Safe to tumble loaded ammo?

[padronanniversary]

Re: Safe to tumble loaded ammo?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Super Bee 950</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For those that think tumbling is bad, do you honestly think they ship powder in vibration proof trucks? I put at least 20K a year on my truck driving cross country with a trailer, and every interstate beats the hell out of my rig at some point in time. Louisian being the worst!

30 minutes in my tumbler is a lot less abusive than the trip from the powder plant to the retail store. I guarantee that stuff gets shaken all over the place in the back of the truck.</div></div>

Being a reliability and test engineer in my former life, the transport mechanism is is called "random road vibration". This is a standard test that is done on electronics as well as other goods to determine detrimental effects of goods during transport. What is unique and interesting about this test is that on a vibratory table, its actually quite severe. Sweeping different frequencies as well as amplitude during this test. The vibratory tumblers we have is not where near as severe as these industrial machines, not to mention as the poster pointed out, ammo is shipped to many regions "bouncing" around.


There are many other tests as well, HALT for instance which is really not an accelerated life test, but rather a test to determine its operation and destruct points both temperature extreme, as well as vibration, and also combined.

I have tested ammo just to see if there was any difference as people referenced destroying powder (hey you get bored in the basement of a lab working long hours after everyone has gone home). I have tested ammo to to -40C and 100C all the while vibrating it with no ill effects after brought back down to room temperature. Chronoed just the same as before. So I'll tumble my loads to clean lube and make it look nice before I store them.

 

[jr81452]

Re: Safe to tumble loaded ammo?

as it is with most matters, you must look to the history of a thing to understand the fear of it. the concept of tumbling loaded ammo causing powder breakdown is no myth, it is simply another problem we no longer have. just as there was a time when the corrosive nature of primers meant that to forgo cleaning your weapon thoroughly after every season was a sure recipe for a pitted barrel, there was a time when powder would actually breakdown from excessive vibration. thankfully modern powder and primer technology makes these concerns relics of the past. denigrated to hand me down fears of the previous generations. if your ammo doesn't come from some third world stockpile, tumble it all you want and you'll not see any problems. i've tumbled my own freshly loaded masterpieces for years. i've yet to see proof of any ill affect.

 

[cpermd]

Re: Safe to tumble loaded ammo?

I was involved in some testing for this in the 80s at the Remington plant here in Lonoke.
Ammo was tumbled in both vibratory and cylinder tumblers for 96 hrs.
There was no powder breakdown under a microscope and velocity and pressure measures were the same as the untumbled control ammo.
That was enough proof for me.
And no one has EVER shown ANY proof that tumbling degrades powder.

CP