Random thought on ammo.

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  • 380Mike

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    So I'm driving the other day, enjoying this heat, and had a thought pop in my head (I get some strange thoughts). Could ammo stored in a car explode due to the build up of heat in the summer? Will a car get hot enough to do that?
     

    Tactically Fat

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    Only if there's some kind of light focusing device in the way.

    This heat/light can, will, and does deform thermoplastic holsters, however. Need to be aware of that fact.
     

    ACC

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    I had that thought recently as well. Then I thought about all the military guys driving around the middle eastern deserts of the world in tanks with thousands of rounds inside and figures my 200 rounds of 9mm in the backseat were probably OK.
     

    CPT Nervous

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    No.

    Had a guy tell me that he couldn't keep a gun in his trunk because the ammo would explode in the summer heat.

    I showed him what I keep in my trunk.

    Ammunition is shipped in semi trailers. Semi trailers get very hot in the summer.
     

    DoggyDaddy

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    I think MythBusters did an episode where they put ammo in an oven to try and cook it off. The temps were way higher than would be seen in a car, even in summer heat. I think some rounds went off, but without a barrel for the projectile to go down with pressure behind it, the "explosions" would be relatively harmless.
     
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    I think MythBusters did an episode where they put ammo in an oven to try and cook it off. The temps were way higher than would be seen in a car, even in summer heat. I think some rounds went off, but without a barrel for the projectile to go down with pressure behind it, the "explosions" would be relatively harmless.

    I remember that episode. The myth was that someone had stored a gun and some ammo in an oven, then the oven got turned on. IIRC the temp inside was north of 400*f before anything happened.
     

    edwea

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    I think MythBusters did an episode where they put ammo in an oven to try and cook it off. The temps were way higher than would be seen in a car, even in summer heat. I think some rounds went off, but without a barrel for the projectile to go down with pressure behind it, the "explosions" would be relatively harmless.

    Untrue. I personally know someone who was injured (pretty badly I might add) by a round thrown into a fire. Shouldn't have been too bad based on what I've heard, but from what I saw, BAD! Be careful! Our hobby/lifestyle/interest is no joke!
     

    Cameramonkey

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    I think MythBusters did an episode where they put ammo in an oven to try and cook it off. The temps were way higher than would be seen in a car, even in summer heat. I think some rounds went off, but without a barrel for the projectile to go down with pressure behind it, the "explosions" would be relatively harmless.

    Untrue. I personally know someone who was injured (pretty badly I might add) by a round thrown into a fire. Shouldn't have been too bad based on what I've heard, but from what I saw, BAD! Be careful! Our hobby/lifestyle/interest is no joke!

    I work for a fire protection company. I have a copy of a safety video where they cooked off pallets of boxed ammo in fire to demonstrate how relatively ineffective it is to do major (fatal) harm. They included creating a semi trailer fire of ammo for firefighters to put out.

    Firefighters described feeling the rounds hitting their turnout gear and bouncing off.

    Bare skin, I could see some minor lacerations. But no serious, life threatening injuries.
     

    AngryRooster

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    I work for a fire protection company. I have a copy of a safety video where they cooked off pallets of boxed ammo in fire to demonstrate how relatively ineffective it is to do major (fatal) harm. They included creating a semi trailer fire of ammo for firefighters to put out.

    Firefighters described feeling the rounds hitting their turnout gear and bouncing off.

    Bare skin, I could see some minor lacerations. But no serious, life threatening injuries.

    It was probably the cases that were flying around. Being the lightest part it's what would most likely launch. IIRC that's what the slo-mo camera on Mythbusters showed as well. I'd have to find the right episode again though.
     
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