Ammo Can Disaster

[funkerbunny]

Several months ago I had taken an ammo can partially full of ammunition to the range, upon packing up I guess I accidentally put a bottle of Hoppes #9 in there and forgot about it.
Flash forward to today, I open up the ammo can and smell the sweet smell of hoppes, after the brief enjoyment of the smell I look in to see the bottle is on its side and that everything is soaked ! The can had maybe 60 rounds of surplus copper washed steel cased 7.62x54r which are all now in various states of being stripped (some all the way down to the steel, most look like a weird tie dye look though) and 200 rounds of .22lr, but everything looks like it has been thoroughly soaked.
So I guess My question is, is this stuff safe to shoot still ? Or should I just make some kind of hippie tie die ammunition display and call it good ?

Thanks for the advice !

Candice.

 

[eflatminor]

I'm thinking no.

 

[Treo]

I hate to say it but I don't think it's worth finding out. make the tie-die

 

[10X]

The Hoppes can deaden a round, but won't cause high pressures etc.

I would be very alert for squibs with either round.

I doubt the copper wash affects the strength of the case. I would shoot a few rounds to see, if the rest are safe to shoot. I sure wouldn't try to reload any.

 

[Nautilus]

I wouldn't try it...

 

[scrat]

ya 60 rounds you can wipe them down with a rag really good and try one at a time. but im thinking they are going to be a gonner

 

[Hanzerik]

Had the same thing happen with some 22LR. Lots of misfires with it in various rifles and pistols, I threw it all away.

 

[scrat]

well dont throw it away. best thing to do next time you go to the range look for the bucket for Fail To Fire ammo. so it can be properly disposed of

 

[Picard]

I don't see anything that can go wrong, as the whole blast would be contained in the chamber/barrel. Worst thing that I could see happening would be a squib round. Make sure that every bullet exits the barrel. Otherwise, you should be alright.

It depends on how much money you have, but for plinking, I probably wouldn't throw away the ammo.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Dec 2006 I did an experiment spraying rounds with WD-40, leaving them in a ziplock bag for a coupla weeks, and firing them at the range.
I think Hoppes No.9 nitro powder solvent would have a similar effect: dead primers or weakened powder.

 

[Nugilum]

I wouldn't risk it.

 

[Harvster]

That's what...$15 bucks worth of ammo? Toss it and forget it.

 

[kfranz]

That's what...$15 bucks worth of ammo? Toss it and forget it.

Indeed. Pull the projectiles on the x54 maybe, but even if you didn't this really isn't a disaster.

 

[NonConformist]

It isnt really dangerous, just beware of dead rounds as many solvents will kill primers

 

[bruss01]

Pull the projectiles and sell them to a reloader. Turn in the brass (berdan) to a recycler for some $. Sprinkle the powder on the front lawn.

 

[.cheese.]

Candice,

No worries. I would advise you to not try using the ammo, but you've probably got some awesome potential decorations now. Definitely a conversation piece. Fortunately, it wasn't a huge amount of ammo. Definitely go the display route though.

 

[Walkalong]

It probably did not hurt the steel at all. Probably OK to shoot, if the steel on steel doesn't bother you, but is it worth the risk?

I had some corroded brass .308. I tumbled the stuff with just minor spots and pulled down the rest. I still have the powder with the average Grs per case written down in a sticky in the can. I have the bullets to, although they have plier marks.

 

[OOOXOOO]

I doubt many of those rounds go off. If you look at your total investment in the rounds vs. ammount of headache involved I would just pull the bullets and dump them.

 

[oldgold]

I had a bunch of 7.62 x 54 with serious hang fire problems. Pulled the bullets , poured the powder on the wife's roses, ran the cases through the rifle to snap the primers and threw the cases in the scrap bin.

The thought of sticking a bullet in my rifle was more grief than I wanted to have.

I reloaded the bullets. Pulled them with a Hornaday puller so they had no marks.

 

[funkerbunny]

Thanks a ton for the advice, I think I'll just pull the bullets and save the cases for some kind of arts and craft project (They actually look really cool). I guess this is one of the lessons I just had to learn the hard way (never store solvents near stuff they uhm, dissolve )

 

[Bezoar]

if you want a cool experiment, soak a x54 fmj bullet for a few days in Hoppes # 9, when you pull it out of the sludge youll see that the lead in the base of the jacket is turning white and seemingly to be dissolving. and the metal jacket will actually make your skin tingle when touched.

 

[Schofield3]

+1 for tie die display...