Ground_Hog_MD
New member
Im not a bullet expert, but believe i dug up a live 50 cal tracer round...
think im gonna be looking for a plastic shovel soon ...
think im gonna be looking for a plastic shovel soon ...
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Metal detecting with a bang .
- Thread starter Ground_Hog_MD
- Start date
GeorgeinSC
Well-known member
A live round of ammunition is not nearly as dangerous as the general public believes. If one drops one in a fire and allows it to cook off the case will be what gets moved. The bullet being much heavier than the brass case will move just a little bit. If one were to get hit in the eye with the brass case it might do some damage but otherwise nothing more than a slight bruise might be the results of getting hit.
If that round was dug then the powder in the case would have gotten wet and making the round of ammunition inert. No danger at all. Unlike black powder modern smokeless powders do not become dangerous after they get wet and dry out. I would be far more worried about digging a Civil War Era item than I would about modern ammunition. Since Black Powder will become more sensitive after being wet and then drying out. Those old cannon balls can Kill You.
If that round was dug then the powder in the case would have gotten wet and making the round of ammunition inert. No danger at all. Unlike black powder modern smokeless powders do not become dangerous after they get wet and dry out. I would be far more worried about digging a Civil War Era item than I would about modern ammunition. Since Black Powder will become more sensitive after being wet and then drying out. Those old cannon balls can Kill You.
Ground_Hog_MD
New member
interesting, thank you. i find many smaller modern dropped bullets. it was dug at about 2 inches.
i don't know bullets that well. i admit i removed it very delicately
i don't know bullets that well. i admit i removed it very delicately
Goldstrike
Well-known member
I've found live ammo before detecting and being as I know little about ammo and how dangerous or not it can be after being in the ground/in sand etc;, its best to err on the side of caution and treat it all as dangerous I think!!
This pic is a live bomb being detonated that I found on the Internet. You would have thought they would have cleared the beach of all people for at least 1/2 mile or so. I wouldn't want a piece of shrapnel flying through the air at me!!!
This pic is a live bomb being detonated that I found on the Internet. You would have thought they would have cleared the beach of all people for at least 1/2 mile or so. I wouldn't want a piece of shrapnel flying through the air at me!!!
Ground_Hog_MD
New member
i agree, a little iffy . if the powder got wet inside on newer ammo it wont discharge.
would make for a very bad hunting day if it turned out to be a dry round.
would make for a very bad hunting day if it turned out to be a dry round.
Ground_Hog_MD
New member
here is a link to a 50 cal identification chart ...
http://www.survivalmonkey.com/pages/50bmg-ammo-primer/
according to the charts, the round i dug up appears to be a
Caliber .50, Ball, Armor Piercing Incendiary, M8
http://www.survivalmonkey.com/pages/50bmg-ammo-primer/
according to the charts, the round i dug up appears to be a
Caliber .50, Ball, Armor Piercing Incendiary, M8
Ground_Hog_MD
New member
just wanted to add... i had not notice this before, but a friend of mine shook the shell today
and the powder can clearly be heard shifting back and forward inside the casing . very dry.
also, from what i read the 50 cal was put into service around 1918 when did the new powder start getting used.
and the powder can clearly be heard shifting back and forward inside the casing . very dry.
also, from what i read the 50 cal was put into service around 1918 when did the new powder start getting used.
Ground_Hog_MD
New member
Lake City ammunition 2006 LC06
http://www.armslist.com/posts/1439207/huntsville-alabama-ammo-for-sale--once-fired-gi-lake-city-50-cal-bmg-brass-for-reloading
http://www.armslist.com/posts/1439207/huntsville-alabama-ammo-for-sale--once-fired-gi-lake-city-50-cal-bmg-brass-for-reloading
GeorgeinSC
Well-known member
To detonate an old bomb they blow it up with explosives. Much smaller explosion than if the the bomb itself went bang. Occasionally one of the WW-II bombs are still alive. Most of them will not explode.
GeorgeinSC
Well-known member
To get a round of ammo to fire one either has to over heat it or hit the Primer (small round thing in the center of the back end of the cartridge). The normal force used in digging a target will not be sufficient to cause the round to fire. It takes a sharp blow to the primer to cause the reaction needed.
If a round of ammo is not confined (in the chamber of a firearm) the detonation is really kind of mild. When a round of ammo is fired the powder burns and the expanding gases cause the bullet to accelerate down the barrel of the fire arm. With out being confined the force is expended in all directions so that the actual bullet moves very little and the brass case is all that moves any distance and the distance is measures in just a few feet.
If ammo was all that dangerous we would have a real problem. Personally I have hundreds (maybe thousands) of rounds of ammo (plus components to assemble thousands more) in my home and none of them have ever caused a problem. When I dig a round of ammo I just place it in the nearest trash can and go on about my business.
I have dug a few of the projectiles out of 50 cal armor piercing ammo. A magnet will tell you that the bullet is A/P.
If a round of ammo is not confined (in the chamber of a firearm) the detonation is really kind of mild. When a round of ammo is fired the powder burns and the expanding gases cause the bullet to accelerate down the barrel of the fire arm. With out being confined the force is expended in all directions so that the actual bullet moves very little and the brass case is all that moves any distance and the distance is measures in just a few feet.
If ammo was all that dangerous we would have a real problem. Personally I have hundreds (maybe thousands) of rounds of ammo (plus components to assemble thousands more) in my home and none of them have ever caused a problem. When I dig a round of ammo I just place it in the nearest trash can and go on about my business.
I have dug a few of the projectiles out of 50 cal armor piercing ammo. A magnet will tell you that the bullet is A/P.
GeorgeinSC said:
I found a civil war era cannon ball out in a field (near 2 feet deep). Had it rolling around in the trunk of my car until the next metal detecting meeting. Then someone at the meeting told me it had black powder in it and that it's not uncommon for them to explode after being dug up. Oops.
I have found that 9 out of 10 times the powder is still good in buried rounds. It takes sufficient strike on the primer and you are not likely to produce it while digging unless you get it just right.
I have had many rounds detonate near me when exposed to fire and I have taken shrapnel that I was able to pull out of my skin and did not penetrate more than a quarter of an inch. It most certainly "could" mess up your day if it cooks off.
I have had many rounds detonate near me when exposed to fire and I have taken shrapnel that I was able to pull out of my skin and did not penetrate more than a quarter of an inch. It most certainly "could" mess up your day if it cooks off.