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How to clean corroded ammunition?


sassnetguy50

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Whatever you do, please don't put it in a vibratory tumbler.  That could be bad juju.  :huh:

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19 minutes ago, Duffield, SASS #23454 said:

Break it down for components. That corroded brass can let go with bad results.

What he said ^^^^^

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ill not recommend this but back in the late 50s my father bought a bunch of 303 to feed my enfield SMLE , it had a lot of verdigris , i hand removed it with steel wool - there was a lot of click bang and FTF in that mess , but i learned to respect just what the cost of ammo was and how it handled when aged , please be careful whatever you do , 

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Broken cases inside a chamber are such a joy to remove. One could create a new language in the process, a language filled with colorful expletives and metaphors. :D 

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3 hours ago, sassnetguy50 said:

624951C2-FEA2-463C-94C7-B9FF592C0F95.jpeg

That one doesn't look like squat. I'd shoot it without a thought. Depending on what it looks like afterward and how bad I wanted the case I'd probably reload it at least once if it doesn't look like it might leak.

JHC

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Vinegar will do it. Either wet a cloth and scrub or soak it for a couple minutes then scrub. Verdigris is copper rust/corrosion. 

 

Verdigris is also the reason you can't cook acids in brass pots that aren't tin lined.  The resulting salts in your food cause belly aches and vomiting.  Folks used to think tomatoes were poisonous cause of that.

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15 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Whatever you do, please don't put it in a vibratory tumbler.  That could be bad juju.  :huh:

Why? A good friend of mine commercially loaded 5.56 back in the 80's. After loading he would tumble them to remove the case lube. He learned that from a guy who used a cement mixer to remove case lube. Is it just a vibratory tumbler thing?

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12 minutes ago, Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485 said:

Why? A good friend of mine commercially loaded 5.56 back in the 80's. After loading he would tumble them to remove the case lube. He learned that from a guy who used a cement mixer to remove case lube. Is it just a vibratory tumbler thing?

 

Conventional wisdom has it that tumbling loaded ammunition in a vibratory tumbler can cause the powder to literally "break up" into smaller sized particles.  This can create a hotter, more rapid explosion.  Think of black powder, and the fg, ffg, fffg, and ffffg granulation.  Finer size is usually considered correct for smaller calibers; loading 105 grains of ffffg (4f) instead of 105 grains of the correct ffg (2f)  in a .62 caliber flintlock is not recommended.  Likely the firearm would survive, but it would be a much more stout load.

 

Dealing with smokeless, however, the results could possibly be considerably more pronounced.  Again, a firearm in good condition would most likely survive the incident, but why take a "Hey, Y'all! Watch this!" approach to an otherwise enjoyable afternoon of shooting.  :)

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However Dillon recommends it and I've read where many commercial reloaders do. I've done it for years, only for a couple minutes to remove lube. No issues so far. I probably wouldn't run it to remove corrosion however.

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2 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

However Dillon recommends it and I've read where many commercial reloaders do. I've done it for years, only for a couple minutes to remove lube. No issues so far. I probably wouldn't run it to remove corrosion however.

I do the same. 

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Get yourself a Lee Cutter and Stud kit, then the appropriate case holder for the specific caliber. The stud goes in a drill chuck,  shellholder holds the case to the stud. Spin the case and use the steel wool to polish the case and remove the corrosion. These Lee items are for case trimming. Obviously you won't use rhe cutter or case length pilot, but you'll have them when you eventually need to trim them.

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21 hours ago, Duffield, SASS #23454 said:

Break it down for components. That corroded brass can let go with bad results.

+ 100000

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1 hour ago, Wyatt Earp SASS#1628L said:

Get yourself a Lee Cutter and Stud kit, then the appropriate case holder for the specific caliber. The stud goes in a drill chuck,  shellholder holds the case to the stud. Spin the case and use the steel wool to polish the case and remove the corrosion. These Lee items are for case trimming. Obviously you won't use rhe cutter or case length pilot, but you'll have them when you eventually need to trim them.

https://leeprecision.com/large-cutter-with-lock-stud.html

 

That looks handy.

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To trim cases you need that kit, however you also need the pilot and shellholder specific to your caliber. In your case you will only use the lock stud with the specific shellholder. The pilot and cutter is used on a fired case to bring the overall case length to spec.

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On 4/16/2022 at 1:50 AM, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Broken cases inside a chamber are such a joy to remove. One could create a new language in the process, a language filled with colorful expletives and metaphors. :D 

I am not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but methinks Brother Pat doth speak with the voice of experience, and mine ear is inclined that-a-way!

(written while wearing my very best stuffed shirt expression!)

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