Best way to dispose of bad ammunition?

[Keith Wheeler]

I've got some old .22LR that has a high failure rate, say 10% or so. What's the best way to dispose of all these misfires?

 

[jsalcedo]

I would wrap the ammo up, put it in an old coffee can, securely tape it shut and throw it in the garbage.

 

[CAS700850]

You might want to do the same, but also consider pouring some old motor oil into teh can as well, as it will likely seep into the shells and contaminate the powder/primer, to eliminate any possible misuse.

 

[jsalcedo]

I did an experiment where I soaked one.22LR under oil, one under plain water, and one under heavily salted water for a period of one year.

All the rounds fired even the ones that were corroded and nasty looking.

I'm sure eventually the rounds would go inert but no idea how long it would take.

 

[junyo]

You might want to do the same, but also consider pouring some old motor oil into teh can as well, as it will likely seep into the shells and contaminate the powder/primer, to eliminate any possible misuse.

You can also spray them down with lightweight penetrating oil, like WD40.

 

[CAS700850]

Good to know. I'd always assumed the oil would contaminate the ammo. I had some bad .22 ammo that I put in a can of old oil and buried in her backyard, thinking that was a safe way to dispose of it. Kind of makes me want to dig around and see what shape it's in after 20 years.

 

[jsalcedo]

You can also spray them down with lightweight penetrating oil, like WD40.

WD-40 in quantity will deactivate a primer and powder for a short time but once it evaporates the ammunition is back in business.

 

[junyo]

WD-40 in quantity will deactivate a primer and powder for a short time but once it evaporates the ammunition is back in business.

I was always under the impression that once oil had contaminated the primer it was unrecoverable.

 

[TarpleyG]

With only a 10% failure rate, I'd keep plinking away with them until it was all used up. It's not like you are depending on this stuff in a life or death moment.

Greg

 

[Lupinus]

I'd put them in a coffee can, spray them down with WD-40, and them put the cans lid on and wrap it in duct tape. Then just toss it.

Ammo that didn't come in bulk I'd wrap the box in duct tape them a can and toss it.

Or you could always jsut load a gun up and practice FTF drills lol.

 

[History Nut]

In the Trash?

Throwing them in the trash while intact is not a good idea. Besides the likelyhood of violating some 'HazMat' rules, there is no way to know what will happen with them. The trash goes somewhere.

If I have doubtfull .22LR, I pull the bullets with pliers, dump the powder into a container and set the cases aside. With the powder in a firesafe container, on a nice windless day, I take it out in the back yard (one acre lot) and using a LONG match, light it off. The 'smokeless' powder burns bright and hot quickly and leaves a carbon crust in the can. The bullets I set aside for the next time I cast new bullets. If you don't cast bullets yourself, give them to someone that does or use them as fishing weights. The fun part comes with the left over cases. Next time 'camping', and with a nice fire in a SAFE pit, toss them in and stand back about 10 feet. They pop like small firecrackers. That is what I do. Of course if you decide to try this and cause yourself injury I disclaim all responsibility as it was your decision to try it. At all times when handling any component of ammunition EYE PROTECTION IS A REQUIREMENT! Pardon the 'shouting' but I have had too many patients with eye injuries to not be firm about it.

When in doubt, take the 'dead' ammo to a police station for 'proper disposal'. They will do the same with it as all confiscated ammo. The bomb squad has a 'happy day' and blows/burns everything up.

 

[DevLcL]

With only a 10% failure rate, I'd keep plinking away with them until it was all used up. It's not like you are depending on this stuff in a life or death moment.

Greg

Amen, go shooting and chuck the misfires into the abyss.

-Dev

 

[TallPine]

What I do:

Put them in your gun and shoot them. Put the "duds" back in and shoot them again - they usually will go off on the second try.

But then again - I am a Scot

 

[Chrontius]

What I do:

Put them in your gun and shoot them. Put the "duds" back in and shoot them again - they usually will go off on the second try.

But then again - I am a Scot

+1, Insightful -- contingent on giving the hang-fires about thirty seconds to make sure they're not going to go off out-of-battery and cause a chainfire, (revolver) or put some case shrapnel into your ankles. (bottom-feeder (semiauto))

 

[gezzer]

I'd just toss them in my wood stove. Pop, pop, pop ....gone

 

[MechAg94]

If you can't bring yourself to just shoot them, take some pliers and pull the bullets out of the case. Make a little pile of powder, bullets, and casings.

-I am sure you can think of creative uses for the pile of powder. Play Yosemite Sam with the bag of gun powder and the powder trail.

-If the bullets are lead, they can always double as fishing weights.

-Burn the casings/primers. Snap, crackle, pop. Or something else. Just don't use them to ignite explosive devices. That would be bad.

 

[gremlin_bros]

bad ammo

i think the best way is to take it to the local cop shop and turn it in to be disposed of. personaly im ok with pulling the bullets and having fun with the powder using the lead to make more bullets and then using my furnace (designed to melt metal got the design from this sight and melting down the brass and making nice trinkets with it [word of caution here this activity is verry addicting almost as much as shooting]http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/)i make ingots mostly but i have made several other things i currently have a brass holder for reloads next to my press but hey this is just me and my addictions he he he

 

[MechAg94]

Pulling cartridges apart makes a good demonstration. Too many people think cartridges will explode or something if you do that. Just take proper care with the primer.

 

[taliv]

i sent this letter to [email protected]

Dear Ms. Brady

Subj: Extremely dangerous handgun bullets

I have some bullets that I'm afraid might go off and injure someone. Please tell me the proper way to safely dispose of dangeorus bullets. I think it is illegal to carry these into a police station or government building, so I can't take them there. They might go off if i just threw them in the trash, and injure a sanitation worker or child. I don't think soaking them in water will work if they are sealed.

Please help me!

-tom

i'll let you know when i hear back from them

 

[Sheldon J]

With only a 10% failure rate, I'd keep plinking away with them until it was all used up. It's not like you are depending on this stuff in a life or death moment.

Greg

That's what I did with a bad batch of Rem's but I put them in a wheel gun to get rid of them, the Mark II has a bit of a light hammer strike where as the wheel gun has a strong hammer strike and most of the unfired stuff works fine. Or you may wish to contact the ammo maker and ask for a exchange and let them do the disposal part.

 

[Keith Wheeler]

With only a 10% failure rate, I'd keep plinking away with them until it was all used up. It's not like you are depending on this stuff in a life or death moment.

Greg

A buddy gave me 2500 rnds of this stuff. I've been plinking with it, and I'll keep on plinking. Some of it won't go off in a 10/22 -- and they eat almost anything, or in my CZ75 with the .22 top after _many_ hits. Based on the percentage I've got that'll be 250 rnds of 'bad' ammo.

To the satirical comment -- I don't throw useful stuff away. Scrap aluminum water pumps from my car hobby end up being melted down in my homemade furnace and cast into whatever I want to make. I save "junk" brass -- I haven't tried melting it yet though!

 

[mhdishere]

When I lived in NYC my old girlfriend's dad had some .38 commercial reloads that didn't go bang reliably. He took a ride on the Staten Island ferry, the ammo only went half way.
They'll find them if they ever drain NY harbor.

 

[rero360]

When I lived in NYC my old girlfriend's dad had some .38 commercial reloads that didn't go bang reliably. He took a ride on the Staten Island ferry, the ammo only went half way.
They'll find them if they ever drain NY harbor.

yeah and the body of jimmy hoffa, NY harbor's probably so badly contaminated, its probably safer to go around shernobel then to dredge the harbor

 

[8Balls]

Back home I used to bury all non-working/dud/reloading mishap rounds to my mothers flower bed. Now when i live on campus, I really dont have to worry about that anymore. (Nope, you got i wrong, guns are allowed on campus, my dorm actually has a reloading room.)

 

[Kramer Krazy]

As others have stated, I usually load them back up and try it again. Most will fire with the second strike, just about all of them by the third. Ones that don't fire in my 10/22s go to my Mk II, Taurus PT-22, or my S&W 617 revolver. If I ever wound up with a bunch of them that wouldn't fire at all, I'd be tempted to box them up and send them back to the manufacturer with a letter stating what crappy ammo they were selling. I refuse to purchase any more Remington Thunderbolt 22LR because of their shoddy quality.