February 1, 2006, 05:00 PM | #1 |
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Disposing of loaded ammo
Problem, I inherited a large ammo box of reloads. Maybe a couple thousand rounds. There are at least five different handgun calibers. I have no idea what powder or how much was used. I couldn't find any data, or records of any kind. The guy bragged about how hot he could load his ammo. I don't want to take a chance and shoot any of this stuff and certainly don't want it in the trash. I tried pulling the bullets with a hammer type bullet puller. Them dumped the powder and case into two different jugs of water. Thinking after being in the water the it would be safe to remove the primers. The puller is to slow, and hard on the hands. I'm to the point I no longer care about saving components. Any suggestions for a safe way to dispose of it?
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February 1, 2006, 05:19 PM | #2 |
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I've seen junk ammo disposed of by burning. A post hole was dug straight down 3-4 feet and burning charcoal was added. A few cartridges at a time were dropped down the hole through a pipe angled off to the side.
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February 1, 2006, 06:42 PM | #3 |
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Burning?
Better get a deep enough hole! I suppose you could throw a bunch of rounds in there if you live out in the country. But maybe put the rounds in and start the fire after, and get well back. Burning ammo will go off like a firecracker, but since the pressure will not build up, the bullets will not really be dangerous in that pit. But there still may be bits of flying debris that could cause minor injuries or the like. How about one of those bullet pulling dies for the reloading press? Right now I have a can full of rusted German 8MM ammo I would dearly love to dispose of. Some one gave it to me but stored it poorly. I guess I can save the unrusted rounds as collectables and pull the other bullets for likewise-steel core you know. Someone might want to load tank busters for their Yugo Mauser!
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February 1, 2006, 06:43 PM | #4 |
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Dump 'em in your trash can and let the trash pickup guys handle them.
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February 1, 2006, 06:58 PM | #5 |
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Don't know about Ohio, but some states have a hazardous waste facility, that can safely dispose of materials such as ammunition, explosives, detonators, poisons, solvents, and so forth. You could look in the Cincinnati yellow pages or call your local waste management department.
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February 1, 2006, 07:11 PM | #6 |
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I know 22's will just "pop" if thrown in a campfire, dont know about centerfire. Like someone said, it cant build any pressure.
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February 1, 2006, 07:13 PM | #7 |
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Recnetly had several thousand (somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000..all claibers) water ruined rounds to dispose of. Some whent on a fishing trip and eneded up in the deep Gulf water...a lot of it got burried.
Someone might dig up the burried stuff...which I really can't do a thing about...but it was pretty well DOA ammo and they'd have to really work at it to get damaged by it. |
February 1, 2006, 07:45 PM | #8 |
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Disposal of ammo
Throwing it into the trash is not the way to go. Trash trucks can produce some pretty high pressures. If the trash guys see it and respond correctly, you may find yourself paying for a Haz Mat contractor to clean out the trash truck and dispose of the material correctly. That will cost you thousands and thousands of dollars! I recently watched a homeowner write a check for $10,000 to clean up some pool chemicals hidden in the trash.
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February 1, 2006, 07:56 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
Dean |
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February 1, 2006, 08:55 PM | #10 |
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take it to the police
I have read recently that if you have ammunition to dispose of you can take it down to any police department and they will dispose of it for you. It could very well be something only in CA but I'm sure a call down the the station and an explaination could at least point you in the right direction. You really don't want to burn or burry the stuff because you never know for sure if someone will get hurt by your actions and that just gives the anti-gun crowd more excuses to take away our guns, just like the people who shoot guns into the air at new years, ridiculous.
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February 1, 2006, 08:57 PM | #11 |
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What about calling the fire dept. and asking them for a sugestion? Maybe they would take them off your hands.
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February 1, 2006, 09:54 PM | #12 |
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I'd use a puller and try and save the bullets and brass at least. That's what I'd do.
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February 1, 2006, 10:05 PM | #13 |
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I had around 600 rounds of .22 that I did not trust. (WWII vintage) I did go to the local PD, explained why I felt it was not safe and asked if they could dispose. They did, no charge.
Fair warning: If you do go in a PD with a box containing a few hundred rounds, expect to be surrounded with a lot of nervous uniformed folks!!!! |
February 1, 2006, 10:14 PM | #14 |
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Do the right thing even if it cost a few dollars, just think how you would feel if one of your family members found or was hurt by improperly disposed of ammo.
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February 2, 2006, 01:57 PM | #15 |
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Since shell casings are sometimes lighter than the lead in a cartridge, they will tend to go away from the bullet. Burning is going to ignite the cartridge,
and the brass will become the projectile. I have a brother with only one eye because of this. Most Fire Departments have a plan for the disposal of such things, and you would do well by yourself, as well as others, to contact them and do whats RIGHT. BURNING OR BURYING IS NOT THE SOLUTION, and you certainly don't want to shoot someone elses loads simply because they were loaded for a particular weapon, and it wasn't yours. |
February 2, 2006, 02:14 PM | #16 |
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Burning works fine if you follow the simple directions I gave. You need a deep hole and you need to feed in a few cartridges at a time from well off to the side. Any fragments can only go straight up.
As a suspicious sort, I ain't involving the government in my business in any way. Too much chance they will find a way to hurt me. |
February 2, 2006, 02:48 PM | #17 |
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Does your range have a collection bin for dud rounds? Dump them a batch at a time, every time you go shooting.
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February 2, 2006, 07:35 PM | #18 |
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what calibers are we talking about ?
If it's something I can use, I'll take it and pull every single one of them, and reuse the components. PM me a list If there is enough of it to use, I'll pay shipping. BigSlick
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February 3, 2006, 02:00 PM | #19 |
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collet puller
Hornady makes a collet puller for just about any size bullet.
I pulled about 1200 pieces of .40 S&W JHP. The guy didn't know what powder was, But the bullets and cases were in great shape. Did it over a period of about a month a hundred or so at a time. Went faster than I thought and got good primed brass and clean bullets. Great practice ammo!! http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=851547 Ripsaw |
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