Couple questions on bullet weld

[Varmint Hunter]

here is a pic of rounds that pulled the necks off , while I was trying to pull the bullets . I forget how long these were loaded , but I'm sure , it was less than a year .

View attachment 334801

Jim,

Are you still sealing your bullets with Crazy Glue? That's about the wildest thing I've ever seen. LOL

 

[30BR]

Bullet weld or cold fusion; lousy names for a chemical reaction. It is real. does it effect hunting hunting ammo? Yes. Does it effect military ammo? yes. But since both are normally CRIMPED, it is not a factor.
In precision shooting, since the reaction can happen in mere days, it is not uncommon; for benchrest anyway, to load long, and reseat at the range to the depth needed. This is because the reaction adds a variable to the loaded road. Even if all the rounds had identical neck tension when loaded, they will not all experience identical "adhesion" issues due to this reaction. This introduces vertical into the group. I use a Lee hand press with my Redding seater. You can feel the bullet move with a snap when the reaction caused friction or interference is overcome.
If I need to pull my ammo apart, if I feel real resistance, I will push them in first to break the lock.

 

[308plinkerVT]

Crazy. How about factory ammo? Ever heard it happening with factory ammo?

I literally just read about this in Zedickers book "top grade ammo" - factory makers he'd spoken with said it doesn't happen on their ammo, no fingers involved in the bullet seating process. States the "weld" is caused by contaminants off the fingers and the ensuing chemical reactions. (noted by finger print etching).

 

[judgebill]

I just shot some 7mm Rem Mag loaded in 1975. Necks were dipped in graphite at time of re-loading. They shot into less than 1" at 100 yards. No problems with "weld'. Fired 10 rounds. Have another 20 waiting for next range visit. Just saying.

 

[Rosebud]

From what I have read, bullet weld can happen to ammo which sits for a long time. I'm not new to reloading or shooting but when it comes to bullet weld I have read a lot of conflicting info so I have a few questions as follows:

1. Does it only cause inconsistencies or can it actually be dangerous?
2. I have read neck lubing can help prevent this (graphite as an example). Does it PREVENT it completely or can it still occur?
3. How many rounds and for how long do you keep loaded for your hunting rigs? Reason I ask is I like to have a minimum of 20 rounds going into a hunting season. This gives me some sighters to make sure my rifle is on and then 10 or more for actually hunting. I typically do not have reloads sitting around longer than 6 months and most often only a couple months but I do have some backup rifles for hunting which may not get shot for years. I like to keep rounds loaded but not if bullet weld is possible.

It happens, haven't seen any adverse effects from firing it. Only when you try to pull a bullet. As others have said the best way to break it loose is to seat it deeper.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

It may be happening with my handloads but I've really never noticed an issue. Some of my rifle ammo may remain unused for a few years, or more. Recently, I pulled out a few boxes of 40 S&W ammo (165 JHP) that I loaded over 20 years ago. Not only did it perform well but it was surprisingly accurate. The brass all looks normal and is getting tossed in the SS pin tumbler for another go around.

 

[GLTaylor]

H]

I've had bullet weld happen in 223 and 22 PPC rounds I bulk loaded for prairie dog shoots. Some sat 2-3 years before I got to them. Since I was loading hundreds of rounds, I didn't brush the necks or add graphite. I noticed a big pressure increase (blown primers) in some. Curious, i tried to unload several. Most had green corrosion looking stuff on the bullets and inside the case necks. Corrosion had eaten through some case necks to the point they failed when trying to remove the bullets.
I ended up throwing the whole mess away (after unloading).

 

[zplinker]

I have seen it on factory ammo, and the most vivid example, was some Remington .45 acp ammo that gave the fired case a big old guppy swelling, over the unsupported chamber. Don't recall the load, but it gave the shooter on our range several of those. OTOH, I've shot .223 handloads of my own that were over 20 years old, without any problems, and chronographed the same as when loaded.

 

[Veteran]

here is a pic of rounds that pulled the necks off , while I was trying to pull the bullets . I forget how long these were loaded , but I'm sure , it was less than a year .

View attachment 334801

Wow thats really ugly......talk about bullet weld.....

 

[RidgeTop]

Pull some old military bullets from WWII and examine. Can't tell from just shooting. I have shot some 7mm probably 70+ years old and have pulled a couple to examine - they were fine. Any amount of corrosion would contribute to bullet hold and could affect POI. I also think the humidity where the ammo is made and stored may contribute to corrosion (and possibly other performance factors). I do most of my loading in winter months when I am snowed in. But, I do protect from static electricity with a grounded computer mat I work on.

 

[Far North Hunter]

Many moons ago I bought a NECO CONCENTRICITY GAUGE to test inspect brass, bullets, loaded ammo. The owner sent me a NECO Neck Lubrication Kit as a gift. I never did use it but it notes that besides lube the neck it helps against "Cold Welding" of the bullet to the case. I didn't want to put another part into my reloading process at the time. The kit uses small stainless Ball bearings coated in Molybdenum Disulfide (moly, MoS2). You dip the neck of the case into the ball bearings and it coats the inside and outside of the neck.
I may just try it to see what effect it has.

I've used the neco product for many years and never experienced a discernible cold weld. When I purchased the Neco applicator I also purchased there additional canister of lube.

 

[Jeff Heeg osoh]

Dissimilar metal corrosion is real. I would suggest why some people experiences it and some don't has to do primarily with the manufacturing process. Different vendors use different formulas for their brass. Bullet vendors vary the formula for the copper alloy to get the hardness and expansion they want. There are acceptable manufacturing tolerances from lot to lot. Given all these variables is why we see corrosion more prevalent with certain combinations of brass and bullets. After a round has been fired, there is a small change to the chemical composition of the brass in a very thin layer, especially around the neck due to heat, pressure and chemicals in the powder. This change is more prevalent in with certain powders since their chemical composition is slightly different.

The best way I have found to minimize this type of corrosion is to use a fine graphite power or some of the newer liquid formulas to coat the neck before bullet insertion. Lee Precision has a good product that can be used wet or dry.

Lastly, a best practice which someone mentioned previously, is to seat the bullet long before storage and then seat to their final COAL or base to ogive reading a day or so before a hunting trip.

Good point, many folks do this. The best practice is to seat the bullets long enough that if for some reason you forget and or grab the wrong bullets that you can not come close to closing the bolt.

Osoh

 

[Teri Anne]

here is a pic of rounds that pulled the necks off , while I was trying to pull the bullets . I forget how long these were loaded , but I'm sure , it was less than a year .

View attachment 334801

Ummm...I definitely see signs of corrosion here. That is not bullet weld but simply corrosion. You need to clean up your loading process. In over 50 years I have pulled a lot of bullets and never had a case neck come with it. Time to check your loading procedures and quality control.

 

[jsthntn247]

Sprayon lu204 graphite will stop the issue. I have a seating force gauge. I loaded bullets in several ways. All had an initial force of 20lbs. A year later the Sprayon lubed necks still had 20lbs, everything else exceeded 80lbs up to exceeding the 100lb max on the press. Spray it in the top of a bullet box, roll a qtip in it and then apply it to the necks.