cleaning loaded ammo

[porthos]

don't laugh, or chastise me. a question came to me while looking at grungy ball ammo. i know that tumbling would be stupid. but what about a vibratory case cleaner. anyone ever done it? if you have and are ashamed to admit it; just PM me!!

[redhawk0]

Surface clean by hand only. don't use a vibrator or tumbler. If the powder has a coating to control burn rate you will break it down, or you would modify the size of the granulation changing its burn rate. This change could cause over-pressure situation and you definitely don't want that.

I'd use a polish and a rag only. (but nothing with ammonia in it...it breaks down copper)

redhawk

[porthos]

oops! forgot about the fact that the powder might be affected by the vibration. grungy ammo shoots just the same as shiny ammo!

[lightman]

I've tumbled loaded ammo in corncob or walnut media before. Just beware that if the bullets, like ap or tracer, have any paint that it may be removed also. I've never wet tumbled loaded ammo so I don't know how that would work.

[mdi]

Yep, it's about time this surfaced again...

This is an old and very discussed topic. Some say don't tumble because the powder will "break down" and change the burn characteristics and kaboom your gun. Some say there is a possibility of a primer strike from other cartridges and kaboom your tumbler. Others say no big deal and cite the military ammo is shipped by truck, plane, donkey and train and get much more vibration and tumbling effect than any tumbler. They also say newly manufactured ammo is tumble cleaned before it leaves the factory...

I'm in the "go ahead and tumble" camp. I have read of one extensive testing loaded ammo and tumbling. The test ammo was freshly reloaded ammo put in a rotary tumbler. The rounds were tumbled for 4 hours (IIRC the time) removed and some disassembled and the powder inspected under a microscope. Some were fired over a chrony. Another batch was tumbled for 8 hours and inspected and shot. The test rounds were compared to the fresh non-tumbled ammo for appearance and performance. Not enough change to notice.

I've tumbled some 22 lr that was lightly corroded with no noticeable effect. I don't routinely tumble my reloads because they aren't dirty...

[Omega]

Yep, it's about time this surfaced again...

This is an old and very discussed topic. Some say don't tumble because the powder will "break down" and change the burn characteristics and kaboom your gun. Some say there is a possibility of a primer strike from other cartridges and kaboom your tumbler. Others say no big deal and cite the military ammo is shipped by truck, plane, donkey and train and get much more vibration and tumbling effect than any tumbler. They also say newly manufactured ammo is tumble cleaned before it leaves the factory...

I'm in the "go ahead and tumble" camp. I have read of one extensive testing loaded ammo and tumbling. The test ammo was freshly reloaded ammo put in a rotary tumbler. The rounds were tumbled for 4 hours (IIRC the time) removed and some disassembled and the powder inspected under a microscope. Some were fired over a chrony. Another batch was tumbled for 8 hours and inspected and shot. The test rounds were compared to the fresh non-tumbled ammo for appearance and performance. Not enough change to notice.

I've tumbled some 22 lr that was lightly corroded with no noticeable effect. I don't routinely tumble my reloads because they aren't dirty...

+1 for the tumble camp, I've done it a few times, once on some old 30/06 I found in a lake, yup a lake, and I used a vibratory tumbler to get them up to shooting condition. I was afraid they had got some water in them but nope, the seal held and they all went bang.

[Walks]

I tumbled about 1000+ rounds of G.I. .45acp ball back when I got my big THUMBLER'S rotary tumbler back in 1981. I also tumbled a few hundred .06's with a DM 42 Headstamp. Never had a problem. The .45's were shot in a 1911A1 & the .06 in a 1903A3. I sized all the brass & then broke down the sizing dies & boiled them for 10minutes with the brass in soapy water, then a double hot water rinse in the sink with a colander. Into the oven to dry at 200degrees for 20minutes. Time consuming, but I'm still using that brass in my 03A3 & COLT 1917.

[FredBuddy]

After I got out of the Army, I was a night "security guard" at a hotel which was remodeling a building
next door. They issued me a .38 special, holster & belt. The ammo was green, could hardly
eject it.

Next night I brought in some rags and some 3 in 1 oil from the folks house,
and cleaned that rascal up.

Been keeping my stuff clean and dry ever since.

Actually, that's why I like powdercoating - boolits don't get grungy over time.

[Grmps]

There is an ammunition manufacturer that tosses all its cartridges in a modified cement mixer to clean up before sale.
I have done some and haven't noticed any differences, it may depend on the powder. A vibratory polisher is definitely a no-go in my book

[tazman]

There is an ammunition manufacturer that tosses all its cartridges in a modified cement mixer to clean up before sale.
I have done some and haven't noticed any differences, it may depend on the powder. A vibratory polisher is definitely a no-go in my book

Just for the sake of clarity and knowledge, why would a tumble polisher be ok while a vibrator polisher would not?

[eric123]

I use an old pair of underwear or T-shirt and 0000 steel wool...

[RED BEAR]

I tumble ( vibratory )them all the time with no I'll effects. Did it for years before I read you shouldn't do it. Been doing it for over 30 years.

[higgins]

If it's brass-cased, make sure there are no heavily pitted, corroded places that may cause a case to crack when fired. Tarnish is OK; deep pitting is not. Same is true of steel-cased surplus. If it's corroded on the outside might be a good idea to pull a couple of loads and make sure the case is not corroded on the inside.

[Cherokee]

Years ago when I used a grease type lube, it was messy and I rotary tumbled all the loaded rounds with walnut wet with kerosene. Never had a problem. Don't need to do it now days with different lube.

[Boogedy_Man]

Put it in the vibratory polisher and don't sweat it.

What do you think happens to 7.62 and 50 cal that's been driven around the desert - or flown around in a helicopter - for 10 years?

It gets shot.

[Boogedy_Man]

I'm in the "go ahead and tumble" camp. I have read of one extensive testing loaded ammo and tumbling. The test ammo was freshly reloaded ammo put in a rotary tumbler. The rounds were tumbled for 4 hours (IIRC the time) removed and some disassembled and the powder inspected under a microscope. Some were fired over a chrony. Another batch was tumbled for 8 hours and inspected and shot. The test rounds were compared to the fresh non-tumbled ammo for appearance and performance. Not enough change to notice.

Somewhere in one of these forums there was a guy that did it for a couple hundred hours and couldn't produce a change over the chrony.

[Walter Laich]

another vibrating in dry media user here.

I've been known from time to time to put a capful of rubbing alcohol in the media to help clean the cartridges up

Also did this to get rid of case lube after rounds are loaded in a progressive press

[Retumbo]

Go tumble it. I tumbled a bunch or crappy Albanian 7.62x39. No issues. No boom. I love sharing this video.

[Turkeytracks]

Same here. I've ran em' for 12 hours in a vibratory with no problems

[RKJ]

Now, that is a tumbler! I could use one like that every once in awhile.