Opinions on tarry bullet sealant - factory ammo

[Wapiti]

Guys I would like your opinion on this tarry, sticky stuff I found when pulling some bullets. Actually in the end, it will be 800 in all if I keep on it over time.

Some may remember a while ago, I posted this issue I had with the factory 7.62 NATO Winchester ammo loaded with the 135gn Sierra varminter. It was available for $25/box of 20 and I bought a heap. This is the projectile we primarily use here to thin out critters (in my handloads with 2206H) and is excellent at that.
So this factory ammo should be more of a good thing but after a few marked overloads, the last where the case brass flowed in around the extractor and right into the ejector hole, locking the bolt shut, I pulled some and found wildly varying powder charges, some strange ball powder, and the Garmin chrony showed velocities OVER 3200fps... way over the box speed of 3000.
Anyone interested, I detailed all of this in that post.
I also pulled 60 cartridges, stuffed around with the chrony and re-used the powder, and settled on a load (using the same powder, re-used) of 46gns instead of the up to 48+ that was in the factory load. That gave me just over 3000fps in a 20" barrel.

Anyway, I finally got around to start doing some more - pulling them, resizing the necks down again after pulling and was about to start up the RCBS thrower.
BUT I noticed this black, tarry sealant on the bullets I was pulling.
When tipping out the powder, I noticed a ring of ball powder stuck down inside the neck where there was a ring of sealant pushed down when seating the projectile at the factory. And the projectiles have this black sh*t on them still.

pulled1.jpg (690.4 KiB) Viewed 76 times

How I pulled the bullets, using a collet puller in an old press clamped in the vice on an angle frame, for odd jobs.

I don't know if you can see in this pic, the black tar on the projectiles that have been pulled.
Now the first 60 I pulled months ago did not have this tar on them, but this batch number is the same.
Now, some may remember that this ammo was made in Winchesters' military ammo plant, and is headstamped WMA, and is thicker brass in the body and necks that the normal alfoil-thin crap Winchester uses in its sporting 308 ammo. So great cases for re-using.
Apologies, I should've taken a pic especially of the projectiles, I thought I did. But I've locked the shed up for the day, too lazy to hobble back down there.

pulled2.jpg (685.87 KiB) Viewed 76 times

SO - the question is, what do you blokes who've reloaded a heap of old military cartridges over the years, think this black tarry sh*t will do burning up screeching down the barrel?
I plan to use it mostly in an autoloading rifle, for which parts in Australia unobtanium (especially with that mongoloid Albanese winding up the powers of customs and the AG's department that approves this stuff coming in), and some quite expensive rifles too that I don't want to compromise.
What do youse reckon?
Is this normally done?
Is it bad?

[Wm.Traynor]

Wapiti,
Try www.ozfclass.com
An old shooter/chemist, concocted a mixture for removing that stuff from the bores of a team of fullbore shooters who were visiting Canada (I think). This was back in the Olden Days; about 60 years ago.
If necessary, I will pm you his name.
Good luck

[Jorlcrin]

As far as getting the tarry gunk off, I'd suggest trying Orange Oil (D-Limonene).
You can buy tins of it as a (non-mineral-oil) paint thinner, but it works well on removing tarry gunk like old REGO stickers etc.

Might affect certain plastics, but for most things, it's a lot safer option than most other gunk-removers, and much kinder on your hands.

I've bought the tins of pure D-Limonene from Mitre 10 in the past(Paint section), but they also sell a spray called D-Solve-It, which is diluted with alcohol(I think).

There was also a small orange 100ml bottle sold by Planet Ark through our local Foodworks Supermarket, called 'Orange Power', which seems to be pure D-Limonene, and is sold for removing stickers, tar and other gunk.
Used to be able to buy it by the box in town, until the freight companies decided the D-Limonene is scarey to transport.
Weirdly, same freight companies will still happily ship pallets of insect spray and mentholated spirits to the same retailers, (MUCH more combustible), but that D-Limonene is too scarey dangerous to ship...
[Found this out by contacting the manufacturers....sigh]

My experience is that D-Limonene seems to work the best for removing that sort of crud.
Cant see that sort of gunk going through your Gas system would be a good thing; especially given the dire lack of parts for repair, these days....

[Wapiti]

Thanks heaps guys.
Wm.Traynor, geeze that site is a can of worms. Scared me.
Jorlcrin, that stuff in the orange bottle - my wife has a couple stashed at the places, I ask for it when I crack up over those paper labels that are stuck to anything made in China a mess on whatever cheap Bunnings tool I buy, then kick myself for buying it. She guards those bottles.

If I hadn't pulled the bullets Id've never known what is in some ammo.
I understand that they seal the bullet in ammo that's going to be in rain and humidity, or worse in someone coming out of the water.
But one wonders what the crap will do and what I turns into, carbon-wise, when it is burned up. carbon being hard as diamonds, of so they say.

I did consider swishing the bullets in thinners, that would dry fast too especially with a hit with a heat gun after, but it's the cases.
There's varying amounts of the tiny powder balls stuck to it inside the cases, big deal I can allow for a drop in powder by 1/2 a grain when I recharged them and just have to suck up the inconsistency.
My "tests" show that 1/2gn up and down doesn't make a lick of difference in the rifles I use for the task.
46.5gns gave an average of just over 3000fps but I'll drop it to 46 because of this extra powder stick inside the case on the tar.

But the primers are heavily ring-crimped in the cases and trying to decap them if not fired first to wash the tar out with solvent is not what I'd call a good idea.
And all because I'm suss on the crap they've sealed the bullets with in their el-cheapo procedure.
Decapping them when fired is easy enough, as is a few turns with a flash hole reamer.

The clear or tinted green, purple and red acrylic sealants we used to see in all the 7.62 surplus ammo that was everywhere in the '80's and 90's to seal the projectiles (and primers too) seemed to be pretty benign and we never saw a trace of it when cleaning guns, but sticky tar?

I suppose Winchester doesn't give a toss, this tar will be burned up on the way down the bore and I bet they couldn't care less about the result afterwards, just that the ammo meets the specs to keep water out. Dirty or damaged bores aren't their consideration.
Buyer beware.
I bought 800 rounds of this stuff in cartons of 200, and just found an 870 round metal "military ammo can" full too. F**k.
Maybe I'm being overly concerned for nothing.