20 MM ammo can vs house fire

Ammo doesnt really explode the way we think it does in a fire (unles is chambered ina fire arm).
it fizzles out of step and the bullet has only a very small fraction of its momentum.

.357 Magnum will get stopped by a thick sheet of cardboard or the a thick plastic comtainer.
Here is a clip
http://www.freshalloy.com/showthread.php/173357-If-your-ammo-supply-catches-fire


....

As a former firefighter I can say ammo is nothing to worry about in a fire. Don't let tv trick you.

if your fighting a fire ammo isnt the issue unless there is 50bmg or blackpowder involved. 50bmg cartridges have enough strength in the brass and enough mass in the bullet and enough friction between bullet and case to make it a mini-bomb. and blackpowder is just plain old fashioned explosive

i dont store my bp near the rest of anything i care about.

Nssf has a youtube channel and several months ago they had a video made for firefighters about ammo. It is a non issue.

lbwar15 said:

As a former firefighter I can say ammo is nothing to worry about in a fire. Don't let tv trick you.

Click to expand...

It may be nothing to worry about, but the sound of it going off was enough to make you weak in the knees.
The same with the tires during a car fire. They would get me everytime.

At least the ammo will be in one place well in two places. I will have a little piece of mind knowing the ammo is tucked away in a can.

bluez said:

Ammo doesnt really explode the way we think it does in a fire (unles is chambered ina fire arm).
it fizzles out of step and the bullet has only a very small fraction of its momentum.

.357 Magnum will get stopped by a thick sheet of cardboard or the a thick plastic comtainer.
Here is a clip
http://www.freshalloy.com/showthread.php/173357-If-your-ammo-supply-catches-fire

Click to expand...

All that ammo going up in flames, being crushed, or shot at almost brought tears to my eyes.

sirhc said:

It may be nothing to worry about, but the sound of it going off was enough to make you weak in the knees.
The same with the tires during a car fire. They would get me everytime.

Click to expand...

I've only herd ammo going off 1 time. And that was after we had the fire under control and already took of our SCBA's. I guess because I was focused on other things.

As far as car fires. The tires would make everyone run for cover. It is easily mistaken for bumpers and shocks blowing off. Now that's some violent crap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SlOXowwC4c&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Watch this it is very eye opening on the volatility of ammo.

lbwar15 said:

I've only herd ammo going off 1 time. And that was after we had the fire under control and already took of our SCBA's. I guess because I was focused on other things.

As far as car fires. The tires would make everyone run for cover. It is easily mistaken for bumpers and shocks blowing off. Now that's some violent crap.

Click to expand...

We were out in the country so it happened often as most everyone in the area had firearms. I remember one house that had a large collection. The house was built in the 1890's and burnt so hot we couldn't make an entry. It even bubbled the paint on the 1st engines door. It killed me to know the guys collection was melting.

First hand experience here when my house burned the ammo in the can did not escape. The car in the garage didn't fare so well though.

Search ******* bonfire here on ftf. A coworker was at a party when someone threw shells in the fire. He took a shell to the cheek. Due to physics, the shell has more velocity than the bullet, and being hot from the fire, left a nice little scar. :O

Same thing happened to me when I was 13 and out camping with some friends. Several 22LR thrown in the campfire by one of us. I had shorts on and a case nailed me on the bare thigh. It did not go deep enough to bury itself so I was able to dig it out. The perp got a black eye.

what would worry me about a house fire is when theres a semi-auto with a round in the chamber. when the round cooks off, it's going to shoot wherever the barrel is pointed, AND cycle the action to load another round.

This will continue until either A) the mag runs empty, or B) a round in the mag explodes before it gets chambered and takes out the magazine, and possibly the entire frame.

of course, there's also the possibility that the heat would kill the heat temper of the spring steel, and the weapon would never cycle back closed on a new round, and the rest will go off as if they were sitting on the shelf.


All I know for sure, is that I don't want to find out!! (with any of my own firearms anyway...)