Cleaning

[Igiveup]

I found some old ammo in a box. It is .308 round nose corlock and is old and cruddy. Is it safe to put in into a tumbler to clean? There are 10 rounds.

 

[2500]

I don't think tumblers are made for live rounds. I'd try some Scotchbright. (sp)

 

[rockquarry]

People like to argue about this but I sure wouldn't put ammo in a tumbler. No cleaning needed IF the ammo will chamber without difficulty. If it won't chamber, don't shoot it; it's beyond cleaning and may have damaged and/or weakened brass.

 

[USSR]

I wouldn't do it. The tumbling could break down the powder grains, changing the burn rate. Remember, when shooting, you have an explosion happening in front of your face.

 

[Igiveup]

Nuff said. I agree, not worth the risk. I thought about the powder breakdown and it might affect the performance of the shot. I used to like that particular bullet and bet this ammo is from the seventies. I might try some Scotch Brite or other cleaner. Thank you for the information.

 

[USSR]

I might try some Scotch Brite or other cleaner.

Just make sure whatever you use doesn't contain ammonia.

 

[bigggbbruce]

I aquired 450 rounds of LC 7.62x51. Real grungy..

Ran all in my vibratory cleaner. Came out much cleaner.

I've run 300 through my gun so far, no issues.

I've cleaned many different calibers this way. Never caused any issues.

 

[Lance Boyle]

There have been tests made online. It won't harm the powder inside even if tumbled overnight according to online video testing reports.

I haven't repeated that lengthy test but I have tumbled live surplus rounds for a half hour. I'm still here.

I am chalking this caution up to everyone repeating what they have heard.

If you are apprehensive about it don't do it.

Edit, ten rounds? Much easier to use a ball of steel wool, bronze wool, or a scotch brite pad.

 

[rockquarry]

There have been tests made online. It won't harm the powder inside even if tumbled overnight according to online video testing reports.

I haven't repeated that lengthy test but I have tumbled live surplus rounds for a half hour. I'm still here.

I am chalking this caution up to everyone repeating what they have heard.

Online "testing" offers no proof that the procedure is safe and doesn't alter powder characteristics. Many today have no need for validity, accepting online results as factual. Often a mistake.

 

[Lance Boyle]

Online "testing" offers no proof that the procedure is safe and doesn't alter powder characteristics. Many today have no need for validity, accepting online results as factual. Often a mistake.

I get that and it can be just as you say…..but when the tester runs the ammo for a week in a vibratory cleaner and chronographs it and compares it to control ammo what conclusion does one draw when they chronograph the same. Dissected ammo with the powder dumped on a clean white paper for examination shows no dust or deterioration.

Are the half a dozen field reports of shooters testing this all invalid because they're not a lab? Maybe

Like I said, follow your own heart on this. I'm not that worried about it but in cases where I have lube on loaded ammo I am much more apt to use a cloth or paper towels and rubbing alcohol to remove sizing lube.

I have also tumbled off Hornady One Shot from .223 ammo made on a progressive. Hornady says you don't have to remove One Shot but I'd be more concerned about increased bolt thrust from lube than fifteen minutes in a tumbler.

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2012/10/10/is-tumbling-loaded-ammo-dangerous/
Dave Emary of Hornady, Chief Ballistician, says it's a non issue within the bounds of reason.

https://precisionrifleblog.com/about-dave-emary/

 

[rockquarry]

Extensive laboratory testing by a large powder company would provide credible results. This is no area for online amateurs to shine.

 

[fordson]

Ten rounds? Not worth the risk. Pull them and save the components for another day.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I have found that 0000 steel wool cleans up live ammo pretty well. No to the tumbler.

 

[Rick H.]

Wow! I must be the ONLY handloader on this forum that has ever dropped a live round into the tumbler with my empties for cleaning! Sometimes even more than one round!! I have even done this with old CMP 30-06 ammunition! Funny thing was.....
NOTHING! The rounds didn't explode in my vibratory tumbler and they still went off properly in my firearms. Now I admit the cases weren't all tarnished and moldy looking as they had been properly stored, but the ammunition was old and yet still worked as it should after being tumbled. I even noticed no difference in speed thru a chronograph. The first time this happened many years ago I was concerned, but I didn't think the sky was falling, I just had to make a decision to take the rounds apart or shoot them. I shot them to no ill effect.

If you doubt your ammunition don't shoot it! I sometimes think we get all crazy about stuff we shouldn't worry about. Is tumbling a loaded round the end of the earth? Not in my experience, but it was only a couple of loaded rounds not a case of them. Maybe one day I will take a box of old surplus CMP ammo and dump it in the tumbler and see what happens. If my tumbler doesn't go BOOM after a few hours I will report it here. Who knows, if I survive the tumbling session I may even shoot the ammo and chronograph it just for posterity and research, if I am still here and able to type. Heck I may even go outside and take a drink of water from my garden hose!!

Rick H.

 

[Phenix]

I found some old ammo in a box. It is .308 round nose corlock and is old and cruddy. Is it safe to put in into a tumbler to clean? There are 10 rounds.

Old and cruddy are subjective terms.
I would clean it up with a copper brush or Scotchbrite and shoot it.
Ammo made in the seventies is really not that old.

 

[bedwards]

I've done it with no negative results. Your results may vary.

 

[Lance Boyle]

Extensive laboratory testing by a large powder company would provide credible results. This is no area for online amateurs to shine.

Sorry my edit with Dave Emary's bonifides came while you were posting. That was not intentional in the timing.

Yes, I agree that personal tests by average guys like you and I are to be viewed for what they are,…anecdotal.

When a guy that was a top explosives and powder scientist for the USAF, the Navy, the Mining Explosives Industry, Hodgdon and Hornady Chief Ballistician says the coatings are impregnated into the powder and not going to rub off under tunbling I am likely to believe him.

That said, I am not tumbling my ammo for a week unless someone is paying me and I am using their lab universal receiver.

 

[mtgianni]

I understand that tumbling is how the factory sends out such shiny cartridges.
I also know that it doesn't take long to clean them by hand.

 

[FlyFish]

There have been tests made online. It won't harm the powder inside even if tumbled overnight according to online video testing reports.

I haven't repeated that lengthy test but I have tumbled live surplus rounds for a half hour. I'm still here.

FWIW: An acquaintance of mine - a very knowledgeable and conscientious handloader - tumbled some loaded ammo for A MONTH! After pulling down a few rounds and examining the powder under a stereomicroscope there was no visible deterioration, and remaining rounds showed no perceptible difference upon firing.

I've also been told that ammo manufacturers routinely tumble loaded ammo before packaging.

 

[kev74]

I've tumbled assembled cartridges a few times. Only for 10-15 minutes to remove inadvertent contamination like case lube or oil. I never noticed any difference, and nothing blew up. While I don't keep my face next to the tumbler, I'm not really worried about the damage if one went off. I doubt it would penetrate the bowl.

 

[rockquarry]

Everyone should believe what they choose and practice what works well for them. This is not something that will be resolved factually on the Internet. A published report by a credible entity would be required and for whatever reason that's unlikely. This will continue, for the same reasons, with many such subjects that lack evidence-based testing and data. They surface regularly.

 

[Lance Boyle]

I once made the mistake of doing a poor job of wiping lube off and intended to finish in the RCBS tumbler. I left way too much lube on the cases and the dirt in the walnut made a sticky grunge on the shoulders and necks. A great way to clean the dirt out of your media!

I had to take a cloth with a heavy dose of rubbing alcohol to clean up the combined mess. Should have done that without the dirt!

Iirc it was the Dillon spray lube of lanaolin diluted with alcohol. Basically ordinary lanolin pad lube thinned out but the same once the evaporative carrier floated away.

 

[rockquarry]

I once made the mistake of doing a poor job of wiping lube off and intended to finish in the RCBS tumbler. I left way too much lube on the cases and the dirt in the walnut made a sticky grunge on the shoulders and necks. A great way to clean the dirt out of your media!

I had to take a cloth with a heavy dose of rubbing alcohol to clean up the combined mess. Should have done that without the dirt!

Iirc it was the Dillon spray lube of lanaolin diluted with alcohol. Basically ordinary lanolin pad lube thinned out but the same once the evaporative carrier floated away.

Many use media far beyond its useful life. It's an expendable item and should be replaced regularly. Media is cheap. It becomes discolored when dirty and doesn't clean as well. I'm guilty on this one, too.

 

[gym cat]

One word answer. NO!!!!!!

 

[venomballistics]

I've heard the tumbling of live ammo can damage the powder grains, increasing its burn rate and risking over pressure.
clean by hand if you must

 

[Raf1963]

I found some old ammo in a box. It is .308 round nose corlock and is old and cruddy. Is it safe to put in into a tumbler to clean? There are 10 rounds.

I’m thinking if you have to ask that question you should already know the answer.

 

[bph9]

It all depends how extensive the corrosion is. Myself, I have an old washer motor with a buffing wheel put on it. A wire wheel could also be substituted. I have buffed down by hand old corroded ammo and if the walls of the cartridge are not eaten through its safe enough to shoot. Probably expect a hangfire or even a dud round if the powder or primer deteriorated from water damage or other types of contamination.

 

[Warren Sear]

Once again...

 

[BarryinIN]

Personally, I’d just shoot it unless it’s really crappy looking. And I’m talking so bad, no amount cleaning is going to help it enough.

About tumbling effects:
I’ve heard a similar story from two veterans who didn’t know each other, although both were in artillery. While not exactly about tumbling, I think it applies.

Each story is similar: In the M-14 days, their crew was given a 20-rd box of M80 ball (.308), and this box rode in the cab of the deuce and a half which towed the big gun. After untold months of this, someone had to fire their M-14 for a qual or something and grabbed that box of ammo. The first shot, or one of the first shots, locked up the gun.
I only remember one of these two guys saying they pulled down the ammo for a look.
The one who did said they found the powder in some rounds varied from the original extruded (stick) shape, presumably due to the vibration of riding in a metal truck cab. Some looked OK, some looked like the kernels were snapped in two, others were really crushed, and many had a mix. This could have altered the burn rate of the powder, and by a lot I would think.

I would think tumbling could cause a similar situation with extruded powders, although it might take a longer time than I would tumble anything. I don’t think you would get the same effect with flake or ball powders.

I know there is a lot of probably/assume/could have/maybe in those observations, but while I have briefly tumbled small amounts of loaded ammo in the past, I haven’t since hearing this.

 

[MAUSER888]

Many years ago there was a Guy on AR15.COM that tumbled 100 handloads of .233 ammo in a Lapidary tumbler for 12 hours straight. He shot them through a chronograph with no change in velocity. No problems at all.

I tried this myself once and had the same results. Now I tumble them all after loading.