corroded bullets

[odette]

I went to an auction and bought 2 large boxes. There are bags of jacketed and what looks like copper plated bullets. Mice had gotten into the bags and some of the bullets were corroded pretty bad. I put them in a vibrating tumbler and cleaned them, but they still have black and gray spotted stains on them. Will that affect the bullet if I load them. I have new brass to load them into. The brass is what I bid on, the bullets were a plus that I did not see. All the brass is in new condition.

[TJB101]

I'd still load 'em. But I'm a cheap bastard and hate to toss anything

[Aguila Blanca]

^^^ Ditto.

[Hawg]

The bullets should be fine. If any cases are corroded toss them.

[g.willikers]

Soon after restocking on cast bullets, we had a flood in the basement where they were kept.
They were totally underwater for days, until the water went down.
All of my newly acquired bullets got badly corroded.
Needing to reload for upcoming matches, I loaded them as they were, ugly and all.
Couldn't tell any difference with the results.
Just clean them up as best you can and used them.
Waste not.

[Don Fischer]

I'm normally a cheap ba*tard too but I'd melt the lead out and use them in cast bullet's.

[DaleA]

Soon after restocking on cast bullets, we had a flood in the basement

Arrrrg!!! I feel your pain. Many condolences.

I've a good friend in Florida, who because of the water levels, can NOT have a basement in his house at all. I sometimes envy him because of the worry he gets to avoid.

Good luck.

[Hal]

+1 to using them...

I've a good friend in Florida, who because of the water levels, can NOT have a basement in his house at all. I sometimes envy him because of the worry he gets to avoid.

OTOH - I made the comment to my wife one time that a slab house didn't have the worry of a flooded basement.
She reminded me of the slab house we looked at once,,,the one with the steep slope in the backyard & the river of water running down that slope and into the dining room.....

I'll take the flooded basement

[44 AMP]

Surface corrosion is merely cosmetic. They'll look shabby but shoot just as well as they ever would have. Unless metal has been removed from the bullet base (leaving it unbalanced) corrosion has no effect on a bullet's accuracy, only its appearance.

As to the house with a flooded basement, or the one with water running in, the simple answer is, the house is in the wrong place.

Almost nobody seeks out or listens to water witches anymore. Engineers know better. My Grandfather was a water witch. He knew where the water was, and where it went. When a neighbor went to build a house, he told them where not to put it. One fellow didn't listen, put his house where he wanted it, and had between 6" and 2 FEET of water in his basement EVERY YEAR. A "test hole" 40 yards away (where my Grandfather told him to build) stayed dry, every year.

[jackstrawIII]

As others have said, as long as they're still round, they're fine. Enjoy.

[JoeSixpack]

I'd just clean them off and shoot them.
I mean unless its' REALLY bad.

If it's light a rag (no oil) will usually get it off.. pay no mind to discoloration.
If that does not work then fine grit sand paper or similar abrasive will usually do the job.

I really only have had problems with old shotgun shells.. the brass is really just coated steel.

but it's a judgment call, if it's really bad then yank the bullet and powder and toss the primed case in some oil (oil kills primers)

If it's just discolored after cleaning them up don't worry.
Ammo cost to much to just toss.

[peggysue]

All Copper plated bullets are usually comie block imported stuff. Some had corrosive primers. Wipe em off and try to shoot it.

[g.willikers]

^^^ ???
Eh Wot?
Ain't odette talking about bullets, not loaded cartridges?

[carguychris]

Originally Posted by peggysue

All Copper plated bullets are usually comie block imported stuff.

I assume Odette is talking about recent-vintage quality copper-plated lead bullets, such as Berry's. These are quite popular in the handloading community although they're not widely used in factory ammunition.

They're NOT the same as the copper-plated mild-steel jacketed bullets used in cheap factory ammo imported from Russia, Romania, and Ukraine.

[peggysue]

Sorry than I misread. Going to my safe space and cry now. Maybe color?

[g.willikers]

There's a lot of that going around.
Yer forgiven, just don't let it happen again.

[mete]

Norma once made TRI-CLAD bullets. This from specially made , very soft steel , almost like pure iron. The out side was a Cu90 %, Ni 10% alloy .. expensive high quality stuff.
There is a big difference between copper jacketed and copper plated bullets .The Plated are capable of higher velocities but not by much , over the jacketed.

[Chainsaw.]

I bought a lot of reloading stuff from an estate, THOUSANDS of bullets. 3/4 of tjem were corroded from a house fire years ago. Tjey ran just fine.

Shoot em.

[buck460XVR]

The bullets should be fine. If any cases are corroded toss them.

^^^This. The fact that so many folks still call loaded ammo "bullets" tend to make me wonder if the OP wasn't talking about the whole loaded cartridge and not just the projectile in them. Hard for me to believe the bullets are corroded that badly and the cases are not, since they both are made with brass and were exposed to the same mouse urine.