Mythbusters: What happens if you store your ammunition and loaded guns in an over, forget that they're in the oven, and turn the over on?

Pluto TV ^ | Mythbusters

[Hot Tabasco]

But I don’t know, I’ve never set a bunch of them on fire and waited.

Mythbusters did a segment where they put different ammo into a barrel and set them on fire. No projectiles, they just ignited like firecrackers....

[Telepathic Intruder]

The bullets and casings might act like shrapnel in that case, but I think it’s the gun barrel that directs all that kinetic energy onto a single target and makes it effective.

[Openurmind]

“No projectiles, they just ignited like firecrackers....”

Yes, we used to throw them in the campfire once in awhile when we were kids. Like firecrackers. But if they heat slowly they are more of a just a fizzle because the lead melts and flows out before the propellant lights and fizzles. Lead melts at 327 degrees.

[Fresh Wind]

Hiding cash in a refrigerator isn't as rare as you might think...

[Telepathic Intruder]

Expensive fire crackers.

[Palio di Siena]

Bookies will tell you to take the over.

[Openurmind]

Actually, back in the 60s-70s Ammo was pretty cheap. We didn’t throw boxes full in the fire, just one once in awhile for a joke to see who would duck and run... lol

[Gene Eric]

>> what happens

going with… it’s over

[Fireone]

Never store an oven and under shotgun in the over!

[Sirius Lee]

What’s the over under on that? BTW

[Paal Gulli]

"The activation temperature of gunpowder is around 400 - 450 degrees F."

It varies according to powder (single base, double base, and other factors) but Hodgdon's SMS sheets for both Benchmark and Varget list temperature of spontaneous ignition at 338°F. I think most if not all will ignite before 400°F. The higher the temperature of spontaneous ignition is, the harder it is for the primer to set it off.

And that's a separate matter from spontaneous ignition of the primer, because if the primer "cooks off," the cartridge will go BANG! just as surely as if you'd pulled the trigger on it.

I've never found a source I was happy with about spontaneous ignition temperature for primers but the Wikipedia page for lead styphnate (the primary explosive used in most modern firearm primers) says it autoignites at 626°F. But primer compound also contains several other chemicals (lead dioxide, barium nitrate, tetrazene, et Al), which doubtless changes that temperature.

[Paal Gulli]

That sounds like the video SAAMI made when evaluating the risk to firefighters in the event of a fire in an ammunition warehouse.

https://saami.org/publications-advisories/sporting-ammunition-and-the-firefighter/

About the Results

The video shows that sporting ammunition outside a firearm:

1. is unlikely to ignite under extreme conditions of impact,
2. will not propagate in a chain reaction from one cartridge or shell to another,
3. does not mass explode, and
4. may be controlled by fire fighters using water and wearing standard
structural fire fighter protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus.

[Bob434]

maybe the guns are over-unders lol?

[JoeVortex]

QUESTION: What happens if you store your ammunition and loaded guns in an oven, forget that they’re in the oven, and turn the over on?

ANSWER: You get nominated for a Darwin Award.

[Deaf Smith]

I always find it more interesting that in the movies, one can make some sort of homemade explosive to cook in the microwave oven.

It will only explode when the cook timer goes off.

[kawhill]

Oh great, something else I need to add to my bucket list.

[LouAvul]

I don’t own an over. I do it several times at night, but don’t own one.

[Hammerhead]

Yeah, like anybody is gonna store their ammo in an oven. Give me a break. Oh, and then turn it on forgetting that the ammo is in there? The whole premise is absolutely stupid.

[sopo]

I was wondering about a microwave

[wny]

Anyone that does that is too stupid to own guns, vote or reproduce.