A personal irritation.

[zincwarrior]

In a fire or accidental discharge of an uncontained round, the biggest problem isn't the bullet, it is, in centerfire ammunition, the primer cup.

It is light and loses velocity very quickly, but it can develop significant velocity and can cause considerable damage to someone who is near.

Years ago when I was on staff at NRA we had a letter from a guy who was heating a case with a torch (why I can't remember).

He had pulled the bullet and the powder, but didn't think to pull the primer. It went off, the primer cup shot out and got between two ribs and buried itself in his lung.

A primer cup has more than enough velocity and weight to take out an eye.

There is another issue for those of us in dry climates. If a round should somehow go off it can start a very fast spreading fire. So police your ammo!

 

[dmoserwy]

Sometimes it is just a question of striking the primer in a different location.

I did that once with a 22 shell. It split the case where the original firing pin mark was and cracked my stock. Won't do that again even with a .22.

 

[osbornk]

I did that once with a 22 shell. It split the case where the original firing pin mark was and cracked my stock. Won't do that again even with a .22.

I shoot cheap 22 ammo all the time and I frequently have FTF with a firing pin mark. I put them back in and 90% of the time, they fire fine. I have never had a problem. I have never had a failure to fire with centerfire ammo where there was a mark on the primer.

 

[Hawg]

I remember as a kids. Some kids in the area were hitting 22's with a hammer to make them go off.

I did that and did some centerfire pistol cartridges too. I dropped a .22 LR in shag carpet once and didn't realize it. My wife found it with the vacuum. It just made a little pop and no damage to the vacuum.

 

[kraigwy]

I was on the Bomb Disposal Unit of my PD. Part of our job was disposal of found our un-wanted explosives and ammo.

We just burned the ammo in a burn barrel. No big deal.

 

[flashhole]

It's much more exciting to put an aerosol can of shaving cream in a campfire.