don't throw old ordinance on a fire!

[DrDuck]

Some bloke went fossicking on Stockton beach (probably with a detector, although the story does not say) and finds some old ammo, including apparently a 50 cal shell.

So he throws it on a fire to see what happens, and ended up in hospital with his four year old, luckily with only minor injuries.

Not a good idea!

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...osion-near-port-stephens-20180925-p505rr.html

 

[Heatho]

"To see what would happen....."

Dunno why people can't think about what may happen before starting the experiment. :awful:

 

[nucopia]

Darwin award

 

[AussieChris]

That should qualify him for a Darwin Award.

Happened to me years ago, a bloke I knew tossed two old .303 rounds into a fire. They cooked off and exploded and a primer hit me in the neck, I thought I was a goner at first, searing pain from it heating up in the fire and plenty of blood.
Had to be dug out with forceps, couple of stitches and I was good to go.

I knew an idiot that tossed a full box of 50 .22lr rounds into a fire pit that quite a few people were standing around, they cooked off pretty fast and a few of them got hit.....not buy bullets but the brass casings. They hit hard enough to do some damage too and they were left with cuts of their legs and torsos.

Always one in a crowd I guess ower:

Hehe Nucopia, you beat me to it

 

[AKA_RedRimmed_Desert]

Sounds like something a school boy might try, hardly any excuses for an adult though.

 

[HarryHoudini]

Now that was never going to end well.

 

[The Green Wanderer]

Well that wasnt real smart now was it.
"Insert headshake of disbelief emoji"

I still remember my grandfathers stories of army drills riding in the amphibious army ducks from nobbys beach across to Stockton then being marched around the dunes and firing at dummies etc :argh:

 

[7.62marksman]

 

[Ridge Runner]

You can't Learn Stupid, your either born with it or not, layful:

 

[Gunna]

I remember in our early days put a can of bake beans in the camp fire, forgot to pearce the tin we all got our share

 

[Occasional_panner]

Ammo of that era was filled with cordite, which is a slow burning material.
If you get a 50/30/.303 cal shell and throw it in a fire the projectile will simply pop out without any force and the cordite inside will just burn away.

BUT like what Aussie Chris has experienced, the primer is in fact a bloody powerful device, it's designed to ignite very quickly and burn all the propellant all at once evenly. By itself it can do nasty damage, they by themselves will make a loud bang, but hardly what I would call an explosion.

Not a smart thing to do but not nearly as dangerous as most would think.

 

[RM Outback]

I remember in our early days put a can of bake beans in the camp fire, forgot to pearce the tin we all got our share

Went school with a bloke who did the same thing now he see's from one eye only, you and your mates were very lucky.

How about don't drop ordinance where someone might light a fire. Deer hunting once and lit the night fire, not long after my mate nearly copped a dropped round in the leg. The bang scared the daylights out of all of us I thought one of my mates had been a knuckle head turned out it was in the ground where we lit the fire.

 

[iamagoldenoldie2]

the other night, I happened to watch a Mythbusters episode about what happens to live ammunition when exposed to a fire. when they could get the primer and powder to ignite the bullet went one way and the case and primer the other way, so newton was right, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, the case not being enclosed meant that the bullet or primer only reached a speed of about 80 m/s , still fast enough to penetrate the human body, years ago I knew blokes that would throw a handful of 22 rounds into the campfire and watch the reactions, one would expect bullets to flying in all direction but never saw that, but still hold the opinion that anything could happen .
perhaps that ex military bullet had the projectile corroded into the casing , thats why it blew up,

 

[Smoky bandit]

Hahaha I seen it happen to a mate on a drunken fishing trip ..Can of baked beans on the fire exploded and my mate coped the lot on his back..hot baked beans all over him..He was rolling around sayin hes been shot and hes dying..It was the funniest thing I've ever seen .He was ok after a few minutes and joined in on the laughter. This was 25yrs ago and I cant stop giggling as I'm writing this ..Funny memories :lol: :lol:

 

[Peko]

Lets hope that the Apple falls very far from the tree