Tumbling Loaded Ammo

[brad6ppc]

I have read on a couple of sites where guys are tumbling loaded ammo to get rid of tarnish. It doesn't seem to me that is a good idea. I would think it would break down the powder and maybe create a pressure issue. What are the opinions of the rest of you guys that have maybe had some experience in this area. Thanks, Brad

 

[Clarkson Rifle]

Witebrush it on a wheel...

 

[Ranger007]

100% correct with breaking down powder and could cause a catastrophic issue with pressure.

 

[Willie]

I would feel safer using 0000 steel wool and spin the case.
You might be fine tumbling, but ?????

 

[brad6ppc]

I want somebody to tell me they did it without any issues. I can't see where this would be good in any respect.

 

[Twicepop]

Some people swear by the process, others swear at it. I personally wouldn't, not because of the possibility of breaking down the kernels but for the possibility of the deterant coating rubbing off and altering the burn rate of the powder inside.

 

[brad6ppc]

Is it true the factory tumbles all loaded ammo clean before boxing it??

 

[jelenko]

Many years ago, a rep at Dillon told me to tumble finished rounds to get the lube off.
I did tumble for a while then stopped after someone mentioned the possibility of breaking down the coating on the powder.

My thought is some tumbling shouldn't be a problem. The powder is going to get 'tumbled' continuously during shipment of the powder or in loaded rounds. Maybe not as aggressively as in an actual tumbler, but enough that the coatings have to be able to withstand a fair amount of 'vibratory tumbling'.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Is it true the factory tumbles all loaded ammo clean before boxing it??

Not at the factory I have been in.

 

[brad6ppc]

I knew a guy that worked at Federal and he said you wouldn't believe how rough they handle live ammo.

 

[GotRDid]

Studies and practical experiments conducted by respected people in our hobby; results were that it did not affect the composition by breaking up extruded “kernels” of propellant. Tested on spherical and flake propellants as well, some of the surfactant friction inhibitors that aid in propellant metering or “flow” were reduced a bit. The tests sometimes ran for days on certain batches.
An hour in your vibratory tumbler won’t hurt it.
Have you ever tried to break an extruded propellant grain?
Do, or don’t for your own reasons.
I don’t, habitually, because I do any cleaning before I assemble my ammo.
Now, if I have a belt of 250 rds that I have to delink for my Garands, I will toss the ammo in my vibratory tumbler with a bit of isopropyl alcohol in corn cob media to knock off any residue.
GotRDid.

 

[brad6ppc]

Great, Thanks for the info.

 

[GotRDid]

I have been in the back of Duece-N-Halves to transport tons of crates of 5.56, 7.62, .50 Cal, and 40 MM Grenades to On Base Live Fire Ranges for annual requalifications. I can say that the ammo sustained less damage than my person on those Range roads (and I use the term “roads” in jest).
GotRDid.

 

[6.5grendel]

There was someone who tested this before. They used a vibratory tumbler and tumbled for different time intervals. They ran the rounds over a chronograph before and after the different time intervals. I believe they even pulled a bullet on a round after each interval and looked at the powder. I'll see if I can look it up.

 

[rammac]

The fact is that it doesn't hurt anything to tumble loaded ammo. As the cartridge tumbles the power becomes tightly packed and it can't move inside the case so there is no friction or movement between kernels.

 

[brad6ppc]

Never thought of that.

 

[GotRDid]

The fact is that it doesn't hurt anything to tumble loaded ammo. As the cartridge tumbles the power becomes tightly packed and it can't move inside the case so there is no friction or movement between kernels.

I don’t recall that as a result in the extensive testing. If a loading density of your chosen cartridge is such that it does not occupy all of the available space, it will continue to “float” inside the casing during the agitation of the tumbler vibration. Think of the loaded cartridges virtually “swimming” around in the media such as corn cob. They have mass and the corn cob bits can not (and are not intended to) “grab” the cases and shake them, rather, the oscillation frequency moves the corncob around the cases. The only true “tumbling” the cases do if their mass, or relative lack thereof, permits them to follow the rotation flow of the media. I use Dillon 500 series tumblers that are decades old; they have a particular simultaneous circular and rotary flow that is quite evident when I am adding polish or cases such as .380 ACP all the way up to .300 Weatherby Mag. Even the largest cases are relatively light compared to the surface area they present.
GotRDid.

 

[Ken]

Humm, I tumble my brass clean before loading it on a Dillon 550 for prairie doggin., I spray the tumbled brass with Dillon lube, then load it. I then put it in a media tumbler for less than an hour to clean off the lube then box it up and go shooting. Never had a problem. Been doing it for 30-40 years.

 

[C.E.Smith043]

I guess I should throw away that ammo that has ridden on the dash of my truck for over a year now bouncing around on the country roads

 

[GotRDid]

I guess I should throw away that ammo that has ridden on the dash of my truck for over a year now bouncing around on the country roads

Would have preferred to bounce around on your dash for a year rather than ride “Shotgun” with the ammo/ordnance in the back of those Duece.N-Halves for even one mile. Imagine a Chiropractic “adjustment” every 3 seconds for hours on end. Drivers were sadists at best and Schadenfreude enthusiasts at worst.
GitRDid.