Can they still be live

[hungryhuntergirl]

A friend of mine posted this on another site...thought yall might know:

I've got a question about some rounds that I got from a chest in my Great Grandfather's house, years ago. They are various rifle and pistol rounds that have been fired (have rifling marks) and I assume were caught or collected underwater. Seems like I remember hearing something when I was 4 or 5 that he was a "Frogman", so I assume they are from WW1.

I guess my question is:

1. Are they valuable?

2. Is there a possibility that the rifle rounds could be live?

Some had not been shot and that concerned him.

[nicholst55]

Cartridges that have not been fired from WWI are still very live and very deadly. Treat them as such. They may not function well, as powders and primers do deteriorate over the decades, but they can still fire and they can still kill.

[mroliver77]

As nicholst states yes than for sur can be live yet. PACO Kelly has an article about using some 45-70 rounds from the 1870's I believe to shoot and kill a bear. Valuable, mebbe, interesting, heck yes. I love stuff like that. It would be neat to know the story behind them. Most all military rounds have a date on them. Dont shine them up though.
J

[KYCaster]

A friend of mine posted this on another site...thought yall might know:

I've got a question about some rounds that I got from a chest in my Great Grandfather's house, years ago. They are various rifle and pistol rounds that have been fired (have rifling marks) and I assume were caught or collected underwater. Seems like I remember hearing something when I was 4 or 5 that he was a "Frogman", so I assume they are from WW1.

I guess my question is:

1. Are they valuable?

2. Is there a possibility that the rifle rounds could be live?

Some had not been shot and that concerned him.

Hunter Girl: I'll try to answer your questions, but please understand that I'll also make some feeble attempts to inject a little humor at your (friend's) expense. Please try to take this in the spirit that it's given. (I can't help it...it's just the way I am)

Does your friend know the difference between "round" and "bullet"?

Round = cartridge = case, primer, powder, bullet...ready to shoot.

Bullet = projectile = chunk of lead/copper/steel/etc. Can be inserted into case with primer, powder to make a "round". Since these have rifleing marks they obviously have already been fired through a barrel.

"Are they valuable?"...Unless there is something really unusual about them...probably not. Cartridges in common use during WWI (30-06,45ACP, 9mm Luger) are still in common use today.

"Is there a possibility the rifle rounds could still be live? Some had not been shot and that concerned him." Well, yes...even locked in a trunk since WWI you have to assume that any complete "round" is still live. (because it probably is) That doesn't mean they'll escape from the trunk in the middle of the night and terrorize the neighborhood.

If he doesn't want any live rounds lurking about, then he should just shoot them. If he's not up to the task, then you could shoot them for him. Just make sure you hit them in a vital spot. (the primer)

Jerry

[grumpy one]

Hunter Girl: I'll try to answer your questions, but please understand that I'll also make some feeble attempts to inject a little humor at your (friend's) expense. Please try to take this in the spirit that it's given. (I can't help it...it's just the way I am)

If he doesn't want any live rounds lurking about, then he should just shoot them. If he's not up to the task, then you could shoot them for him. Just make sure you hit them in a vital spot. (the primer)

Jerry

Jerry, I'm a notably humourless guy I guess, or I wouldn't have ended up with this listname, but it worries me that some new or non-shooter might take you seriously. For the benefit of anyone who doesn't already know this, firing at the primer of a live centerfire round, especially at close range, would be really dumb: likely to lead to a faceful of pieces of brass cartridge case if the targeted round fired.

There, now I feel better. Any time you need someone to urinate on your jokes, Jerry, feel free to call on me.

[2muchstuf]

Tryed to shoot some old .32 shorts back before I knew any better. bullets got stuck in the bore. They were a bugger to get out.

[waksupi]

Jerry, I'm a notably humourless guy I guess, or I wouldn't have ended up with this listname, but it worries me that some new or non-shooter might take you seriously. For the benefit of anyone who doesn't already know this, firing at the primer of a live centerfire round, especially at close range, would be really dumb: likely to lead to a faceful of pieces of brass cartridge case if the targeted round fired.

There, now I feel better. Any time you need someone to urinate on your jokes, Jerry, feel free to call on me.

I just can't get too worked up about someone shooting at a primer on a center fire cartridge. I know one fellow who managed to set off a .45-90 in his hand with no damage. Another who sets off 12 bore shotgun shells intentionally in his hand, although I admit it isn't all that smart, just from the ******* prospective.
I believe it was P.O. Ackley who did the experiments with uncontained cartidges being fired. Electricaly detonated, within a small box, sitting on a table top. No part of the components penetrated, or left the confines of the box. I have seen ammo in fires more than once, and aside from an interesting bang, no big deal.
As long as you don't have the cartidge in a chamber and barrel, go ahead and pop off as many as you want. There will be no harm done.

[WineMan]

In Hatchers's notebook he did the electric welder and box routine to show that there is little danger from a cartridge set off outside of a chamber. Not zero danger but not the usual story that a cartridge in someones pocket detonated by impact and "blew his head off". Usually the answer was carelessness with a loaded firearm and it was convenient to blame some other device besides the firearm itself.

Wineman

[KYCaster]

Some people just don't appreciate a good joke...guess I need to keep my day job and forget about the comedy club circuit.

Have a nice day...night...life...whatever...

Jerry

[mroliver77]

When I was a kid I stuck a 12 gauge shell in a crab hole and shot it with a BB un. The hole confined the shell quite well and the case was propelled back at me an hit me right on the knuckle. I thought it was broke for a couple weeks. .22 LR shells will propell the case out of a fire fairly fast.
J

[FWAddit]

Primers can come blasting out of their pockets fast enought to do serious damage. I had several 8mm military cases from which I had pulled the bullets and dumped the powder because the primers had misfired. The priming compound was still in them. Just to enjoy the fireworks, I held the cartridge bases, pointed in a safe direction, up to a flame from a propane torch till they blew. The primers would blast out with a loud sharp supersonic crack, which I assumed was just the characteristic sound of the explosive compound. One primer struck the rim of the torch nozzle. It broke a quarter-inch notch out of it.

I stopped doing that.

[Freightman]

I had some old 8MM berdan cases Turk with split necke '47 I think, well I was zeroing in a BB gun to shoot tree rats wiith. I set them on a five gallon bucket and backed off 25' and proceeded to se if I could hit the primer with a BB wel I did and said boy this is fun. Set off several more and was feeling like Davey Crockett or someone hit another and sting and then hurt on my shin bone, mind you I do not wear shorts and blue jeans are heavy, but at 25' the primer came out hit me through the jeans and broght blood. Sure glad I hadn't set them at head height! do not do this as it hurts.

[hungryhuntergirl]

Thanks guys, i will let him know and I appreciate the info!!

[TxGunfighter]

I would worry more about the primers than the powder....
Handle carefully

[1Shirt]

Hungry, "Frogmen were WWII, predecessors of today's Navy Seals. Good folks. I have shot a fair amount of WWII, and Korean War vintage from a number of countries. Have had some misfires, and some that sounded a bit limp, but maybe I have just been lucky.
1Shirt!

[jonk]

If they were fired into the water, they probably would not be in good enough shape to re-insert into a case. If they just splashed in, after firing, i.e. flew several hundred yards first, they MIGHT be.

Shake them. See if you hear powder inside. See if the primer is dimpled (i.e. fired). THat should tell you which ones are live.

[Saint]

I heard a great true story about a man that broke into the house of a WWII veteran and stole his war sidearm from a display case and loaded some of the same bullets that were also WWII vintage. The man caught him in the house and he tried to shoot him but when he pulled the trigger the gun did not fire so he decided to pull the good ol Loony Tunes look down the barrel and capped himself in the head. Apparently the primers had deteriorated enough that they burned really slowly and he broke one of the biggest rules of firearm safety.

[randyrat]

Caution...... I have also shot some slow detentation rds.. if you shoot them and no bang wait a minite then unload,check barrel for clearance.***** Keep muzzle pointed in safe direction******. This is something i teach my kids over and over, because it may only happen once in a life time. It can be a real danger at the range. This may be repetitive to most. I call it a deadly hang fire then my kids pay more attention to it.

[snuffy]

I remember back in the '50's, dad sent for 3 30-40 krags and one 03-a3 from the NRA. He also bought a buttload of WW-1 ammo for the krags. The whole bill came to $15.00! But he had to save his lunch money for a month to afford it!

Anyway, the ammo for the krags, was some miserable stuff! Klick--bang! Some was klick------no bang! The krags were for my brothers to hunt Wis. deer with. Of course the mil ammo was for practice and sighting in, Rem coreloct 180's were the hunting fodder. Dad just said, go shoot that stuff up, being careful to keep the barrel pointed downrange, as Randyrat said.

Dad kept the 03-a3, it eventually was completely sporterized including a scope. I got one of the krags from my brother last year, another brother got the Springfield after dad died in '89.

[StrawHat]

It doesn't happen much any more but when I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, it wasn't unheard of for someones Civil War musket to be found loaded. Most of them fired with the old cap. Pop was always going to farms for groundhogs and made it a point to ask about muskets.

Amazing how many folks figured that Grandad, (Great grandad, GGGgran) etc put the thing away unloaded. I watched as Pop fired three.

I guess when it takes 30 seconds or so to load, you want it ready to go!