# Cleaning Dirty (Loaded) Rounds in a Vibratory Cleaner



## Scorpion8 (Jan 29, 2011)

A topic that some cohorts and I have discussed, but never resolved. Those of us in the "extreme firearm collecting and hoarding industry" seem to be a repository for other friends who need to dump off old, unused rounds of loaded ammo, either acquired from a passing in the family, or yard sales, or where ever. Some of those can be quite dirty. I have on occasion ran them thru my vibratory case tumbler and polished them back up and never had a problem. The rounds cannot vibrate together with enough force to "set one off" as many would gasp, and as long as the tumbler isn't doused with case polish liquid I doubt there's any issue of liquid polish getting into the case and spoiling powder or primers. The last issue is that vibrating the loaded rounds may change the composition of the powder from long grain to short grain but is that really any different that shipping cases of powder by long-haul truck or train or airline, where it is still subject to vibration in shipping?

While I would never use suspect rounds for self-defense, they are great for plinking or function-checking of a firearm so as not to waste/shoot "da' guud stuff".

Thoughts? Anybody else clean loaded ammo in a vibrating case polisher/tumbler?


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

I have a friend who does it to every round he reloads. I don't think it hurts a thing but in his case I doubt that it is necessary. He says that having all the sizing lube off of the cases is the reason he does it.

GW


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## CW (Mar 20, 2015)

Is it really necessary?

Just to make them shiny doesn't seem to justify the work, and if they are that cruddy, maybe the round should be disposed of. 
I'd be worried about sensitive primers.

Possibly some old expensive rifle rounds could benefit.

Would it be safer if the rounds were in a stripper clip? (I'd pitch rimfire if it was that bad)


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

A quick wipe with metal polish will probably give you the same results with less worry about cartridge failure or discharge.

GW


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## Scorpion8 (Jan 29, 2011)

goldwing said:


> ... with less worry about cartridge failure or discharge.


I have no worry about discharge nor cartridge failure. The rounds are only used for plinking or function testing and not personal defense. If one fails to fire, it goes in the bin at the range where they handle them. My true concern is "something" that I haven't thought of, anything that I may be missing? Time isn't an issue because I can drop a load into the case vibrator and let it go overnight while I sleep, so no time is lost.


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## TurboHonda (Aug 4, 2012)

I don't see any problem with it. Just for fun, I may vibrate a cartridge for 24 hours, then pull the bullet and compare the powder to one that hasn't been vibrated.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

My own feeling, totally unsupported by any pertinent personal experience, is that such tumbling would further fragment the cartridges' powder granules, thereby raising the load's pressure when you set one off.
Truck or rail transportation of canned powder probably would not apply quite so much short-period vibration, for quite as long a time, and in quite as small a container, especially since the canned powder would have been cushioned by packing materials that would have dampened vibration.

I've never done it, and I wouldn't do it.
But, as they say, YMMV.


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## Spike12 (Dec 10, 2008)

For what it's worth:

I read one of the Ruger forums quite a bit and this came up once with a lot of input. Results were that guys do it, nobody has had ever had a round go off. 

Personally I agree about the powder break down. Further, unless the round count is pretty high, I guess I'd just do them by hand with some 000 steel wool. I've used that on some of my reloads as a last step to check case mouths and NO they don't rust.


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## OldManMontgomery (Nov 2, 2013)

There seem to be two camps on this question.

Those who don't do it have NEVER done it and will NEVER do it.

Those that do it don't report any problems after doing it. 

I've done it once or twice with some really nasty stuff. No discrepancies of note. Probably a half hour with walnut hulls will do as much as is going to happen.


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