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Old 01-09-2017, 10:40 AM
tomlescal tomlescal is offline
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Default Polishing Ammo?

Anyone every try polishing ammo? Just wondering?
Maybe in a tumbler or shaker?

Tom
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Old 01-09-2017, 11:14 AM
Arik Arik is offline
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Why?

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Old 01-09-2017, 11:41 AM
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I usually polish reloaded ammunition in a vibrating bowl polisher, for a minute or two, to remove excess lubricant.

There are stories about LEOs using a cream polisher on their cartridges, to dress them up for inspection. Eventually enough leaked into the case so they went pffft instead of bang. Mine stay dry.
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Old 01-09-2017, 11:53 AM
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I've done it in walnut shell.Couple of minutes cleans it right up.


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Old 01-09-2017, 11:57 AM
Mike, SC Hunter Mike, SC Hunter is offline
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Yes.........to clean off the lube/dirt etc.........always in my vibratory polisher
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Old 01-09-2017, 12:29 PM
Houlton Houlton is offline
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Occasionally when a loaded round ends up in my empty brass bag and gets dumped in the tumbler.
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Old 01-09-2017, 02:21 PM
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Only when that "Green stuff" starts to grow on the brass case..............
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Old 01-09-2017, 05:08 PM
twodog max twodog max is offline
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Nope never done it and never thought I needed to. I clean the lube before final loading.
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Old 01-09-2017, 05:28 PM
apollo99 apollo99 is offline
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Yes I have polished ammo, I live in Arizona where it gets windy and dusty. I find the clean dry ammo, with no remnants of lube stay cleaner and doesn't attract the gritty dust. This is especially true of the ones I manage to drop in the sand. All I do is throw them in a vibratory cleaner for about 5 minutes, roll them in a clean towel and they are good to go.
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Old 01-09-2017, 05:41 PM
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Yep, just finished tumbling some .44 Magnum handloads. These were a bit gunked up with excess lube so I tumbled them in corn cob media for about 1 1/2 hrs. This is a much debated topic. Some say don't tumble loaded ammo, you'll change the burn characteristics of the powder and blow yerself up and the other side says go ahead, no problems (many cite military handling of ammo; transporting in planes, trains, trucks, mules and jostling/vibrations are equal to tumbling). I'm in the "go ahead and tumble" camp...
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Old 01-09-2017, 07:16 PM
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Yes, like the others have said.
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Old 01-10-2017, 12:09 AM
tomlescal tomlescal is offline
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That's what I was thinking, walnut tumbler. If its dirty cleaned it.

Thanks Tom
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Old 01-10-2017, 05:16 AM
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I use a Dillon tumbler and have for about 20 years. I tumble my brass before reloading but if I had loaded ammo that needed it I would tumble it as well.

Give it 2 hours and your brass will be clean and bright. I also add a cap full of Dillon polish to my corn cob media.
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Old 01-10-2017, 08:23 AM
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I clean before reloading but never after.
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Old 01-10-2017, 10:33 AM
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My brass is clean before reloading. Was with a tumbler, but now it can be the tumbler or rotary with SS pins or combination of both. A good deal, I couldn't pass up on black Friday for the SS pin rotary. I check every finished cartridge with a case gauge or barrel. Some will have excess lube, which actually can cause a tight fit. I just wipe those off will a rag, and then they usually fit. If they don't, they go into a "pull" box, to later remove the bullet & resize. I do think, that because of the inspections I give to the final product, it's a reason I don't have failures at the range. I'll load the slow method with a single stage, or mass produce with the Dillon.
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Old 01-10-2017, 10:37 AM
gman51 gman51 is offline
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I just use crushed walnut media and tumble them clean. I don't add any polish to the media. Lee manual says it is not necessary to polish the casings. Works for me.
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Old 01-10-2017, 10:42 AM
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WHY? Ya goin' to a BBQ?
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Old 01-10-2017, 12:06 PM
vortex360 vortex360 is offline
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I polish it with jewelry cleaner and then mount a 2 carat diamond as the projectile.

Last edited by vortex360; 01-10-2017 at 12:07 PM.
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Old 01-10-2017, 12:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vortex360 View Post
I polish it with jewelry cleaner and then mount a 2 carat diamond as the projectile.
Now I'm wondering how the diamonds look after being shot at 1/2" steel plates. Do they come out, looking new?
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Old 01-10-2017, 06:30 PM
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I tumble my brass, and on rare occasion tumble finished ammo (not for shine, but to clean excess lube). While I tumble I rarely tumble to a high polish with the exception of 2 cartridges; 45 ACP and 30-06. Shiny brass is easier to find in the dirt, rocks, trash at the "range" where i shoot my 1911s and Garand...

FWIW, I reloaded for 12 years before I tumbled any brass. All I did was wipe my cases with a solvent dampened rag as I inspected them. Nope, no scratched dies, and yep, I could spot any defects. All my ammo functioned perfectly and was fairly accurate...
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Old 01-10-2017, 10:19 PM
Andrew2105 Andrew2105 is offline
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I've polished up a few with Simichrome Polish. I have several containers of old cartridges that I like to describe & show to basic students during the range portion of class. Looking as much like new that I can make them seems to cause them to be more interesting than dull corroded old ammo. Most I don't even have a gun of the correct caliber to fire them.

Last edited by Andrew2105; 01-10-2017 at 10:21 PM.
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  #22  
Old 01-11-2017, 10:02 PM
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NO. I change out my carry ammo every year and shoot up the older stuff so it never gets that grungy. If I want ammo to "look good" such as in my Cowboy Rigs, I use Nickel cases which won't tarnish. I know some guys put loaded ammo in Tumblers to polish but I do not like that idea personally and really have no reason to.

Last edited by chief38; 01-11-2017 at 10:16 PM.
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