.50 caliber still have juice?

[NOLA_Ken]

Terry, Civil war era munitions will not go off unless you try drilling into them or cutting them. You have to physically ignite the powder to set them off. Modern munitions are a different story, and can be extremely dangerous if they are live fused. Anyone who digs a live modern artillery projectile should definitely leave it alone and call the bomb squad. This .50 cal in question has been plugged. I've seen a lot like it that were plugged the same way. Usually also found among souvenirs.

 

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[Jimmi]

Years of experience for one. That's definitely not a primer in the end and does look to be lead or solder. If it had been a live shell and someone had gone at the primer enough to gouge it it would have gone off. Yours is made by Remington by the way.

Even if it were a live shell, they are not dangerous unless you pound on them with a hammer or throw them in a fire. Absolutely nothing to worry about.

Yeah, it looked too flattened out to me.. All the live ones looked to have an impression of a ring. And my grandpa being a welder all his life, I figured chances were good it was lead filled. Thanks!

 

[Jimmi]

True story: When I worked on the Wauwatosa Police Dept., (Milw, WI subburb) a lady called to say that her late husband kept a foot locker in the attic. She cleaned the locker out and found AMMO in it. Two of the guys went to retrieve the stuff and plopped two LIVE sabot rounds on the Lt.'s desk. Neat. Civil War stuff. What did they do? Called Fort Sheridan Illinois EOD team, of course. Know what they said? EVACUATE THE BUILDING... NOW!! They came and blew them in the police parking lot. The contents could have blown the guys to their maker. I was a police firearms instructor for many years and have been on the police shooting circuits since 1970. Probably more than 99% of all firarms "accidents" occur from over familiarity with the safety precautions. Do not listen to those above who DO NOT KNOW what is possible! Safety first! Then enjoy. Terry

Uuhhgggg 2 men that know what they are talking about and 2 opposing opinions. I'll show it to my dad, he reloads bullets and is a saftey nut.... If he thinks it's questionable , I'll do as you suggest .

 

[TerryC]

Terry, Civil war era munitions will not go off unless you try drilling into them or cutting them. You have to physically ignite the powder to set them off. Modern munitions are a different story, and can be extremely dangerous if they are live fused. Anyone who digs a live modern artillery projectile should definitely leave it alone and call the bomb squad. This .50 cal in question has been plugged. I've seen a lot like it that were plugged the same way. Usually also found among souvenirs.

NOLA_Ken With all due respect to you and others here, Jimmi is trying to make a decission with a potentially deadly item. Let the police proove it is safe... not anyone who has only seen a picture of it. Is it safe now? I will not say as I do not have to live with the consequence of being wrong. Again, with all due respect, call any Army EOD team and discuss unexploded Civil War ordinance with them and post their answer here. Civil War, WW II, Iraqi War, I don't have the training or experience to handle any such found ordinance or tell anyone else it is safe. Please don't take me the wrong way. TTC

 

[TerryC]

Uuhhgggg 2 men that know what they are talking about and 2 opposing opinions. I'll show it to my dad, he reloads bullets and is a saftey nut.... If he thinks it's questionable , I'll do as you suggest .

Very Good! Let daddy declare it inert. I would feel good with that. Problem solved. Then enjoy your prize! Tnx. TTC

 

[Mackaydon]

You've got kids and possibly a live .50 cal round lying around in the house. And you want to measure the risk that it may or may not be live? Are you kidding me?
My suggestion: Stop what you're doing, pick up the phone and call your local PD NON-emergency number. Ask that any patrol car come by at a convenient time for you and pick up the round--within the next 12 hours.
Don (former LAPD-Venice Division patrol officer).

 

[50cent]

I know this is going to sound a bit extreme but you should have sat it down on the table when you took the one handed picture. Could have been dangerous. All it takes is a cat or dog to startle you, it drops hits the ground, you never know with a round that old. ol'fiddy cent might have been shot nine times, but I know for certian it only takes one of these suckas and you are done for, listen to don.

 

[Jimmi]

You've got kids and possibly a live .50 cal round lying around in the house. And you want to measure the risk that it may or may not be live? Are you kidding me?
My suggestion: Stop what you're doing, pick up the phone and call your local PD NON-emergency number. Ask that any patrol car come by at a convenient time for you and pick up the round--within the next 12 hours.
Don (former LAPD-Venice Division patrol officer).

It's a bullet not a bomb. Lol. My husband has shotgun shells and ammo for the 22..... Should they take them too?
Maybe I'm being too nonchalant about it, but I don't think so. It sits in a locked trunk of WwII items in my closet... I don't roll it across the floor for the cats to play with . I've grown up with grandparents on the farm that kept loaded rifles by the bed... So I'm not freaked out by a bullet .. However you all got me wondering if I should be.

 

[TerryC]

Jimmi, without sounding too blasé about it, you are the only one here who can and should make that decission. Us guys really did you a disservice by making it a peaing match of our "superior" gun knowledge. Safety first to you and your family. Take care, now, ya'here? TTC

 

[BosnMate]

The 50 caliber cartridge isn't any more dangerous than any other bullet. This particular one does not have a primer, so how the heck is it going to go off. If it did have a primer it's still not going to go off. If ammunition would go off randomly sitting on shelves, my house would be just about the most dangerous place on the planet. It's not dangerous to shake it, or drop it, or even throw it. It not a bomb, it's a cartridge. If it was loaded and primed, and placed in the chamber of a .50 BMG or a Barett, then it would be dangerous to anyone or anything in front of the gun. If there is still powder in the case, and the house caught on fire, the round would cook off, and the brass would fly further than the bullet, and neither one would go very far.

 

[TerryC]

The 50 caliber cartridge isn't any more dangerous than any other bullet. This particular one does not have a primer, so how the heck is it going to go off. If it did have a primer it's still not going to go off. If ammunition would go off randomly sitting on shelves, my house would be just about the most dangerous place on the planet. It's not dangerous to shake it, or drop it, or even throw it. It not a bomb, it's a cartridge. If it was loaded and primed, and placed in the chamber of a .50 BMG or a Barett, then it would be dangerous to anyone or anything in front of the gun. If there is still powder in the case, and the house caught on fire, the round would cook off, and the brass would fly further than the bullet, and neither one would go very far.

That's not my point, Bosn. My point is she has kids in the house. She cannot use it as a paperweight, as suggested. Here, kids, go play with this! In '77, when my son was two, he came out of my bedroom with my duty revolver. He aimed it at his mother and I and was going bang bang. It was loaded but he was not strong enough to pull the trigger. By four years old, he was practiced enough to hit a target (not always the black) at 25 yards with a .44 mag. My wife was going bananas for my teaching him such things. When he was 5 and in school, he was bringing classmates home. When they knew I was a cop, they asked him if they could see my gun. His reply was No, it's not a toy. My wife saw the wisdom in the training till it qwelled the curiousity in him. You are right, there is NO gun or ammo that acts on its own and hurts someone. But kids are curious and they get hurt every year with SAFE ammo and SAFE guns. I'm sure Jimmi will check it out. TTC

 

[NOLA_Ken]

The thing is, even if it were live it still would not be dangerous. It would still be a bullet like any other bullet, and like any bullet it should be kept out of the reach of children. Now if it were a hand grenade or live artillery round, that would be a different story, and you'd want to get it out of your possession immediately, if for no other reason than they are illegal to own.

 

[mustangpalmer1911]

Uuhhgggg 2 men that know what they are talking about and 2 opposing opinions. I'll show it to my dad, he reloads bullets and is a saftey nut.... If he thinks it's questionable , I'll do as you suggest .

With out a doubt the best idea I have heard yet. Judging by the gouged up primer pocket area it does appear somone made it inert for a paper weight. I am a LEO and DO NOT go running to the police over this beggin them to save you from the evil ammo what is this the USSR, China, or North Korea? It disgusts me that so many belive you must surrender everything beg the police to save us from ourselves. Depending on what part the country you live in your father probly has 100x the knowlage of ammo than any of LEO at a minium the same as a couple of them will IF they reload. If your dad reloads and it is live it is VERY easy when you know what you are doing to take the round apart yourself. I have done it to MANY MANY rounds to recycle the powder, bullets, and brass.

Even if it is still a live round to get it to go off would take some SERRIOUS effort... somone very purposefully trying to punch the primer. They were ment for war to be used and abused many of the .50 rounds we used in Iraq were left over from WWII. They survived 60 years if GIs banging them around from bunker to bunker war to war untill used. If they were that easy to set off I would have been blown up 2000000x in Iraq everytime we loaded up and convoyed. They sat pack full, loose, every way you could imagine in crates, our pockets, ect all over the place while bouncing over craters, rubble, IEDs blowing up around and hitting the vehicles. Bullet just pop open basicly in a burning vehicle they dont go fling off all over the place like in the movies. I have never heard about one just randomly going kaboom with out fire or being in a weapon.

 

[hunter_46356]

Damsel in distress, You say your concerned about the possible danger this item could bring to your kids. You are a mother right? Why would even need to question what you should do with it? What do YOU think you should do with it

 

[Jimmi]

Damsel in distress, You say your concerned about the possible danger this item could bring to your kids. You are a mother right? Why would even need to question what you should do with it? What do YOU think you should do with it

I think I know what I want to do with it now. But I'm too much of a lady to say.

 

[Frankn]

Basicly, the bullet is of no danger to anyone unless it is inserted in a rifle . It is designed to be set off while incased in a strong chamber and struck on the primer with a small area heavy blow. If it is not incased, and is struck on the primer with a heavy blow, it does not shoot the projectile, but rather goes off like a firecracker. If it is in a fire you also get the firecracker effect. The powder does not change with time like dynamite. It is highly stable. I have never seen a round go off by its self. I think the round most likely to go off by its self would be a rimfire like the .22LR, but I have not seen that also.
When my home burned, thousands of rounds went off like firecrackers, but not one bullet wissed by. I have been shooting since about 6 when my father let me shoot his .45 cal revolver. Frank... PS: I only shot one shot from that .45 lol

 

[hunter_46356]

If it is a typical WW ll 50 cal. round it will weigh approx. .255 lbs. If it weighs substantially more or less than that then it's probably not a live round. No matter what answer you get here, ammunition should be handled and stored like a weapon. Consider every gun loaded and every round live. Nobody gets hurt or worse.

 

[marz]

sometimes .50cal round can hangfire after the primer has been struck say u shoot it nothing would happen till about 15sec later then it would go off anyways no need to keep that grande in your home if u don't plan on using it witch it looks damaged

 

[Frankn]

If it is a typical WW ll 50 cal. round it will weigh approx. .255 lbs. If it weighs substantially more or less than that then it's probably not a live round. No matter what answer you get here, ammunition should be handled and stored like a weapon. Consider every gun loaded and every round live. Nobody gets hurt or worse.

Please note: There are many different types of projectiles used in the .50 cal round, and they varry in weight. Frank...

 

[Jimmi]

Don't worry I'm gonna show it to my Dad. He's a Vietnam war veteran , an avid hunter since boyhood, a reloader, and safety nut. Wether it's A safety hazard or not , considering its size ... If it still has powder he wont give me a choice , he'll take it.
In the meantime back in the trunk it goes. I have no plans on shooting it ( why would I ever dream of doing that ?. Last time I checked all the mammoths were extinct) and I promise not to take a Phillips head and a mallet to it. Lol. Thanks everybody!!