Can I tumble live rounds?

Potshot21

Potshot21

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Okay, so the story is an aquaintance of mine is giving up on his 338 Lapua and said he'd give me some of his left over rounds. But it turns out they had been "rattling around" in his truck for what looks like some time and are pretty filthy looking.

Tumbling live ammo seems to me like a very bad idea, but curious if it is a common practice that can be done safely to return these rounds to pristine condition and put to good use.

Thanks!
 
I never tried it but I'd be worried about the powder breaking into smaller pieces and maybe changing the burn rating....don't know if that is possible but just a thought.
 
I've done it before with no ill effect I could monitor or feel with:

-9mm
-223/5.56
-308
-303br

Experience may vary, but nothing happened when I did it. 15-20mins. Powder splitting up might be a possibilty but I'm no expert.
 
there is always that fine line between can you and should you. You can, but given my own propensity to worry and second guess my decisions, I wouldn't.
 
You can do it, it is safe, your #### will not fall off.
I'm about half way through a case of Hirtenberger tumbling all the corrosion off of it, usually in there for 2 days minimum.
I've done this off and on for 20 years, some folks have even gone so far as to chrony tumbled ammo before and after tumbling and the velocity was the same.
PS....you should see the set up they use for this in the US.... I'll try and find the vid.
Here is a thread where the guy tumbled for 200-300 hours and scoped the powder.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/303242_Live_ammo__in_tumbler_for_over_200_hours_with_microscopic_images___OP_UPDATE__fired_rounds.html
 
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I ran an experiment because all the idiots come out of the woodwork when someone asks this. Everyone has an uneducated opinion on the matter.

I ran a few hundred rounds, put some of them in a vibrating tumbler for 10 hours and a rolling tumbler and went out the next day and chronied all of them. No difference at all.

Ive done this with 9mm and 223.

Even after I did this and reported it, people said it would change after 24 hours... so you cant pleasse everyone.
 
Got Juice? said:
...problem with tumbling is the powder kernels inside the case can be beat up enough to break up into smaller pieces.
Click to expand...

This idea has been printed many, many times for many, many years, but without a shred of proof or even an "I heard from a guy who had a buddy who..." anecdote to back it up. On the other hand, several people have deliberately tumbled cartridges for hours or days in an attempt to prove or disprove the notion, none I have heard of found any negative consequences at all.

You make your own choices, but I consider the theory thoroughly debunked.
 
Can I tumble live rounds?

I do. There is nothing in a vibrating type tumbler that has the force to make a round go off.
 
BattleRife said:
This idea has been printed many, many times for many, many years, but without a shred of proof or even an "I heard from a guy who had a buddy who..." anecdote to back it up. On the other hand, several people have deliberately tumbled cartridges for hours or days in an attempt to prove or disprove the notion, none I have heard of found any negative consequences at all.

You make your own choices, but I consider the theory thoroughly debunked.
Click to expand...

If you think about it that powder/ammo gets shaken up pretty good in transit, and military stuff is hauled halfway across the world and back, sometimes more than once. All the Comblock and WWII surplus stuff must have gotten the spit shook out of it. Butif you're worried, just use steel wool or an SOS pad.
 
There was a good report done by a guy who vibrated a bunch of ammo. He took microscopic pictures of different powder kernels and primer contents, before and after, and neither showed any amount of abrasion or deterioration after many hours of vibrating in his unit. To me, it was evidence enough that live ammo is not harmed at all by doing this.
I wish I could find the writeup now... it's out there somewhere.
 
Factory ammunition is likely jostled around more in transit to the store than a tumbler would do.


You will be fine.

That said, I wouldn't make a habit of it.... OCD sucks.
 
Potshot21 said:
Okay, so the story is an aquaintance of mine is giving up on his 338 Lapua and said he'd give me some of his left over rounds. But it turns out they had been "rattling around" in his truck for what looks like some time and are pretty filthy looking.

Tumbling live ammo seems to me like a very bad idea, but curious if it is a common practice that can be done safely to return these rounds to pristine condition and put to good use.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've done it a number of times before, with no noticeable effect.....other than shiny brass.
 
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