500 rounds of tarnished ammo =(

[Sticky]

+1 on photos, whatever you use don't use any cleaner that has anything ammonia based in it (Brasso, Simichrome, Flitz), and if anything cleaning it with a paper towel is better as it's a mild abrasive.

Side note I know plenty of re-loaders that will do a whirl in a brass tumbler once they are done re-loading it just may wear out your tumbler from the added weight.

I tumble briefly after loading to remove lube remnants from the cases, but I wet tumble before loading, so cleaning isn't really needed, just a quick degreasing (or de-waxing in my case)..

 

[yellowsled]

Still not understanding the reason to not shoot tarished ammo.

 

[ascorb]

Still not understanding the reason to not shot tarished ammo.

I would still shoot it but have second thoughts of long-term storage

 

[Pinecone]

Most manufacturers tumble ammo at the end of the loading process. Lake City does with all military ammo.

If you search, a guy forgot his ammo in the tumbler, and left it for some 24 hours. NO change in velocity when he fired it.

I tumble for 15 - 20 minutes after I load 5.56 on my Dillon to remove the lube.

To be clear, we are talking about VIBRATORY tumbling. NOT rotary.

 

[ascorb]

ehh this post left me more confused than ever, so I should go with a vibrating tumbler?

 

[JohnnyE]

Most manufacturers tumble ammo at the end of the loading process. Lake City does with all military ammo.

If you search, a guy forgot his ammo in left it for some 24 hours. NO change in velocity when he fired it.

I tumble for 15 - 20 minutes after I load 5.56 on my Dillon to remove the lube.

To be clear, we are talking about VIBRATORY tumbling. NOT rotary.

Kind of a misnomer to call it tumbling if it's not rotary.

 

[Threeband]

I have a bunch of surplus Swedish 6.5mm which is pretty scary looking. An hour in the vibratory tumbler does almost nothing, but 5 seconds with a bit of steel wool removes the loose crud and polishes the case, leaving large dark areas but allowing close inspection.

Surplus ammo top center, new PPU ammo on right.

 

[toolness1]

Could tumbling loaded ammo cause the powder in the cases to become slightly more pulverized from tumbling and working against each other? If that turns larger powder grains into finer or smaller grains that combust more quickly, could that cause an overpressure?

I got a batch of rough 30-06 and 303 HXP from CheaperThanDirt a year or two ago. It was advertised as being gnarly but shootable.

I think I posted some pics on here of the ammo and the powder before and after tumbling.

I ended up tumbling all of it and had no problems. I inspected the powder with a magnifying glass from some pulled rounds before and after tumbling and could see absolutely no difference. It helped a ton.

I had started doing each one by hand with steel wool and it was going to take me forever. Tumbling it with corn cob and some treated walnut mixed made it look great.

There were a few with the pinkish corrosion and I put those in the "to be pulled" jug.

 

[Pinecone]

Kind of a misnomer to call it tumbling if it's not rotary.

Yes, but that is the common terminology.

And, at least in my Lyman, the rounds do tumble around in the bowl.