tumbling loaded ammo!

I have done this, too, but wonder why I bother!
Surely the piece of tumbling media would be blown out with the primer ignition and nobody would know if it was ever there.

Probably, but I'm not going to take a chance on something going wrong if it was hunting ammo. If it was practice ammo then yeah...forget about it:D
 
I've never done it, but if the circumstances were such that it made sense, I would. I'd likely restrict it to an hour or less - if you need more time in the tumbler then the ammo is junk.

I think it's a Myth - Gun Folklore if you will. If someone can show me the first-hand results of a test by a reputable Lab or even a reputable individual, then I might change my mind. Where is the proof? The "fact" that it seems like it would be harmful (powder breakdown, primer contamination, etc.) is no more powerful a proof than when it used to seem intuitive that the earth was flat. There are those of the "You can't be too careful", "If it saves just on child" persuasion who will not do it, but I would.
 
Myth? Really?

It happened to me! Nothing mythical about a primer magazine explosion initiated by static electricity. I was there! I have the burst primer magazine tube taped above my loading bench as a reminder.:popCorn:
Apparently things blow up around you, but we aren't talking about a primer magazine explosion, we're talking about tumbling loaded rounds. In a loaded round, any static generated outside the case will not make it inside, and anything generated inside is just grounded on the case and dispersed into the media.

Tumbled ammo doesn't blow up - let's see the videos proving otherwise.
 
If the round goes off in the open, not contained in a chamber/barrel, the powder will ignite! Why would it not?

Yes, the primer will be ejected, but it and the case become instant schrapnel, hardly a non-issue.

I say this because it happened to me. I had a .38 super round go off when the primer struck the ejector while unloading and showing clear after an IPSC match. It was my practise to cup my hand over the ejection port to catch the round ...

I was referring to events where a primer detonates in a hammer style bullet puller. In every case I've read about, the primer goes flying out of the case and the powder is not ignited.

The suspected cause of this is loose primer pockets allowing the primer to move enough to set itself off.

This differs in a couple of ways from what you describe:
-your primer was not likely loose
-your primer may have been still held in place by the ejector or whatever set it off. I would suggest that your slide slipped and pushed the extractor into the primer...whatever.

So a detonation of a primer may or may not set off the powder. Still, contained in a tumbler....complete non event.

Myth? Really?

It happened to me! Nothing mythical about a primer magazine explosion initiated by static electricity. I was there! I have the burst primer magazine tube taped above my loading bench as a reminder.:popCorn:

What? Again! Dude, maybe you should take up something else as a hobby....

I'm kidding

Seriously, it is a myth. A primer tube that is dirty with primer residue may have a problem with static electricity. That is operator error.

A primer in a loaded cartridge? No way, any charge stays on the outside surface of the cartridge.
 
In cases like this, some people will not do it regardless of proof that it's safe (or lack of proof that's it's not). That's fine, but the irritating part is when they try to bring others to their side. I am genuinely interested in the science behind this, but conjecture doesn't cut it for me.
 
In cases like this, some people will not do it regardless of proof that it's safe (or lack of proof that's it's not). That's fine, but the irritating part is when they try to bring others to their side. I am genuinely interested in the science behind this, but conjecture doesn't cut it for me.
Someone on CGN did a tumbling experiment where he put rounds in the tumbler for differing amounts of time, then chronographed some and disassembled some and looked at the powder under a microscope.

No change in the velocity or the visible powder grain structure. I don't have a link, it's been a while and the search function is less than helpful.
 
It's a non-issue in a tumbler. The pieces won't even damage the bowl.

x2

Guys. (For those of you who use a primer tube fed reloading press).
According to Winchester a 4oz ball dropped on a Large Rifle Primer from a height of 3" will have a ZERO chance of igniting the primer.
Potential energy from that:

PE = m * g * z

mass (m) = 4 ounce = 0.11339809249994 kilogram
acceleration of gravity (g) = 9.8 meter/second^2
height (z) = 3 inch = 0.0762 meter

PE = 0.084681159555253 joule = 0.062457618044928 foot-pound

Now A Tumbler is a vibratory cleaner. Meaning it is not going to have your loaded ammunition moving with very much kinetic force and far far less than that.

Kinetic Energy = .5 * M * V^2

Example: A 500 grain cartridge moving at 4inches/second in the tumble (Very fast BTW).
Mass (M) = 500 grain = 0.03239945499995 kilogram
Velocity (V) = 4 inch/second = 0.1016 meter/second

Total Kinetic Energy = 0.00016722265910214 joule = 0.00012333710385536 foot-pound

Drop test energy = 0.062 foot-pound
Energy of a FAST tumbling of 500gr cartridge = under 0.0002 foot-pound

Just some physics for you all. As was said above however. It is a personal choice (Akin to allowing the slide to slam on an empty chamber).
 
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