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Posted: 10/4/2003 8:55:43 AM EDT
| Hey dose it hurt already loaded ammo to be put into a tumbler for polishing? Some times you get ammo that just looks bad but shoots ok. |
| From what I understand lots of ammo is tumled live at the factory. I myself have tumbled both live factory rounds and live reloads. 0 problems, just wouldn't leave the house when tumbling if I were you. If a round were to someone combust there wouldn't be much of an affect without a chamber to help combustion. |
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Quoted: Hey dose it hurt already loaded ammo to be put into a tumbler for polishing? Some times you get ammo that just looks bad but shoots ok. You'll shoot your eye out, kid. Seriously, I do it. I can't imagine that the bugbears some people trot out could ever be a problem. Larry |
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Simply: Skin oils and acids can damage the metal in brass and gilding metal. Long term storage of touched ammunition can cause extraction problems in dirty guns (SHTF Time) or actually weaken the case. Reloaders also take some pride in appearance of their product; we want it to look clean, not corroded. If I am going to shoot it soon I don't bother, but if I'm putting it away for a while I'll clean it off first, and handle it with gloves. The same way the military and commercial producers do, and for the same reason. Ever wonder why the 193 doesn't have fingerprints? |
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Quoted: Quoted: Ever wonder why the 193 doesn't have fingerprints? I'll take a stab at this... Is it because MACHINES don't have fingers? Daggone it! He's good, that must be why they made him moderator, huh? But anyway, clean is better; especially for long term storage. But factory ammo doesn't need cleaned unless it has been handled a lot. |
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Quoted: Daggone it! He's good, that must be why they made him moderator, huh? But anyway, clean is better; especially for long term storage. But factory ammo doesn't need cleaned unless it has been handled a lot. [:D] You're right about long term storage. I don't sift through my cases of reloading brass without latex gloves on. But my SHTF gets cycled through once a year or more, so I'm not too worried about it corroding. |
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You probably won't harm new, modern ammo by tumbling it for a short period of time. Older surplus ammo should NOT be tumbled, though, as much of it is loaded with flake powder that will break up into dust, causing a much-increased burning rate and possibly even detonation instead of burning. -Troy |
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Quoted: If you must polish it, polish it by hand. I plan on polishing the ammo for a 50 round M60 belt for display, but wouldn't bother for ammo I was going to shoot. Brasso works great. Do NOT use Brasso! The ammonia in it can weaken the case and that may cause a catastrophic failure. Use one of the ammonia free case polish available from any of the reloading supply retailers. |
| Lee makes a case holder that you put into a drill, they come in differnt cal sizes. They are made for case trimming, but I use it to hold a loaded bullet and a piece of fine steel wool to polish the cases as it spins. I wear cotton gloves so no sweat gets on the round when its done and store them. Works great for me and its fast. |
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