What would happen if you put a live round in a...

[tuc22]

microwave oven and started it?
Sorry, but I've always been curious.

[George Hill]

You gotta be kidding.

DO NOT TRY THIS!

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Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

[Hal]

Sparks, lots and lots of sparks.
Did I mention it would spark a whole lot?

Metal and microwaves = bad Ju Ju.

By the way, did I mention it would spark a lot?

live round in micorwave = dead idiot in kitchen

In my case, I would prefer the sparks (did I mention it would spark a lot?) over my wife's reaction. No sparks from her, only a crushing blow to my head from a cast iron skillet.



[This message has been edited by RAE (edited May 11, 2000).]

[Big Bear]

Why??? Are you vying for next year's Darwin Award?

You will be assimilated, and your magnetron will be toast.

(kids, don't try this at home)

[tuc22]

So, is anybody going to guess as to whether or not it will detonate or discharge?
The Darwin Award goes to the idiot who attempts this. I'm only looking for a authoritative answer.

[Hal]

Hint: Sparks in a microwave spell bad news for the magnetron. The microwave would probably suffer circut damage before the round could possibly do any damage.

Try a dry run with a fork first, and let us know how the MW holds out.

[45King]

Hmmm, now this might be interesting. Anybody got an old micro, a portable generator, and about 300' of extension cord, as well as a place to do it? (Not to mention the cartridge, of course. A .308 should do nicely.)

Geez, if I had the equipment, I know a place I could go and do this, and I'd like to see it done (from a safe distance, of course.)

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Shoot straight & make big holes, regards, Richard at The Shottist's Center

[Hal]

Ok, here's about as useful a suggestion as you might get.
Fill the microwave with ammo, get a loooooooong extension cord and wrap it inside a side of freshly butchered beef. Set it out and answer this thread in the process www.thefiringline.com:8080/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36103

PS: Take pictures

[This message has been edited by RAE (edited May 11, 2000).]

[TMoney]

And you guys thought I was a little bit 'off' for storing my powder and ammo in my oven, which I never use! Thank you very little.

[Longshot]

Okay, important safety tip:

Disable the rotating turntable before nuking your ammo

Seriously, it's a bad idea. Who knows where the round might impact if it went off?

If you ventilate some high-strung soccer mom's latte cup, you'll go down in history as the inspiration for the Million Microwave March.

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NRA/GOA/SAF/USMC

Oregon residents please support the Oregon Firearms Federation, our only "No compromise" gun lobby. http://www.oregonfirearms.org


[This message has been edited by Longshot (edited May 11, 2000).]

[antiUSSA]

In all actuality, I would be willing to bet it would be much less spectacular than one might be led to believe...

The rational for this statement is: At one time or another, most of us that reload have had a round discharge in the press... Since there is no chamber pressure against the cartridge and bullet, it just goes "P O P" and makes a hell of a mess (it will make ya jump though). Except for a much greater level of flash and sparks, I would guess the same to be mostly true in a MW. The MW interior will most certainly be destroyed though!

Now if you were to try this with a cartridge loaded with "FFFG"... That just might put on quite a show!

[Mal H]

I've got to disagree with the consensus. I doubt that anything will happen or that the round will even get warm much less spark. The round is a completely closed and ungrounded system. The microwaves will probably bounce off with no effect. Haven't you all noticed what the inside of your microwave oven is made of?

Metals will spark in a microwave oven when they are very thin or particulate. Try a small wad of steel wool, quite a show. Then try a large piece of solid unplated metal, nothing. I'm not sure why there is a difference, but there is.

[buzz_knox]

I once stripped the insulation off an extension cord, wrapped the bare wire around a .22 LR and plugged it in (while lying behind a pile of bricks). The result: VERY loud explosion, blue flames about 15 feet tall, a complete absence of any casing fragments, and one burnt wall receptacle.

Hey, I was young, stupid, and trying to figure out how to make a detonator.

[Libertarian]

About the same as if you tossed a live round into a fire; it will explode. With no chamber to direct the force into moving just the bullet, the bullet will only be tossed a foot or two. The most dangerous part of it will be the small fragments of casing that might go flying and the door of the microwave blowing off from the sudden rise in pressure.

If you still have your face and fingers afterwards, write and let us know how it went.

[antiUSSA]

Microwaves in general, heat items by "friction"...

The friction is created by the MW's very slight alteration of the atoms that make up a specific item. The end result is heat. That's why most items in a MW tend to heat from the inside out.

As for a thin "particulate" metal, the primer is just that... A primer (along with black powder IE: FFFG) is very sensitive to static (a result of friction), the static generated by the molecular friction is most likely what would generate the discharge. The neck of the brass casing is also quite thin.

[LawDog]

Hmm.

The variuos thicknesses of the metals making up the loaded round will, in all likelihood, cause the round to cook off.

Once it does, it'll probably throw the bullet about a foot. However, the rapid gas expansion inside the sealed box of the microwave would most likely be pretty spectacular.

I would not condone trying this, but if you feel the need, a)don't let any female members of your immediate family know about your experiment, and b)take pictures.

LawDog

[Mal H]

Microwave ovens work by vibrating molecules. The wave length is specifically chosen to work best with water molecules. I don't believe any EM waves will reach the primer material or the powder. Again, the round is a closed system.

Am I going to try it? No. But I did try an empty casing for a short period of time. Zip, nada. Not even warm. Then I tried the empty casing (with a small glass of water so the magnetron won't be damaged) for about a minute. Still nothing. Casing wasn't warmed at all.

[TexasRusty]

I don't think it is a good area to experiment. I belive that there is no such thing as being to cautious and safe when in the presence of guns and ammo.

I am not sure what would happen and I am not about to try and find out. Bit IMHO "Bad things man, bad things."

[riddleofsteel]

i don't know but a sick experiment at work one day proved that roaches don't seem to mind the rays. he lasted over 3 minutes.

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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one. Luke 22-36
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
The man that can keep his head and aims carefully when the situation has gone bad and lead is flying usually wins the fight.

[This message has been edited by riddleofsteel (edited May 11, 2000).]

[yy]

Are you guys using the same kind of microwave oven that I do? The OLDER model MWovens come with warnings about metal in them. spoons, foil, pans, etc. My Panasonic Carousel MW oven came with instuctions to PUT ALUMINUM FOILS on my food while I defrost.

Speaking from experience, my MW oven did not spark or otherwise when I put a metal spoon in my milk. The oven warmed up the milk as usual. The newer models have better wave guides to confine the MW beams. No feedback, no sparks, and no short circuits.

I'd imagine a bullet isn't going to be much problem. Seeing as there is only a small shell of brass and the core is made of lead. Lead is not as good a conductor as copper.

Like so many had said, Take Pictures!

yenyin

[Matt VDW]

How about a tupperware container full of gasoline?

Just kidding! KIDS, DON'T TRY THAT AT HOME!

Don't nuke any cans of black powder in the microwave, either.

[Art Eatman]

Getting away from microwaves and looking just at what happens when a primer goes off in a loaded cartridge outside the chamber of a rifle: A test of this was done a bunch of years ago.

A .30-'06 GI round was set on a piece of denim cloth atop a bar of soap. From an electric source, one wire was attached to the case; the other glued to the primer. A cardboard box was set over it as cover.

On with the juice! The primer ignited. The bullet appeared not to have moved as far as the side of the box; the case moved more. Unburned powder all around inside the box. A scorch on the cloth. A slight dent in the bar of soap, considered equivalent to a fairly minor bruise. (After all, the bullet moves maybe 3/8" and the pressure goes to zero.)

I think that what started it all was the question of "What if a round went off in your pocket?". I guess the answer might be, "Not deadly, but not fun."

FWIW, Art

[Libertarian]

Matt VDW, you are being intentionally evil putting thoughts like that in folks' heads.

[Futo Inu]

Try this, too, while you're at it. Take an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of paper. Tear in half Place a shotgun shell of some kind on the edge of what would have been the left or right side of the paper. Then roll the paper around the shell and tape it securely so that the paper extends several times beyond the length of the shell, so that it is bottom heavy - it will come down like a lawn dart when thrown. Then use a small piece of duct tape to tape a steel BB directly under the bottom of the primer. Then throw up hard, high, and away over a hard surface and run for cover!

[Mal H]

riddleofsteel - That's not surprising about the roach. It is estimated that the only living things left after an all out nuclear war will be cockroaches and Keith Richards.