Speer Lawman "CleanFire" brass is NOT clean

[jawman]

So after a lot of research and contemplating, I decided to make more of an effort to limit my exposure to lead. Lots of shooting over time adds up to lots of lead exposure. I know it's arguable, but that is my decision. Read more here if you're interested on how to limit your lead exposure, written by an avid shooter who works in the health and safety field: https://www.corneredcat.com/article/firearms-safety/aiming-for-lower-lead-exposure/.

Anyway, I bought a case of Speer Lawman CleanFire in 147gr 9mm on sale from TargetSportsUSA. It sounds pretty clean: "The ignition power comes from our patented Clean-Fire primer that contains no lead, barium, or antimony." Also, it uses a TMJ bullet, so unlike a FMJ bullet, there is no exposed lead base. The entire lead bullet is encased in a total metal jacket. Whereas with normal FMJ ammo, each time you fire, lead from the base of the bullet, as well as the mini explosion inside the gun going off, blasts lead into the air right where you stand and breathe. Outdoors this isn't as much of an issue, but indoors it is a much bigger issue. A good indoor range will be well ventilated, and have fans blowing air at your back to blow the cloud of dust and smoke downrange. Again, more info on lead exposure with firearms in the link above if you are interested.

Well, when I received the ammo and opened it to inspect it, the brass was extremely dirty. For a name like "CleanFire" this brass was anything but. I definitely expected more, especially for Speer. They are known to be one of the better ammo guys out there.

Does anyone have experience with this ammo? Is this normal? I've never seen ammo with brass this dirty before. All the rounds look like this.

 

[dogtown tom]

Brass tarnishes (oxidizes) on exposure to air.
Apparently you have a lot of air where you live.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnish

 

[DexMorgan]

At sea level, oxygen content is approximately 20.9% of the atmosphere. Oxygen content decreases with elevation. If you're really serious about decreasing oxidation of your brass, just move to the Himalayas.

 

[JohnKSa]

I'd say it looks like it got wet at some point. I've never seen new factory ammo stained like that. I don't think it's going to hurt anything, but it is kind of unusual.

 

[Tirod]

Ammo staining is exterior corrosion and the industry sells nickel plated for those who plan to carry it where the case would be exposed to humidity over long periods.

In as much as the original concern was about lead, this has no effect.

There have been other posts recently which noted the same issue, I'm thinking that there is either a shipping problem allowing ammo to sit in a high humidity area, or that we are finally getting to the bottom of the overstock which has plagued the industry for a year now. Ammo stored in bunkers for long periods will be subject to the local ambient humidity, makers are not using air conditioning, and their packaging isn't military grade for decades of storage. They were enjoying a quick "just in time" shipping scenario but the fall off of sales to hysterics has caused a lot of it to pile up. I'm not surprised at all to see some of it beginning to discolor. Brass isn't treated or kept particularly free of humidity in storage.

I have seen this buying boxes of ammo marked down in retail stores back in the days of widespread outlets. When drug and discount stores all had guns and ammo it was fairly common to note a box of ammo on the shelf for months, even years. If you purchased something in that caliber you'd go thru town picking up what was available, a box here or there, and finally the stockkeeper would have reason to rotate fresh or even discontinue the balance. He or she would put a mark down sticker on it, if not just scribble a new price - and most of us wouldn't do it on our own, as we were raised with some principals back then.

On the other hand the last few boxes of Paki .308 I have are still relatively free of stains, I got them in the 80's and sold the gun in the 90's. I check them now and again, it's amazing what a/c and a dessicant bag will do to keep ammo corrosion free.

Just shoot it, keep the wind to your back and all is good.

 

[jawman]

...Apparently you have a lot of air where you live.

Lol.

I live in Chicago, not very humid here so I don't think where I live has anything to do with it. And I just received the ammo last week and it looked like this on arrival.

For being factory new production ammo, the brass is dirtier than hell, and I just want to make sure it's okay to shoot, and won't cause problems or harm the gun in any way. I don't think it would, but just want to make sure. Every round is like this, and it's a case of 1,000 rounds. If it was just one box of 50 rounds, I wouldn't put much thought into it. But for an entire case, I'm more concerned. These 1,000 rounds are for practice with my carry gun, so I want to make sure they're okay to use. My concern isn't with the lead, it's just seeing how dirty the brass is. Will this make the gun dirtier a lot quicker? Or is it completely harmless to the gun and won't affect it in any way?

 

[wally]

Unless its made pits you can feel, its only cosmetic. Its a way of life with brass in Houston, keeping the wife's silver shinny is a constant battle. I've shot and reloaded much worse than this.

 

[jawman]

So I take it that this corrosion/tarnishing on the case will eventually cause pits in the brass which will make it unsafe for use?

 

[rodregier]

If you control the storage conditions it is *now* subjected to it shouldn't progress much further.

 

[boom boom]

If you live in Chicago, it is higher humidity than some of the country--just not salt water. You are next to a very large body of water--Lake Michigan which is why you get lake effect snows in the winter due to the higher humidity from the Lake. I also suspect that the ammo has been sitting for some time somewhere--the few extra dollars that Speer charges for their range ammo probably steered customers to other cheaper ammo. Those that reload also have had some issues with inconsistent results from this brass when reloading due to flash holes differences so it was not appealing to them as a customer.

Tarnished brass even to the point of being "chocolate" in color doesn't affect the strength of the brass nor its use as ammo except over a very long time--if you see greenish or whitish flakes of corrosion then it is time to get worried. If you reload, the main reason apart from aesthetics for shiny brass is that it is easy to tell if the brass is no longer safely reloadable such as cracks, bulges, and the like.

The major way to avoid lead exposure (if you don't work at the range) is to practice strong hygiene--thoroughly washing up after shooting. Brownells and Midway also sell special towelettes and soaps for removing lead contamination. Even if you fire Kleenfire ammo, if you are at an indoor range, you will still breathe in the lead from primer dust etc. of what others shoot. I recommend a shower after an indoor range trip as well The greatest exposure is for those that reload as you are playing around with used primers and their ensuing dust along with any incidental lead remaining in the firing residue.

Had a scare with elevated lead levels (not severely but enough) in my blood a few years back and changed my practices--e.g. firing plated/coated bullets. changing how I deprimed brass, and where I shot (avoided the old cheap ranges for the more expensive better ventilated ranges. Now have normal levels of lead in blood.

 

[jawman]

Yes Lake Michigan is right here, but it has not been a very humid summer at all this year. Last couple years have been very mild summers too. We are still relatively low in humidity compared to a lot of the nation. I have a slew of various caliber ammo, and not a single round from any of them has tarnishing. It is stored in a dry place and sealed multiple times, still looks brand new. That's why I was so concerned with this brand new ammo being tarnished to hell upon arrival. Ammo I've had for 8+ years doesn't look anything this bad, so there's no reason why brand new ammo should look the way it does. I just want to make sure this brass isn't going to cause any problems, especially since I'll be shooting it out of my carry gun.

 

[dogtown tom]

Lol.

I live in Chicago, not very humid here

Humidity has nothing to do with it.

For being factory new production ammo, the brass is dirtier than hell...

Again, it's NOT DIRT.....it's tarnish. 100% completely clean germ free tarnish.

If you read the link I gave above you will learn the tarnish on brass does not harm the case or your firearm.

 

[Jim Watson]

Agreed, tarnish. I suspect the ammo was stored in an air conditioned building until delivered on a humid day. It picked up a little condensation which discolored spots on the brass.
There is NO connection to lead exposure and no adverse effect on the strength of the cases.

The new indoor range here is of course well ventilated and also has a sink with large jug of D-Lead soap at the entry to the firing line. Also a sticky mat on the floor to reduce the lead fume and grit tracked out.

 

[jawman]

Thanks everyone. Good to know that it is fine and won't harm the firearm and isn't a danger to shoot. I'll be purchasing some silica gel desiccant packets from Amazon to store with this ammo since it is already heavily tarnished. Don't want it getting any worse than it already is. But if it's truly self limiting and doesn't affect the underlying layers or structural integrity of the case, I have nothing to worry about

 

[hemiram]

All the Speer ammo I've bought in the last few years has been just like the stuff in the pic. Shoots fine. I have like 2 boxes left, and it will be going bye bye next time I shoot.

 

[Hardtarget]

Looks like "camo-brass". cool. Really though, kind of odd coloring.

Mark