Optimal tumbling time

[LiveLife]

IF I were to tumble / vib loaded rounds ... worry about ... primer pellet fracturing or dislodging.

I don't think so.

Think about it ...

Primers were designed to be very tough, shock/vibration resistant, moisture resistant, and extreme temperature resistant for military combat conditions. And I believe the same primers used for military ammunition are what's sold to the civilian market also, meaning they are constructed the same using same priming compounds and sealants.

Viability of primers must survive transport through rough offroad conditions that may require hundreds/thousands of miles and days/weeks of shock/vibration, rough handling of being dropped from aircraft via parachute with just few inches of cardboard padding on top of wooden pallets and long-term storage in sizzling desert heat, humid jungles to sub-zero freezing weather.

What reloaders do to primers in a few hours (48 hours for THR myth busting loaded round tumbling test) is nothing compared to what primers were designed to withstand.

Take a look at the construction of primers as most brands use barrier/cup with sealant to keep moisture out and anvil is pressed into the cup to hold the priming compound that are hard caked (Color you see under the anvil is not the priming compound rather color of the barrier/cup/sealant) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-your-experience.630512/page-2#post-7794378

 

[LiveLife]

During 28 years of marriage, we moved several times up and down the state as my work/project assignments changed. The moves involved transporting my reloading equipment and components in rough riding U-Haul and Ryder trucks (But much softer than military trucks) over hundreds of miles and several days. Yes, we did drive over freeways/highways but have you seen the potholes (I mean craters) we have on some of CA's poorly maintained roads? Some will rip the frontend off and wreck havoc on suspension.

And after several moves of hundreds of miles and days of shock/vibration, 650,000 pistol rounds were loaded (I don't keep track of rifle/22LR rounds which also run in the hundreds of thousands of rounds) with following primer ignition reliability issues - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/what-is-a-bad-primer.901846/page-3#post-12215190

• CCI SP/LP/SR/#41 - None
• Winchester SP/LP/LR/SR - None
• Magtech SP - None
• Wolf LP - None
• PMC Non-Toxic SP - None
• Tula SP - Particular lot with harder cups experienced several in a box of 100 but now 100% reliable shooting in 45ACP cases with SP primer pocket.
• Tula LP/LR/SR/.223 - None
• S&B SP/LP/SR/LR - None
• Fiocchi SP - None

So primers are very tough indeed.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I have started using corn cob on loaded ammo in an former rotary wet tumbler withamazing results. My ammo looks like fine jewelry now.

I have played with the settings and found 1/2 a drum of corn cob and 500 rounds of 38 special is the optimal load. I let the tumbler run for 3 hours and move onto more ammo.

When I tumble loaded rounds to get the lube off the cases, I'll use my FART with corn cob and Nu-Finish. About 150 cartridges for about 20 minutes puts a nice shine on them.

I don't tumble polymer coated bullets, just my RMR jacketed ones

 

[splattergun]

I have found, for me, optimal time to tumble live ammo is 0'0".