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petronius

(26,602 posts)
Thu Oct 24, 2013, 05:36 PM Oct 2013

Safety of sporting ammunition in fires (1977 report from SAAMI)

Gun control policy discussion occasionally focus on ammunition, with proposals for record-keeping, purchase permits, storage limits, etc. Fire safety occasionally comes up in those discussions. The MythBusters episode is familiar, but I just came across this 1977 report from the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI), which looks like a more comprehensive set of experiments. I thought it was pretty interesting reading (bottom line: large quantities of stored sporting ammunition aren't much of a fire threat)...

http://www.saami.org/specifications_and_information/publications/download/saami_item_212-facts_about_sporting_ammunition_fires.pdf

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Safety of sporting ammunition in fires (1977 report from SAAMI) (Original Post) petronius Oct 2013 OP
Haven't read the report but I have some personal experience tularetom Oct 2013 #1
Ex wife had tossed a box of ammo in the garbage I later burned in a burn barrel Kaleva Oct 2013 #2
We all need some excitement now and then discntnt_irny_srcsm Oct 2013 #3
There was some ongoing argument about the fire dangers of ammo a while back sir pball Oct 2013 #4
Homework? I love homework! petronius Oct 2013 #5

tularetom

(23,664 posts)
1. Haven't read the report but I have some personal experience
Thu Oct 24, 2013, 06:42 PM
Oct 2013

My idiot nephew tossed a paper bag into a camp fire without checking what was in it - a box of .30-30 cartridges. The fire flared and popped a few times but there were only a few projectiles. We all hit the dirt with the first audible pop and stayed down until the stuff stopped flying. Obviously they weren't 150 grain bullets but we thought at the time they might have been fragments of shredded cases. Later on, after we thought about it some, it seemed more reasonable that they were probably primers that popped out of their seats. Next morning we poked through the fire and found brass casings (melting point like 1500F) and some gobs of melted lead. We also found three or four casings about 25 feet from the fire. Most of the casings had no primers and no unburned powder in them.

Kaleva

(36,312 posts)
2. Ex wife had tossed a box of ammo in the garbage I later burned in a burn barrel
Thu Oct 24, 2013, 06:48 PM
Oct 2013

She does stuff like that all the time. Keeps me on my toes.

discntnt_irny_srcsm

(18,479 posts)
3. We all need some excitement now and then
Thu Oct 24, 2013, 07:21 PM
Oct 2013


I have a friend that lives with his ex. I asked if they were going to remarry. He said he planned to wait on remarrying until after could afford to have his doctor put those kidney stones back in.

sir pball

(4,743 posts)
4. There was some ongoing argument about the fire dangers of ammo a while back
Sat Oct 26, 2013, 02:19 AM
Oct 2013

I found this and posted it and never got a reply from any of the participants. I'd look it up, but it's late, the vodka is well sunk in, and the music has it's hold, so you're free to do my homework should you wish

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