Shells through the wash

[TNRifleman]

Came home from hunting today and put my clothes in the wash. I forgot I had three shells in the cargo pocket of my pants and didn't find them until they started thumping around in the drier. Anyone ever do this? I am guessing they will still fire but will likely just shoot them at the range and not while hunting.

 

[catman529]

I think I have done it with 22lr before but can't remember for sure.

Stained one of my favorite T shirts last year when I sent my blaze orange vest through with a tube of 777 pellets, bullets and primers. Whatever happened in the dryer melted the 777 and put black stains on everything.

 

[BamaProud]

My mom used to yell at me all the time for leaving .22 shells in my pockets when she would find them in the washer or dryer.

 

[TnKen]

They should shoot fine. I’ve done it several times and they all fired.
Having said that, I wouldn’t bet my life on it, or a good deer.

 

[Lynchburg Tee]

Shot them at the range. For fun, see if they group different.

 

[jlanecr500]

It is a chance you take shooting them at all. Sure, they could be fine and then again you could end up with a bullet stuck in the barrel. Driving it out is taking a chance on rifling damage.

I had a detachable mag release on a hunt. I found it a few days later. I pulled the bullets and found a science project began growing inside.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

It is a chance you take shooting them at all. Sure, they could be fine and then again you could end up with a bullet stuck in the barrel. Driving it out is taking a chance on rifling damage.

I had a detachable mag release on a hunt. I found it a few days later. I pulled the bullets and found a science project began growing inside.

X2, Toss them

 

[Hduke86]

I have done it numerous times, and that leads to a question how do you dispose of them cause I never throw them in the trash cause I’d hate for some freak accident to happen, call me paranoid but I’ve dug a hole out in my woods and bury them

 

[Urban_Hunter]

I have done it numerous times, and that leads to a question how do you dispose of them cause I never throw them in the trash cause I’d hate for some freak accident to happen, call me paranoid but I’ve dug a hole out in my woods and bury them

If you're worried about it toss them in the camp fire to destroy them.





PS- Dont.

 

[Hduke86]

Lol I was fixing to say you left out the part of RUNNING after you toss them in a camp fire

 

[BamaProud]

Lol I was fixing to say you left out the part of RUNNING after you toss them in a camp fire

Why? The barrel it what forces the bullet downrange. A bullet in a campfire is no more dangerous than a firecracker.

 

[TRIGGER]

Lol I was fixing to say you left out the part of RUNNING after you toss them in a camp fire

Why? The barrel it what forces the bullet downrange. A bullet in a campfire is no more dangerous than a firecracker.

A fire cracker has paper for shrapnel. A loaded shell could send out brass.

 

[MUP]

Offer them to someone who reloads, that way they can take them down and use the brass, and maybe even the bullet. Someone will take them I'm sure.

 

[Wildcat]

I've done it quite a few times in my life and never once thought about not using them. In fact I've USED every one of them and never had any problems. I remember back in 1989 I washed my hunting cloths and found 3 30-06 shells I left in my parka from the season before, my Rem 742 holds 3 shells in the mag so I always used 3 shells that's why it was 3. The next morning which was opening day I dropped a nice 9 pointer in his tracks using one of the shells that was in the wash and dryer the day before.

If people do have problems then I do believe them but I just never have had any at all.

 

[Wildcat]

Lol I was fixing to say you left out the part of RUNNING after you toss them in a camp fire

Why? The barrel it what forces the bullet downrange. A bullet in a campfire is no more dangerous than a firecracker.

A fire cracker has paper for shrapnel. A loaded shell could send out brass.

Yes it "could" but the chances are very small. All a brass shell will do is "bust" open at it's weakest part, nothing more, it does not explode . Firefighters are more worried about "loaded guns' in a house fire than they are about ammo because if shell goes off in a loaded gun the bullet WILL travel down the barrel. They are also more worried about ammo stored in "metal ammunition cases" than any other ammo. The reason is not because of the bullets themselves but the metal case, the ammo in them are cooking off busting inside the cans and the pressure keeps building up with each shell busting causing the metal case to itself to rip apart causing the metal case to become shrapnel.

Anytime there is a house fire the homeowner NEEDS to tell the firefighters about any loaded guns, ammo and ammo in metal cases.

 

[eddie c]

Came home from hunting today and put my clothes in the wash. I forgot I had three shells in the cargo pocket of my pants and didn't find them until they started thumping around in the drier. Anyone ever do this? I am guessing they will still fire but will likely just shoot them at the range and not while hunting.

shot shells or rifle cartilages? I've heard of steel shot pellets rusting together, creating a slug so to speak, getting shot and busting the barrel. I would be cautious.

 

[DaveB]

No matter you reload or do not reload this is an inexpensive tool you can safely use to unload cartridges you do not feel comfortable shooting. There are many different brands.




And please note. The law of: "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" is why bullets fly. The action of powder burning forces the bullet out of the brass. With the brass loose-not contained with a chamber-the bullet will not fly with any vigor and neither will the brass. Once the bullet escapes the brass the burning powder will exit the brass into the atmosphere where it can expand to its heart content and not against the base of the bullet.

Nonetheless, if you think burning bullets is fairly unwise, unload them using the tool above. Or, given them to someone who can.

 

[Methane]

There is a video somewhere online I saw last year where firemen purposely went into a shed full of hundreds of boxes of bullets. They set the shed ablaze, then went into the building. The bullets were popping all around them but didn't do any harm to the firemen. Of course they were fully decked out in fire gear. It's a cool video to watch if you can find it. Answered my questions about bullets and fire.

 

[TNRifleman]

Thanks all. I won't be using them but will likely have a friend who reloads pull the bullets for me.