No! Tumbling can change the burn rates in some powders.
If you're talking about a vibrating tumbler, it should not be a problem.
Yes, I am talking about a vibrating tumbler. Baboon, now that that is clarified, do you still oppose it?
Thanks to both of you for your responses.
Yes I still do.
What would the purpose be other than making it shiny before you shot it?
Do it at your own risk, BUT:
Manufacturers do it, commercial reloaders do it. I sometimes do it, to remove lube. With modern powders (that are hard kernals), a small amount iof tumbleing isn't going to change the burn rate. I do suppose IF you tumbled ammunition for 24 hours or so, you might break it down enough to alter the burning rate, but 15 minutes sure won't.
I've tumbled live ammo for a long time with no problems. I've compared the powder before and after and found no degradation of the powder.
Here are a couple pictures of the powder from two different surplus German 7.62x51 rounds. Can you tell which one was tumbled for an hour and which one wasn't?
I want to increase the burn rate of the powder for more Zombie killing power.
There was no functional purpose, I just wanted to experiment, but didn't want to harm the ammo. So, the real answer to your question is "nothing other than making it shiney before I shot it."
Tumbling live ammo sounds like a bad idea to me.
If a primer gets set off, it would send out brass Shrapnel like a little mini hand grenade.
If you need to remove some corrosion, put on some cotton gloves, and clean with very fine steel wool. Don't handle ammo that you intend to store away with bare hands, wear gloves. Bare hands will cause corrosion on cartridges.
Can you provide one (1) example of a primer being detonated because live ammo was tumbled?
Can you provide ANY scientific test results demonstrating the charactistics of the powder was affected?
I've read too many threads with too many stories about 'it's ok" to "you're crazy" and not one comment has offered any real evidence that tumbling would cause any problems.
For those that think it changes the characterics of the powder just remember this. Ammo is trucked from the manufacturer to where ever it is eventually sold. The vibrations of hours of driving doesn't seem to have made a difference unless that is factored into the design which in and of itself would be impossible.
I would imagine military transport vehicles are even rougher on ammo they transport at least every military vehicle I was in beat the crap out of me. atriot:
Bottom line for me is if there is no scientific evidence to prove tumbling live ammo causes any adverse conditions. The Internet is full of advice based on nothing other than what someone thinks should be or something they read somewhere else accepting it as fact with nothing to support it.
If I want information that isn't fact checked I'll just watch the main stream media or read a newspaper...