PistolPete Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 This topic is of a very serious nature. It is not a joke. I want to know your experiences of handling bullets. Exactly how safe are they??? I know we all tumble our loaded rounds after reloading them. Then we put it in our case/media seperator and give it a few spins. I am so cautious while doing this and spin the seperator VERY slowly to make sure I don't have any AD's. Has anyone had an AD while just handling bullets or by dropping one? How much force is needed to ignite a primer? I want this topic to be serious as I believe it is one that is very overlooked. I know a bullet in a loaded gun is taken very seriously but when it is on the reloading bench do you treat it the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 Continue treating bullets as a dangerous object and you'll never regret it. However on the other hand it takes a pretty sharp blow directly on the primer with a hard object considerably smaller in diameter than the primer. I've run loaded rounds through the washing machine by accident. No problem and it even went bang in the gun. I've run loaded rounds through the clothes dryer by accident (after they had gone through the washing machine and not fallen out of my pants pocket.) No problem and no I didn't try that one in the gun! Exposure to high temperatures can cause drastic changes in gun powder burning rates. Prime up a couple of empty cases, put on some goggles, ear plugs and gloves and see just what it takes to set off a primed case. It takes a pretty good whack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 Brian tells of an event where he and TGO were loading revolver rounds with Federal primers seated very deeply and one went off when it fell into the bucket. Maybe he can/will tell us more... I came home one day and found the dog chewing a loaded round on the bed...I'm a lot more careful now about leaving stray rounds, uh, around. SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 I still maintain that bullets are completely harmless (except for lead content) until they are loaded into cartridges. (hey, this is a shooting forum, we better get our terminology right, huh?) --Detlef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted July 19, 2003 Author Share Posted July 19, 2003 Good point Detlef. I should have been more precise in the beginning. Kinda like the saying "guns don't kill people, it's those little bullets that do, the gun only makes them go really really fast" LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 No the primers and powder charge makes then go really really fast, when placed in an object that will contain them and create pressure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted July 19, 2003 Author Share Posted July 19, 2003 again, I stand to be corrected... LOL But, seriously back to the topic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Boit Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 I heard once about a dropped round that went off when hitting the ground. There were some little (very little) rocks on the ground, and it seems that it's what caused it. The guy who told me that story said after that incident occured, the guy was DQed by the closest RO, he claims that it was an AD, which it was not. That's why the rules says that an AD it a shot fired through the barrel, otherwise, that no AD. OTOH, I can't say how many times we retrieved some rounds into the washing machine, or in the tumbler, and everything as went fine so far. Until the day...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Norris Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 I've also made the "dryer" mistake, and later fired said rounds with no ill effects. I generally don't worry about it unless I'm in a situation which I believe creates an increased hazard (rocky range, ect.) OTOH, rembering what happened to TJ last year at Summer Blast ( round stuck in the mag suddenly released and detonated on the feed lips) it's perhaps worth a little extra caution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubber Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 Pete, I have been in the area when a moonclip was dropped with live ammo in it. It struck a metal object and went off. Also while at the American Handgunner one year a revo shooter dropped moon clips in his shooting bag and a round went off. It can happen. However I have never had one go off while tumbling them in Media nor in a hot dryer. But a good strike to a primer can set it off. How much pressure? Some double action triggers set them off at 5 pounds of pull. Federals are the most sensitive. Just my experiences. Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old shooter Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 PistolPete says "....I know we all tumble our loaded rounds after reloading them"... Just curious, but how many people really do tumble loaded rounds....I don't, but mainly because it is one more step that I don't wish to take. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBF Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 I have tumbled loaded rounds on occasion, and know of many who do this regularly. Not for very long, just enough to get them squeaky clean when needed. GUNS do not kill people. I suppose the bullet could be looked upon as the direct cause of death, but it's the trigger finger of the shooter that initiates the process. But we probably all knew that already... Travis F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George D Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 Brian tells of an event where he and TGO were loading revolver rounds with Federal primers seated very deeply and one went off when it fell into the bucket.Maybe he can/will tell us more... I have recently increased the seating depth of my Federal primers to 6 thousandths so I am particularly interested to hear Brian's comments on this aspect. Brian....if you're out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 Hey folks, Forgive a dumb question. How are you increasing the seating depth on your primers? Are you drilling/milling out the primer hole or just pressing harder????? And Why would you do it? Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 Guns don't kill people, death kills people. Ask a doctor...people die of bloodloss or cardiac arrest. A lil'piece of lead ain't the problem. (couresy of Rockstar games.Grand Theft AutoIII) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George D Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 Hey folks,Forgive a dumb question. How are you increasing the seating depth on your primers? Are you drilling/milling out the primer hole or just pressing harder????? And Why would you do it? Dennis On my Hornady Projector there is an adjusting screw that alters the height of the plate in relation to the primer seating pad. Don't know about the Dillon. Some of their users could comment on how they acheive it. It has the effect of crushing the primer and making it more sensitive and is normally used for highly tuned double action revolvers in combination with Federal primers to achieve reliable ignition. It is not normally relevant to autos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 My wifes new vacume will set off a .40 if you run over them just right. Or at least it use to. Scared the crap out of the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George D Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 I wouldn't think it would do the carpet a lot of good either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Use Hornady One-Shot to lube your cases and you won't have to tumble them after loading. I've never had a round fire in the tumbler, but then, I mainly load flat or hollowpoints. Remember that pistol caliber carbines with tubular magazines were one impetus to developing the flat point - just to avoid ignition caused by the bullet meplat of the rear cartridge striking the perfectly centered primer of the round in front of it as the rifle recoils. I'd guess that most tumblers or separaters wouldn't generate quite as much of a blow as rounds strike one another. A spire pointed rifle round might be a different story, but I don't load rifle calibers. BTW one reason I quit tumbling loaded rounds was that I found that extended tumbling (more than 10 minutes) made the SD's and AD's increase when the lot of ammo was chrono'd. I guess the grain structure of the VV320 I use was breaking down a bit with all the vibration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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