Another How To Question

[rocky3]

I reloaded over a thousand 9mm cartridges and now they are oxidizing. They looked so pretty after I tumbled them and rubbed polish over the outside.
A week later they are now oxidizing. Any suggestions how to keep them shiny will be humbling taken.
rocky

[versifier]

I'm not quite sure how to answer that specifically without a clearer description, but I'll give it a try and discuss the issue in general as food for thought.

Frankly, if you are seeing signs after only a week, I am concerned. To what degree are the oxidizing? That's the key question. Minimal and normal slight oxidation where the brass dulls or darkens a bit but the ammo is still functional (i.e. only a cosmetic issue)? Or the other extreme where verdigris (thick green oxides) has formed on brass cases and copper bullets to the point where they must be cleaned with steel wool before loading? Your reality is most likely somewhere in between these extremes. One obvious question is what did you add to the tumbler as a polishing compound?

Local climate can have much to do with it. Where are you located? Where and how do you store your loaded ammo? Excessive humidity is never good and is often the culprit. Milsurp gasketted ammo cans with desiccant packs are the only way effective around it that I know.

That said, as long the problem is strictly cosmetic and the ammo is only darkened but still perfectly functional I wouldn't worry about it. In almost forty years of loading and well over 100,000 rounds I have never polished a single case. If they hit the dirt I do wipe them all down with a clean cloth before sizing, but that's it. It is not excessively wet here in New England and I take no special precautions for storing my stash of unloaded cases, though I do store all loaded ammo in sealed cans. The cases do darken over time, but dark cases do not shoot and function any better or worse than pretty shiny ones. With rifle cases, especially rimmed and belted ones, the higher visual contrast of darker cases many time alerts me to potential problems like incipient head separation when I might have otherwise missed them. With rimless handgun cases that is not an issue, but when diagnosing feeding and function problems the darker cases show the telltale rubs and scratches much better and have saved me a lot of head scratching and the hassle of coloring them with black sharpie ink.

On the other extreme though, verdigris is NEVER a good sign and is indicative of either exposure to excessive humidity or corrosive agent or atmosphere. If there was any AMMONIA in the polishing compound, that would really set the alarm bells off. Many common brass cleaners contain ammonia and are not safe to use for cartridge brass. Not only would ammonia cause verdigris to form fairly quickly in storage but it would seriously weaken the crystal structure of the brass cases and copper bullet jackets over time. The higher the cartridge's pressure, the greater the danger of case failure over time. I am wondering since the problem appeared so soon after loading if this is a possibility as it is a potential safety issue. If it is, shoot them up as soon as you can and soak the fired cases in a vinegar solution to neutralize the ammonia, no harm done. Ammonia is a common ingredient in gun cleaners to remove copper fouling from barrels because it eats copper, and copper is a major component in brass.

Not an issue in your case, but as an aside it is not uncommon to come across older ammo that has been stored in leather cartridge loops that is thick with verdigris from the leather holding moisture in contact with the case walls. 0000 steel wool cures that enough to make it functional, but I do toss the brass after firing.

[rocky3]

Hi and Thanks.
Just a cosmetic problem, darkening is only on brass after a week or so. I live on the coast of Oregon and rain is mostly 9 months of the year.
I thought automotive polish would work, but no. So now I am using some tranny fluid to see if that will work. I keep all oil off of the primer. and oil lightly to shell. Shiny is not a hang-up for me, just like to see some shine after so much work.lol

[Hellrazor]

I wouldn't put oil on them. Get some of those gel packs that absorb moisture and store the ammo in a watertight ammo box.

[versifier]

Glad to hear it's just a cosmetic issue. I'd take an accurate load over a shiny one any day. Never a good idea to leave anything oily or even waxy on the outsides of cases (unless it's for a belt-fed full auto). Clean and dry functions best, regardless of the color of the brass.

I have a bunch of the large 20mm cans for storing most of my loaded ammo, but I have a few smaller 30 & 50cal ones for specialty stuff and transport. (A long time ago the small ones were all I needed. Years of ready access to range brass and dozens of die sets changed that.) Most of mine have small desiccant packs in them. It wouldn't hurt for you to grab a few milsurp ammo cans at your local surplus store and add some bigger gel packs to combat your climate.

They sell primer/bullet sealers, I believe they are some kind of lacquer. You see it on milsurp ammo sometimes, especially the red stuff on steel-cased 7.62x39's and 7.63x54R Russian ammo. I have also seen it on .303Brit milsurp ammo. Federal factory ammo uses a blue sealer on primers sometimes. Clear or colored transparent nail polish works fine too. (Three daughters.) I sometimes apply it to hunting ammo.

[elkhunter77]

Stuff out there called Markron sealer. Small bottle does about a thousand rounds and works well. I use it on Hunting ammo especially in the snow or rain. They sell it at Midway and Cabelas. Sierra suggests it for all Hunting ammo. Same stuff on factory Weatherby cartridges.

[Kirbydoc]

Elkhunter, I'm assuming you put it on a loaded round a little 'round the primer.

[Hellrazor]

I use that on the bullet and primer on my hunting ammo.

[Kirbydoc]

Is that the same as the stuff I used to call "tarry snot"?

[Hellrazor]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/954332/markron-custom-bullet-and-primer-sealer-1-2-oz-liquid

Its nail polish for men.... :)

[elkhunter77]

Yes just put a dab around the primer and wipe off the excess. It fills the gap around the primer. I don't think it is straight nail polish as it is not brittle and does not dry out in the bottle from not using. Must be some additional polymer in it.

[versifier]

Both resins have the elasticity to move with the metal as the temperature varies. Whatever solvent is in nail polish, it is a lot more volatile than what is in the other. I've never had to buy something special from Midway with three daughters, all of whom learned to shoot and one to hunt over many years. They tossed anything they tried and didn't like and knew I could use into my shooting bag. There are six in my range box right now. (At the other end of it from the Loctite. Don't ask.) Nail polishes work great to touch up front and rear sights, too. Black, white, orange, red, dark blue and green for sights, and anything translucent or clear to seal primers and bullets.

[Hellrazor]

Please don't tell us you use tampons to cleans your shotgun barrels...

[smilie=1:

[versifier]

I know you were joking HR, but...

No, the string wasn't strong enough - it broke when I pulled one through the 20ga's choke tube, no good way to fix it to the end of the cleaning rod as-is but it cleaned a thick layer of melted wad plastic in one pass when I dunked it into solvent and first pulled then pushed it through when the string broke with a range rod. Little torpedo held A LOT of solvent, just like those felt pellets you push through the barrel to clean air rifles with, just much bigger. I couldn't find my 20ga brush and then I ran out of large cleaning patches late one night doing shotgun maintenance and I went to the medicine cabinet to scrounge a gauze pad to put through a slotted jag and scrub the barrel with, I saw the box of them first and a light bulb went on. Seems to me I remember a company selling something like that for larger bores (Otis?) but no matter what kind of hole they get shoved into or pulled out of, they're all made from the same very absorbent 100% cotton felt material. It would be more work than I'm interested in to cut some up with razor blades and try them in a rifled barrel, but they'd work great for applying solvents or oil if correctly sized. I never asked if they came in different sizes. Probably better not to know.... Sometimes when you're right in the middle of something and run out of critical supplies, a man has to get creative, that's when you learn things. Now I have Boresnake for the job, when I can find it....

[elkhunter77]

Heck I couldn't even go to the store and buy the darn things for my wife, too chicken I guess.

[j1]

Rule number one. Shoot them and they cannot corrode.

[j1]

Do not leave the reloads around long enough to develop problems. Now if that is a problem I might be able to help.