Vibrate cleaning live ammo

max2005

Is it safe to vibrate (not tumble) clean live ammo? I have some old but still useful .455 ammo that could use a cleaning to make them chamber and extract more easily.

rawhide54

I wouldn't. Probably nothing will happen but if you happen to have a bullet tip catch an overly sensitve primer just right you could get a detonation. Isn't worth the risk. I'd just get some fine steel wool and clean them up by hand while I watched the tube.

bpost

not a good Idea.... it can bust up the powder into smaller chunks making the burning rate different and possibly dangerous.

Zinderbloc

I've accidently tumbled live rounds a dozen times or more over the years. Never had one detonate or show any sign of change. Still, I'd go with rawhide's suggestion and clean by hand. Flitz will shine up just about any brass case.

cpermd

It is safe.There have been many tests on this.
The factories tumble ammo after loading.
Powder does not break down.
Tumble away.

CP

BHAVIN

Factory ammo is done this way. A buddy and I were talking about this a few years ago and he said no problem. I was leary. We loaded 60 rounds of 223. We put 30 in the tumbler for 24 hours and then tested them on a chrony against the other 30 as well as pulled a couple. We could not tell any difference. That being said I don't do it. On old ammo that uses old powder and old primers I would clean them by hand.

TRAP55

quote: not a good Idea.... it can bust up the powder into smaller chunks making the burning rate different and possibly dangerous.
Absolutely!!! I have a pair of Bushnell shooting glasses with a gas etched lense to prove it. Clean them by hand, it's not worth gambling your firearm or body parts.