Firing a Gun burned in a house fire

[ol' scratch]

In the late 90's, my grandfather's house burned down. The fire was very quick, but it wasn't too hot. The house did burn to the slab. In what had been one of the closests, we found my grandfathers model 12. It still had plastic shells in the magazine-the fire was not hot enough to detonate the shells, but it did melt a little of the plastic. The stock and fore grip were charred, however.

This shotgun is a family harloom. It was my grandfathers, but it was also the first shotgun my dad hunted with. I just ran across it again while visiting my parents.

If I restore this to its former glory, could it still safely be fired? What should I look for?

 

[ChronoCube]

I misread the title as "Gun in house fires", where "fires" is a verb.

 

[Bovice]

it would probably be fine. If it just melted a LITTLE of the plastic on the shells, it couldn't have been incredibly hot. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Robert]

If the fire did not melt the shells and ignite the powder then I doubt it was hot enough to effect the metal. I would have a smith take a look at it to ensure it is still safe.

 

[paintballdude902]

i think a smith could tell you if its safe to fire or not

 

[jimmyraythomason]

How are the springs? The springs are a good indication of how hot it actually got(although the plastic shells also are a pretty good indicator). Personally I suspect a clean up and it will be fine.

 

[ol' scratch]

I misread the title as "Gun in house fires", where "fires" is a verb.

I fixed it--Thanks. It was confusing.

 

[ol' scratch]

How are the springs? The springs are a good indication of how hot it actually got(although the plastic shells also are a pretty good indicator). Personally I suspect a clean up and it will be fine.

Everything seems to be fine. I haven't really racked it much in over 10 years. Until recently, you couldn't stand to be in the same room with it because it smelled like burned house. How could I tell if the springs are bad?

 

[solvability]

How could I tell if the springs are bad?

Are they springy - if they have lost tension the metal got too hot.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

if they have lost tension the metal got too hot.

Yep,but if it wasn't hot enough to melt the plastic shells it isn't likely to have hurt the springs.

 

[Maverick223]

I think you got lucky, should be fine. Invest in a good fire safe.

 

[sterling180]

I think you got lucky, should be fine. Invest in a good fire safe.

My thoughts exactly.The Sentry fire-proof range are very good.Its a shame things like this happen.

 

[tkaction]

heirloom

 

[Maverick223]

heirloom

Right, but it has already happened once...besides that is all the more reason to adequately protect it.

 

[BCCL]

Have it checked out by a gunsmith first...can't stress that hard enough.

 

[renegade1alpha]

Personally I think you would be fine to shoot it. Of course dont shoot the shells that were in it during the fire.

 

[W.E.G.]

This question comes up regularly.

No gunsmith who has half a brain is going to tell you a gun that came from a fire is OK.

The amount of testing that would need to be done in order to determine the integrity of the metal would be fantastically expensive. Frankly, it would require destructive testing. So, you would have to destroy the gun to determine the properties of the metal.

Do people shoot guns that were burned in house fires?

Yes.

They do it all the time.

Would anybody who has the slightest awareness of the civil liability risks actually recommend that a "fire gun" is safe.

No.

Metallurgy science is not for the untrained, and un-equippped.

 

[Zack]

Check the barrel make sure no metal(blocking the barrel) has melted/formed a patch in the barrel to block the path of the traveling bullet.

 

[Maverick223]

Frankly, it would require destructive testing. So, you would have to destroy the gun to determine the properties of the metal.

Wrong; there are several methods that can be employed to test metallurgy without destructive testing; most (if not all) are expensive, but cause no physical harm.

Check the barrel make sure no metal(blocking the barrel) has melted/formed a patch in the barrel to block the path of the traveling bullet.

Your joking...right? If that were the case, there would be substantial damage to the firearm in its entirety; in other words, it would be immediately identifiable as unsuitable for use.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

No gunsmith who has half a brain is going to tell you a gun that came from a fire is OK.

Exactly. So taking it to a gunsmith would be a waste of time and money. The liability would be too great for any other verdict than "unsafe". I would guess that many ARs have been run hotter by people on this forum than that gun got in the fire.

 

[Zack]

Your joking...right? If that were the case, there would be substantial damage to the firearm in its entirety; in other words, it would be immediately identifiable as unsuitable for use.

I would not shoot a gun with pittings or metal from a fire that damaged the barrel.. I have an old gun and the barrel is pitted ugly no groves it is like bare.... Family gun but I wouldnt dare to shoot it. I did research on it and the gun was the basic model and the "cheapo" brand in the day. Safety? no safety and they said people did not like the gun, someone had it go off on them in their pocket/holster or storys of it?(forget details) But the hammer just sits on the primmer NOT SAFE.. lol


OP could you post a picture of the gun?

 

[Maverick223]

I would not shoot a gun with pittings or metal from a fire that damaged the barrel.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't check the bbl, just that if molten metal (steel [gasp] or even lead) were blocking the bbl, it would have severe damage (loss of bluing, completely burnt wood, exploded cartridges, clearly visible discoloration, et al. OTOH all firearms should be inspected for pitting/corrosion/wear, of unknown origins/condition.

 

[Zack]

OTOH all firearms should be inspected for pitting/corrosion/wear, of unknown origins/condition. +!

what is OTOH? OT? AUT OH? AUTO?

 

[akodo]

this to me calls for the ,clamp to the fence....pull trigger with a 10 foot string' using the hottest ammo it is rated for analysis

p.s. for the poster above, OTOH stands for On The Other Hand

 

[Maverick223]

what is OTOH? OT? AUT OH? AUTO?

Had to laugh at this. I will think about that every time I see the acronym from now on.

OTOH stands for On The Other Hand

^What he said.