Cleaning up live ammo

[kelbro]

It sounds like a bad idea but would running a box of live cartridges through a Lyman Turbo vibrator create a hazard?

I'm pretty sure of the answer, just curious if it will work or not. I feel much safer wiping them down with Brasso.

[rost495]

I would think you could do it for a short time. I know of surplus ammo sellers that do it in concrete mixers to clean the oil and crud off ammo.

BUT I did have a friend that cleaned overnite some 223 ammo. He vibrated it so long that not only did he wear the coating off the powder and change the burn rate to end up blowing a mag out of a 223, he also tumbled enough times prior to that(batches) that a bullet hit a primer and a round went off. Idiot didn't learn there, he just set the bowl outside till he blew up the 223. Then he'd had enough.

Brasso should work decently enough. And if its not dirty or has green gunk on it, if its just dull, just shoot it. It doesn't have to shine to shoot fine.

Jeff

There's alot of people who do it. With success. Things you got to worry about without considering the hazard is you might knock your straightness of your ammo a tad. If you don't clean up all the media afterwards, a bit of corncob could jam up your gun.

I suggest not doing it. I can't imagine its that dangerous. But wierd things happen in this hobby.

[driftrider]

I don't think I'd try tumbling loaded ammo. I doubt that there's enough force generated inside a vibratory tumbler to light off a primer, but anything is possible I suppose. Dinging up the brass and knocking the bullets out of true could be two possible downsides. If the brass is just mildly tarnished and dull then I wouldn't even bother with the effort that it would take to hand polish them. Just shoot them off and tumble the cases later. If they are dirty, then I'd probably just wipe the crud off with a damp cloth and set them up in a loading block until dry.

I'd be careful about using a polish like Brasso, as it's possible that the ammonia content could attack and weaken the brass by dissolving the copper content if used overzealously. Probably wouldn't be an issue with one use, but why shorten your brass' life for purely cosmetic reasons?

Mike

[KareImp]

Don't do it. The vibrating action will remove the coating on the powder, effectively changing the burn rate, and put you in a very unpredictable and dangerous situation.

Pull the bullet or clean by hand.

[the Razorhead]

there is a product called NevrDull... it comes as a batting in a roll in a metal can... it's sold for cleaning metal ornaments on tack and harnesses at most tack supply stores... works very well.

[vangunsmith]

iTS NOT A SAFE OR GOOD PRACTICE,FOR MANY REASON,ONE IS THE OBVISOUS. BRASSO WILL MAKE YOUR BRASS BRITTLE,AND UNSAFE. A SHINY CARTRIDGE LOOKS GREAT BUT DOESN,T MAKE IT SHOOT ANY BETTER. VANGUNSMITH