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There was an add in classifieds for a 12ga mec grabber for 75$ so I went to look at it. It was a rust bucket. Did not buy so still looking.
But I seen 2 tumblers on the bench running no lids, with live ammo, 1 had 7.62x39 the other 7mm mag. I ask him if he thought was safe. Says he does it all the time but no more than 50 pcs. at once. Not me I did not stay long.
hope you enjoyed this one, I have never seen this before,nor have I thought about it.
300winmag
I have never heard of them going off but have read that it can break up the powder changing the burn rate. Last year I took 20 44 magnums out of RV it had been in plastic box under a drawer for about 30000 Miles they all were a bit on the hot side first 6 stuck in S&W ended up shooting them in contender lead seemed soft as they leaded badly also. they did not show pressure signs in contender Or I would have pulled bullets. I am not sure if heat or vibration caused change and I forgot they were there for 8 years.
I almost always tumble reloads for 15 minutes or so to remove case lube. Never had any problems or deviations from chrono'd history. Only thing I ever saw was that the lead looked more like the drawings in magazines (dark grey) than shiny. Pistol chambers seemed to be happier when the case was uttlerly non-slippery.
I have done it for years and never had a problem.
Even pulled apart after tumbling and powder looks the same as when she went in the case.
Do a lot more damage to powder with a compressed load I would think.
Maybe I just have been lucky but it doesn't bother me at all.
Ken
I have never thumbed but have tossed them in the Vibrator type.
I am not being funny about calling it what it is I am doing so since that is what they do with factory ammo tumbler.
They tumble end over end like a rock polisher.
The only types of powders that are broken up are the kind that look like a tiny straw Ball types are OK.
The 2 i have lyman 1200 turbo and RCBS have had loaded ammo in them with Crushed Nut and dryer sheets to get any lube off them ect.
The sheets that come with them say do not use for loaded ammo. But lawyers write the sheets and would state like in the Christmas story
Yep - same dang reason I can't get anybody to mount perfectly good tires on my truck!Quote:
Originally Posted by 340six
i have used the vibrating type tumblers for dirty pulled brass with live primers and have 2-3 hours in there and tested primers... all worked ... had no problems .....i wouldnt use loaded though
I have done it on occasion, but I prefer to wipe the lube off mine. I have also used NeverDull on them too, but that is a manual process...
I look at the danger of doing this about the same as loading pointed soft point bullets in a tubular magazine. Lead isn't hard enough to put a mark in the primers (CCI). I have used lead round nose in them all my life.. and have had no problems.. I don't slam my rifles on anything either... and it would take one hell of an impact to get any primer to go in a tubular magazine, unless you are using primers made from a soft material..
Been doing it for years and never a problem. On another forum the argument went as far as someone loading up a bunch and tumbled them. He then took several out at set times, knocked one apart to check the powder and shot the rest over a chrony. After a 24 hr period, they showed no signs of powder breakdown or velocity spikes or high pressure signs.
Wow that is taking it to the extreme to prove a point!
It would be also the only way to know for sure.
Ken.
Been proven safe time and again in vibratory tumblers, I do it too sometimes, but I won't criticize anyone for being a little skiddish about it. I do mine outside on the other side of a big oak tree, run an extension cord out there and if it goes Kaboom the tree will soak up anything headed my way.
Gear
Not to be a jerk but if you "think" it is so safe, why do you put the tumbler on the other side of a tree?Quote:
Originally Posted by geargnasher
I don't tumble live ammo. Never have, never will. As far as cleaning case lube off goes I tumble the resized case before I do anything else with it. Doing it this way I could tumble the cases for a month and the only problem would be the electric bill and maybe a worked to death tumbler.
I will admit that for all I know both "theories" as to why you shouldn't tumble live ammo could be total nonsense BUT if either theory turns out to be valid I don't want to be the one that proves it.
I heard that tumbling live ammo can break up the powder grains and change the burn rate.
I dunno if it's true, but it sounds reasonable.
Hey guys, I'm a newbie here in your forum and this will be my first post. Its a good topic and one I have wondered about from time to time as I was wiping lube off of 200+ .223 rounds. Nice to see someone went to such an extreme as mentioned in howInmad's post just so folks like us can clean our fresh reloads comfortably in a tumbler.
I never use a lid. I like to see the brass vibrating. I fill the vibrator half full of crushed walnut shells. I drop the brass and live ammo in while vibrating. I don't over do it where the cases touch much. vibrate a few hours while checking to see how there doing. depending how clean I want them I'll dump the walnut shells put in cleaner walnut shell. I have 3 tubs walnut shells dirty, fairly clean, and clean. I have been reloading about 30 years and have not heard or experanced any accident tumbling live ammo. Use common since. That's just my way, works for me.
I tumble ( or vibrate) my brass after I size and trim it. I haven't had the urge to stick loaded ammunition into the tumbler yet..Probably won't, either...
......GearQuote:
Originally Posted by chris112
and anything done to lessen the risk ( at least for me ) is worthy !! i'm really fond of my fingers and life as well as the equipment that my hard earned cash bought , most commercial companies tuble clean their ammo , no they dont do it for but a moment but it's still being done , common sense goes along ways in this , i'll tumble for hours prepping the brass yet as a final polish on very few select rounds i'll tumble for 5 minutes , i also wont finish tumble rile rounds or pointy projectiles
I've tumbled live ammo before, but I don't see myself doing it again. Seems redundant. It sure makes the rounds pretty though.
GH1
I always size my brass, vibrate it clean, then load it.
I once vibrated some very crudy .38's, planning to shoot them. I had second thoughts about shooting them because I thought they may have gotten too wet, so I pulled them. 3 out of 40 had clumped, 1 a solid chunk.
I get the willies punching live primers, even though I use what I consider safe practices. If 1 in 10.000 should go off, it would scare the begeezers out of me.
it never occured to me to try tumbling it loaded.
i treat my brass in a citric acid solution and dry it.
if i lube it, it then goes into the tumbler to be cleaned.
i like my dies, clean brass goes in them. just like clean brass goes in my rifle.
i vibrate my brass clean ,... then decap old primers and size them, wipe off w/ a dry rag ... , i have tumbled cases with primers only , and had no problems but i wouldnt want to shake up my powder into smaller faster burning pieces if you want to take the chance so be it , just hope you arent shootin next to me ( if )your gun goes kabang ... i like to play it on the safe side of things