Do you tumble after loading

[Dudemeister]

As the title says, Do you tumble after loading, to get that factory look?

Is it even safe? I just finished about three hundred rounds of .45ACP, and I've been thinking about tumbling it for an hour or so for that nice shiny look.

Any comments?

 

[Reloadron]

Do I tumble loaded ammunition? Nope, but that does make it a bad thing to do so.

There are two lines of thought, one for and one against. Powder manufacturers strongly recommend against it as it will break down the powder and change the burn rate. This is that line of thinking. The guys who make case tumblers also oppose tumbling loaded ammunition.

The other line of thought is it matters not especially for short periods of time. A Google of tumbling loaded ammunition will bring up dozens of results with varying ideas on the subject. Mere transport of loaded ammunition submits it to vibrations. There have been many experiments performed by hand loaders experimenting. There are a few threads in this forum on the subject.

This was taken from another thread:

From Lyman Products Tumblers FAQ....

Q: Can I tumble loaded ammo?
A: No, this can be very dangerous. Tumbling loaded ammo can break down the powder causing extreme pressure problems.

Lyman Products Your Primary Source for Reloading Equipment


From another forum....

My Question

A discussion within a Reloading Forum which I frequent has led me to ask
a question from the experts regarding Tumbling Reloaded Rifle cases.
What is the stance of your company regarding this practice?
Does tumbling loaded rounds effect the powders inside? Are some powders
effected more so than others? Example. Are the Stick or extruded
powders effected in the same manner as a Ball powder or flake type
powder?
Any input you might be able to give me would be greatly appreciated and shared within my reloading circle.

...answer.....

And here is Mr. Mike Daly's response back.

Sir,

OK, here is the answer. DO NOT TUMBLE LOADED AMMO. The tumbling will cause degradation of the powder. This will increase the burn speed of the powder raising pressures to what may be high enough levels to damage firearms or people.

It really is this simple.

Have tests been done? Yes, tests on powders have been done in regard to degradation by vibration. Here’s what we learned, DO NOT TUMBLE LOADED AMMO.

The longer the ammo is tumbled, the worse the problem. No, We cannot tell you what length of time would be safe to tumble ammo.

Here is what we also know about the internet. There are always those people who portray themselves as experts due to the anonymity of the internet. Our responses are limited by the truth, theirs are limited by their imagination. We try very hard not to get involved in arguments on the net because of this. IF people really want the answers, they should contact us personally rather than trusting a message forum on the internet.

I hope this answers your question to your satisfaction

Mike Daly

Customer Satisfaction Manager

Hogdon Powders


Jay's final comment.....

By the way, It doesn't matter to me whether anyone tumbles loaded/primed cases or not. I won't do it, but that's just me. If YOU do it, I won't get injured if one of your cases becomes over-pressured and blows up. If you never have a problem, that's great. If you get injured the only sympathy I'll offer is that I'll be sorry that you gambled on safety and lost.

While most of the Do Not Tumble may have been the result of attorneys writing it the ultimate decision rest with you.

Just My Take
Ron

 

[cfullgraf]

I do not tumble after loading.

Many folks do.

Some say the factories tumble after loading.

Read all the information and make your own decision as Ron said.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes I do.
Almost everything, except cast lead bullet reloads.

That makes a mess when tumbler dust sticks in any exposed bullet lube.

rc

 

[THe Dove]

Yes, I do too. I even tumble rounds loaded with lead boolits, and yes, tumbling cast lead boolits can/will get messy. I usually tumble loaded rounds about 30 minutes in a my Lyman Turbo 1200 tumbler with corn cob media.

The Dove

 

[303tom]

As the title says, Do you tumble after loading, to get that factory look?

Is it even safe? I just finished about three hundred rounds of .45ACP, and I've been thinking about tumbling it for an hour or so for that nice shiny look.

Any comments?

Nope.............I don`t think it`s safe.

 

[ljnowell]

Here we go again. There is a thread right here on THR where two members took loaded rounds and tumbled them for two days! Thats 48 hours. There was no degredation of the powder at all and all rounds shot just as expected.

This is a myth that the powder will break down. That powder goes through a lot worse being on trucks and whatnot as its shipped around the country.

 

[Dudemeister]

Yes I do.
Almost everything, except cast lead bullet reloads.

That makes a mess when tumbler dust sticks in any exposed bullet lube.

rc

The rounds I was planning on tumbling are loaded with Lead. I use Bear Creek molly coated bullets. What exactly happens to the lead?

 

[rcmodel]

Nothing much happens to the lead bullet except it looks darker / blacker then it did as cast..

But I shoot mostly SWC cast bullets.
And they always have a trace of bullet lube in the SWC shoulder sticking out of the case.

And like I said, the tumbler dust gets stuck in it, and turns it into something equivalent to JB Weld when you try to clean it off.

There would be no problems with bullet shapes that don't have an exposed shoulder.

I would expect tumbling would remove the Moly coat, but I have never tried it.

rc

 

[ambidextrous1]

I frequently tumble plated and FMJ cartridges for a half hour or so, and have had no "surprises". I suspect that a half hour in the tumbler is less deleterious than keeping a loaded spare magazine in the glove box of my car for several months.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I've kept a goodly amount of various calibers in my pickup for around thirty years and 300,000 miles of washboard. The broken down cases show the powder looks the same and they fire the same as the day they were made. I really don't think having them in a vibrator etc for thirty minutes will compromise the powder.

 

[W.E.G.]

No.

Because the only thing that's ever gonna see my reloads is the inside of my rifle barrel, and I see no point in making extra work for myself.

Some people don't remove the case lube before seating bullets.
In that case, you have to do with loaded rounds what you should have done with empty sized cases.
To each his own.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

Nope.

But my rounds are pretty clean once they are done anyway.

 

[JohnM]

This question has been beat to death here.
I'm with those who say it isn't going to hurt a thing.
I don't always, but do sometimes.
I once found a few old boxes of rifle shells stuck away that were 30 or so years old and pretty black and grungy, I ran them in some walnut for about 3 days cleaning them up.
They shoot fine.

 

[blarby]

Yes I do.

Yes it is.

Do not use a rotary ( thumlers) type tumbler with pointed bullets.

Use a standard vibratory tumbler.

 

[Slamfire]

I absolutely believe a high enough shock and vibration spectral will break gunpowder down. I don’t know how much shock a tumbler will give, and I don’t know if 48 hours is a long enough exposure. But I do believe that mechanically grinding your gunpowder down will change the burn rate at some point.

Something to be considered is that as your rounds bump around in the tumbler there is incidental contact with primers.

Primers are not predictable and they have been known to explode in a woman’s purse and in court house evidence bags. See yahoo news link. I believe that is the reason ammunition is packaged in such a way that primers are protected from incidental contact, because , in the past, someone had an ammunition explosion that was traceable to loose ammunition.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sidesho...ide-woman-purse-shoots-her-leg-232052308.html

 

[45lcshooter]

If my bullets are tarnished i tumble them before i load them. I haven't found any ammo i loaded 5-10 years ago need tumbled. Key is tumble brass a while, load it, and don't touch it until your ready to shoot.

 

[Hit_Factor]

I never tumble loaded ammo.

Pretty much just use tuffnut for a half hour to get the brass clean, shinny is not important to me.

 

[hentown]

I tumble loaded rounds that on which I've lubed the caes...to remove the lube. Don't tumble long.

 

[beatledog7]

Like hentown, I sometimes will tumble a batch to remove case lube. If it's just 15-20, I don't use the tumbler but simply wipe the lube off with paper toweling.

I have tumbled handgun loads just to see the results, but I don't find it necessary.

 

[silicosys4]

Sounds purely cosmetic, so I'll avoid, but since I wet tumble I'll never have the opportunity anyways, lol... I have shot some cruddy ammo and anything I'd feel was so dirty or corroded it needed a tumble to shoot, needs to be broken down into components instead.

 

[BYJO4]

I've never had a need to tumble after loading my brass.

 

[FROGO207]

Yeah I do on anything that is not a hollow point that is. I use a bit of Nu Finish car polish and corn cob for 10-15 minutes tops.

 

[GLOOB]

I've heard the argument that if tumbling hurt the powder, then just riding around in a truck would also do similar damage. I thought that was a pretty weak argument, until...

I found an MTM box of 45 ACP in my truck. It hadn't been in there too long, cuz it was in the same shopping bag with a reactive target I bought not too long ago. The box had been sitting upside down, evidently. Cuz there are 100 brass colored discs rubbed into the lid by the case heads!

 

[RustyFN]

Yes but I only tumble my rifle ammo to remove the case lube.