How to dispose of live rounds?

[KentM]

So in my beginning efforts at reloading there are going to be a few primed cases and even a few fully loaded rounds that are suspect and I prefer not to fire or are damaged. So what do I do with these? Not a lot, but I don't think putting them in the trash is wise. What have you all been doing with such things?

 

[.455_Hunter]

Break them back down or save-up as a donation to the local bomb squad for disposal training.

 

[vaalpens]

What are the issues with the primed cases (not fully loaded)?

You should be able to just pull the bullets from the fully loaded cases. Leave it primed and just resize, bell, load and crimp again.

With the bullets that you pulled, you will have to make a decision if you can use it or not. I never use pulled bullets in 357sig due to neck tension issues. Make sure you have adequate neck tension if you reuse pulled bullets.

 

[NMexJim]

Maybe advice to newer loaders should include a recommendation to buy a kinetic bullet puller along with the other equipment. I think I had a handful of rounds around for a year or so that needed to be broken down. I eventually bought a collet-type bullet puller because I got tired of hammer-banging a kinetic puller.

 

[1KPerDay]

Pull them and reuse the components if possible. You CAN even decap live primers if you're careful but make sure you wear ear/eye protection. Also (IMO) putting the occasional live round in the trash is not a big deal IMO. There's nearly no danger of injury even if the trash is incinerated. The bullet stays where it is and the (lightweight) case blows up and usually doesn't hurt anything even if it hits it.

 

[kmw1954]

I have a source that gets me large quantities of dud and damaged rounds. One source says to bury the defective rounds. I take these defects and break them down. The powder gets dumped into a large plastic container and is then turned over to my Fireman SIL for disposal while the bullets, cases and primers that can be salvaged are salvaged.Badly deformed cases get scrapped.

 

[Phantom 309]

Hi KentM, welcome. Good advice above about a kinetic bullet puller if it's just a few rounds. I'd say a puller of some sort is a required piece of reloading kit. I admit to feeling a bit of anxiety the first time I placed a live round in one and rapped away on a block of wood, but they are perfectly safe. (Wear your PPE as always) If you are absolutely certain of the type of powder in the round it may be retained. If there is any doubt about the powder just scatter it in the lawn, no harm will come.

One tip I learned here and will pass on: if you intend to reuse the pulled bullet drop a foam ear plug down in the end of the puller first, it will help prevent damage to the nose.

 

[AJC1]

Hi KentM, welcome. Good advice above about a kinetic bullet puller if it's just a few rounds. I'd say a puller of some sort is a required piece of reloading kit. I admit to feeling a bit of anxiety the first time I placed a live round in one and rapped away on a block of wood, but they are perfectly safe. (Wear your PPE as always) If you are absolutely certain of the type of powder in the round it may be retained. If there is any doubt about the powder just scatter it in the lawn, no harm will come.

One tip I learned here and will pass on: if you intend to reuse the pulled bullet drop a foam ear plug down in the end of the puller first, it will help prevent damage to the nose.

This is most important in rifle bullets with pointy tips, most hand gun rounds dont seem bothered.

 

[George P]

Foam plug is the only way to go to prevent bullet tip damage.
As to left over powder - if it recent and you know what it is, remeasure and reuse. If you do not know what it is, it makes a great firepit igniter........

 

[kcofohio]

Whenever possible, I keep the primer in the salvaged case. Resize without the decapping pin. The possibility of the primer going from a tight primer pocket to a looser one, can make for a loose fitting primer.

 

[BigBlue 94]

One source says to bury the defective rounds.

It sounds safe... And likely is until someone like me with a metal detector comes along and finds them. Then I have to deal with them. Or keep them. Ive found a bunch of live rounds, oddly most of which are blanks. They usually are in perfect shape. Plastic shot shells degrade. Most of what I find are old shells. The new ones must degrade faster.

Of course there is always the very rare chance of my shovel striking the primer just perfectly.

--------------

If a new reloader doesnt have a bullet puller, and absolutely must deactivate the round immediately, a vise and a pair of pliers will work. Dump the powder. Decap. Or just load the empty primed case in the gun and shoot it off.

 

[herrwalther]

I have my kinetic bullet hammer labeled as my "Oops hammer" on my bench. Kinetic pullers are usually less damaging to the components than collet pullers. So you can probably use them over again. I had to pull and reuse a very small batch of 10 rounds because I had my powder measure set to throw the wrong amount.

 

[Otto]

Here's a couple of links....

https://www.nrablog.com/articles/2016/3/how-do-you-get-rid-of-bad-ammunition/
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hand-holding

 

[30Cal]

I pull the bullets and punch out the primer after clearing the immediate area of anything that might get excited. Wear eye pro for both pulling (I’ve shattered a kinetic pulled before) and depriming.

 

[KentM]

Wow, I didn’t expect so many answers so quickly. Thanks to you all for the advice.

 

[FROGO207]

Being a reloader I have the means to disassemble ammo safely. I am the person the local PD/FD calles whenever ammo is turned in to them. Even if the ammo is unusable it can be taken apart and recycled. The propellant goes on the lawn. One time I was asked to recycle 3 cases of water soaked 12 GA promo loads. Took them apart, dried things out, and reloaded wads and lead into other hulls. Even the primers that were not rusted worked after they were dried out. This was 2012 and I was happy to cart off all that lead to reuse. Seriously if you plan on or do reload you should have the means to take apart what you make. I have a hammer type puller, Hornaday leverloc puller and a razor knife for shotgun hulls. Or find another reloader that will pull things for you. Stay safe.

 

[Captain Quack]

Glad I found this thread. I have a small bin half full with all kinds of mixed rounds that I seem to have accumulated as well as some primed cases. I tried to take some of them apart and no go so I figured just get rid of them. A lot of them had case issues as well. Just haul them into the police station for bomb squad? I also have some '06 rounds that we have been told were tracer rounds when they were gifted to my wife for her Garand. They got all gooped up in storage when a bottle broke open and got every where in the bin. I cleaned most of them up but some were so badly corroded I feel they were safe to shoot. Probably being tracer should I just dispose of them along with the rest?

Captain Quack.

 

[edwardware]

Pull then, with pliers if necessary, and reuse the case.

Or put them in the trash. A whole box of loaded ammo is less dangerous than a half a can of aerosol hairspray.

 

[Hugger-4641]

Before I bought a puller, I used small long nosed vice grips and my loading press. Just put the round in the correct shell holder end extend through the empty die hole, clamp the grips horizontally and jaws should extend across both sides of the die hole so you don't damage die threads on the press when you pull the case back down to remove the bullet. Of course, doing ruins the bullet, but the rest can be saved.

 

[barnfrog]

Here's another option for pulling. Once you get the hang of how hard to squeeze you can minimize the amount you mark up the bullets.
https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/pulling-bullets.267577/#post-2165016

If you're really picky about your bullets you can still use the pulls as foulers, rough sighters or plinkers.

 

[.308 Norma]

So what do I do with these?

I don’t know if you’d call it a phenomenon or what, but I think if you’ll get yourself a bullet puller (some way of breaking down loaded ammunition) you’ll find that you make fewer loading mistakes. It’s kind of the same thing I wrote about a while back - now that I carry a spare 9V battery duct taped to the inside of my chronograph, I don’t forget to turn the darned thing off when I’m through using it.
But then again, the fact that since I’ve owned a kinetic bullet puller I haven’t made many loading mistakes might not be a “phenomenon” at all. I love most everything there is about handloading - except pulling bullets. I absolutely detest doing that. So maybe it’s just the fact that knowing I’ll have to dig out and use my hated kinetic bullet puller if I make mistakes stops me from making many mistakes in the first place.

Break them back down or save-up as a donation to the local bomb squad for disposal training.

Seriously KentM, if it's just a few rounds now and then, as others have said - break them down and re-used most of the components. Even live primers can be ejected safely if you're careful.
On the other hand, when Dad passed, I ended up with literally 2, 5 gallon buckets full of old ammo. Some of it was 7.62X39 ammo (of unknown origin), but it was mostly reloaded .308 and .243 Winchester ammo, and some of that was corroded. So I just hauled it all to the Sheriff's Office in town and let them dispose of it. They might have used it for training for the local bomb squad as .455_Hunter suggested, but I don't know that. All I know for sure is it's not cluttering up our basement anymore, and I didn't have to use my kinetic bullet puller (my "self-torture" device) for taking it apart.

 

[shoobe01]

Do not throw them away. Damage risk doesn't matter, but if they are found they may be Very Upset.

My range got down to the very last trash service a few years back from this. Every firing line there has Live Ammo buckets and there are regular reminders to put no live ammo in the trash cans, ever. Ever!

I know that you can bring ammo to my local Hazmat place at least (I brought a flare there once!) but the live ammo buckets are usually emptied at the range by the brass scavengers. Pulling for re-use is easy and effective.

 

[lightman]

Over the years I have pulled a lot of bullets. Not that I make that many mistakes! People have given me old ammo, corroded ammo, picked up duds at the range, ect. If the ammo is junk I pull the bullets the fastest way I know which is with Linemans pliers and put the old bullets in my lead stash. The powder goes into the junk powder can that I take to Deer camp for light shows around the camp fire. I deprime the brass and throw the primers in the trash can and the brass goes in the scrap brass bucket.

If I'm pulling bullets from my reloads I use a bullet puller and try to salvage the bullet and components.

 

[FROGO207]

I have a cast iron dutch oven that I smelt lead in. I will put the used primers that are not salvagable and .22 brass that has primer compound left in it. Put the cover on it and light the burner. Let it go like popcorn until no more pops. Then dump in the scrap steel bucket for recycling.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Just toss then in your regular garbage. If you have a lot ot them divide them up and only put five at a time.