why do my COPPER BULLETS change color and TARNISH while inside my 9MM Magazine???????

Question

i bought a brand new 9mm semi auto last month, and i keep a loaded magazine in my house at all times. ive loaded it with two types of ammo: Winchester hollow point and Speer Lawman Full Metal Jacket. both types of ammo went from bright, super-shiny copper to dull, tarnished doo-doo color in just one day of being inside the magazine. the rest of the ammos in both boxes are all shiny and the same as new.

why does this happen???

best answer will receive a best answer.

Answer 1

Your fingerprints have acid in them. You touch the bullets when loading the magazines. Acid darkens copper/brass and will etch most any kind of metal to some degree.

That's why you should always wipe your fingerprints off of blued weapons, polished brass or copper, knife blades, silverware etc.

If tarnished bullets bother you, simply polish them and then avoid touching them as you reload the magazine.

Answer 2

Exposure to our good old atmosphere my good man. You might look into cleaning out the magazines to make sure there isn't any kind of residue inside. So few people ever clean their mag's let alone their guns after shooting them. The left over crud from a day at the range will expedite the fouling process or oxidation the other fellows mentioned. The rule of thumb with any firearm for cleaning is three consecutive cleanings over three days after firing, you can spread this out to a week to let some stuff losen up, and then once a week thereafter. I have cleaned my guns as good as any perfectionist and pulled a patch throught the bore(s) a year later and they were green or blackish from powder and copper fouling. The more rounds you fire through a gun the longer it takes to work some of the crud out of them. I love bolt action rifles since they are so good at confining most residue to the chamber and bore. Semi-auto blow backs and the others really present a lot of cleaning effort and time.
In the tropical regions, brass and copper will turn green in very short order unless kept in a very dry and airtight container like a GI ammo box with some of those humidity absorbing crystals thrown in. You don't need to worry about the bullets in the magazine of your pee shooter, just make sure that every time you go to the range that the first rounds down range are the ones that have been in the mag the longest and try to keep your other ammo in an airtight container. I have stuff that's over 15 years old that looks brand new since it's been in a GI ammo can all of this time.

Answer 3

WOW, that's odd. Try putting a very light coat of gun oil, I like CLP on the rounds, and then wipe it off with a cloth, this should help prevent discoloration. Also make sure you thoroughly clean you're pistol and the magazines after shooting and periodically if the gun just sits around. Wipe off all excess oil after cleaning as the oil will collect dust that in the air. The discoloration of the copper should not affect the performance of the ammo, but if you wants shiny bullets,try some never dull metal polish on them. That should shine em up nice.

Answer 4

9mm Copper Bullets

Answer 5

The tarnish is caused by chemicals in the air, mainly by sulphur, the same thing that causes silver to tarnish. The rounds in the box must be better protected from exposure to outside air.

Try leaving one of the boxes open and uncovered for a day in the same environment as the magazines and see what happens.

It is NOT "oxygenation". It is oxidation, analogous to the rusting of iron, although a far slower process. Aluminum will rust also (aluminum oxide), but this too is a very slow process compared to iron (iron oxide).

Answer 6

Exposure to the air and the fact that you probably rubbed off the protective oil that was on them when you loaded up.

Some advice....always keep some latex gloves on hand when you handle ammo. Besides making the brass or copper tarnish, you also put your fingerprints all over that ammo. While you shoot at the range, you are going to lose some brass and who knows who will pick it up and reuse it and for what?

Answer 7

It is likely from when you touched them. The oils on your fingers make them change color. I have two .45 acp's on my desk right now, one is left over from the range and the other has not been used or touched. The one that has been handled has a lighter, duller color, the new one still has a shine on the copper.

Answer 8

Its called oxidization look at any old copper domed building and you can see the same effect. The bullets are still good though.

Answer 9

If you can make a gun out of your magazine, then you would be a very rich man.
The copper bullets are tarnishing because you blow hot air into the magazine too much. Use an air compressor or forced blow dryer at 600000 rpms and that will git you started.

Answer 10

Because when dissimilar metals come in contact they create oxidation and prolong exposure can actually cause corrosion.