# Cleaning rust from steel ammo.



## Wignorant (Jun 16, 2018)

I had a bunch of ammo that I thought for sure I had brought inside only to find the container outside filled with water. What do you guys use to clean your ammo, or is it better to just not try to reuse it and move on? I normally would just say screw it and keep going but every penny counts and it is a good bit of ammo.

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## stevekt (Jul 3, 2012)

Use it as is.


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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

Rust won't affect the ammo. Some shooters soak their ammo in vinegar to promote rust.


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## toygun (May 16, 2018)

Yeah... I've reclaimed so much rusted ammo from the backyard before using any type of catchbox... worked just fine. Got the pouch a little dirty but that's just added character imo.


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

It sounds like the ammo is coated in rust. I would put the ammo is a big rag and spray with WD40. Then roll them around to remove orange coating. Put them in a clean rag and roll again to remove the WD40. This should get them clean enough to shoot without turning your fingers or pouch orange. A rough surface on the ball is fine but loose rust powder (oxidation) can be annoying.


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Vinegaring your balls makes them clean but they come out dull.
Takes the shine right off your balls.
And makes them smell bad for a while.


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

Last thing you want is dull balls that smell bad.????

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## devils son in law (Sep 2, 2014)

M.J said:


> Vinegaring your balls makes them clean but they come out dull.
> Takes the shine right off your balls.
> And makes them smell bad for a while.


Leave it to MJ to take things to a whole new level! :thumbsup:


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

M.J said:


> Vinegaring your balls makes them clean but they come out dull.
> Takes the shine right off your balls.
> And makes them smell bad for a while.


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## STO (Mar 2, 2018)

at risk of not making an innuendo, tossing your steel ammo in a tumbler for an hour or two will bang all the rust off them and leave a reasonable finish. Add a couple bits of ceramic media if you want to take it a step further.


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## Beanflip (Sep 11, 2010)

https://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=partner-pub-2671546658958301:0474906146
Try this also. It's a custom google search for the forum.


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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

Keep them as is so you have a stash of Apocolyptic Deadly Robot Projectiles. Imagine the Tin Man getting hit in the nuts by a rusty ball!?

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## Kalevala (Jul 20, 2014)

When I find rusty balls, I put them to plastic jar and shake minute or two.


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## Fiveshooter (Nov 15, 2016)

*I took all the rusted ones from my backyard that I found before I had a 100% catch & recovery catch barrel and put them all in a plastic jar and a little CLR in. Leave them in there a day and shake every now and then. They come out a gray color but no rust left at all. Since I catch and recover them all now I won't need to do that again but it works like a charm to get rust off the steel.*


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## THWACK! (Nov 25, 2010)

Watch the great lady....


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## THWACK! (Nov 25, 2010)

Kalevala said:


> When I find rusty balls, I put them to plastic jar and shake minute or two.


Do you shake the balls too?


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## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

Nitric acid works wonders on rust, particularly when heated up a bit.

Well, not the kind of chemical you're going to buy over the counter easily (nasty stuff), so either pure lemon juice (citric acid) or diet Coke (complex formula, works very well for upset stomachs) should work too: just leave the steel ammo to soak over night inside that jar, and see what happens. Rinse with water once you're done.

Please let us know the results if you do try this.


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## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

Oh, and add easily obtainable vinegar to the list of effective acids too.


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## Sandstorm (Apr 5, 2021)




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## Bexley (Jul 5, 2021)

Hello Wignorant. There is a small circle "hole" in the middle of my needle nose pliers with a closed cutting edge on the other side of the pliers. I place the steel ammo on the circle "hole" it cant fall through and then I use a dremel with a wire brush to remove half the rust off the ball and simply rotate the steel ball and wire brush the other side. Nice and smooth and no rust.


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