What to do with dud rounds?

[monotonous_iterancy]

A few weeks ago I was shooting a .22. I had a round that wouldn't feed into the chamber, neither would the next one. Eventually I had seven good rounds that had been bent and couldn't be fired before I realized that there was still a round chambered, and that was why the others wouldn't go in.

They've been sitting around, mostly because I don't know what to do with them. Is it safe to just throw them away?

 

[M-Cameron]

if your range doesnt have a 'Dud box', most police stations should be able to dispose of them.

 

[MedWheeler]

Drop 'em in a pail of water and let 'em soak for a few days, then toss 'em. You can even pull the bullets after the soak if you want. I don't recommend this for centerfire ammunition, though; they're pretty watertight. Those can go to the PD or range if they'll take 'em.

 

[Sport45]

I usually grab the bullet with a pair of pliers and bend/wiggle it the rest of the way out. Then you can just toss everything in the trash if you don't recycle lead or brass.

For fun you can dump the powder from one on top of the powder in another to pretty much fill the case. Set it on the driveway and light it. When the powder sizzles down to the primer it will pop.

 

[ghitch75]

under my picnic table.....

 

[ccsniper]

I keep them, might one day make some sort of art out of em

 

[TennJed]

I hope what I do is ok. I sling them in the Pond.

 

[solvability]

I put them in a huge glass jar near the fireplace.

 

[GoWolfpack]

I use the lead for plumbing solder.....



Or, just throw them in the garbage.

 

[Twmaster]

I had 5 duds yesterday out of a Federal bulk pack. Pulled the bullets and dumped the tiny bit of powder out in the yard. Soaked the cases in water to be sure the primer was dead.

The brass and bullets are now in my recycling bins.

 

[RaceM]

I pull the bullets and dump 'em in my lead stash for casting round ball. The powder gets saved (never know when it might come in handy), and the brass stored in an old plastic ammo box for firing pin testing (or just plain noise making).

 

[Sport45]

Soaked the cases in water to be sure the primer was dead.

When they dry out they probably won't be dead anymore.

 

[chevyman097]

Like others, pull the bullet, dump the powder, dispose of rest.

 

[bobinoregon]

I usually just run them back through the gun unless they are too damaged. A lot of times hitting the primer in a different spot makes them work.

 

[Trent]

I had a box of 300 Win Mag (primed, but empty) in the garage at an old rental house we stayed at. Didn't have room to set up my reloading gear so it was all boxed up and stored out there. The garage floor had a crack that ran clear through, from front to back. (Having a slum lord as a landlord at the time (I was in my 20's), the place was pretty run down.)

Anyway termites got in to the box of primed 300 win mag brass. They built themselves a nice little fort. I had a lot of cases - primed - that were clogged with dried clay. Didn't hurt the brass but I sure as heck couldn't reload them.

They washed up nice. But I didn't trust the primers after scrubbing the dirt out / off of them. I didn't want to run them through the sizing die primed, to decap them, So I filled a tray with water about 4" deep, and arranged the brass primer side down with the mouth up. Zero air in them. Let them soak for several days (noticed them discoloring after a while.. maybe a week?).

Dried them out. Put one in to my 300 win mag, aimed at a wall, dropped the hammer.. BANG.

I'd soaked the primed casings for almost a week in water. No bullet to seal the insides. No air whatsoever in the cases.

EVERY LAST ONE OF THE 100 PRIMED CASES FIRED.

 

[oneounceload]

You could always hit them with a hammer in your driveway, or toss them in the BBQ fire pit

THAT will get everyone's attention...

It really is no big deal, throw them away, they'll get buried in some mega-landfill and some young archeologist 100 years from now can dig them up

 

[homatok]

Just pull/wiggle the bullets out, dump the powder on the lawn and fire the empty case in your gun--- unless it is so badly bent it still won't go in. If thats the case (no pun intended) just throw the empty, primed case in the trash.

 

[Noah]

Pull out the bullet, dump the powder in a paper cup, put an old broken action figure into it, and light it. No lie. We were bored...

 

[aarondhgraham]

It drives me nuts,,,

That my rifle and pistol club doesn't have a dud-bucket.

Go to any position on the firing line and look down,,,
You will be able to spot at least a half dozen dud .22 rounds.

I was asked if I would like to volunteer to mow the grass one day,,,
I told them I would do whatever work is required of me,,,
Except run a power mower over that grass.

A range I frequented in California had a 55 gallon drum,,,
It was half full of old motor oil with a pipe sticking out of the top.

I was told that the oil would penetrate the crimp of the cartridge,,,
And would render the propellent inert better than water.

I really don't know if a rimfire round could go off by being stepped on,,,
But I think it's absolutely moronic to toss duds into the grass,,,
But the powers that be don't agree so I just shut up.

On the rare occasion I have a dud,,,
I pull the bullet and dump the powder out.

Aarond

.

 

[youngda9]

If it is a .22, pull bullet and toss into lead pot. Toss the rest in the trash.

If centerfire round, pull bullet and reload.

 

[Gaffer]

The powder is good as a fertilizer, so put the powder on your tomatoes.

 

[ObsidianOne]

That my rifle and pistol club doesn't have a dud-bucket.

Go to any position on the firing line and look down,,,
You will be able to spot at least a half dozen dud .22 rounds.

I was asked if I would like to volunteer to mow the grass one day,,,
I told them I would do whatever work is required of me,,,
Except run a power mower over that grass.

A range I frequented in California had a 55 gallon drum,,,
It was half full of old motor oil with a pipe sticking out of the top.

I was told that the oil would penetrate the crimp of the cartridge,,,
And would render the propellent inert better than water.

I really don't know if a rimfire round could go off by being stepped on,,,
But I think it's absolutely moronic to toss duds into the grass,,,
But the powers that be don't agree so I just shut up.

On the rare occasion I have a dud,,,
I pull the bullet and dump the powder out.

Aarond

.

They're saying to toss the powder on the grass, not the whole round.

Powder makes great fertilizer.

 

[Sport45]

A range I frequented in California had a 55 gallon drum,,,
It was half full of old motor oil with a pipe sticking out of the top.

Wow. They soak their duds in a suspected carcinogen? Not whaI I expected from Californians.

If I had a barrel full of duds to get rid of (not soaked in anything) I'd probably just put on heavy gloves and eye protection then grab the bullet end with a pair of pliers and cut the brass cases below the bullet on a bandsaw. Steel cases would probably be set aside for the impact puller.

I wouldn't worry about saving the cases as brass sells by the pound. The case necks will float to the top when melting the bullets.

 

[W.E.G.]

Lose them in the tall grass next to the creek that always floods.

 

[TrueTexan]

I really don't know if a rimfire round could go off by being stepped on,,,
But I think it's absolutely moronic to toss duds into the grass,,,
But the powers that be don't agree so I just shut up.

Aarond

.

Depends on what shoe your wearing. In High School I wa on the ROTC rifle team shooting 22LR. This was way back when we had guns at school. After shooting one morning and sweeping up the brass and throwing it away, somehow a live round got left on the floor. Well the drill team commander came on the range wearing the leather combat boots of the time with heel taps. He stepped on the round and it went off with a loud pop. He jumped like he had been shot. The case was ruptured but the bullet was still attached just flattened .