old bullets...orange color...?remove

[lpreddick]

I buy a lot of bullets off the marketplace...benchresters often sell remaining bullets in a lot as they buy a new lot, and we non competition shooters appreciate this. Occ some bullets have a very orange color I believe is due to oxidation. I like them to be shiney and more golden and have used several techniques to restore them to this color. Is this a waste of time? I worry this oxidized surface, which is usually rough, will come off in the barrel and cause excessive copper fouling. Can these rough surfaces affect barrel drag? I tried cleaning these in my vibratory case cleaner, which works, esp if you add a little flitz, but if the tip's hollow point is too big, media gets in it and it's a pita to get out. Recently I used a diluted solution( for any chemist, a suspension) of brass cleaner. Immersing the bullet till the orange was gone, the flushing with water, then a wash with Dawn, then drying. They are definitely shiney and smoother. Is this a waste of time?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Nothing is a waste of time if thats what you want in the end and have time to do it. Br bullets when made are tumbled in large grain corn cob mainly to remove lube but it also polishes them. So doing it again wont hurt anything, and makes you more confident

 

[riflewoman]

Years ago, Sierra sold its seconds to Southern Cal shooters if you went to the factory. These were usually unpolished and some people swore they were more accurate that way. Undo know that there was a custom bullet maker in Calgary Canada years ago that sold his bullets unpolished. They were very accurate.

 

[bheadboy]

Sierra polishes with a blend of small corn cobb and Pecan shell ground, I have purchased the "basement bullets" by the
pound when in the area and unpolished they have shot very well, the wind up there as they may be .0001off spec, or .01-2 th grain off - usually from the die setup when changeover is done on presses

Bob

 

[M-61]

Quote: "....but if the tip's hollow point is too big, media gets in it and it's a pita to get out..."

I ran into this during the 'shortage'. Digging deeper into supplies I had a fair number of Sierra's that had really tarnished(green on some). Threw them in the vibrator. Media got in the majority of them. I stopped trying to clean it out. This was in a tried and proven 222. I saw no difference in the accuracy at all, (100 yd BR shooting) shooting some with and others without that piece of media in the hollow point nose.