.380 round and human flesh (another question)

M

MusclesMcGee

Moderator
Sorry for creating another thread, but as I am new to handguns, this is something I am seriously concerned about. I am always freaked when I load a magazine, that somehow (finger nail maybe ?) I will hit the primer, or apply to much pressure to a bullet and it will go off in my hand. Can this happen ? How sensitive are bullets and what can I do to avoid this ? Sometimes when I'm loading a magazine, especially a Glock, I have to apply a lot of pressure to get the last few rounds in, should I be concerned ?
 
Relax. It's not that easy to detonate a primer, it takes a good sharp strike directly to the primer. You couldn't set one off with your bare hands if you tried (but please don't).

When loading/handling firearms, it's a real good idea to be sure that the barrel is never pointed at anything you want to keep (like your foot, hands, girlfriend, strangers, your dog, etc.). You're probably more likely to have an ND when you're actually loading a round in the chamber (or unloading) than any other time.

It's good that you're concerned about your safety. Never get careless, no matter how much and long you handle firearms.
 
Since we're talking about the sensitivity/stability of ammunition...

I've always wondered about keeping a loaded firearm and/or ammunition in a closed car on a hot, sunny day. I've seen thermometers in such cars hit 140-150 degrees, no problem. I'm pretty sure that the ammunition is inert enough to not have any problem, but I'm not entirely sure. Can anyone set my mind at ease here?

Thanks!



[This message has been edited by BAB (edited November 17, 1999).]
 
Muscles,

Like double D said, relax. A primer is a whole lot harder to set off than most people realize. Setting one off with my fingernail would be the least of my worries.

BAB,

I doubt heat from the sun will set a primer off; but it will be interesting to hear some others views on it.



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>>>>>>>>------------TMS---------------->>>
 
Bab, the only problem that I see is a possible "Cookoff", especially if a round is chambered.
The weapon/ammo would have to be VERY hot in order for this to happen though.
It's where the round fires due to extreme temps, cycles, chambers another round into the now even hotter chamber, and keeps repeating.
Someone else may be able to add to this, as I don't think this happens very often.

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Happiness is a tight group!
 
Muscles,

Like others have said, it's harder to set them off than you may think. I used to have the same fears though. Since then though I've dropped live rounds on hard surfaces (inadvertantly, mind you), pushed like h*ll to get them into magazines, taken live rounds apart, etc. I'm convinced that they are pretty stable...not sure on the high heat issue though.

Once I was messing around with a round I had taken apart, because the case had been severely damaged by a misfeed. I had removed the bullet and the powder, and, out of curiousity, I wanted to set the primer off. I stabilized the case, primer up, on concrete, placed the tip of a Phillips head screwdriver on the primer, and whacked it with a hammer. It took several tries before I scored the necessary direct hit with sufficient pressure to set the primer off. Even with several small dents from failed hits, the primer didn't go off.

Also, at least with all the rounds I've ever worked with, the powder isn't compressed in the case...it's loose, with at least some space between the bullet base and the powder, assuming a case sitting with the bullet end upwards. Take a round in your hand sometime, put it up to your ear and shake it. You'll probably be able to hear the powder moving. Until I first took a round apart, I used to think the powder was stuffed in there tight, and that it would be pressure-sensitive. That's not the case, at least, like I said, with all the types of ammo I've ever used.

Hope this helps reassure you a bit.

[This message has been edited by BAB (edited November 17, 1999).]
 
Thanks Bab, Danger, Mohican, and everyone else. Sorry if the question seemed ignorant, I just started out and I'm learning something new every day.
 
Reply to bab and to muscles:
Bab, PLEASE DONT EVER STRIKE A PRIMER WITH A NAIL OR A PHILIPS HEAD SCREWDRIVER EVER AGAIN. YOU ARE JUST EVER SO LUCKY THAT THE PRIMER DID NOT BACK OUT OF THE PRIMER POCKET AND EMBED ITSELF DEEP INTO ONE OF YOUR VITAL ORGANS.Only the tip of the phlips head
screwdriver prevented this from happening to you. Backed out Primers can hit similar to a 22lr bullet and can be just as deadly. The
bolt face of a rifle prevents the primers from backing out and flying when a rifle or
pistol is fired. Look at the bolt of slide face of any of your fired guns and you will see the dent that the back of the primer leaves in the bolt face.That little round circle around the firing pin hole.


Muscles, I left my ammo backpack in the trunk of my car for 3 weeks this summer. The car was parked in the sun.800 rounds in the pack, no problems. Outside temps hit 96 deg
but I dont know how hot it got in the trunk.

Do what you CAN
larry
Conn. CAN opperator http://thematrix.acmecity.com/digital/237/cansite/can.html
 
Hey, no problem MM! It's good to have a new member and questions are always welcome.

Here in Georgia, it gets pretty hot during the summer, and there are a lot of cars that have guns and/or ammo in them. I've never even [/i]heard[/i] of a round going off because of the heat.

This isn't to say you could use your toaster oven for a "secret hiding place".... ;)
 
ernest2,

Thanks for your concern. I agree it was a foolish thing to do...it was back in the days where I was much more ignorant of such dangers. I only put the story forward, at the risk of making myself look like an ass :) :o, to back up others' assertions that it does indeed take a direct and rather forceful hit to set a properly functioning primer off.



[This message has been edited by BAB (edited November 18, 1999).]
 
Ammo is suprisingly safe and stable.

Modern gunpowder will not explode unless it's confined in the case. If you were to remove the bullet and set the primer off, the only thing that would happen would that the primer would blow lose powder everywhere.

Also ammo that "cooks off" or is set off outside a gun does not behave like ammo fired from a gun. It "pops" like pop corn.
The case will split open first if the bullet is seated right. The bullet will only go a short distance. You can still be injuried by pieces of the casing when it ruptures.

A normal GI ammo can will be able to contain the mess. I suggest that is the best way to store your ammo. Also the heat from storing ammo in cars will breakdown the powder and primers in the ammo after a while. It's best to store it in a cool, dry place.

As for accidently setting off ammo by pushing on it or dropping it, well I guess it could happen. It takes a quick hard strike to set the primer off. I've never heard of a round being accidently fired in this way.

But it pays to always keep firearms pointed in a safe direction as a matter of habit.

------------------
The new guy.

"I'm totin, this pistol because my dang SKS won't fit in my holster"
 
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