Can you start a fire with your gun?

Your question makes me want to go outside and try it, instead of sitting here thinking about it.
Be right back....

Broken bone, injured, freezing fingers and you want to try and pull a cartridge apart? Get one of the many magnesium fire starters and clip it to you when your out. Actually some of the surplus snow shoes had a magnesium frame that works. Theres one thats called a "blast match" IIRC that works by pushing it down on tinder.

I do know of two people who accidentally started a fire like you describe, one shooting prone with a .500 S&W and one shooting steel-core 7.62x39 that sparked one after striking a rock or something similar down range.

Purposely? Without a puller I see it as really. really tough. As was stated, the camping-supply firestarters are the way to go.

I'm back.
Out in the shop, I piled some very dry leaves and wood shavings, nestled between a couple of firewood chunks, and sprinkled the charge from a 9mm round at the base of the tinder. I loaded the primed case in my Shield and fired it at the powder.
No joy, so I tried it again, and still no fire. I came back inside, 'cause my shop is really cold and it's sleeting to beat the band outside. Meow...
Maybe if it was fired at contact distance into steel wool.........

You got any tracer rounds in your carry piece?

Yep, firesteel is better. Small propane lighter better still.

Maybe if you used the powder from several cases as tinder, and pulled the bullet from the firing round and replaced it with crushed leaves so the powder wouldn't roll out when you aimed downward at the pile..

Or maybe put the tinder in the crotch of a tree so you could fire level or maybe even upwards a little.....

Or just don't go into the woods without a fire starter and some vaseline soaked cotton balls or................................

Actually, the jacket I wear when I walk around our acreage has a magstarter and two Bic lighters in it. I'm pretty confident that I could still get a fire going in this weather, as I demonstrated to my bored kids years ago..

Yes I could, and have in a black powder challenge.
But I carry a bic with duct tape wrapped around it in my hunting coat and chore coat.

Pretty easy if you carry a flintlock.

When shooting once while very cold with some friends, and due to the parkas using shoulder holsters, we made a point of lighting off a pistol round every once in a while, to warm the gun up, then stuffed it back in the holster, zipped up. Toasty warm for a bit.

Otherwise... agree. You should be stupendously close to the car, OR have a minimal bit of survival gear with you.

It is very rare that several people do not know where I am, even if it is just places I am driving. Outdoorsy friends always know where I am going (even if they are out of the country, as they have the right mindset to keep the notes) if I will be out of visual range of the car in the woods for any period of time. If I don't show up, don't visit, the authorities will come find me.


Not unrelated: Once I was behind schedule, was out running trails near Crowders Mountain, NC into dark. Got back to the parking lot and it's a State Forestry pickup, a Sheriff, and a State Trooper. They had broken into the car, to try to find ID docs to find who I was (but it was a rental so they were befuddled). I was maybe 15 minutes past park closing time and they were all ready to stage a manhunt.

Don't get lackadaisical, but in general there are people around to try to prevent you from being lost and dead in the woods. Use the gun to signal maybe, if that's all you have, as people will be there.

I've heard it can be done with a 22. Pull the bullet and most of the power. Stuff it with a wad of pure cotton fiber, and shoot it where you can collect the smoldering wad. Then apply it to some tinder. I've never tried it or seen it done in person, and I'm much more inclined to head out on a hike with a bic lighter and a firesteel.

With a modern handgun, I would pull a bullet, loosely fill the barrel with dry tinder and gunpowder and fire the primed case into more dry tinder.
Don't know if it would work but that's what I would try first.

As others have pointed out, if you could produce an empty case and put tinder into the barrel, firing the gun will activate the primer and should put some sparks into the tinder to be useable. However purposefully tearing a cartridge apart is not advisable nor is it easy.
If the gun was a steel frame, I suppose you could use it as a flint and steel, in a sort of way (never tried this)
Put a fire starting starter on the grip or magazine in case this happens for real. However if you're going that far, just carry a lighter with you always

Yes it can be done. Once tried to light a match by shooting at the match head....took a lot of bullets and broken matches to make it happen. Would advise to use the match and save your ammo.

Mn Fats said:

Sigh... see post #15.

Click to expand...

If I was seriously in your situation, I think the first thing I'd instictively do is take out the magazine and start using it as a steel against some rocks to start some sparks. I'd catch the sparks in a nest, then blow into it until it flames and start my fire with that.

I carry a small candle and a lighter. Light the candle 1st then use it to start the tender and kindling. Works better than anything else I've tried and just as easy to carry as a fire starter and easier to use. Yea, I know that isn't what the OP asked, but those are always with me.

And to the question, yes it is theoretically possible. But as in the previous paragraph there are much better, easier ways to start a fire. Including rubbing sticks together.

Yup, pretty easy.

Gather some tinder.
Pull four bullets and sprinkle the powder over the tinder.
Then layer some dried leaves over the powder and tinder.
Surround the pile of fire starting material with rocks.
Clear a three foot area outside the rocks for safety.
Tightly roll three sheets of news paper.
Use your Bic lighter to light the newspaper.
Use the newspaper to light the powder.

Not alone--trying to use the primer tends to blast things away--but definitely with what I carry on me.
A leatherman and a bullet, a couple sticks, and the powder would make that a lot quicker.
Then again, I also carry a lighter (work related; I don't smoke any more).
Then again, I quit smoking for one of those electronic things, and I could definitely rig that up into an effective lighter. I'd just be grumbling because then I'd be stranded and going through withdrawal.

If you're going to carry a pair of pliers to pull a bullet, you might as well carry a fire starter.