tumbling live ammo?

[sm03]

I have some G.I. LC 1942 . carbine ammo that is a little tarnished that I would like to shoot, would there be any danger to the ammo if I were to tumble it for a while to clean it a bit?

[SMOKEY]

Not a reloader here but tumbling live rounds could damage the projectile. Just wipe tarnish off, make sure pitting isnt to bad, if it is dispose of it. Maybe even pull the bullet for future reloading. These are just what I think are common sense items

[joem]

There have been many discussions and even more opinions as to the effect it would have on loaded ammo. Some people say it could break down the kernals of powder and some say not. I've never done it myself but others have and reported no problems. If you only have a few rounds get a pot scrubber at the store and apply a little elbow grease to clean them.

[BigMo]

Ar15 had a long write up on this- complete with microscopic views of the powder kernals.
Go for it.............No worries.

[Jim in Salt Lake]

I'd shoot them tarnished then tumble the brass.

[Hefights]

Jim's right, tarnish will not hurt the firearm. Shoot the ammo and tumble the brass, unless we're talking more than just tarnish.

Having said that, I have tumbled live ammo. Will not hurt the powder or the projectile, assuming you are talking dry tumbling with corn cob or walnut shells.

[2571]

Jim's right, tarnish will not hurt the firearm. Shoot the ammo and tumble the brass, unless we're talking more than just tarnish.

Having said that, I have tumbled live ammo. Will not hurt the powder or the projectile, assuming you are talking dry tumbling with corn cob or walnut shells.

I do it routinely. Fail to see how abrasive would affect safety unless one were using ball bearings. I've used apricot pit w/loaded ammo.

[GA-Dave]

If it's tarnish (just discolored) then shoot it. If it is corroded (rust like bumps), especially around the primer, the discard it or break it down because the corrosion can weaken the case. I had a primer failure because of corrosion a long time ago.

I tumble all of my reloads to remove case lube and finger prints. My tumbler is a vibratory case tumbler with walnut hulls.

HTH,
Dave

[jjrothWA]

The answer is: "Well, do you feel lucky"?

Suggest you use 3M auto polishing pad (light grey) by hand to remove what you have, then deprime and tuble per other responses.

[PhillipM]

Ar15 had a long write up on this- complete with microscopic views of the powder kernals.
Go for it.............No worries.

^^this^^

Logic alone isn’t enough when it comes to harnessing propellant gases mere inches from a shooter’s face, so we asked experts at two of the World’s leading powder and ammunition makers. I spoke to the Chief Ballistic Scientist at Hornady Manufacturing and the Head Ballistician at Hodgdon Powder and asked for their professional opinions. Both agreed that this is a myth devoid of empirical data.
"Powder is hard, it doesn’t change shape from any reasonable amount of vibration,” said Hornady’s Dave Emary. “This notion that you can wear deterrent off of the surface of the powder is a myth, it is impregnated into the powder grains. You can’t knock this stuff off."
Both scientists felt that tumbling was a safe practice within the bounds of reason.

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