Oxidized Bullets Hard on Barrels?

[mod1911a]

In my inventory of reloading components I have some fairly old cast bullets that are showing signs of getting oxidized. In some cases, the oxidation is just heavy enough to give the outside of the bullet a hard, sort of "glazed" appearance.
I read an article several months ago advising to not shoot oxidized pellets through an air rifle barrel as it will damage the barrel.
Right now I'm trying to find info on oxidized bullets in firearms but can't find anything. Anything I find has mixed opinions and "guesses"
Anyone have any good info on whether or not lead oxide will damage barrel steel?

Note: I'm not talking about or even considering using bullets that are turning white--those would go back in the furnace.

 

[Xeon64]

I do not think it does anything. Been shooting stuff like that for years. One thing is that Lead Oxide is way more toxic than just lead alone. The oxide is much easly breathed in and absorbed by the body. With Pellets I just toss them around in some pneumatic oil, can't do that with a firearm.

 

[sksshooter]

if concerned any reason you can't toss them in some corn cob in the tumbler?

 

[Magdump]

Lead oxide is no harder than copper jackets. It may be more fouling to the gun itself but there is no degree of abrasive quality or otherwise damaging potential to a barrel unless you introduce something harder than the bullet itself. That wouldn’t stop me from cleaning them up a bit.

 

[mod1911a]

I do appreciate the feedback. Similar to most of the other stuff I read recently--including the increased toxicity of the lead oxide--which I did not know.
I had a tin of pellets once that were pretty oxidized. Put 'em in a tin can, sprayed a bunch of penetrating oil on 'em and shook em around in bottom of the can for a while so they grinded against each other. After that, I did the same with mineral spirits. Then I sun-dried 'em, and followed up by dampening 'em with WD40.
As far as bullets too oxidized for reloading, it's too easy to just melt 'em down again and start fresh.

 

[Jstudz220]

Despite much of the common fuddlore we here, not much will actually hurt a barrel. This video was pretty reassuring to me that I’m not going to do much of anything that’s going to hurt a barrel.

 

[sksshooter]

Guess i'm still missing the reason you can't just tumble them to clean them up before you use them? i've not tumbled straight lead bullets but i have tumbled jacketed rifle bullets with lead tips to clean them up after sitting in water. the tumbling did no damage to the tips.

 

[mod1911a]

Despite much of the common fuddlore we here, not much will actually hurt a barrel. This video was pretty reassuring to me that I’m not going to do much of anything that’s going to hurt a barrel.

Thanks. Excellent video. When I was shooting skeet weekly, I used a bronze brush powered by a drill motor on all my shotguns.

 

[mod1911a]

Guess i'm still missing the reason you can't just tumble them to clean them up before you use them? i've not tumbled straight lead bullets but i have tumbled jacketed rifle bullets with lead tips to clean them up after sitting in water. the tumbling did no damage to the tips.

I hear ya. The bullets I was referencing in my first post were .358, 150gr, wadcutters with 3 lube grooves full of Alox-type lube. Tumbling would've required a lot of work soaking in solvent and cleaning first. I would definitely tumble "expensive", lead tip jacketed rifle bullets before throwing em away.
Update: after closer inspection of those wadcutters and not seeing any actual white oxidation, I stuffed em in some 38 spl cases last night over 3gr of Red Dot.

On tumbling lead: I had a couple hundred old (30 yrs +) .22lr ammo that was in my dad's garage that had gotten pretty damp. The bullets were getting white with oxidation. I know tumbling loaded cartridges is a no-no, but as an experimenet I gave it a shot just to see (considering they cost .10 each now). I used walnut. Didn't remove the oxidation enough to even consider loading in a gun. And besides, the oxidation and the tumbling probably destroyed the dry lube on the .22's anyway.
Thanks,

 

[sksshooter]

I hear ya. The bullets I was referencing in my first post were .358, 150gr, wadcutters with 3 lube grooves full of Alox-type lube. Tumbling would've required a lot of work soaking in solvent and cleaning first. I would definitely tumble "expensive", lead tip jacketed rifle bullets before throwing em away.
Update: after closer inspection of those wadcutters and not seeing any actual white oxidation, I stuffed em in some 38 spl cases last night over 3gr of Red Dot.

On tumbling lead: I had a couple hundred old (30 yrs +) .22lr ammo that was in my dad's garage that had gotten pretty damp. The bullets were getting white with oxidation. I know tumbling loaded cartridges is a no-no, but as an experimenet I gave it a shot just to see (considering they cost .10 each now). I used walnut. Didn't remove the oxidation enough to even consider loading in a gun. And besides, the oxidation and the tumbling probably destroyed the dry lube on the .22's anyway.
Thanks,

Edit to add: makes since not to tumble since they are already lubed bullets.

I am a member of a reloading forum with some really knowledgeable folks. I know personally i tumble loaded rounds to get the lube off particularly .223. i have not experienced any issues and by all accounts by others that have been doing it for decades I've yet to come across anyone who has experienced an issue doing so. I don't recall where but i also remember watching a video from an ammo manufacturer who was tumbling all loaded rounds before they were boxed.

 

[mod1911a]

Edit to add: makes since not to tumble since they are already lubed bullets.

I am a member of a reloading forum with some really knowledgeable folks. I know personally i tumble loaded rounds to get the lube off particularly .223. i have not experienced any issues and by all accounts by others that have been doing it for decades I've yet to come across anyone who has experienced an issue doing so. I don't recall where but i also remember watching a video from an ammo manufacturer who was tumbling all loaded rounds before they were boxed.

I've been reloading and even casting since the early 80's. I've read more reloading manuals and articles on the subject than school books during my school years.
So I can say I've heard that ammo makers and commercial reloaders tumbled their assembled ammo.
But then, I've read (and it makes sense from a "physics" perspective) that tumbling/vibrating can break down the powder or, at the very least, cause the coating on the powder to come off. Breaking down the powder into smaller pieces can definitely affect the burn rate and possible cause erratic (and higher than wanted) pressure.
But if manufacturers do it.......................

Since the 80's, I've always wiped down and polished each and every round with a rag before boxing it. And that's probably why I have to go get cortizone injections for the arthritis in my left thumb every 6 months.

Very interesting discussion. I appreciate it

P.S.
I see your user name is SKSshooter. I shot skeet at the South LA Gun Club for 6 years using an Ithaca/SKB Model 600. It's a skeet gun--26" bbls, choked Sk and Sk--with silver plated receiver and other silver plated hardware. Only problem I had was a broken hammer when I was shooting a practice round right before a tournament in Panama City, FL. Bought the gun at a gun show in Kenner for $500 in '97.

 

[mod1911a]

I've been reloading and even casting since the early 80's. I've read more reloading manuals and articles on the subject than school books during my school years.
So I can say I've heard that ammo makers and commercial reloaders tumbled their assembled ammo.
But then, I've read (and it makes sense from a "physics" perspective) that tumbling/vibrating can break down the powder or, at the very least, cause the coating on the powder to come off. Breaking down the powder into smaller pieces can definitely affect the burn rate and possible cause erratic (and higher than wanted) pressure.
But if manufacturers do it.......................

Since the 80's, I've always wiped down and polished each and every round with a rag before boxing it. And that's probably why I have to go get cortizone injections for the arthritis in my left thumb every 6 months.

Very interesting discussion. I appreciate it

P.S.
I see your user name is SKSshooter. I shot skeet at the South LA Gun Club for 6 years using an Ithaca/SKB Model 600. It's a skeet gun--26" bbls, choked Sk and Sk--with silver plated receiver and other silver plated hardware. Only problem I had was a broken hammer when I was shooting a practice round right before a tournament in Panama City, FL. Bought the gun at a gun show in Kenner for $500 in '97.

My apologies. I had SKB on the brain. That's not SKS.