One in a billion chance

[429421Cowboy]

I have heard of one credible case from someone I know that dropped a primed case and had it go off on the floor by his loading bench.
Reminds me of a story about a kid that used to be on the FD with me. He calls me, knowing I reload an know a good bit about ammo, "Hey, do you think a .40 could go off just from rolling off my coffee table and hitting the carpet just right?". No, I told him, why do you ask? "Well, I had one on my table while i was cleaning my Glock, and it rolled off and went off when it hit the floor, bullet went through the apartment wall and stopped in the hot water heater. Scared the bejezus outta me!". I asked him are you sure that's what happened? Rounds going off outside the chamber don't tend to send the bullet with much force because they weigh more than the casing, how could it have done that? "I don't know, it was weird man, are you sure it couldnt do that?" Yep, pretty darn sure especially on carpet. You sure you weren't just playing with your Glock and had a ND so now you're trying to come up with a good excuse for the maintenance man? "Uhhhhh..." Turns out that was exactly the case and finally got him to fess up to it. Same kid that had an ND in the bathroom sitting on the toilet playing with his Browning BDA that took the life of an innocent bathtub a few years before that. I wasnt upset to see him leave the fire department, I didn't like having to trust my life to a guy I couldn't trust not to lie about things to not look like an idiot.

[kevin c]

Not always the case.

I can not think of a single failure when pulling high primered 38s (no primer strike) out of my revolver and chambering it in my levergun.

I stand corrected. My first hand experience and that of my friends with high primers is all in pistols with FP mechanisms designed for what I understand is the softer primer cup of small and large pistol primers. I've read that rifle primers have harder cups; maybe the rifle FP mechanisms have more striking force?

[Mica_Hiebert]

4 foot drop can set off a center fire Cartridge per industry testing.

[kevin c]

Any details on that testing, or where to find it? Might be interesting reading.

[Bazoo]

I was told by the folks at the local gun store that they had a 22LR roll off the counter and detonate. Couple years ago now.

[kevin c]

I was told by the folks at the local gun store that they had a 22LR roll off the counter and detonate. Couple years ago now.

Maybe I need to reconsider tumbling those 22's...

[jeepvet]

Check out Demolition Ranch on you tube. Matt puts 22's in straws and throws them into the air so that they land on the pavement bullet up and they almost all go off. He does some really wild stuff. Fun to watch.

[Winger Ed.]

Check out Demolition Ranch on you tube. Matt puts 22's in straws and throws them into the air so that they land on the pavement bullet up and they almost all go off. He does some really wild stuff. Fun to watch.

I wish I'd thought of that.
It beats the heck out of shooting kitchen matches from air rifles to make them light off the concrete.

Sure, making them bounce into someone's lap as they lit, or starting grass fires was fun---
but that's nothing compared to doing dangerous stuff with live ammunition.


Boring out the end of a arrow for a .22 and shooting it with a decent size bow might make
a good 'Hold my beer and watch this' moment.

[Winger Ed.]

Maybe I need to reconsider tumbling those 22's...

Nah,,, Just do it outside in case a big rock accidently finds it's way into the drum.

[M-Tecs]

Check out Demolition Ranch on you tube. Matt puts 22's in straws and throws them into the air so that they land on the pavement bullet up and they almost all go off. He does some really wild stuff. Fun to watch.

[M-Tecs]

Different results here

[john.k]

I knew a guy had multiple fires of rounds......he used to use his press like it was a metal punching machine,every primer was flattened into the case.I watched him several times loading,he just had to force everything ,or it wasnt right,according to him.

[abunaitoo]

You might want to check the range out!
Be on the lookout for the Menehune.
Lots of strange things going on there.

There are spirits there.
Many of them all over the island.
Older people tell tales of Menehune's.

[Tom W.]

A few years ago I saw ads on TV for arrows that used .357 mag ( I think ) cartridges instead of broadheads.....

[Petander]

It has happened enough times,we allow no loose ammo on tables here where I live.

Private or military range,all ammo has to be in boxes at all times. This rule/practise came from enough fallen ,exploded rounds during military pistol training sessions.

[oldred]

Just my opinion but I would think the primer would not have to be dented and just a sharp blow could cause detonation of the primer from the shock. I seriously doubt that 12 ga shell that went off years ago at my feet hit the ground hard enough to dent the primer even with it landing in gravel, break open single shot ejecting the round backwards with barely enough force to completely clear the chamber. I had broken open the shotgun using my right thumb while holding the gun with my right hand intending to catch the round in my left as it ejected (a common way to unload a break action and I still do it that way today). I fumbled the catch and actually more like dropped the thing from barely above waist high but when it hit the ground it let loose!

[gbrown]

A few years ago I saw ads on TV for arrows that used .357 mag ( I think ) cartridges instead of broadheads.....

38 or 357 cases make good arrowheads for small game or target heads. Used them a bunch. Can't remember the weight vs. target heads, though.
Also, along with the thread, the design of the primer is that the firing pin contacts the cup and presses the chemical between cup and anvil. Takes a lot of force--think of all the firing pin springs you have cleaned, they are stout. I've dropped plenty of live rounds on concrete with no detonations. I've crunched plenty of primers, accidentally in my machines. I've taken plenty of live primers out of cases I've pulled bullets and powder out of to save. I've caught primers in my machines in all sorts of angles/positions and never had a detonation. Anything is possible in this world, I acknowledge that. I understand the laws of probability, but I would put it way past 1 in a billion. Not saying it couldn't happen, but kinda like being bitten by a shark, rattlesnake, hit by lightening, and visit by aliens at the exact same second.

[AllanD]

Other than de-priming unfired military cases with crimped-in primers I've never had a primer go off at the loading bench...

[nun2kute]

I would think ... with all the Hand gun ammo manufactured in the US by all of the Major Manufacturers, not to mention the Smaller Co.'s or the Local Start-ups ... then add all the Reloaders, that 1 in a Billion would be very conservative. Not including rifle Ammo. This is my first ever encounter. I'm kinda Skeptical about it.

[Tom W.]

38 or 357 cases make good arrowheads for small game or target heads. Used them a bunch. Can't remember the weight vs. target heads, though.
Also, along with the thread, the design of the primer is that the firing pin contacts the cup and presses the chemical between cup and anvil. Takes a lot of force--think of all the firing pin springs you have cleaned, they are stout. I've dropped plenty of live rounds on concrete with no detonations. I've crunched plenty of primers, accidentally in my machines. I've taken plenty of live primers out of cases I've pulled bullets and powder out of to save. I've caught primers in my machines in all sorts of angles/positions and never had a detonation. Anything is possible in this world, I acknowledge that. I understand the laws of probability, but I would put it way past 1 in a billion. Not saying it couldn't happen, but kinda like being bitten by a shark, rattlesnake, hit by lightening, and visit by aliens at the exact same second.

I've used the empty cases to shoot at squirrels before, but what I was referring to were live rounds to be shot at animals. Reminded me of a long range bangstick.