House Explodes While Man Is Reloading

I know a guy that was shooting a muzzel loader and had his powder on the bench infront of him in a empty open plastic .22 box to dip from . As he layed his rifle on the bench ready to shoot a gust of wind blew the powder from the .22 box around his face and ... cigarett . Melted his face .
 
Hatcher described the sad case of gunsmith/reloader J. Bushnell Smith who ADed a .30-06 into a keg of powder which ignited itself and four more. No explosion, but the flash "cooked him in his tracks."
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Loading a rifle known to prematurely discharge, with tracer ammunition, while pointing the rifle into a room where you store gun powder, kerosene, and fuel oil doesn't exactly qualify as "accidental." Negligent, yes. Accidental.... not a chance.

And.... Hatcher's story says that it was a 150 pound container of powder that took the initial impact, and over 750 pounds that flashed. That's substantially beyond the typical quantities encountered today, and (as also noted in the Hatcher story) FAR in excess of what should have mandated storage in a proper powder magazine. (Today, the limit is just 50 pounds [less in some areas] to justify a powder magazine.)
 
Yeah, the house exploding is no accident, except maybe in the phraseology of "industrial accident" where you learn there was negligence and general violations of safety protocols that resulted in the disaster.

Somehow, the notion of working with a lot of exposed power and a space heater in the area sounds like a really bad idea to me.
 
Never the less, this should be a reminder to all of us that reloading can be dangerous and we need to practice safety at all times.
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It should also be a remindeer that storing flammables, epsecially powders, in an area that is not capable of relieving a lot of pressure quickly is the same as a giant pipe bomb.
 
Hatcher's story says that it was a 150 pound container of powder that took the initial impact,
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True, quantity does matter; I have intentionally shot containers of scrap powder. One pound just scatters, ten pounds produces a column of flame.

My main point was that there are more plausible ignition sources than a case falling on a dusty bench top.
 
One of the things that I do not have in my loading room, have never given it any consideration until this thread was created, having a fire extinguisher close by. While I don't store powder and primer in the manner that this guy may have and the probability of creating such a hazardous situation on a wooden bench may be next to nothing, it still begs the question of whether to be safe or sorry. Under the notion that anything can happen at any time, I think I'm making the investment this weekend.
 
There were some primed and charged cases on this gentleman's bench. They also found a cap from a powder jug.

The weather was cold that morning and he had a small space heater running in his reloading room.

The room had carpeting. It had been used for loading for many, many years.

The working estimation is that either the cases or an open powder canister was upset and fell from the bench to the floor. The heater ignited the spill.

Residual powder trapped in the carpet over years of reloading instantly flashed engulfing the room. The initial flash ignited some other powders.
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There are just so many wrongs in that scenario.
 
Sorry fellers, I just don't buy it. There seems to be some facts omitted, and the report was prolly written/reported by "uneducated experts"...:confused:
 
mikld said:
Sorry fellers, I just don't buy it. There seems to be some facts omitted, and the report was prolly written/reported by "uneducated experts"...
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What aren't you buying? What would your theory be? We all can learn from everyone's theories.
 
http://www.saami.org/videos/sporting_ammunition_and_the_firefighter.cfm

Wyoredman furnished a link to the report. In the report there were cases that ripped apart, SAAMI in their experiment did not find ripped apart cases. Then there is that thing with Don Meredith about ifs and buts being gifts and nuts.

The reloader needed an outbuilding/shop and he needed to be reminded about rules. If he had been familiar WITH THE LAWS/RULES he would have had hazmat placards on the front of his home. Because of his bad habits he put others at risk.

F. Guffey
 
Wyoredman furnished a link to the report. In the report there were cases that ripped apart, SAAMI in their experiment did not find ripped apart cases.
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Where was this found? It witness walls were loaded with fragments. I have cooked off ammo my self in a fire and found blown apart cases.

See 14:27

Besides, in the OP's link, such is documented in the pictures.
 
What aren't you buying? What would your theory be? We all can learn from everyone's theories.
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Well for one, smokeless powder doesn't explode, it burns and only rapidly when confined. A case causing a spark? I've been working with metal for over 50 years and I've never been able to generate a spark from brass/bronze. Details just too "sketchy" to determine what exactly happened, and today's media often makes stuff up to fill a story...
 
A case causing a spark?
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The case comes with a spark making devise called the primer, I know, many reloaders carry ammo in plastic baggies. I don't.

A shooter, reloader, collector, etc. went to the range with his ammo in baggies, he dropped a baggie. When the baggie hit the ground one primer hit the rim of another case, the primer went off. The primer being lighter than the combined weight of the bullet, powder and case pushed off and hit him on the inside of his leg. He almost blead to death.

Many years ago I had a friend that was grinding on the top of a P/U while standing on an empty paint thinner drum. The drum was empty so there was no bung in the barrel, they found him laying on the top of the building the next morning, right next to the hole in the roof.

F. Guffey
 
It witness walls were loaded with fragments
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When firemen are fighting a fire with flying fragments from explosions it is time to stop fighting the fire or start fighting fires with bullet and fragment proof suits.

I know, I saw the old movies, a cowboy throws bullets into the fire and then things get exciting. And then? There is bullet hold, neck tension to everyone else.

F. Guffey
 
Holy moly. I never thought of not carrying pointed ammo in a baggie. I used to do that all the time. Makes sense. Now I carry in a plastic ammo can. Also looks cooler.
 
As described in post 14, this was an accident waiting to happen. The explosions could have been either closed safes with smokeless powder or just jugs of black powder, used in the cannons, exploding by themselves. Doesn't really matter, the explosions came after the initial "flash" fire, they were not the cause of the fire.

Every portable heater I have ever seen has numerous warnings posted on it about using near anything flammable. Using it within the confines of a small room filled with flammables?
 
When firemen are fighting a fire with flying fragments from explosions it is time to stop fighting the fire or start fighting fires with bullet and fragment proof suits.
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Don't be silly, Guffey. You watched the video YOU posted right? The turnouts are sufficient, along with a face plate, for protection. They explicitly stated such.
 
Wyoming Redman,

Thanks for the tip about carpeting. Fortunately, I have a small piece I can remove easily and shake outside. Occasionally, I use a small vacuum on it. Actually, I was thinking about removing it so my reloading stool, with casters, will move easier. I just may do that today.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati

I love big oil.
 
Don't be silly, Guffey.
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To you, I find nothing silly and or funny about first responders not knowing what they are getting into when they show at an emergency.

Industrial and or commercial business should not have surprises. We never want to forget West, TX..

Silly/funny? Do we not have the discipline to police our self and or out of ignorance someone decides we need to declare we are reloaders and list all the hazards involved.

F. Guffey
 
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