How to dispose of tainted ammo?

David

Opinions are my own...
PREMO Member
Here's a good question for someone. I found a shotgun shell laying in the brush when I was working on the yard. It's a little muddy and rusty, but I have to believe it is still capable of going off. How/where can I dispose of this in the St. Mary's Co. area?

TIA
 

nutz

Well-Known Member
Here's a good question for someone. I found a shotgun shell laying in the brush when I was working on the yard. It's a little muddy and rusty, but I have to believe it is still capable of going off. How/where can I dispose of this in the St. Mary's Co. area?

TIA

Don't have a best solution, but you could just cut the paper/plastic end off and dump out the contents.
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Don't have a best solution, but you could just cut the paper/plastic end off and dump out the contents.

That is a fairly common way to harvest the shot and disable the rounds. The powder is harmless once dumped out on the ground and scattered.
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Please do not do this. Call the Sheriff's office and request a deputy stop by and take it off your hands

That's a good option to, the wasted deputy time excepted..but harvesting the shot and dumping the powder as a method to disable old rounds and reuse the valuable shot in fresh loads is an age old technique that is older than I am..and I'm getting old. We'd sit in the loading shed for hours on end doing that.
 
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LightRoasted

If I may ...
If I may ...
Please do not do this. Call the Sheriff's office and request a deputy stop by and take it off your hands
Really, for an old shotgun shell? Put the thing in a vise and cut the plastic, or if really old, the paper, and dump out the shot and powder. Then throw away the base with the primer in the rubbish. Or, find some knowledgeable kid that likes to have fun, or an old time adult, they'll do the above except they'll light the powder, in, or outside of the shell. Now that's having fun.
 

David

Opinions are my own...
PREMO Member
So, let me get this straight, don't throw it in the bonfire, melt it with a torch, or cut the metal end off with a power saw? Just wanna make sure I don't mess up my pretty face.

But seriously, just cut the crimped end off with a box cutter?
 

LightRoasted

If I may ...
If I may ...
So, let me get this straight, don't throw it in the bonfire, melt it with a torch, or cut the metal end off with a power saw? Just wanna make sure I don't mess up my pretty face. But seriously, just cut the crimped end off with a box cutter?
A serrated knife works great. Start in the middle of the plastic. Go easy to catch the shot. Then pick out the wadding over top the powder in the base. Pour out in a nice pile and light it up. Easy
 

nutz

Well-Known Member
So, let me get this straight, don't throw it in the bonfire, melt it with a torch, or cut the metal end off with a power saw? Just wanna make sure I don't mess up my pretty face.

But seriously, just cut the crimped end off with a box cutter?

Yep, that's it. As a posted earlier, that will leave the base and primer intact. The primer is such a small quantity that's not worth worrying over.
 

Pushrod

Patriot
So, let me get this straight, don't throw it in the bonfire, melt it with a torch, or cut the metal end off with a power saw? Just wanna make sure I don't mess up my pretty face.

But seriously, just cut the crimped end off with a box cutter?

Just cut the end off if you want and dump out the contents. Won't hurt you at all and very safe.
Once you dump out the powder (do it on the sidewalk), you can light it and watch it burn like a fast sparkler. Modern smokeless powder has a much lower gas velocity than black powder and so is not classified as a high explosive. The steel or lead shot can be tossed in the garbage (not enough lead to impact the environment). The primer, as mentioned earlier, is not dangerous and can be disposed of with the remaining casing.
 

DannyMotorcycle

Active Member
go to home depot. find a pipe that it fits perfectly into, where the lip catches the edge.
go get a hammer. wack it.

enjoy free food, free housing, gun ban, free health care, free security, everything every commie liberal dreams of.
 
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