Shooting tarnished ammo

[portph]

Howdy,

I've got a few bits of old ammo that the copper is pretty tarnished on.

It's been kept dry in the safe, I think it's just from handling the ammo and oils from the fingers or whatever.

No corrosion at all. The bullets are still and smooth and all, just the colour is tarnished.

Will this effect how they shoot at all? Even just a little accuracy? Or will there be no difference.

[Noisydad]

Probably wont be any difference in accuracy at all. You may or may not have some extraction issues (because of the slightly rougher surface) but you could give the brass a rub with some fine steel wool to shine them up.

[Lorgar]

I'd say no difference.

If they're not real old or neglected you're only talking about a super thin layer of corrosion.

Won't make any difference to your ballistics IMO.

[yoshie]

Ruffing them up may cause more friction when extracting the spent case,

[crys]

You can tumble ammo can't you?

Assuming that's safe, a half hour tumble would shine it up?

[1290]

Let us know how the tumbling goes... not.

Give the brass a once over with a bit of fine steel wool, that will smooth them out and remove some of the markings... don't oil them - oil and chambers don't mix.

[crys]

So is that a "not safe" to tumble it then?

[1290]

So is that a "not safe" to tumble it then?

I would not tumble them.

[Ariat]

Surely there isn't enough going on in a tumbler to have any chance of "striking" a primer?

I'm not condoning or condemning it, but what's the worst that could happen if you tumbled a live round?

I wouldn't think anything?

Just curious...

[Berper]

Don't take this as gospel, but I'd be seriously surprised if you could get a live round to fire in a tumbler.

Modern smokeless rifle powder is obviously very stable and I'd say it would be all but impossible for a bit of media to "strike" the firing pin.

I suppose the bullet tip from one cartridge could potentially bump another ones primer, but a primer isn't made of rice paper... I'd be surprised if it did anything other than just glance away. Or maybe scuff it a bit the same way that brass rumbling together in the tumbler does to each other.

Absolute worst case if one did go off in the tumbler by some fluke... As you know a bullet won't "fire" without the pressure of a chamber and barrel propelling it. I suspect you'd just have a bit of a mess to clean up with the media it spat out everywhere.

These are just my thoughts on it, not stating them as fact.

[headspace]

Just shoot it, the tarnishing won't affect anything unless it's really green. If it's hard to chamber though I'd take that as a warning sign.

[Seconds]

Agree with headspace.

If it chambers fine shoot it.

You'd have to be well past "tarnished" for it to be a problem.

[Apollo]

Don't.... DO NOT...!!! Put live rounds in a Tumbler. Even cases with live primers.

Unlike smokeless powder that requires an ignition source as supplied by the primer. A primer is an explosive based on NitroGlycerine, impact is what sets it off even so light it may be possible but as well a static electricity charge can also set it off. If one primer fires it will set the rest off.

DON'T test it out.....Please, in the interest of safety.

Post a photo of these "Tarnished Cases" and let us all see what they look like.

If anything I would give them a run with a ScotchBrite to remove any loose rubbish but we don't know what they look like.

Personally, I don't like the idea of using Steel Wool around anything to do with a firearm in case even the slightest bit finds it's way into the rifle chamber or bore.

[Warrigul]

It is not so much the setting off that is the issue with tumbling(however that is a possibility) but when a case is vibratory tumbled it can damage the powder by breaking the powder into smaller pieces. The result an overload that can blow the crappery out of your bundook when fired (just like a solid piece of wood won't burn readily but shave it up and it burns real quick).

A few years back I dissassembled and reloaded some nice shiny rounds for a bloke who had locked up a .303, it was supposed to be AR2206 but there were a lots of wierd pieces in there. When questioned he had thrown them in the tumbler to clean them up.

The local gunshop collared the ADI rep who said the same thing.

DO NOT TUMBLE LOADED ROUNDS

[Ariat]

It is not so much the setting off that is the issue with tumbling(however that is a possibility) but when a case is vibratory tumbled it can damage the powder by breaking the powder into smaller pieces. The result an overload that can blow the crappery out of your bundook when fired (just like a solid piece of wood won't burn readily but shave it up and it burns real quick).

Ah well that makes sense.

I guess the "worst" than could happen is worse than I expected

[1290]

Good insight there Warrigul with the broken up propellant... had never though of that, but makes sense, much like over compressing a load and breaking up the granules... Now PLEASE change your avatar....

It is not so much the setting off that is the issue with tumbling(however that is a possibility) but when a case is vibratory tumbled it can damage the powder by breaking the powder into smaller pieces. The result an overload that can blow the crappery out of your bundook when fired (just like a solid piece of wood won't burn readily but shave it up and it burns real quick).

A few years back I dissassembled and reloaded some nice shiny rounds for a bloke who had locked up a .303, it was supposed to be AR2206 but there were a lots of wierd pieces in there. When questioned he had thrown them in the tumbler to clean them up.

The local gunshop collared the ADI rep who said the same thing.

DO NOT TUMBLE LOADED ROUNDS

[batter]

What's wrong with old Samuel

[1290]

What's wrong with old Samuel

He one ugly mother...

And as an Actor et cetera; I'm over him.

Look up hypocrite and you may see a picture of him, next to the review of Django.

[crush]

I like a few of his movies, but he's a bit of a one trick pony in terms of roles.

[headspace]

Maybe Samuel should be tumbled if he's that tarnished???

[Deco]

I think he might object to having his skin washed off

[Warrigul]

I think he might object to having his skin washed off

Micheal Jackson tried.

[balter]

Tried, failed.

[1290]

Tried, failed.

Whatjutorkinboutwillis
I think he did pretty well.....

[balter]

Hmm,

I think I'd have to call that "limited success" at best

[Warrigul]

Hmm,

I think I'd have to call that "limited success" at best

Yeah, a bit like Olivia Newton-Johns facelift there is something that isn't quite right about it.

[1290]

success from the perspective of achieving a transformation from black to white.... the rest of it well.... thats written as a sad depraved chapter in the pop culture history books.

[bunnybuster]

No problem,I have used 303 ammo made in the 1930-50 era,a bit off colour but it went bang and hit the target,the world didn't screech to a halt,

Be Safe BB.

[portph]

Cheers all. Sounds like I have no problem.

[portph]

No problem,I have used 303 ammo made in the 1930-50 era,a bit off colour but it went bang and hit the target

I'm not talking about anything even remotely that old.

18 months max so I'm sure it will be all good