Primer cook off temperature

[Win1892]

Any body know the temp for a primer cook off? I set one off inadvertently with heat and was just curious what it takes to do it.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 degrees. I've heard of ammo literally being "cooked off" in a kitchen oven, which can reach about 550 degrees when set on "broil."

 

[CoRoMo]

MythBusters cooked some ammo in an oven, a loaded gun even. I suppose the primer "cooked off" before the propellant did, but I'll go dig it up and watch it to see if they mention specific temps.

brb

 

[CoRoMo]

472°F ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BX1kvJVrjc

 

[Tim the student]

Couldn't tell you, but they were fine in the summertime in Iraq after a healthy bit of firing, so it's higher than I will likely ever need to worry about.

How did you manage to cook one off?

 

[LoneCoon]

I'm with Tim. How'd you manage that one?

 

[CoRoMo]

I think I recall hearing stories of primers or ammo cooking off in pants pockets, in a clothes dryer. But I don't think the temps in there get anywhere near the upper 400s, do they?

 

[fireman 9731]

I have run who knows how many 22lr rounds through the washer and dryer before with no ill effects. They even fire afterward!

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

A clothes dryer does not get anywhere near cookoff temperature. It is possible but unlikely that a rimfire round might ignite if slammed against the dryer drum directly on its rim.

 

[Zoogster]

I think I recall hearing stories of primers or ammo cooking off in pants pockets, in a clothes dryer. But I don't think the temps in there get anywhere near the upper 400s, do they?

Much more likely that all the tumbling resulted in the round igniting from impact.
Whether rimfire or centerfire. Clearly rimfire would be easier, but even centerfire could go off in a dryer. If it lands with the primer hitting an edge in the dryer, or even some hard surface on another piece of clothing. Many jeans for example have the pointed metal rivets that stick out near the pockets and certainly could set off a primer if they landed just right during one of the tumbles.
So a load of blue jeans with some ammo could result in an explosion. Keys, coins, or other random objects also end up in the dryer, and some dryers have sharper angles or more pointed internal edges.

 

[Win1892]

Let's just say I learned a valuable lesson at minimal expense. I have a bandage on my finger, but I'll be OK in a couple of days.