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The
Midway USA Model 1292 Tumbler
A Creeker Test
Many of us use tumblers to clean and even polish our fired brass. For years I
used a rotary tumbler to clean my cases especially after resizing rifle cases to
remove the case lube. I very seldom took time to polish them. This tumbler was
hardly used for pistol cases since I usually shoot alone and care little about
the looks of them. Well things changed and I decided to start polishing some of
my cases but wanted something faster and larger in which to accomplish the task.
While I was looking for larger capacity I didn't want something that would take
up a lot of valuable bench space. Perhaps something just a little larger and a
lot faster.
I began looking for something to meet my needs. I found several tumblers in
different catalogs. While going through the Midway catalog I found a tumbler on
sale I thought would do the task. The Midway USA Model 1292 Tumbler which came
with a kit that included the Rotary 7 Brass Sifter was what I chose. With the
tumbler I ordered 15 pounds of corn cob media and 18 pounds of walnut hull
media.
As is normal with Midway my order arrived in a few days well packaged and in
good condition. I opened the boxes and laid everything out for inspection. It
was all there and the instructions were clear and easy to read. The first thing
I noticed the power cord was "long" enough that an extension cord
wouldn't be necessary for most applications. I set it on the concrete floor in
by basement as per instructions and filled it two thirds full of walnut hull
media. I was ready to clean my first batch of cases. This model tumbler holds
600 9mm or 350 .223 cases which isn't a lot but enough for reloaders who load a
couple hundred rounds a week.
For the first test I dumped a plastic container of 44 magnum hulls into the
walnut hull media. These had been black looking for several prior loadings. I
installed the clear plastic lid, turned the machine on and went back to my
reloading press to resume what I was doing before the UPS man showed up. About
one half hour later I shut the machine down and checked the brass. The hulls
were still black looking but clean. I dumped the tumbler contents into the
rotary sifter and cranked the handle a few times. I'd never used a rotary sifter
before this and I'm here to tell you it works great. After sifting the 44 hulls
I dumped them back in the tumbler followed with corn cob media and White
Lightning. White Lightning is an ammonia-free brass polish that's made to work
with the corn cob media and came in the kit. And work it does. After a couple
hours I could hardly believe my eyes upon dumping the mess once again into the
sifter. My brass, that was almost black, looked new. Those W-W cases were shinny
and new looking; even the head stamps were easily read from several feet.
I find the noise of this tumbler not to be excessive, but it was in my basement.
You probably wouldn't want it in the same room while eating dinner with your
wife but in the next room would be ok.
Shortly after I purchased the Midway Tumbler I decided to enter the brass
business buying range brass to sort, clean, polish, and then resale. This gave
me a lot of brass to be cleaned and polished. Let me say right here that this
tumbler wasn't designed or intended to do what I've done with it. There have
been lots of nights since March (this being Sept.) my machine has run from dusk
to dawn. It's went days at a time and was only off long enough to empty and
refill. How long will it last? It's hard to say. I've cleaned close to 400
pounds of handgun brass and who knows how much rifle brass with it so far and
it's still going strong.
The total cost of the Model 1292 Tumbler/Rotary Sifter Ultimate Pack was $60.99.
Would I recommend this tumbler to my shooting friends? Of course I would. It has
worked well for me doing something it was never designed to do and hasn't missed
a lick in who knows how many hours. My hat's off to Midway for this one. Check
it out.
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