About ammo in your home

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jaydubya

New member
I'm a San Diegan and my county has just survived the worst fire storm in California history. My family and home were never directly involved because we live on the south coast. But I currently have about two thousand rounds of range ammo in the garage, plus HD ammo and handguns about the house. As the Perfect Santa Ana hit us, combined with the worst drought in memory, I found myself watching a local TV station commentator describing how a house in Rancho Bernardo was burned to the ground, and listening to ammunition in the ruins cooking off in an alarming sputter. In fact, the commentator said that cartridges were raining down upon him. He got there long after the firemen had left -- and guess WHY they left.

Morale: if fire approaches your house and you are ordered to leave your house, take your ammo!

I continue with this: Although Qualcomm Stadium was used as an evacuation center, the Chargers will play in Qualcomm Stadium Sunday. I welcome you to watch a game in a town, and a state, that was ready for the Perfect Storm.

Hoowah!
 
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tony pasley

New member
I have a concrete building to store ammo and supplies. I have suppression system to protect the things in that room. It isn't cheap but it is well worth it.
 
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JohnKSa

Administrator
Ammunition is not particularly hazardous in a fire. I've seen test results indicating that a normally equipped/clothed fireman will not be injured by ammunition in a housefire.

A person without protective gear (eye/face protection & heavy clothing) could be injured or perhaps even killed in extraordinary circumstances by ammunition in a housefire. It would be very easy to lose an eye to a primer, for example.

Loaded guns are another story entirely. When the heat is sufficient to set off the round, it will fire just as if the trigger had been pulled.
 
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SOSARMS

New member
The previous post is 100% correct.....much more than i can say for the news reporter....He is a liar !!! Boxed ammo in a fire will only travel a couple inches in a fire and mostly just sounds like a firecracker going off, or a series of muffled puffs. This has been documented by fire marshals around the country and published to departments.
In our personal experience, we had an office trailer catch fire from an electrical malfunction a couple years ago. The trailer was a total loss. Inside one of the offices was a file cabinet with several hundred rounds of 45acp and 38. The cabinet reached a temp that baked off all the paint, and the metal was buckled. Inside a drawer was the ammo, or should i say parts of ammo....cases still in the boxes, lead and copper just a few inches away. Maybe a couple small dimples in the cabinet case, but NO holes....Just the drama and misinformation that we have come to expect from our news media :barf:
 
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homefires

New member
I too agree! Cooked off ammo will not do more then hurt the ears! The case will shard and shrapell, Unless your right on top of it, it will not be deadly! May do some damage but not as bad a some people think.

Keeping it in a metal cooler could prolong it from cooking! Mine is in a safe rated at 15 minutes. Thats 15 minutes at 2000 degree no burn inside. Not good but what I could afford! A mobil home will be gone in that time.
 
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IZinterrogator

New member
jaydubya, glad to hear you're alright. As a native San Diegan, it has been heartwrenching for me to watch my former county go up in flames like that on the news, especially when I saw Larry Himmel watching his home burn to the ground on the news (yes, they even showed it here in Iraq on AFN). Back on topic, I used to worry about that, so I got some steel ammo cans to put my ammo in. It's not much, but it may contain the fragments in case of fire. I'd put it in the safe, but there's no room in there for ammo anymore (which seems to me like more of a plus than a minus ;) ).
 
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jaydubya

New member
IZ -- Thank you for your thoughts. I agree that watching Larry Himmel standing in front of his house, describing its destruction, was very affecting. As I stated over on the S&W site, not all those in the media business are devils incarnate.

I store my ammo in old ammo cans also. Makes them handy for quick removal, and should contain, or at least minimize, whatever goes off in fire.

You are in harm's way, EZ. To use an old Navy expression, "I wish you fair winds and following seas."
Good luck,
Jack
 
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mountainclmbr

New member
A few years ago I got a questionaire in the mail from the county sheriff. It was a "safety" survey asking if ammunition was in the residence and, if so, how much and where was it stored. If I recall correctly, I used the survey to light my fireplace that night.
 
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Sigma 40 Blaster

New member
Thanks for the responses guys, this was very timely for me.

I'm gonna pick up a few ammo cans tonight online...my wife asked me about this today. I currently have 200 rounds of 12 gauge (various sizes), 500 rounds of .380, 1000 rounds of 9mm, 2000 rounds of .40 cal, and 200 or so .223. All reloads stored in bags or tupperware bowls (she wants her bowls back too).

I keep it in a closet in the middle of my house (all 4 walls in this section are thick, solid concrete bricks. I was unsure what would happen if a fire broke out (again not a concern because not much burnable in that part of the house) but better safe than sorry.
 
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tjcoker

New member
I got a pretty good deal from Wideners for my ammo cans. Shipping is a killer, but great quality compared to CTD.
 
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RockyMtnTactical

New member
Why wouldn't I take my ammo if I were evacuating?? ;)

That said, bullets w/o barrels to direct the fire and build up pressure are little more than noise makers like a few others have stated. Not particularly dangerous, unless you are right next to the exploding bullets...
 
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BillCA

New member
Jay,

Moving a couple of thousand rounds isn't that hard if you have them in boxes or ammo cans. I have on the order of about 18,000 rounds in ammo cans (13 calibers) that I'd have to schlep into the back of my truck!

Use either .50-caliber or smaller ammo cans to avoid overloading them. I have a pair of the larger 20mm cans that contain 9mm and .223 ammo and I need Schwarzenegger's help to lift 'em. :eek:

My brother and his family had to evacuate on Monday while he was up north here in the bay area for business. Fortunately they'd already decided what to take out and who was responsible to get it to the car.

I'd suggest you also invest in filling a surplus military pack with emergency supplies in the event of a major earthquake. This gives you clothes, water, food and perhaps shelter quickly available at any time.
 
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Hemicuda

New member
Sorry, I subscribe to the "Buy it cheap, Stack it deep" method of ammo purchasing... I DOUBT that, in an emergency like that, I'd have time to get a semi and a forktruck to come in just to load up my ammo for evacuation...

Disclaimer: the above statement is NOT an exxageration...
 
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Selfdfenz

New member
I'm not saying things in the ashes weren't poping and throwing things near the little reporter but it wasn't exploding ammo.

It's a shame reporters aren't accountable for the things they report as facts that turn out later to be wrong. Many uninformed people are now misinformed and will think every round of ammo in their neighbor's house has the potential to explode in a fire and injure or kill someone.

Best,

S-
 
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Alleykat

Moderator
That said, bullets w/o barrels to direct the fire and build up pressure are little more than noise makers like a few others have stated. Not particularly dangerous, unless you are right next to the exploding bullets...
Click to expand...

Are exploding "bullets" even legal? ;)
 
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AirForceShooter

New member
You think because the fires aren't threatening you, it's over?
It's just beginning.
Homeless. insurance problems, political hassels oh just wait.

Did FEMA show up yet?

Here in hurricane land we know it's not the storm.

AFS
 
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homefires

New member
This reminds me of what happened here about a year or so ago! There was a fire at the flea market about 2 miles from my house. One vendor was a FFL dealer and had some ammo stored in his stall. The Stalls under cover with some being some what enclosed! Steel construction, Metal siding and Pipe Up Rights. The fire department got there in no time as they were only 3/4 of a mile away.

Everyone knew what was in there and they just stood back a watched it burn. They would not get the hose within 30 ft and Cool it off from the open sections. It was a total lose. I could have put it out with a garden hose!

The ammo was in a lock up, steel box and all was fine!

What a bunch of Goobers!
 
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clayking

New member
When I was a kid I threw a box of shotgun shells into a fire, by mistake, and it was not much more than a bunch of firecracker going off.......

There are a few areas in my house that might burn hot:p should a fire consume it, like 30 pounds of poweder, 10,000 or so primers, and the loaded ammo......I guess the loaded guns will offer the most harm.

I guess a loaded cylinder in a revolver will fire and do damage to the gun itself.....note to self, grab the loaded revovoler when escaping the fire:rolleyes:........................................ck
 
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