Crazy - ever heard of this happening?

[JonP]

So last night I went shopping at Sportsman's Warehouse to restock my ammo supply. I picked up 6 boxes of my favorite budget 45 from the top shelf (about 6ft high) and put them in my basket. A bit later I figured at that price, I should just go ahead and grab the remaining 3 boxes. I go back, and pick all 3 boxes (stacked one on top of the other) up and as I'm putting them in my basket, the top box falls off the stack. Here's where it gets crazy....

It hits the floor, AND ONE ROUND GOES OFF!!!!! Scared the holy hell out of me! I didn't think that could happen, much less would. We found the bullet on the floor, but the casing was nowhere to be found. I think it hit my shin on the way to wherever it was going, though. Every employee of the store was around in seconds - and I'm sure a few mall ninjas were low-crawling their way towards me. As near as I can figure it, when the box hit the floor, the rim of one round must have hit the primer of another, igniting it. I'm just glad my wife and daughter were next door.....

 

[Guyon]

Are these rounds just loose in a box?

 

[FieroCDSP]

They would have to be loose box. Divided ammo can't go off like that.

 

[JonP]

Just loose, yes.

 

[FieroCDSP]

It's not unheard of, just rare. Kinda like using FMJ's in a 30-30 lever gun. NOt entirely unsafe, just don't drop it.

 

[El Tejon]

Yes, we have heard of this happening and warned of it.

THR thread: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=187633

The fact that this could happen was new to me, but I'm a little more careful now.

 

[Mr White]

What was store's response? Were you hauled into the back room and questioned or anything like that?

It's not unheard of, just rare. Kinda like using FMJ's in a 30-30 lever gun. NOt entirely unsafe, just don't drop it.

I don't think its just dropping it that's the danger. My understanding is that the recoil of firing the gun can set off rounds in the mag as well.

 

[Appsy]

thats the first time iv heard of that will have to keep it in mind especially when getting FMJ surplus ammo loose in box

 

[JonP]

What was store's response? Were you hauled into the back room and questioned or anything like that?

No, actually. We all kind of stood around for a few minutes "wow"-ing, and then the gun counter guys started sweeping up the rounds. Made sure everyone was ok, then I checked out.....

A buddy of mine says I should try to get some free ammo for the scare

 

[Archie]

I've heard of this before, but it has always been 'friend of a friend' stuff, never first person. Happily, outside a chamber, ammo does not build up pressure and there isn't much danger, with the obvious exception of getting poked in the eye. Still, it would get my attention.

It has to be pretty rare, but I normally put my ammo (reloads) in separate cell type boxes.

 

[Gustav]

Heard of a shotgun shell dropped around a campfire hitting a rock and going off once but nothing like what happened to you in a store.
Also heard of a guy with a bunch of loose .22LR shells in a pocket mixed with batteries having an oopsie, the battery burned him.
Learn something new every day thanks for the post.

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

How much did they discount the box of 49?

 

[alucard0822]

I had dropped a low brass 12ga round on cement at the trap club and it went off, basically blew the plastic apart, the shot just spilled out though, just about ruined a perfectly good pair of underwear.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

About 4 years ago, my bro-in-law had it happen. I got a scar, a story, and a souvenier out of it:

We were in the safe area loading mags for the next stage of an IDPA shoot. He had one round slip over the top of the mag lips(cold October day, numb fingers) it lit just right and went off. The slug came down base first and hit a guy in the neck(knew it was base first by the perfect welt it left). I felt something sting my shin, figued it was a rock. Cool, no harm done. So we finish shooting the stage.......

As I get ready to walk down to the next stage, I take a step and "squish". Squish? So I look down. Great, my whole left shoe is SOAKED with blood, along with my pant leg from mid-shin down. GREAT!!

So we grab the closest RO and head to the first aid shed. I have a spot on my leg about 1/2 long that's spread open in the prettiest butterfly fashion you've ever seen. We clean it out, looks like it was just a slice as the case flew by. Sterile strip it up and finish the match.

Fast forward a year:

I'm on the throne, doing the old #2, and damn does my shin itch. So I reach down to scratch it. As my fingernail goes over it, I get a "tink". Tink? Oh yeah, there's a little point of brass sticking out of the skin.

Got the angle right and pulled it out carefully. What do you know? Dang near HALF of a 40 S&W case wall!!

Since then I have been EXTREMELY careful to avoid dropping loaded rounds.

 

[Lupinus]

How much did they discount the box of 49?

I was wondering the same thing

 

[Rembrandt]

JonP.....watch for private messages and phone calls from bottom feeder attorneys wanting to represent you in court.....they start out claiming your experience is a ready made lottery ticket!

 

[SDC]

This has happened when dropping single rounds as well; I recall reading an AFTE report on an incident that happened when a California LEO agency was practicing stoppage drills on their gravel-lined range, and an ejected live round managed to land primer-down on a piece of rock with enough force to fire it. No-one was hurt, but it took hundreds of tries to get it to happen again, just to prove that it wasn't an AD.

 

[hotpig]

Some of the guys that work the line at Winchester have had this happed while dumping primed brass. I have never heard any talk of loaded rounds doing it.

 

[SIOP]

There was just an incident in Nebraska within the past month or two, also. A kid knocked a jar of ammo off a kitchen counter and one of the rounds went off. A piece of shrapnel from the casing went all the way through his foot. Made the paper, www.owh.com. You can probably still find the article with a search.

 

[Bezoar]

this is why you cant get ammo for your old pinfire revolvers. Which is a shame as i really want a nice pinfire..

 

[Lupinus]

JonP.....watch for private messages and phone calls from bottom feeder attorneys wanting to represent you in court.....they start out claiming your experience is a ready made lottery ticket!

Sad part is that in todays courts it pretty much is

 

[KD7ONE]

When my dad was in the Navy, he dropped a box of ammo and 1 round went off. It caught him in the ear. Luck guy.