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Old October 16, 2012, 09:28 AM   #1
cypress
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Sand blasted bullets

Had a batch of moly coated bullets I wanted to decoat. Put them in the tumbler with some river sand and ran for 30 min. Came out clean of moly with a SATIN copper finish. Rinsed off and ran 30 more minutes in cob media to clean any residual grit and dirt. Washed in warm soapy water, rinsed thoroughly. I don't anticipate any problem with the fit or function of these .223 bullets but would like some expert opinions.

P.S. Very nice looking effect anyway.
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Old October 16, 2012, 09:47 AM   #2
WCW
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I bought a few hundred Remington blems one time at a gun show, and they looked like they had fallen off a truck and were scraped off the pavement with a scoop-shovel. They has dings and scrape marks all over them, and lots of battered noses. I used them up on the silhouette range, and they worked as well as anything else I had been shooting. I only fired a few at a 200 yard target to check zero, and they grouped ok. The rest worked as well as I can hold off-hand. I doubt you will notice any real difference.
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Old October 16, 2012, 10:51 AM   #3
CS86
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Why did you want to decoat them? why not leave them coated and buy some uncoated? aren't they usually more expensive coated. I'd try and find a use for them coated.
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Old October 16, 2012, 01:01 PM   #4
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In the limited amount of research I've done on Moly coated bullets, I would have either de-coated them as the OP did or I wouldn't have bought them in the first place.

Advice for OP: I got nothing. Report back with results!
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Old October 16, 2012, 01:22 PM   #5
Brian Pfleuger
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There's no reason they wouldn't work fine. You aren't removing any measurable amount of material by tumbling them. The bullets that are under the moly are no different than a bullet that never got coated.

I suppose, in theory, you might be able to create some sort of measurable difference in pressure with different corrosion or cleanliness of bullets and any amount of lube that might be on them but you'd need pressure test equipment to see the difference, I guarantee that.

Expect them to shoot exactly the same as the never-coated bullet of the same make.
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Old October 17, 2012, 05:59 PM   #6
Mike / Tx
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I have gone both ways with them first putting the moly on, and then removing it by simply tumbling them in walnut for a short period.

I never got overly excited about what little bit might have remained, as it usually wasn't enough to change anything with the loads.

I also have read the this, that, and the other, about shooting moly coated bullets. To be honest with any decent amount of maintenance on your barrel, which should be done in the first place, there is really nothing I have seen personally come of it.

I used it for over 15 years exclusively coating my own 115gr Partitions and running them at 3150fps from my 25-06. The rifle shot awesome groups when it was new and it will still shoot groups like this at 250yds,

(one fouling round after cleaning and two to check the zero)

I also have a 7mm RM which has digested plenty of moly bullets and it will also shoot nice little groups just like this one does. Both barrels have been scoped and show nothing like what some of the pictures and reports I have seen and heard. I guess I must be lucky, or possibly I just clean my barrels...
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Old October 17, 2012, 06:10 PM   #7
mete
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I would never tumble or do anything with bullets or cases that involves SAND .Are you going to remove EVERY grain of sand ? It's extremely abrasive .I never even started to reload until I popped the primers and throroughly cleaned cases first. Sand even quickly wears carbide dies !!
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Old October 18, 2012, 03:26 AM   #8
HiBC
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I'm with mete on this one.I used to build plastic injection molds.One of the ways to machine the cavity of the mold is with Electrical Discharge Machining.This process melts and recasts a thin skin of rough,imperfect steel that must be removed before polishing the cavity.While I often used stones in my reciprocating profile machine,I also did a lot of work with laps.I might use a small piece of cast iron or brass or copper for a lap.Diamond compound,or aluminum oxide or silicon carbide compounds were applied to the lap.The important thing to know,the grit embeds,sticks to,the softer metal.It is then like a file tooth that cuts the harder metal.You would be amazed how fast I could cut the recast EDM finish off the cavity with diamond compound and a lap.

You may rest assured as your bullets were bumping each other in your tumbler,you were embedding grit in the copper.I would not count on washing it all off.

Tell you what,try this.Take a piece of polished steel scrap,cold blue it,then rub one of your "clean" bullets on it ten strokes or so.(Or you could just grab some old Colt Python or a color case hardened Ballard or something and try it on the finish of fine gun,if you are very confident there is no grit..no,don't,I'm being a smart alec)

IMO,you have made fire lapping rounds.I would advise against shooting them.
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