What causes dirty ammo?  Is it the powder that they use? 

There are a few bulk ammo that I've used recently that has been noticeably dirtier than others.  They include Blazer Brass 9 mm and UMC .223 Rem.  My guns are noticeably more dirty after shooting.  For the Blazer Brass, I've even noticed a bunch of black particles ending up on my hands and forearms.  I've never had that before.

The Blazer Brass has performed flawlessly and I would say on par with other bulk ammo 9 mm that I've shot.  I have shot lots of Federal (white box range stuff and some others), Rem UMC, S&B, Magtech, etc.  I've never had my guns as dirty as when I shot with Blazer Brass. 

The Rem UMC .223 is also very dirty and shows up on the muzzle as well as in the action.  This is one ammo that I believe is underpowered and I've had troubles with it functioning well with at least one of my mid-length guns that is tuned to run well with full powered 5.56 as well as PMC Bronze (which I know is on the lower power side).  I haven't shot the UMC stuff in my carbine gas guns yet, but I suspect they will do just fine.

I will continue to use these "dirty" ammo as long as the pricing is good and they function well.  I was just surprised at how much dirty my gun are after shooting these ammo compared to other bulk ammo. 

just one of the reasons why I load my own ammo

What causes dirty ammo?  Is it the powder that they use? 

There are a few bulk ammo that I've used recently that has been noticeably dirtier than others.  They include Blazer Brass 9 mm and UMC .223 Rem.  My guns are noticeably more dirty after shooting.  For the Blazer Brass, I've even noticed a bunch of black particles ending up on my hands and forearms.  I've never had that before.

The Blazer Brass has performed flawlessly and I would say on par with other bulk ammo 9 mm that I've shot.  I have shot lots of Federal (white box range stuff and some others), Rem UMC, S&B, Magtech, etc.  I've never had my guns as dirty as when I shot with Blazer Brass. 

The Rem UMC .223 is also very dirty and shows up on the muzzle as well as in the action.  This is one ammo that I believe is underpowered and I've had troubles with it functioning well with at least one of my mid-length guns that is tuned to run well with full powered 5.56 as well as PMC Bronze (which I know is on the lower power side).  I haven't shot the UMC stuff in my carbine gas guns yet, but I suspect they will do just fine.

I will continue to use these "dirty" ammo as long as the pricing is good and they function well.  I was just surprised at how much dirty my gun are after shooting these ammo compared to other bulk ammo.

I've noticed that the 9mm UMC is kinda dirty too

speaking with bushido arms, he thinks that our reloaded ammo is dirty shooting because of the use of lemi-shine on the brass
he said when he cut out the lemi-shine, it greatly reduced how dirty the muzzle end of pistols got, even after shooting titegroup

I've noticed that the 9mm UMC is kinda dirty too

speaking with bushido arms, he thinks that our reloaded ammo is dirty shooting because of the use of lemi-shine on the brass
he said when he cut out the lemi-shine, it greatly reduced how dirty the muzzle end of pistols got, even after shooting titegroup

The UMC 9 is actually one of my fav bulk ammo. Inexpensive, seems like regularly available, functions well and accurate enough for what I use it for.

I didn’t really notice it being that dirty, but I guess I was just used to it. But with the Blazer, I could tell it was really dirty, even on my Glock 17 with black frame. I usually can tell with my FDE frame.

For Bishops Arms, is that the case lube? Wondering what it is for the factory ammo. I just assumed it was cheaper powder.

The UMC 9 is actually one of my fav bulk ammo. Inexpensive, seems like regularly available, functions well and accurate enough for what I use it for.

I didn’t really notice it being that dirty, but I guess I was just used to it. But with the Blazer, I could tell it was really dirty, even on my Glock 17 with black frame. I usually can tell with my FDE frame.

For Bishops Arms, is that the case lube? Wondering what it is for the factory ammo. I just assumed it was cheaper powder.

lemi-shine is a weak acid, and surfactant, I believe
helps the dish soap make it cleaner

I don't understand how lemishine would affect ammo, unless there is residual water left in the case or primer pocket.
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Re umc9mm, at LIFE class I noticed some weak rounds. Some pistols did not like it.
Mostly ok though.... Not too bad for cheap ammo.

lemi-shine is a weak acid, and surfactant, I believe
helps the dish soap make it cleaner

I see. I wonder if they use anything in loading for factory ammo.

I don't understand how lemishine would affect ammo, unless there is residual water left in the case or primer pocket.
...
Re umc9mm, at LIFE class I noticed some weak rounds. Some pistols did not like it.
Mostly ok though.... Not too bad for cheap ammo.

I’ve heard and read many complaints about UMC. I’ve never had a problem. I’ve had problems with the older Federal range white box stuff. Some short stroking and slide failing to lock back on last round kind of stuff. Some stove pipes here and there too that I felt was due to underpowered. Seems like the recent stuff is much better. Since they started having red lettering/logo on the box, it seemed better.

And for the LIFE class, they reuse old 50 round ammo boxes for ease of distribution of bulk ammo. I think they had UMC boxes and bulk ammo for a while. But I’ve also seen a variety of bulk ammo brands. I haven’t taught in a while though.

Is it really "dirty"?  If it wipes off easily could it be extra graphite in the powder? or is it hard to clean off like carbon buildup? 

Is it really "dirty"?  If it wipes off easily could it be extra graphite in the powder? or is it hard to clean off like carbon buildup?

It was just noticeably darker coating on the muzzle. Came off the slide pretty easy with MPro-7 (my usual cleaner). Will try shooting with the FDE frame next time.

I’ll try just wiping with a paper towel next time and see if it wipes of easily.

And I really don’t mind dirty at all. Just something I noticed. What made me notice it was seeing black flakes on my hands and forearms. I had been shooting a Glock slide that has muzzle cuts so I assumed that was it. Then I shot the Blazer with a normal Glock slide and same thing.

And for the LIFE class, they reuse old 50 round ammo boxes for ease of distribution of bulk ammo. I think they had UMC boxes and bulk ammo for a while. But I’ve also seen a variety of bulk ammo brands. I haven’t taught in a while though.

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I helped to repack the bulk UMC 9mm on that day when my students experienced funky shots. Since my primary hobby is remanufacturing ammunition, I notice stuff like that.
But like I said, mostly it's fine. If I did not reload, I would buy it.

It was just noticeably darker coating on the muzzle. Came off the slide pretty easy with MPro-7 (my usual cleaner). Will try shooting with the FDE frame next time.

I’ll try just wiping with a paper towel next time and see if it wipes of easily.

And I really don’t mind dirty at all. Just something I noticed. What made me notice it was seeing black flakes on my hands and forearms. I had been shooting a Glock slide that has muzzle cuts so I assumed that was it. Then I shot the Blazer with a normal Glock slide and same thing.

I remember having brass colored flakes on my arms a few times when I first started shooting
I was a total noob, so I didn't think it was anything to notice

It was just noticeably darker coating on the muzzle. Came off the slide pretty easy with MPro-7 (my usual cleaner). Will try shooting with the FDE frame next time.

I’ll try just wiping with a paper towel next time and see if it wipes of easily.

And I really don’t mind dirty at all. Just something I noticed. What made me notice it was seeing black flakes on my hands and forearms. I had been shooting a Glock slide that has muzzle cuts so I assumed that was it. Then I shot the Blazer with a normal Glock slide and same thing.

Yep.  Don't really concider that as dirty IMO.  Things like wolf or tula, which have a thick carbon that builds up and can even cause malfunctions, that's dirty to me.. 

People say bulleye powder is dirty, but actually I've been told it has a lot of graphite in it, that causes a black powdery foul on the muzzle, but it wipes off very easily and don't really cause any problems or harm. 

Yep.  Don't really concider that as dirty IMO.  Things like wolf or tula, which have a thick carbon that builds up and can even cause malfunctions, that's dirty to me.. 

People say bulleye powder is dirty, but actually I've been told it has a lot of graphite in it, that causes a black powdery foul on the muzzle, but it wipes off very easily and don't really cause any problems or harm.

Yeah. I’ve shot a bunch of Wolf .223, but didn’t really notice it much. Just assumed it was because I had shot about 700 over a couple of days.

I’ve shot a bunch of Tula, but not enough to notice if it was dirty. Lots of malfunctions in my middy AR.

I’ve shot some Wolf and Tula 9 mm, but maybe 100 or so each. Didn’t really notice it was dirty. I wouldn’t mind trying again.

Yeah. I’ve shot a bunch of Wolf .223, but didn’t really notice it much. Just assumed it was because I had shot about 700 over a couple of days.

I’ve shot a bunch of Tula, but not enough to notice if it was dirty. Lots of malfunctions in my middy AR.

I’ve shot some Wolf and Tula 9 mm, but maybe 100 or so each. Didn’t really notice it was dirty. I wouldn’t mind trying again.

Didn't find it caked up and hard to clean off?  Maybe my gun..  I usually shoot my own, or regular federal stuff,  way easier to clean. 

Didn't find it caked up and hard to clean off?  Maybe my gun..  I usually shoot my own, or regular federal stuff,  way easier to clean.

I don’t recall it being too bad, but I was still kinda newbie rob ARs, so maybe I didn’t know better. I also use Fireclean and that seems to help with the BCG. The bolt tail gets caked in, but that’s with all ammo.

Ive shot all sorts of 9mm and didnt notice 1 was dirtier over another, but all factory ammo.

For 223, wolf was super dirty. No flakes, but the rifle took 3x the time to clean. 50rds wolf aluminum was like 500rds brass for dirtyness. Had to scrub harder. But for 19 cents a round, i still would spend more on brass. To much hassle.

No FTF or FTE with all my types of ammo used on all platforms.

Never shot reloaded ammo before.

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Ive shot all sorts of 9mm and didnt notice 1 was dirtier over another, but all factory ammo.

For 223, wolf was super dirty. No flakes, but the rifle took 3x the time to clean. 50rds wolf aluminum was like 500rds brass for dirtyness. Had to scrub harder. But for 19 cents a round, i still would spend more on brass. To much hassle.

No FTF or FTE with all my types of ammo used on all platforms.

Never shot reloaded ammo before.

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I was given some light loads (9mm) to try for MPPL shooting.  The powder not only left a real mess on and in the gun, there was a black cloud of smoke with each round fired making it more difficult to concentrate on the stage.  I guess after longtime use, you get used to it, but that's obviously because the light load and heavy 147gr bullet were meant to reduce muzzle flip.  I don't remember, but the powder may have been a slow-burning type, which would explain the powder not burning completely, causing the mess.

I recently tried cotton as a case filler. Boy did that leave a mess.