Tumbling loaded rounds?

[fusionstar]

I just received several cases of surplus ammo and they seem a little dingy and wanted to throw them in the vibratory tumbler to shine them up. They are brass cased but I don't know the risk involved in doing so. I'm pretty sure its not deadly but at the same time I don't want corn all over the floor if one detonates or if it will turn the stick powder into dust and kill me when I fire it.

[rksimple]

Just don't leave it in the tumbler running for a few days. An hour or two in there won't hurt anything.

[GM4spd]

Just don't leave it in the tumbler running for a few days. An hour or two in there won't hurt anything.

I agree, done it several times in the past 40 years,usually an hour will clean
most grime off easily.

[wildcard]

I don't personally do it but wouldn't hesitate to. It's an accepted practice.

[Citadelgrad87]

I think you are good to go.

Once, when some on another board were waxing about how the vibration would convert the powder to a deadly explosive that would blow up upon firing, it occurred to me how ALL milsurp is trucked from the factory, tossed around loading docks, back on trucks, onto military transports, back onto trucks, and most likely transported over rough dirt "roads," then even to you, the end user, via truck. All of which equates, to me, to far more tumbling than they would get in an hour in the tumbler.

That, and a guy I know posted his results on FALFILES of his tumbling of milsurp for up to 8 hours, then dissassembly and posted his results, stick powder stayed stick.

[anyracoon]

I do it on all of my reloads. About 1/2 hour in fine corn cob and a shot of Berry's or Dillons polish.

[fusionstar]

Great.. I like my rounds nice and shiny and should help extract better.

[Gwenzilla]

There is some opinion that there could be problems when tumbling loaded rounds. Ball and extruded powders are thought to hold up better than flake powder in tumbling in respect to the powder breaking down and changing the burn rate.
I am not sure if the they just mean tumbling or vibratory polishing however.

I hear some say OK and others say no way, like Varmit Al's website that said "there is a serious problem with tumbling loaded ammo. The coating on the powder grains, that controls the burn rate, could be abraded and this would change the powder's characteristics. If you were loading ammo near maximum, after tumbling, you might have created a dangerous pressure problem."

I am curious what someone from a powder manufacturer would say about the practice. If anyone were considered an expert on the subject it would be them.

I know I don't do it, but that is because mine are always vibrated before loading so I don't have to.

[anyracoon]

Ever stop to think how much banging around the ammo that are troops use over seas? I would imagine that it gets bumped around on no-paved roads alot more than a 1/2 hour or so in a tumbler!

[jandmtv]

[Gwenzilla]

Ever stop to think how much banging around the ammo that are troops use over seas? I would imagine that it gets bumped around on no-paved roads alot more than a 1/2 hour or so in a tumbler!

Good point, but then the question of would the military rounds most likely be extruded or ball powder and not flake? I guess expanding on your point one could say that even store bought civilian ammo gets shipped long distances. The only issue being left to hold is if the ammo was loaded to near maximum charge where pressure problems from altered burn rates could pose problems.

Oh that poor horse! will the whacking ever stop?