1957 30-06 brass Oxidation causing jamming?

[LAKEMASTER]

Last time i hit the range i brought along 60 round of old surplus ammo.

The cases were tarnished and felt like they had a powder on them.

After 10 rounds of ppu ammo ( that worked fine) i opened a box of these 1958 rounds

Literally every one i fired jammed. I ended up slamming the back of things gun on a pile of rags to unload the first few. Finally i Gave up and packed the rifle away.

The spent cases had no cracks or splits in them. I super cleaned the gun and went out the next day. Flawless performance from ppu ammo and my reloads. 1 shot one jam with the military ammo.

Has anyone else had this issue with tarnished ammo ?

[SierraHunter]

What is the headstamp on the rounds? If they had actuall corrosion it would cause a problem, but just discoloration, shouldn't be a issue. The powder may be breaking down inside and raising pressure.

[LAKEMASTER]

Ojp. 5r or 5a

[Butchman205]

Last time i hit the range i brought along 60 round of old surplus ammo.

The cases were tarnished and felt like they had a powder on them.

After 10 rounds of ppu ammo ( that worked fine) i opened a box of these 1958 rounds

Literally every one i fired jammed. I ended up slamming the back of things gun on a pile of rags to unload the first few. Finally i Gave up and packed the rifle away.

The spent cases had no cracks or splits in them. I super cleaned the gun and went out the next day. Flawless performance from ppu ammo and my reloads. 1 shot one jam with the military ammo.

Has anyone else had this issue with tarnished ammo ?

That powdery rough feeling is brass oxidation. It'll gum up most guns after the first shot or two.
You can spin each case in a handful of 0000 steel wool, and get them smooth and slick again...but basically it's brass oxidation. Or you can drop them in a vibratory case cleaner with walnut hulls, and just run them until they feel smooth again.

The oxidation does add to the wall diameter of each brass cartridge, and causes a clearance issue...plus it acts like a cat on carpet trying to kick it out after firing.

I suggest cleaning them before firing anymore. (I know...captain obvious statement)


-Butchman

[LAKEMASTER]

I just ran 60 of them in my lee drill adaptor thing and polished them with (kitchen) scotchbrite...

Its nothing like the scotch brite i have in the garage for brass or aluminum cleaning.

I have 210 of these surplus rounds... I don't wanna waste them. Especially cause they were a house warming gift from things neighbor after we moved in.

[Iron Whittler]

I have cleaned up many rounds of loaded ammo that for various reasons had oxidation forming on them. Do not use until you clean them up. Aside from the jamming, It May cause scratching of chambers and elevated chamber pressures. Using 0000 steel wool works fine. I would not recommend putting loaded ammo in a Tumbler. The action of the tumbler may change the size or shape of the gunpowder granules. This may result in unknown burn rates and chamber pressure. There is no need to discard them Unless the case is deeply pitted. Pitted cases may fail on firing sending high pressure back thru the action. Not an experience to be soon forgotten. Just my opinion, but I do not want to find out if right or wrong.:Fire:

[Multigunner]

A black discoloration that won't polish out is often a sign of the case rotting out from the inside. Sometimes you'd find pinholes in the blackened area and occasionally I've crushed cases like that between my fingers like empty peanut hulls.

[Butchman205]

I have cleaned up many rounds of loaded ammo that for various reasons had oxidation forming on them. Do not use until you clean them up. Aside from the jamming, It May cause scratching of chambers and elevated chamber pressures. Using 0000 steel wool works fine. I would not recommend putting loaded ammo in a Tumbler. The action of the tumbler may change the size or shape of the gunpowder granules. This may result in unknown burn rates and chamber pressure. There is no need to discard them Unless the case is deeply pitted. Pitted cases may fail on firing sending high pressure back thru the action. Not an experience to be soon forgotten. Just my opinion, but I do not want to find out if right or wrong.:Fire:

Agreed!

I've heard several folks claim that they suggest putting loaded rounds in a tumbler to remove case lube...and I've wondered what the tumbling action does to the powder in each case.
Just an FYI...anytime you handle material in granular size, it lowers the size of the material.
It crushes and grinds it to smaller sizes, this opens up more surface area, which has to change the burn rate of the powder. Just my thoughts...


-Butchman