- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
Cleaning
Home > Small Arms Ammunition > Centerfire Ammunition > Cleaning
Ammunition tumbler
Loaded cartridges are often covered in processing materials, excess sealant, and tiny chips of metal from cases and bullet jackets. Before inspection and testing, the cases must be cleaned. In a factory setting, it is common to tumble the cases in corn cob with a small amount of solvent. Tumbling live ammunition is not safe in a hobby environment. Factory tumblers are robustly constructed so that accidental firing (caused by the tip of a bullet striking the primer of another cartridge) does not pose a danger to the workers.
