Stored ammo
- Thread starter allin
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kingpin008
Member
Hey Allin - This question has actually come up a fair bit, and the answer seems to be little to nothing.
In general, unless ammo is contained in a barrel the projectile is just going to sort of "pop" out, and not do much damage. In reality, it seems to be the cases themselves that cause the most damage - being lighter and less structurally sound than the bullets themselves, they often rupture sooner and get thrown around - sometimes with pretty decent force.
That's not to say that there is no danger - but the Hollywood portrayal of rounds flying everywhere at deadly speeds when exposed to a fire isn't going to happen.
In the future, you might want to try doing a search before posting - you'd be suprised what's been asked and answered already around here.
In general, unless ammo is contained in a barrel the projectile is just going to sort of "pop" out, and not do much damage. In reality, it seems to be the cases themselves that cause the most damage - being lighter and less structurally sound than the bullets themselves, they often rupture sooner and get thrown around - sometimes with pretty decent force.
That's not to say that there is no danger - but the Hollywood portrayal of rounds flying everywhere at deadly speeds when exposed to a fire isn't going to happen.
In the future, you might want to try doing a search before posting - you'd be suprised what's been asked and answered already around here.
SmokeySam81
Member
I can second that, having seen a humvee with several hundred .50bmg rounds go up in flamesin Iraq a few years back.
wally
Member
Basically the primer pops and the powder burns, unless confined in strong containers, the gas in the can for your lawn mower is probably more to worry about.
Mythbusters did a lot of "cooking off" of various ammo in an oven, its really quite unspectacular.
A gun with the chamber loaded in a fire is a serious hazard as once the round cooks off, the bullet then fires normally at where ever is happens to point!
Mythbusters did a lot of "cooking off" of various ammo in an oven, its really quite unspectacular.
A gun with the chamber loaded in a fire is a serious hazard as once the round cooks off, the bullet then fires normally at where ever is happens to point!
Roan
Member
When I was a kid, my best friends house burned down. His step-father did a lot of reloading. Cases would occasionally launch several stories into the air, but they really weren't dangerous. The biggest problem was that, after 20 years of reloading, the house had a fine dust of gunpowder coating most of it. This made it more flammable and meant that the house was a complete loss. Something to take note of. If you want to reload, you might consider doing so in a shed or other disconnected building.
A friend of mine recently lost his house to a fire. He didnt have a huge stash of ammo, but nearly a thousand rounds of various caliber. He had noticed black smoke comming from the area in the house that the ammo was stored, and alearted the firemen of the particular danger, but nothing spectacular came from the situation. The firemen thanked him for the heads up, but aparently things like the gad can for a mower, and the propane tank for the grill are a bit more cause for concern.
I'm not worried about the ammo, even though I have several thousand rounds, as much as the powder. I keep my powder stored in a cabinet in the garage as far from the house as possible.
If a fire gets to my powder stash (about 20+ pounds), the heat pulse is going to be significant.
About 15 years ago, a neighbor managed to set a fire in my garage and a pound of Bullseye cooked off. Pretty impressive, especially to the rookie female firefighter who was just about to hose down the small fire.
Still, the only damage was to some cardboard boxes stored above the fire and to my inflatable boat, which was melted beyond repair.
If a fire gets to my powder stash (about 20+ pounds), the heat pulse is going to be significant.
About 15 years ago, a neighbor managed to set a fire in my garage and a pound of Bullseye cooked off. Pretty impressive, especially to the rookie female firefighter who was just about to hose down the small fire.
Still, the only damage was to some cardboard boxes stored above the fire and to my inflatable boat, which was melted beyond repair.
xfyrfiter
Member
A few years back we had a mobile home burn down in the neighborhood, homeowner had 8 or 10 firearms and maybe 5000 rounds, other than sounding like a war zone no damage caused by ammo.
M2 Carbine
member
My gun shop burned down in 1995.
Thousands of rounds of ammo, mostly in steel GI ammo cans.
About a dozen cans of gun powder.
Thousands of primers.
Seven unloaded guns.
Most everyone will tell you, "no problem" and that's mostly true..........
but here's some pictures to prove there can be a real danger.
It was an interesting day.
The smokeless gunpowder cans did exactly as they are designed to do. The top or bottom popped off. The cans didn't explode. The cans of Black Powder and WD40 exploded.
Note the bullet holes in some cans. Those bullets had to go through, at least, a steel ammo can before going through the gun powder cans.
There were also other bullet holes in the metal building sides.
This can wasn't in the fire but close enough that 30-40 9mm rounds exploded from the heat, blowing out the bottom of the box.
The Ruger is a MK I I bought in 1961.
A few 50 cal boxes that contained different rifle and pistol ammo.
Again, more than just the little pop that is supposed to happen.
There was some high speed stuff flying around in and through those cans.
It is really going to depend on the ammo.
Most cartridges have bullets that are relatively heavy compared to the brass, and brass that cannot contain typical pressures.
The result is the brass tends to deform and split with minimal effect on the bullet. The sides of most brass will pop at low pressures.
Now some rounds will have substantial brass or heavy and strong brass and lightweight bullets.
These rounds will not generate anywhere near the pressure and therefor energy that they would inside a barrel, but the light weight bullet may fly off at speed if it weighs substantially less than the brass.
The real danger would be from "brass" that is not brass.
Steel casings would contain a lot more pressure than brass and not bulge or pop at low pressure.
Meaning they would be quite likely to launch either the bullet or the steel casing at significant velocity. Nowhere near the velocity they would be at from a gun, but still dangerous velocities.
So ammo with steel casings would be the most likely danger in a fire.
Most cartridges have bullets that are relatively heavy compared to the brass, and brass that cannot contain typical pressures.
The result is the brass tends to deform and split with minimal effect on the bullet. The sides of most brass will pop at low pressures.
Now some rounds will have substantial brass or heavy and strong brass and lightweight bullets.
These rounds will not generate anywhere near the pressure and therefor energy that they would inside a barrel, but the light weight bullet may fly off at speed if it weighs substantially less than the brass.
The real danger would be from "brass" that is not brass.
Steel casings would contain a lot more pressure than brass and not bulge or pop at low pressure.
Meaning they would be quite likely to launch either the bullet or the steel casing at significant velocity. Nowhere near the velocity they would be at from a gun, but still dangerous velocities.
So ammo with steel casings would be the most likely danger in a fire.
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Geckgo
Member
sounds like mythbusters needs to retest this "theory" with steel and aluminum cased ammunition, not to mention some .17HMR rounds
Shadow 7D
Member
actually, one of the gun mags did a test of this, and so did Mythbusters
the BRASS is what does the flying, and even then, it really isn't deadly, painful, not deadly
Unless you have a stored firearm that is loaded, then it can 'cook off' and go full auto, as it is the round cooking, not the firing pin that is igniting them.
the BRASS is what does the flying, and even then, it really isn't deadly, painful, not deadly
Unless you have a stored firearm that is loaded, then it can 'cook off' and go full auto, as it is the round cooking, not the firing pin that is igniting them.
therewolf
member
Always wondered how it would cook off, in the event of a fire.
Also glad I store all the ammo in metal ammo boxes.
Also glad I store all the ammo in metal ammo boxes.
CapnMac
Member
Now, when OP posed this, my first thought was of what about ammo that had been heated, but to an unknown level.
I'm pretty sure I'd not shoot boxes that had obvious heat damage; but that does pose the question of less-obvious damage, like getting to 200, 250 degrees for a while.
Which sounds like something for Box-o-truth or such similar to set up. If you heat a box of ammo to 200 degrees for an hour, is the ammo affected? Or 300 for thirty minutes?
I'm pretty sure I'd not shoot boxes that had obvious heat damage; but that does pose the question of less-obvious damage, like getting to 200, 250 degrees for a while.
Which sounds like something for Box-o-truth or such similar to set up. If you heat a box of ammo to 200 degrees for an hour, is the ammo affected? Or 300 for thirty minutes?
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