • How did it get in there??
  • And, how are you going to get it out??
Click to expand...

EddieCoyle said:
Based on my experience, here's my guess:
  • Corn cob media
  • It just... did
  • During tumbling
  • Run it through the media separator
Click to expand...

Eddiecoyle has it right. the pictures were taking after tumbling but before i used a media seperator. it will all be removed before it gets loaded.

This is the only case I load that this happens to.(.223) every other caliber I load has a bigger case mouth that the media just falls out.
 
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DukeInMaine said:
The walnut media I am using is much finer, then, than the corn cob stuff.

I never have an issue with separating it.
Click to expand...

That has been my experience, although I haven't tried corn cob yet. For years I used the Lyman walnut media. It worked great at cleaning and polishing, but would constantly plug the primer pockets and flash holes. The last couple of years I've been using the walnut media from Frankford Arsenal. It comes in a very nice reusable plastic pail. The best part is that it is very finally ground and rarely plugs the primer pockets or flash holes.

I can only find two real negatives to the Frankford Arsenal stuff: 1) It's not as aggressive at cleaning as the Lyman stuff so I have to run the tumbler longer. 2) I find it to be "dustier" then other walnut media, probably because it's so finely ground.
 
DukeInMaine said:
The walnut media I am using is much finer, then, than the corn cob stuff.

I never have an issue with separating it.
Click to expand...

This media, if it's from Beede, doesn't have any problems separating either.
It's small (almost as small as walnut media) and will come right out. I don't
use a tumble separator, I have a screen separator and it takes a few shakes
to remove it from the cases. Comes right out, no problem.

DSC_3710a.jpg


DSC_3703a.jpg
 
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I use the corn cobb from Beede in Lowell. It will polish the cases for the first couple of runs, after that it is necessary to add some form of polish. I use Frankford Arsenal Brass Polish. I usuall dump the media after about ten runs; it works pretty good as an absorbent in my garage.

I dump the media before it can develop a dangerous concentration of lead. I once met a PPC shooter who had developed lead poisoning from breathing the media dust.

PS I bought the smaller Dillon tumbler and it has served me well for many years, but every time I see the big one I wish I had bought it.
 

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