rim fire question

[TonyB]

so..in the fall, we had a raccoon issue, so the guys next door used my .22 bolt action to kill it. Whe he was unloading it, a live round was ejected onto the lwn and we couldn't find it. My question is this...in the spring when I am mowing, if I run over it what are chances it will go off. I know rim fires are easily set off....

 

[Tommygunn]

Unless you cut your lawn down to Yul Brynner length (he was bald FYI) there probably won't be any problem. It wouldn't hurt to try to find it thoiugh.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

In an unconfined setting, a cartridge will not launch the bullet -- the more likely effect is for the side of the case to blow out before the bullet breaks crimp.

 

[unspellable]

22 LR & mower?

First, it might get water soaked and be inert. Assuming it's not inert, the mower would have to pick it up in such a way that the blade would hit the rim, not real likely. Assuming the blade does hit the rim and set it off, it's pretty harmless. It requires the confinement of a chamber and barrel to build up any serious pressure or velocity. Since most people have a rotary mower (as opposed to reel type) these days the deck would confine it unless it happened to be aimed right out the exit port. If you have a bagger that would catch it.

Years ago the NRA ran some experiments in which they used a hot wire to cook off various cartridges under an ordinary corrugated cardboard box. All failed to penetrate the box wall.

The blade would have to catch it just so, it would have to be aimed out the port, no bagger in place, and some one on their stomach close to it to catch it in the eye to do any real harm. A pretty long shot. You're more likely to cause real harm by running over a rock or pipe. We had a case a while back in Australia where a mower kicked out a piece of pipe and killed a pedestrian passing by.

 

[RimfireChris]

I know rimfires are easily set off...

Unless they're Remington. Seriously though, I wouldn't worry about it. Find it if you can, but even if the mower did set it off, they've proven pretty conclusively on Mythbusters that without being confined in a chamber, the bullet tends to stay put and the case goes flying, but with minimal energy, probably not enough to penetrate a pair of Carharts let alone the deck of a mower.

 

[Bud Tugly]

The Mythbusters threw a bunch of cartridges into a fire to see what would happen. When the power charges exploded the lead bulelts barely moved and the brass casings went flying.

Some of the larger caliber ones had enough energy to potentially injure bystanders, bit I doubt a .22 would do much harm unless it hit someone directly in the eye, which would be highly unlikely.

If it were me I might wear safety glasses when mowing just in case.

ETA: I see RimfireChris also posted about the Mythbusters while I was writing this.

 

[Average Joe]

Your mower will never even come close to it. Even if it does, it will just chuck it across the yard .

 

[Standing Wolf]

You need a brass magnet.

 

[Furncliff]

If you really concerned try to find a friendly neighbor with a metal detector. Anyone semi proficient with one should be able to set his machine to find it.

 

[Leathermarshmallow]

I knew a kid that hit a .22 shell with a hammer. The casing hit him and stuck in his leg. No real damage done though.

 

[rfwobbly]

I knew a kid that hit a .22 shell with a hammer.

Would this happen to be autobiographical ?

 

[smallbore]

I dropped a .22 round in snow a few years ago. Found it during the spring thaw & tossed it in with my squibs.

 

[toivo]

Talk about a torture test! I would be very surprised if that round would even fire after spending the winter under three feet of snow and ice, through several cycles of freeze/melt/freeze, with temperatures ranging from below zero to 50º+. I'm betting it's waterlogged.

Get a metal detector, and if you do find the round, throw it in a gun and see if it fires. I'm curious.

 

[rcmodel]

I agree the chance of the lawn mower hitting it are slim to none. By spring, it will have settled flat in the dirt and grass will grow up over it.

And even if your mower did hit it, and even if it went off, I doubt very much you would even hear it.

You would get higher velocity and more potential damage from an old cloths hanger or chain link fence tie wire. In fact, the only part that will go anywhere if it pops is the empty case.
The bullet will barely move at all.

rc

 

[xcgates]

I would be interested to see if it was even live anymore, just because.

I doubt it would be (I've tried a couple I've found), but I would love to be proved wrong.

 

[Jeff F]

It's not a big deal even if it was to go off. As kids we threw .22 rounds in the camp fire and watched them pop. Firecrackers were way more fun. You would have a way better chance of getting injured by the lawn mower flinging it and it hitting you, and thats probably a one in a million shot.

 

[C96]

If your lawn mower does pick it up I believe it will make a bit of noise, similar to a small rock or such. A small explosion may occur and that pop may surprise you a bit if it happens. That surprise while operating your mower may be the most danger presented. A bit of a loud pop whilst running your mower may cause you to mow over the wife's flowers.

 

[QUICK_DRAW_McGRAW]

ive had this happen a few times, ive gone over more then a few with the mower and have yet to have anything at all happen.

 

[General Geoff]

A "pop" sound is the most that could possibly happen. The very nature of an operating power mower is more dangerous.

 

[NCsmitty]

There's more danger from tossing a rock with the mower and hitting something, than the unlikely chance that the mower would pick up an errant rimfire round and ignite it. My experiments as a youth proved the case would jump and the bullet remained pretty much static.



NCsmitty

 

[Shadow 7D]

The only time round are dangerous (beyond a small (and I mean SMALL) explosion) is when they are inside of a confined space, if a single round gets popped it makes a *bang* and the BRASS goes flying, remember Newton, equal and opposite, which flys further 10 grain case, or 40grain bullet?

 

[BADUNAME37]

I agree with everyone else.
I would not worry about it.
With all the warning labels on lawn mowers these days, you should be so well padded with full face protection anyway, so what could happen?

Seriously, if it were me, I would not think about it again.

 

[xcgates]

I betcha I'd be more surprised running over a rock, or something on the riding mower than the small pop a .22LR round would make. Especially since I wear earplugs while mowing.

 

[Tommygunn]

I knew a kid that hit a .22 shell with a hammer. The casing hit him and stuck in his leg. No real damage done though.

One of my cousins was doing this as a young child. The round went off and he shot himself in his leg; to this day he has a .22 bullet in his leg because the doctors determined it was more dangerous to remove it than leave it alone.
He was lucky he wasn't more seriously hurt.
I just point this out because I know for a fact that playing with ammo like that can be dangerous. Sure the casing might pop off ....that seems the most likely result. But is anyone sure that they won't be taking a bullet through the eye?

 

[22-rimfire]

Even the if it went off, under the lawnmower (as in the blade hitting it) it would not be a problem. Just a surprise. After being outside under snow, I suspect it is dead anyway.