I was an idiot...

Will the washed shells fire or won't they?


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Grumulkin

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I was out with my shotgun loaded with 2 in the magazine and one in the chamber. I had an additional 3 shells in my pant's pocket. I got a bit sweaty so decided to wash my pants when I came indoors and forgot about the shells in the pocket. The pants will be out of the washer in a few minutes and I don't intend to put the shells in the dryer. Today or maybe the day after tomorrow, I plan to test the shells to see if they will fire. What is the wisdom on The Highroad; will they fire or will they be duds?

The shells were Remington if that matters.
 
They'll fire, but to be safe take a cleaning rod with you to push the wad out of the barrel in case they squib.

However, I would never count on them for any use. I would normally break shells subjected to this down and recover the shot and dispose of the rest.
 
I was out with my shotgun loaded with 2 in the magazine and one in the chamber. I had an additional 3 shells in my pant's pocket. I got a bit sweaty so decided to wash my pants when I came indoors and forgot about the shells in the pocket. The pants will be out of the washer in a few minutes and I don't intend to put the shells in the dryer. Today or maybe the day after tomorrow, I plan to test the shells to see if they will fire. What is the wisdom on The Highroad; will they fire or will they be duds?

The shells were Remington if that matters.

You've never duck hunted, have you? ;) If it isn't raining or snowing, you won't be shooting much, and if it is, you can count on your shells getting wet sometimes. As long as the barrel isn't obstructed, they'll do their job.
 
I was out with my shotgun loaded with 2 in the magazine and one in the chamber. I had an additional 3 shells in my pant's pocket. I got a bit sweaty so decided to wash my pants when I came indoors and forgot about the shells in the pocket. The pants will be out of the washer in a few minutes and I don't intend to put the shells in the dryer. Today or maybe the day after tomorrow, I plan to test the shells to see if they will fire. What is the wisdom on The Highroad; will they fire or will they be duds?

The shells were Remington if that matters.

I can’t tell you how many shells I’ve ran through the washing machine AND dryer...lots! Most were pistol shells, but I’ve run shot shells too. All fired. Only main issue is with my house boss...she hates it when I don’t empty my pockets...especially if I have paper stuff!
 
What? You don't have enough "click, DOH!"s and other issues, without borrowing trouble ? My vote is throw them in the trash.
You'll never be able to depend upon them, for anything. Why put your shotgun through the duress of testing each one, for no good reason?
 
I have shot some shells which went through the washer, and I have also shot some which went through the drier before being found. I would t recommend drying them as there is risk (albeit low risk) of a primer being struck as it tumbled and setting off the shell. All worked. Only on shells which have sat for extended periods in very wet conditions, or are still wet when I tried shooting them have proven problematic for me.
 
I must have been on autopilot. I put 3 shells in the pocket of my pants and remember being careful to keep them from clunking around as I stalked some crows. I never got a shot at the crows but when I came indoors my pants were wet and I was sweaty and I put them in the washer. About halfway through the wash cycle I remembered the shells in the pocket and didn't remember taking them out. My wife dried the pants before I knew what she was doing and when I looked in the pants and in the dryer there were no shells. It turns out I had taken them out of my pocket and deposited them in the living room.

If they had been washed, my opinion was that they'd all fire but I'm not going to wash them now to find out
 
i don,t know if they are totaly water proof, but i have had shells get wet and they fired(not in a washer). what i do know is the old paper shotgun shell were at risk of swelling up if they got real wet. my grandfather was a duck hunter and at the end of the duck season he would give me all his old shells and buy new ones the next season, some of the old ones would not even fit into the chamber of my shotgun.
 
I don't usually shoot old shells or shells that have gotten wet from my semi auto or pump shotgun. I save those and use them from my O/U. That way I don't accidentally have a barrel obstruction and shoot again. I can look down the barrel easily with my O/U to make sure all is clear if I have some questionable ammo I still want to use. Just the way I do it and a good excuse to pull out my O/U :)
 
If this was the Australian outback some time in the future and you were Mad Max and some guy with a mohawk and enough piercings that looked like he'd fallen face first in a tackle box was trying to get in the cab with you while driving across the desert at breakneck speed, then sure, I'd give them a whirl. Otherwise, I'd just pitch them.
 
Will be for sure a clean shot.
Sorry couldn't resist Am weak sometimes.
Shoot them if doesn't goes off, shoot them again, if not just wait pointing in a safe direction.
 
forgot about the shells in the pocket.
I've done it with full mags and loose rounds both, and never had an issue. If yours are modern, plastic hulls you'll be fine. My carry gun spent the better part of 3 hours submerged in a freshwater creek while I was "wading". Didnt bother the gun or the ammo in it. I didn't trust it as carry ammo, so I switched it out and shot it up but it all worked just fine.
 
Never done it with shot shells or metallic Ammo. I can state for certain however a smart phone will no longer work. Pocket knives, money and credit cards
also come out clean as do screws, nut bolts, washers and car keys, except the ones with electronic fobs, those will no longer work. :(
 
I've never run any through a washer or dryer. But I have fallen down in water many times and completely submerged shotguns and pistols that were on my side. Sunk a jon boat once or twice with guns on board and they still fired.
Several times I've poured water out of the barrel of my shotgun and then fired at game.
But in every case, I went ahead and fired those rounds, didn't save them for later.
 
I would fire them at the range out of curiosity to see what happens. If gunpowder gets moisture in it, the worst thing it will do is not ignite. It won't morph into C4 or anything like that. Bring something to push out components if you get a squib that leaves anything in the barrel.
 
I pulled a box of Remington 20 Ga shotshells from a dried lake bed in a drought several years ago. The bases were too rusted to attempt to chamber in a gun, but my scientific curiosity needed to be satisfied. I disassembled several. The steel shot showed no rust, indicating that they stayed waterproof. I burned the powder in the open, and it appeared to burn with normal speed and vigor. The primers detonated both by percussion and in a fire. Continued disassembly indicated a couple shells had clearly rusted through, and water had penetrated the insides. The powder was still noticeably wet, you could squeeze water out of it. After thoroughly air-drying, it burned but the burn appeared off. Those primers were dead. These were waterfowl loads that were advertised at the time to have waterproofing sealant. Lead shot game loads may or may not have extra waterproofing. Without knowing your specific shells, my bet would be that they will fire, but I wouldn't bet a lot or use them for anything other than casual practice.
 
From my experience, there's a huge difference between water and "soapy" water, especially warm/hot "soapy" water (not to mention warm/hot "soapy" water that's being agitated). When the surface tension is broken by the use of detergents, water can get to places where it normally wouldn't.

If we were talking about handgun or rifle cartridges, I wouldn't worry about it. However with shotgun shells and heel-based bullets such as .22LR cartridges, I've experiences inconsistencies and a few duds. My wife occasionally fishes cartridges out of the washer and to a lesser extend the dryer. I'm a curious sort.

Just something to think about.
 
If this was the Australian outback some time in the future and you were Mad Max and some guy with a mohawk and enough piercings that looked like he'd fallen face first in a tackle box was trying to get in the cab with you while driving across the desert at breakneck speed, then sure, I'd give them a whirl. Otherwise, I'd just pitch them.
I just hope the ones that went through the Kenmore are more reliable than some of Max’s shells were…;)

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Stay safe.
 
Throw them away! Not the same thing, but I blew up a like new CZ82 using ammunition that had got wet over the Winter. It was Bang! Bang! Pop! Bang! yeah a bullet got lodged in the barrel and I had pulled the trigger on too soon. CZ said it was a lost cause. Probably not a problem with a shotgun, but I don't take chances with anything.
 
Dry them, they will shoot.

Have had several washed, drenched when duck hunting, water in bottom of boat, even salt water. The "brass" will rust. Over time, can rust through and or prevent chambering.

Loose shells in washer, could have higher incident of leakage, due to soap and agitation. Those in a pocket are less likely.
 
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