Disposal of damaged ammunition

[Gingerbreadman]

I recently had a box an Remington 7.62x39mm ammunition open up in my truck bed. One of the rounds had something heavy fall on it. Now I have a round sitting around with a wrinkled case and a dented bullet.

I want to know how to dispose of this thing safely so that I don't have to worry about it accidentally going off and hurting someone later.

 

[average_shooter]

Pull the bullet, dump the powder in the grass and put a couple drops of oil into the primer. That'll kill it good.

After that all it is is a choking hazard, if you have kids.

 

[Hot brass]

Pull the bullet, dispose of powder.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Either drop it in the dud box at the local range, or pull the bullet, dump the powder and toss it.

 

[tank mechanic]

And just chucking that baby in the trash is a huge hazard because...

 

[Gingerbreadman]

Its a hazard for me since I have to burn my garbage.....

 

[tank mechanic]

I am sorry, I didn't mean to come off too coarse Gingerbreadman. It just seemed like a little bit of overkill with the sugestions.

Welcome to the high road.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

My sollution--yes, a lazy one. I put such defective and unsafe ammo in a box labeled 'unsafe to use'. My concern is, what if I died tomorrow? I also, if one of my guns is under repair or therwise not safe to use, tag it clearly with a note. No one lives forever, why take the chance.

I'm tempted to say save em up and turn them in at a 'gun buyback'--pass the buck to the 'doo gooders'. But no, pull the projectile (if safe to do so) as said, etc.

 

[Zangetsu]

Spray it down with WD40 and it'll ruin the primer. After you do that, rip it apart and do whatever seems safe and as long as you didn't ride the short bus to school you'll be ok

 

[never_retreat]

If you put it in the dud box at the range what do you think will happen to it?
Magic dud fairies come and take them apart?
Pop them apart your self and burn the powder.

 

[RNB65]

I'd toss it in the trashcan and let it spend eternity in the county landfill. But that's just me. I also run with scissors and stick screwdrivers into electrical outlets occasionally.

 

[pete f]

if you have a vise, grab the bullet in the jaws and use pliers on the case, just wiggle a bit and it will come loose, powder will spill out, sweep it up and dump it on the grass, good fertilizer, toss the other componenets

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Pull the bullet, scatter the powder. I usually make little gunpowder lines and light them like you see in the movies, but that's the pyro in me. Take some WD-40 or other oil, few drops into the case, stand it on end for the night and there ya go. At least that's what I do.

 

[ceetee]

Use the powder in it to light the rest of your trash on fire?

 

[iiibdsiil]

Just hit it with a hammer, hard!

Welcome to THR!

 

[damien]

Bury it.

 

[CajunTim]

Bring it to your local PD or FD

As they are trained to handle hazardous material if you aren't wanting to pull it a part.

Throw it in the trash it is only something that has killed millions of people through out time. That has to be the most irresponsible comment I have read on any gun board yet. It should be rendered useless before being discarded.

 

[trueblue1776]

Throw it really far.

Bring it to the local PD? That's too funny.

 

[CajunTim]

Yeah the overpaid under worked guys that sit at a desk bring it to them. Call the EPA and ask what to do with it and they will tell you to call the cops. I've had cops come and pick the stuff up. What do you think was done with all the ammo that flooded during Katrina? As a contractor demolishing houses we had the cops come pick the stuff up. The conversation went like this "About 10lbs of various ammo that is now considered unstable is sitting on the curb at such and such location it will be awaiting your arrival".

http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/pdfs/info_hhw.pdf
Page 6 under Boat Flares

 

[brickeyee]

"About 10lbs of various ammo that is now considered unstable is sitting on the curb at such and such location it will be awaiting your arrival".


Water does not make ammo "unstable", it just may not go bang.
Unless it was under water for a decent amount of time (months to years) it likely is just fine.

 

[Geronimo45]

Throw it in the trash it is only something that has killed millions of people through out time.

Millions? You're dealing with brass cases, lead bullets, and a fairly small powder charge, not mortar rounds or shells full of Sarin gas.

 

[Bartkowski]

Throw it in the trash it is only something that has killed millions of people through out time.

Just wondering why I haven't heard this one before.



I just throw my dud ammo, far away from me.

 

[2TransAms]

I asked this same question a long time ago and got flamed for being a pansy. In fact, I was told that safety-Nazis like me were the reason that our 2A rights were under fire. So never mind the nay-sayers.

Put it in the dud box where it's no longer your problem or throw it in a lake where it'll be long dead before someone drags it up.

Or,y'know,just pull the bullet.

 

[Rustynuts]

Throw it in the trash it is only something that has killed millions of people through out time.

Pretty much disproven by Mythbusters. They cooked off a bunch of ammo in a stove (had to get around 450+ degrees before it went, so don't worry about car storage!). Due to a little thing called conservation of momentum, the bullet basically goes nowhere cause it's heavy. You might get a bruise from the case flying around, but not killed. The cartridge needs to be anchored (as in a gun barrel) for the bullet to turn into a projectile.

 

[230RN]

Puplicate dost.