How to Use a Bullet Tumbler

Reloading ammunition is a common hobby among hunters and target shooters. With practice and diligence, reloaded ammo can be as accurate as factory produced rounds. For convenience most hobbyists purchase precast, factory manufactured bullets that are ready to load out of the box. Shooters who prefer to cast their own bullets must run the slugs through a bullet tumbler to smooth the surface to decrease wind resistance, thereby increasing the bullets aerodynamic properties.

Things You'll Need

  • Emery board
  • Tumbler
  • Walnut polishing medium
  • Bullets
  • Soft cloth
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Instructions

    • 1

      File any ridges, left from the seams of the casting mold, from the sides of the bullets with an emery board.

    • 2

      Fill the tumbler with walnut medium. Add the bullets to the tumbler.

    • 3

      Run the tumbler on low speed for 30 minutes. Remove the bullets from the tumbler and wipe any medium residue from the bullets with a soft cloth.

    • 4

      Run a finger along the sides of the bullets. The surface of the bullets should feel smooth and somewhat slippery. If you feel any resistance or rough spots, return the bullets to the tumbler for an additional 15 minutes.