Ejected brass create mini K-Boom

[Redfern]

While I was emptying a magazine at the range, I hear a sound behind me and to the right. It sounded like a small firecracker going off. I figured it was an echo and shot the remaining rounds in the clip.

I turn to the table (behind me and to the right) to reload my clip, and my open ammo box is blown in half, with rounds scattered on the table and ground.

A nice round 45 hole in the bottom of the box, and no hole in the wooden table.

A hot, ejected case actually set off a round in the ammo box, by landing on the primer ! That case must have shot up in the air like a rocket.

I guess those reloads are paying me back for strecthing their mouths over and over.

 

[Hardtarget]

kinda wierd...
Mark.

 

[SquirrelNuts]

I have always wondered how difficult it would be to set off ammo stored loosely in a box.

-SquirrelNuts

 

[Redfern]

The situation reminded me that sometimes we take things for granted, and when dealing with firearms, most anything can happen. I certainly keep my ammo box closed, now.

"There are 2 kinds of shooters: those that have had a negligent discharge, and those that will."

 

[Redfern]

Picture was a cut Colt Python. Too many bytes for this server

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

I've heard of this sort of thing; usually something like alot of loose rounds in a box or bag, being jarred and *pop*.

I'm trying to imagine what this would be like; the pressure curve would drop like a rock as soon as the bullet left the case leaving alot of un-burnt powder to flash up.

Mmmm. Need more data. I'll have to try and simulate this...

 

[SquirrelNuts]

Mmmm. Need more data. I'll have to try and simulate this...

Uh-oh. I can see another thread coming out of this one.

-SquirrelNuts

 

[benewton]

A quick trip to, and a fast read of, the right chapter in Hatcher's Notebook is in order here.

Those experiments have already been done!

 

[blades67]

More Urban Legends in the making.

 

[CWL]

Could it have been from a lucky strike by the ejected brass upon an exposed primer?

 

[jsalcedo]

Maybe I shouldn't put the live r0unds in my tumbler anymore....

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

If anybody but my gunsmith had told me this, I would NEVER have believed it. We were talking about unstable primers one day. He related this story. ~He was riding his Harley with a 1911 in the trunk. After a couple of hours he heard a *BANG* behind him. Thinking he had blown a tire he stopped quickly. He told me that, to his great surprise, the 1911 had "went off" and the bullet had gone through his lunch and out the side of the trunk. Believe it if you want. My gunsmith wasn't joking with me.

KR

 

[Edward429451]

"Sorry officer, I had the gun up front with me cause I didn't want to hurt any passer bys with AD's from the trunk"

Yeah.

 

[mete]

Yes, after you read 'Hatchers Notebook" this sure sounds like urban legend.

 

[fastbolt]

This is the second thread I've read about this type of occurrence.

I can offer an example at which I was present when the other person discovered something similar had occurred ...

We were in the locker room and the other fellow was removing his Patrol gear bag from his locker. He opened it and was looking for something. He discovered an empty .357 Magnum case in the bottom of the bag, which puzzled him as he didn't collect empty brass. Searching further he found the bullet in the bag. It appeared that one of the loose .357 Magnum rounds he had in the bag had somehow been subjected to just the necessary conditions & force against the primer for it to ignite ... No harm done except for some minor scorching ...

Entirely coincidently ... he stopped throwing his over-loaded gear bag into his locker ...

Be careful out there ...

By the way, my wife gets very peeved when she discovers a loaded round tumbling in the dryer ... Fortunately, it's only happened a couple of times, and nothing bad happened. But it got my attention, and I started triple-checking my range clothing.

 

[Blackhawk]

Could it have been from a lucky strike by the ejected brass upon an exposed primer?

Sounds like a good guess to me.

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

By the way, my wife gets very peeved when she discovers a loaded round tumbling in the dryer ...

Heh- this used to happen to me all the time when I was rangemastering at my old indoor range. I'd see a live round on the floor or on the bench and I'd slip it in my pocket for later disposal.

And of course forgot about it, so invariable it'd end up in the wash/dryer.

A clean bullet is a happy bulllet.

 

[Tamara]

Ejected brass can do weird stuff.

I've seen cases thrown from HK91/CETME types (possibly the heavyweight champion of brass-flinging) stick neck-first in plywood lane dividers, looking for all the world like a stubby brass dart.

Shooting with lendringser in the back yard the other day, he rattled off a fast cylinder through my Bodyguard Airweight, popped the cylinder open, smacked the ejector rod, and one of the cases wound up sticking straight up from rough end of the 4x4 supporting the terrace step we were standing on. Weird...

 

[Topgun]

And how long HAVE you been reloading depleted uranium cases, Ma'am?

 

[Tamara]

Tell me about it!

We walked downrange to look at the target and noticed it as we were walking back.

"Dude! Look at that! It landed on the case mouth!"
"Is it just balanced like that?"
*bend over, squint, pick up case* "It was actually stuck a hair into the wood. Freaky."

 

[Topgun]

............OR...............

That 4x4 has been infested with some HELLACIOUS Tennessee termites.

Maybe the Appalachians were like the Himalayas an GIANT TERMITES whittled em down.

.......TREMORS VII.........