Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
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From: pyron@skndiv.dseg.ti.com (Dillon Pyron)
Subject: Re: Ammo in a fire (was Re: WACO burning)
Message-ID: <1993Apr23.152445.2482@mksol.dseg.ti.com>
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References: <C5uEDw.47C@apollo.hp.com> <C5v15A.7oo@dscomsa.desy.de> <C5uyG1.7q9@acsu.buffalo.edu> <1r52vvINNpr6@gap.caltech.edu> <C5xBwr.5B8@world.std.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1993 15:24:45 GMT


In article <C5xBwr.5B8@world.std.com>, htf@world.std.com (Harry Carter) writes:
>sunshine@cco.caltech.edu (Tom Renner) writes:
>
>>v111qheg@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (P.VASILION) writes:
>
>>>Can you imagine what happens when a magazine explodes? Bullets go flying every
>>>where. IMHO, these "gunshot wounds" were actually caused when the magazines 
>>>went up.
>
>>A minor technical point: unless a cartridge is contained (for example in the
>>chamber of a gun) when it goes off, very little of interest happens.....
>
>
>Quoting Hatcher's notebook:
>      The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufactures' Institute reported
>      a demonstration made by taking a large quantity of metallic
>      cartridges and shotgun shells and burning them in a fire of oil-
>      soaked wood.  The cartridges and shells exploded from time to
>      time, but there was no general explosion or throwing off of
>      bullets or shot to any distance.
>      Throughout the test the men conducting it remained within 20 ft.
>      of the fire without being injured in any way..... the material
>      of which the cartridge and shells are composed will usually not
>      fly more than a few feet.
>      In tests conducted by the National Rifle Association, both rifle
>      and pistol cartridges were exploded by heat under an ordinary
>      corrugated pasteboard carton, and neither fragments of the
>      cartridge cases nor bullets penetrated the cardboard.
>
>
>  Any scientists care to try this out in their kitchen?  :-)

Here goes:

More than a few years back (if you were born that year, you can legally drink),
we tried it out.  We found an 8 ft. deep cistern that we lined with some 10 ft.
2X6s.  We put a large can (one of those industrial sized pork'n beans cans)
stuffed with oily rags and scraps of wood in the bottom.  After lighting the
fire, we LOWERED a box of .38 Spc. SWCs into the can.  We heard pops, one solid
bang and several "fizzzz shussss".  After we thought the excitment was over, we
boldly climbed down to find that NONE of the bullets had left the can, several
of the shells were lieing around the bottom of the well and the boards had all
died of smoke inhalation.  And 5 or 6 of the shells still had live primers!
--
Dillon Pyron                      | The opinions expressed are those of the
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(214)492-4656 (when I'm home)     |Texans: Vote NO on Robin Hood.  We need
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