cleaning loaded ammo
I bought some military ammo at a good price but some of it is showing some mild corrision! How's the best way to clean it?
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Well your options are somewhat limited. If it shoots, don't bother, just clean your chamber with a shotgun or pistol brush and mop when done. Loaded, about all you can do is wipe it down by hand, round by round, with a damp cloth, maybe with a touch of soap, keeping away from the case head and primer, and dry. Once fired, soaking in either vinegar/water or coffe pot cleaner/water and brought to near boiling will remove most any corrosion, followed by a good tumbling.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf0 -
There was a pretty good debate on this subject here on the forum a few months ago. There are two schools of thought about tumbling it clean: (1) Don't do it, because (a) it is dangerous due to the live primers, and (b) the tumbling causes the powder in the cases to grind itself into smaller particles, thus changing the buring rate and dangerously increasing pressures. (2) Do it, because tumbling has no effect. Cleaning chemically (brass polish, etc.) (1)Do it, as a safe alternative to tumbling. (2)Don't do it, because the chemical may deaden the primer or seep into the powder. Polish with polishing wheel on small tool. (1) Don't do it, because the heat from the polishing may ignite the primer. (2) Do it--carefully. You're not going to find much agreement on this subject. If you only have a small quantity you can do it while watching TV with a maroon colored Scotch Brite pad. (No tumbling, chemical, or heat!) If you've got a lot, perhaps it's best to just leave it dirty and shoot it up. 0 -
Turn the corroded ammo in to the nearest police/sheriff station house for destruction. It is not worth your personal safety or damage to your firearms to shoot it. Ammo is just not that expensive. JMHO. 0 -
I admit I tumble live rounds. Though its a risk I chose to take, I also take safety precautions, just in case. I tumble in a safe area, just in case w/a fire extinguisher near by. I used to be against this idea, until I was enlightened by a fellow board member.
In my opinion, you have a better chance of winning the lottery, than having an accidental discharge of a live round in a tumbler. A tumbler just simply won't produce enough force to make a centerfire round go off. And even if one did, it really won't do that much damage. Ever stick a live .22lr round in a fire? The bullet won't become a projectile unless it has a chamber to support the brass case, cause when you though it in the fire, and the powder goes off, it just pops, and the brass case blows open. And u have more risk of having flying ash get in your eye than a piece of shrapnel hurting u.
Seriously, of the lot of us who tumble live rounds, has anyone ever had an AD? Please be honest.0 -
The Mtn Hunter has the past discussions pretty well summarized. When one speaks of corroded rounds, however, there are additional risks. The corrosion reflects a chemical reaction with the case material . . . it may be thinner, it may be more brittle . . . . Furthermore, it also reflects less than optimal storage conditions which may have caused the priming compound and powder to break down in some way. Your "mild corrosion" could be any number of things depending on the age, load, and the perception of the person viewing these things. Another possibility, since this is military ammo, is that these rounds are something other than straight ball or AP loadings . . . some of the foreign military loadings have relatively obscure ways of identifying the tracers, incendiaries, etc., and those chemicals, typically, are much less stable than powder.
OK, I'm basically very cautious & conservative when it comes to what I put in the chamber. But in my Hunter Safety display I have some interesting specimens of shattered cases due to corroded brass . . . . I'm with bk0331 on this . . . the savings do not offset the potential hazard.
I agree with lee to a point. An AD is extremely unlikely with a tumbler and I cannot imagine how one would occur with a vibratory bowl. However, I am one of those who holds that ammo so cleaned has the potential for excessive pressures due to a change in powder structure.
You can clean it. You can shoot it. But personally I would caution against doing so.0 -
If it actually "corroded",pull the bullets and primer to reuse,sell the cases, and use the powder for fertilizer.
If it is just dirty,tumble it,just like all the mfgrs do.
It is SAFE to tumble loaded ammo.
cpermd0 -
On mild corrosion you can put the round in your case trimmer,
and use 0000 steel wool, or a scotchbrite pad, to remove the
corrosion and polish the case. I have also tumbled live ammo,
mostly pistol ammo, not rifle though.
Don't send flowers when I die. Send money now, I can buy more ammo.0
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