Proper Procedure to Dispose of Damaged Rounds/Bullets?

Jeff B.

[Rockinfreakapotamus]

Every once in a while, I find an old round (usually a .22LR) while metal detecting. They are almost always corroded and sometimes bent or the bullet is loose but still attached to the brass. Today, I found a shiny .243 Winchester centerfire in the gutter across the street from my house - picked it up and found a dent in it probably from being run over by a car.

Could someone please tell me the safe and preferred procedure for handling these / rendering them inert. I look forward to your replies. Thanks.

[Rockinfreakapotamus]

And don't anyone say to just throw them in the trash or God forbid back into the street!

[Rockinfreakapotamus]

can either of you guys comment on this?

[VA Advogado]

You can't be serious.

[eastforker]

Hold cartridge with plyers,use another set of plyers to remove slug,empty powder,throw away.Or,just go toss it in the nearest river.

[tbeatty]

I guess the fireplace is out of the question then.

[tbeatty]

I guess the fireplace is out of the question then.

[EdZep]

I have some damaged 22LR rounds (noses blunted years ago from riding around in tubular storage within stock) that I don't want to fire. In this part of California, there are scheduled "hazardous waste" pickup locations, where we are supposed to take partially empty cans of oilbased paint, cleaning agents, etc. I took the damaged rounds, and they were refused. "But, isn't this 'hazardous waste?'"

"You will have to take them to the police or sheriff's dept."

Socialists in Congress? Click on the zeppelin, Grasshopper.

[LibKill]

It happens. I have a few .45 rounds that stubbed on loading and shoved the bullet back into the case quite a bit.

I wouldn't dare fire them. How to get rid of them is a legitimate question.

[The KG9 Kid]

That .243 Winchester will fire just fine in your .30-06 rifle.

JUST KIDDING.

Throw it in the trash. It's all that's needed.

[tbeatty]

Seriously though, police or Fire stations should be able to take care of it. Reloading supply stores may have tools tht you can use that can safely remove the bullet, powder and primer. Th eprimer I think is going to be the difficult part.

[GunsareOK]

Flush the powder down the john or spread it out on concrete and, being careful, light it with a long match. The powder is as flammable as gasoline.

Spray some WD-40 into the case to deactivate the primer.

[eastforker]

Primer is not a problem,after removing slug and powder place cartridge in vice and hit primer with hammer,all gone.

[nvcdl]

Soak round in light oil to deactivate primer.

[Rockinfreakapotamus]

Hold cartridge with plyers,use another set of plyers to remove slug,empty powder,throw away...Thanks for confirming this. That was what I was thinking - clamp the bullet end in a vise and disassemble. My concern is what to do with the primered case - Centerfires can be quite dangerous I hear.

...Or,just go toss it in the nearest river. Probably the easiest solution - I guess one or two won't harm the ecosystem. ...I suppose I am overreacting to thoughts of little rifle cartridge primers being unstabile and dangerous in saltwater like their sunken WWII cousin artillary rounds are.

[ILoveCats]

You can pull a soft bullet with a pair of lineman pliers, holding the case in a vice, or if that's not possible you can stretch the brass around the bullet through repetitive light hammer strikes. This is done by light continuous tapping of the brass at the case rim where the bullet is held. Keep turning the cartridge as you tap. The brass around the bullet will stretch until the bullet falls out by itself or can be pulled out with the fingers. Just stay away from the primer.

Then burn the powder and fire off the empty case.

[Lurker]

You can buy a kinetic pullet puller from Midway. It's basically a hollow hammer into which you place the round and whack it against somthing hard a few times. They cost around 15.00 bucks I think.

The bullet and powder are safely removed from the cartridge. Throw the bullet in the trash, dump the powder down the toilet, and spray some WD-40 inside to cartridge to foul the primer.

Then dispose of the case in the trash.

L

[RightWhale]

There is a device called something like a bullet extractor, which lets you remove the bullet without danger. It looks like a hammer and the shell goes inside in a holder. Then you strike something sturdy and the momentum of the bullet pulls it out of the shell even if it is tightly crimped.

The powder can be dumped out, and only the primer would be left in the shell. The primer can explode if something hits it or it gets hot enough, but the explosion is not especially dangerous unless you are looking into the shell at the time.

The .22 is not especially dangerous by itself. Probably it is a dud and if thrown into the stovefire will go off with a small pop when it gets hot enough. Note that primers give off noxious fumes when burnt.

[Rockinfreakapotamus]

RE: soaking round in WD-40 or light oil... Can this be done from the outside prior to opening the cartridge or does it only work from the inside after the gunpowder is removed?

[EggsAckley]

Since we have some gun wizards on this thead, I have a question for you all.

Does anyone know anything about a .410 shotgun with the brand "Electric City?"

It looks quite old, but in good condition. Thanks for any info.