Tumbling Reloaded Rounds?

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Parks2055

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Relying on the theory that no question is a dumb question.
I was reading a forum where the writer was suggesting that he tumbled rounds after they were reloaded to "polish them up a bit".
Is this something that is actually done by some people?
I would just think it would not seem a safe pratice with loaded ammo.
Maybe I misunderstood, but thought I would ask the question anyway.
Thx,
 
Okay - Intersting, I will try and search a previous post on the subject.
Do you treat them any differently? Use a particular media?
 
Factory does it. Same media unless you want to switch from walnut to corn cob.
 
Why do you feel you need to tumble loaded rounds? I could see if you were going to display them on a shelf to sell you want them to look nice. But if you're just going to shove them into a dirty chamber and fire them, what's the point?
 
Tumbling Loaded Rounds

I used to do this & i was told the problem wansn't the round going off but the constant viberating will cause the powder to break down & can cause pressure problems so i stopped & have done any live rounds since
 
I used to do it but then I realized that media dust was accumulating in the small crack between the edge of the primers and the case heads. It looked ugly so now I just tumble them really well in the very beginning.

People ask this question about once a month, and the answer is you won't blow anything up by tumbling live rounds.
 
The powder breaking down has basically been proved to be false. There have been a couple posts here or there where guys have tumbled loaded rounds for hours and days then looked at the powder under a microscope and there was no change in the look of the powder. The factory ammo you shoot has been tumbled after cleaning. I generally don't just because I don't care if my ammo is shiny before getting shot but if I need to adjust a little headspace with a body die I have no problem cleaning off the lube in the tumbler.
 
I use newer media, and final polish tumble.

Not only makes 'em pretty, but if you use a protectant media additive like turtlewax or nufinish you will prevent oxidization on your brass and bullets.

I have tumbled rounds from 16 months ago that look 95% as good today as they did when I boxed 'em up.
 
But if you're just going to shove them into a dirty chamber and fire them, what's the point?
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It is much quicker to tumble loaded ammunition than wipe lube off with a rag. 10-15 minutes in the tumbler does the job with much less hassle and labor.
 
I used to do this & i was told the problem wansn't the round going off but the constant viberating will cause the powder to break down & can cause pressure problems so i stopped & have done any live rounds since
Click to expand...

It's a non issue, if it was how could ammo be transported across the country in rough riding semi trailers or spend weeks or maybe months riding in ammo cans on combat patrols. A few hours spent cleaning off lube after loading is nothing in comparison.
 
If your goal in tumbling finished rounds is to make them look pretty, I would recommend you use clean media that has not been used for cleaning spent brass.

Dust from the cleaning process contains all manner of stuff that, as stated earlier, can wind up in places where you don't want it. It also makes exposed lead pretty ugly.
 
Parks2055 said:
Okay - Intersting, I will try and search a previous post on the subject.
Do you treat them any differently? Use a particular media?
Click to expand...

I lube my pistol brass. It makes life much easier.

Finished rounds get about an hour in the tumbler with cob & Nu Finish car polish. Gets the lube off & also turns 'em into jewelry.:D
 
It's a non issue, if it was how could ammo be transported across the country in rough riding semi trailers or spend weeks or maybe months riding in ammo cans on combat patrols. A few hours spent cleaning off lube after loading is nothing in comparison.
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This argument doesn't really stand up to the sniff test to me. If you loaded up your tumbler, unplugged it, and put it in said car/truck/combat patrol, how long do you figure it'd take for your brass to get as shiny as when you actually plug it in for a short while? My guess is forever and a day.

FTR, I don't think there's anything wrong with tumbling loaded rounds. I just don't like that argument very much. :)
 
GLOOB said:
This argument doesn't really stand up to the sniff test to me. If you loaded up your tumbler, unplugged it, and put it in said car/truck/combat patrol, how long do you figure it'd take for your brass to get as shiny as when you actually plug it in for a short while? My guess is forever and a day.

FTR, I don't think there's anything wrong with tumbling loaded rounds. I just don't like that argument very much. :)
Click to expand...

The idea is that the vibration from transport would break the powder down to a finer grain or disturbing the graphite coating & make it faster, thereby raising pressure. There simply hasn't been any documented case of this happening.

A tumbler circulates the media & empty cases but loaded ammo (in my tumbler, anyway) just kinda stays on the bottom. It gets pretty shiny though.;)
 
This argument doesn't really stand up to the sniff test to me. If you loaded up your tumbler, unplugged it, and put it in said car/truck/combat patrol, how long do you figure it'd take for your brass to get as shiny as when you actually plug it in for a short while? My guess is forever and a day.
Click to expand...
It certainly is a different vibration than that of a tumbler but vibration none the less, a typical freight trailer has very stout suspension and I believe a 2-3000 mile trip across the country would exceed the impact/vibration of an hour or so in a tumbler.
 
I must have failed to hit the Post Quick Reply button.

This whole discussion is a non issue and Yes it perfectly safe to tumble loaded rounds. You're not going to degrade the powder, nor are you going to have a round go off.

With said I wouldn't tumble cast bullets reloads just because the cast bullet is exposed to the tumbling media.
 
WOW, I forgot how exactly the same the control powder and test powder looked after the 2 day tumble. That 700x was the perfect powder to test IMO. Any damage would have been easy to see...
 
I was going to run some rifle rounds through mine last night, just to try it out. But then realized I can't, since I use a sharpie on my loads to indicate powder and charge weight...
 
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