How to dispose of old ammo?

[gondorian]

It so happens that I need to get rid of some ammo that has gone bad. You can see that it is not shootable so I can't get rid of it like good ammo, which I know how to use up. I'm wondering if it is a good idea to throw it out in the regular garbage or if I should take it to some special waste disposal place?

I also don't know if this thread should be here or in general gun discussion but I put it here because it is more frequented.

 

[Big_E]

Wow, what happened? Flood? Left it in a salt water tank?

I would say go to a waste disposal place.

 

[gondorian]

I don't know how it got that way. I would assume it was a small flood because some of it is still perfectly fine, some is marginal and some is like that. It was all in a nylon bag when I got it so I think that stuff on the bottom got wet and the other stuff didn't.

 

[jmr40]

How much ammo? If only a few dozen rounds or less I would just put it in a garbage bag and throw it out in the trash. If you are talking several cases, I don't know.

 

[ar10]

Bet a cat peed on it.

If you have the property then bury it and let mother nature finish what's already started. At that range we soak it for a couple of days then bury it behind embankment.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Give it to the EOD guys.

 

[jpwilly]

Throw them out at the range.

 

[gondorian]

I have probably 50-60 rounds of 7.62x39 that are bad and about 70 12ga shells that are bad. Here is a good one that was in the exact same bag

 

[PT1911]

ah.. just buff it out and run em through the AK.. that is what they were designed for....









disclaimer... do not fire that ammunition in your gun this post was written in jest and cannot be blamed for personal injuries received while using the aforementioned ammunition

 

[gondorian]

LOL you want to lend one?

 

[dispatch55126]

Two schools of thought.

1. The primer and powder and have also regraded to the point where it is no more dangerous that the rotting diaper it will be sitting next to in the dump. That, and the fact that it will immediately be buried under several inches of clean fill will negate any potential problems.

2. I've seen EOD detonate WWII bombs that have been sitting in salty, coral sands on Okinawa that have been there for 65+ years that they made a "big bang", much bigger than the C4 packed around them so ammo of any type can last a considerable time. A guy in Georgia also blew himself up a few years back defusing a civil war naval shell.

Bottom line. A handful of shells I wouldn't worry about. 1,000's of shells would require special disposal.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Dump it in the ocean, if you have this option available to you.

 

[gondorian]

Well I think it is from the early 1980's so it is not too old. I know the powder still burns because I took one apart and tried it.

 

[bernie]

I am in the solid waste business. All you need to do is throw it in the trash. If you have lots of it, throw it away a little bit at a time. This is no worse than a lot of things that you will see come into a landfill or a garbage truck. If it detonates in the truck, nothing will probably happen, But detonation is highly improbable.

 

[ar10]

This just occurred to me. Donate them to your local city via the refuse collection division.

 

[CYANIDEGENOCIDE]

I know a doctor who lived a good ways out in the country, when he bought surplus that had bad rounds in the bottom he would just leave them outside til fall. In the fall he would burn all his leaves then put the bad ammo in a burlap bag and toss it in. There was a berm between his house and the fire and he says he never had a problem doing things that way. I would still be nervous pulling a stunt like that.

 

[Snowdog]

If I lived nearby, I'd take the 12ga off your hands assuming they were 00b. My Hammond Game Getter (.303 British) has devoured just about all the 00b I have.

 

[Mike2]

no more dangerous that the rotting diaper it will be sitting next to in the dump

Apparently you have never changed many diapers................... they can be very dangerous muhahahaha

 

[Drue]

I had approximately 15k rounds ruined in the aftermath of Katrina. Most looked kind of like gondorian's first pic. I work for a large construction company. We took the bad ammo to the yard and used a backhoe to dig a one bucket wide hole about 10 feet deep in a remote corner, dumped in the ammo and backfilled the hole. The ammo is below the water table and I think that is inert by now. For a small quantity, I would either bury it with a shovel or put in out in the garbage, a few rounds at a time.


Drue

 

[dispatch55126]

Apparently you have never changed many diapers................... they can be very dangerous muhahahaha

My son has exploded them while sitting in my lap and brand new recliner. They can be very dangerous when mishandled.

 

[Uncle Mike]

Safest to bury it, deep as you can, to keep the treasure hunters from getting it. hehehe

Just a few rounds, you could toss it in the trash, but I would hate for one to go high order while Mr. Garbage man was crushing it, a leaky garbage man is a terrible thing!

Your local law enforcement will dispose of it for you, but if it's anything like around here, they will probably charge you a small fee.

Ocean... no, some diver will haul it up one day. I do! Unless you can drop it in a tidal flat or a deeeeep hole offshore.

River.. good deal, deeeep hole again.

Hazmat management may take it, but they WILL charge you.

The local law enforcement may be your best bet... call them up and ask them.

 

[HomeGuard]

Old ammo + fire= FUN !!!

Take some fire wood,drill the hole,put a bullet inside
and fill it back with a saw dust or a peace of wood.
Put them among neighbor's firewood stash and
wait for the barbecue or winter

Now,that is fun!

(It works,but you need to be seriously
angry or deranged to do that.)

 

[Art Eatman]

Dry garbage goes to a landfill. Or, just bury it in the back yard and forget about it.

 

[SN13]

Gondorian, if you're in florida, i'll take them off your hands for free and shoot them myself.

I have 2 aks that would love to eat the 12ga and x39.

 

[22-rimfire]

I guess it depends on how much you have to dispose of, but a few boxes of ammo would just go in regular garbage since it goes to the landfill and is not incinerated.