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by SeaHawk
Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:52 pm
Forum: Reloading Forum
Topic: Cleaning live ammo in a tumbler
Replies: 11
Views: 4998

Re: Cleaning live ammo in a tumbler

Agrees with gigag04's procedure.
:iagree:

Should one of those rounds strike a zombie, I bet it would project a brilliantly colored puff of vapor.
"rlol" :fire
by SeaHawk
Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:13 pm
Forum: Reloading Forum
Topic: Cleaning live ammo in a tumbler
Replies: 11
Views: 4998

Re: Cleaning live ammo in a tumbler

I also found this floating around at : http://www.handloadersbench.com/forum12/8877.html
  • Lapua/Vhitavouria's response from today.

    Tumbling loaded cartridges

    Tuesday, August 11, 2009 10:44 AM

    "Kevin S Thomas" <ksthomas@lapua.us>

    Dear David,

    Adam forwarded your inquiry to me, and I'll be happy to answer. The short answer is, no, it's not going to cause a problem, but I do want to cover a few things just to be safe. The slightly longer answer is yes, it could. Tumbling of loaded ammunition is a common practice for ammo manufacturers, and it's done all the time. The key is, they don't do it for very long; usually nothing more than required to remove any traces of lube from the loaded ammunition, or whatever else may need to be accomplished. I normally do this with large lots of pistol ammunition if I've bulk loaded them on a progressive press. Again, the key is, they're run for a very short period of time, never more than 10 minutes. You're obviously familiar with powder "construction" and the application of deterrent coatings such as graphite or dinitrotoluene (DNT), and I assume your concern stems from the possible removal of or damage to this coating. Actually, this is precisely how many of these coatings are applied to begin with, and the powder goes through several tumblings during its production. In short, damaging it via this same process is fairly unlikely, especially once the powder is contained in a loaded cartridge.

    This said, anything can be overdone. Tumbling cartridges for an excessive length of time, or in too vigorous a tumbler could be detrimental. I can't hazard a guess as to how long this may take, as I suspect there will be several variables coming into play. The bottom line is, minimum tumbling, in as gentle a process as will accomplish the task. For my own loadings, as I said before, I use ten minutes as my own personal maximum, in a vibratory tumbler. Loaded cartridges will likely see much more severe treatment than this in the field (bouncing around in SUVs off road, etc.) so I personally regard this as an acceptable limit.

    Longer tumbling times and/or exceptionally rough tumbling methods could, theoretically, create problems. These may relate to the deterrent coatings, or to the possibility of external damage . The potential for accidental ignition via a primer being impacted by an FMJ, that sort of thing. I've never heard of such an occurrence, but I wouldn't discount it, either. The key here is some moderation and common sense.

    I hope this answers your concerns, but if you'd like to address anything more specifically, I'd be happy to discuss this with you further. Please feel free to contact us again, anytime. As always, we're more than happy to be of service.

    Sincerely,

    Kevin Thomas

    Lapua USA
So take your pick. :headscratch

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