Disposing of Damaged Ammunition

FPrice

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I came across a small amount of ammo which had been damaged a long time ago. One of my worst cats peed on it, about 30-40 rounds of .30-06 I had loose in a box. I was pissed (no pun intended) but not sure what to do with it, It had been sitting for a while before I found it. It has been sitting for a few years and I need to do something. Most of the casings are rusted and/or corroded. Has anyone here had a similar problem and know a good procedure to use?

I am thinking that I should carefully pull the bullets, dump the powder out, and soak the empty casings w/primers in some sort of penetrating oil. As long as I don't cause any sparks or hit the primers, this sounds like the safest and best possible way to go about it. Most of the cases are somewhat corroded so trying to fire them is a no-no. There are a few where the only damage is to the projectile and they just seem to be discolored.

Am I missing anything in this that I should be aware of before I start.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.
 
Dig a shallow hole in the corner of your yard and deposit them and fill it in.

This is small arms ammo, not nuclear waist.

I've got two spam cans of HXP 30.06 that had water infiltrate the cans at some point.....completely rotted the bandoliers and corroded the ammo beyond use. I'll be doing the barrel/ fire thing posted above just for laughs. [thumbsup]
 
"cat pissed on my ammo and ruined it"...gotta be an NES first...right ?

BTW, I've got a bunch of primed 45 brass that is in tough shape. I know I can likely just load and use for practice ammo...but so far I can't bring myself to let that cruddy brass touch my press ;-)
 
Load a few and see if they go off. It can'thurt. There is no risk in trying.

You could not have given worse advice! Do NOT try to fire that ammo because it can most certainly go wrong. Degraded powder can turn into a grenade in your face. Nevermind that the actual case could be compromised and could rupture causing a lesser kaboom. Bury that crap and don't look back!
 
Pull the bullets. Dump the powder in your garden (it's great fertilizer). Fire the empty cases to kill the primers, then clean the rifle well afterwards. Toss the brass.

Tumble the bullets and reload them.

Most of the cases are so corroded that I would not risk firing them from any of my firearms. I'd prefer to deactivate the primers by soaking them in some sort of oil or other fluid.
 
I'd prefer to deactivate the primers by soaking them in some sort of oil or other fluid.

I personally haven't had a lot of luck with this method. In my experience, primers are much harder to kill than you think.

If someone has a proven method (which means you've actually tested to confirm they are dead) I'd love to hear it.
 
Hasn't the method of using oil to deactivate primers been proven to be very hit or miss?

I remember some testing that once the primers had dried out most of them worked again.
 
should just put it up for karma. guaranteed you'll have over a 100 entries even with all the ammos problems. and expose all the people i loath, the skinflint! [devil] [pot]
 
You could not have given worse advice! Do NOT try to fire that ammo because it can most certainly go wrong. Degraded powder can turn into a grenade in your face. Nevermind that the actual case could be compromised and could rupture causing a lesser kaboom. Bury that crap and don't look back!

Please provide citations for that. If the ammunition has not corroded, which can weaken the case or change the dimensions of the bullet, its fine.

The burn rate of the powder isn't going to magically increase because a cat pissed on it.
 
To everyone who recommends shooting these rounds. I will donate 5 rounds to each of you to shoot in one of your rifles. IF you report back your results.

If the only damage to them is a cat pissing on them and they have otherwise been stored properly, I'll take all of them. In baggies please. I'll pass on the piss soaked/dried boxes.
 
Vice grips clamped onto the TIP of the lead bullet and it will twist right off. They do make bullet pullers but since you don't care about salvaging the bullets.
 
I think nearly all ranges have a 'dud' can, hit up your local range and dump them there?

This would probably be the easiest. Well, for me anyway.

Vice grips clamped onto the TIP of the lead bullet and it will twist right off. They do make bullet pullers but since you don't care about salvaging the bullets.

This would work too. Seat the body of the casing in a vise, close it so it's tight and can't move, then yank the bullet out in a straight-line motion. I'd probably put some penetrating oil on them first and let them sit for a bit before pulling though.
 
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