Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire In Your Opinion... What Happened? Ammo Detonation

Wow!

That second pic looks like a light primer strike.
I believe you, it's just as much a mystery to me.

Why didn't the primer back out of the case? I think that's a part of the equation.

Piece of debris in the box against the primer with weight on top of box centered over the debris?

Or for more precise opinions..

I thinking something was pressed on top of it when the box was picked up.

That's the problem nowadays. We MUST have an answer as to WHY. Do you think our grandads knew "why" the house burned down or the main bearing on the Nash went out at 10,000 miles? Sometimes it just does. I'm the worst, I want to know why why why. I'd be happier if I shrugged it off and moved on. We all would. And lawyers would be unemployed.

Some things in life don't have answers. I suggest it is our weakness to have to have an answer to every why question.

Why do you say that?

Well, may not know the minute details as to why..

But when a law firm I do some consulting work for asks me for my opinion, I'll give him my best shot as to HOW...

I'm with many of the other fellows about that primer. It does not look normal.

ALIENS!


Or that ol' Debbil be at shenanigans again.

I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I don't have a great answer.

All kidding aside, bbar, I'm awaiting your expert opinion.

PS, did they send a picture of the bottom of the box?

Surprised the primer stayed in the case with enough pressure to explode the brass..
Makes one wonder if you have the whole story?

Yea, loaded rounds in a factory box should not go BANG by themselves. Does look like the primer got hit, or perhaps a secondary incident. Picture is not to clear however.

The boxes of S&B ammo are smaller than some other brands because the ammo is packed in there tighter together. At least it didn't cause a chain reaction. I like the smaller boxes because they take up less room.

Bb

Okay, just for a different perspective- there is a chance these were stored improperly and the powder destabilized into base components. Once that happens, ignition is a likely result of any movement . Might want to (Carefully) check a few more of the rounds in that box to see if something like that has happened to any more of them....

Bob

Something hit the primer to set it off.

As for the primer not being out of the case there was not the normal amount of pressure for it to happen.

The bullet would not have gone far because of the same loss of pressure.

I believe it was one of those things that just happens sometimes.

Some folks are just lucky that way.

My opinion was:

The primer has a distinct dent in it. Not a firing pin dent, but a dent, nonetheless.

I can't offer an opinion as to how the dent occurred. But am pretty certain the detonation happened when the primer was dented.

I doubt seriously it was S&B's fault. It traveled many, many miles getting to where it was today, and "just picking up the box" didn't cause it.

If I had to speculate, the ammo box was probably not properly handled, packed, and the entire larger box was probably slammed down on the counter, or dropped from the counter onto the hard floor beneath.


Lawyers get lied to sometimes. Not saying that's 100% sure what happened here. But something dented that primer. Ammo doesn't just detonate like that.

You obviously have not seen the half a box of shells that rides around in various places in my pickup for the last 10 years. In temps reaching pretty high up there in summer.

They get jostled around pretty good, and still fire fine, but don't blow up at the slightest movement...

Lotsa folks I've known have had a similar box of shells riding the rough ridges in their pickup.

+1

I originally posted, before I saw what your "opinion" was to the law firm. I think you're response was spot on.

However, your post does point out something we as gun owners all need to be looking out for with any upcoming gun control legislation. Any legislation that tries to repeal the PLCAA (Protection of Legal Commerce in Arms Act) must be voted down.

Nobody gets hurt, but a law firm wants an answer so they can try to make money from it anyway?

If Biden ever gets the PLCAA repealed, they'll use an endless string of lawsuits like this to bankrupt the industry or drive our costs through the roof, essentially killing the sporting aspects of it.

I'm all for keeping defective products safe, but I'm not sure this fits that category, or is the intent of the law firm.

Maybe I just have a really low opinion of lawyers.

That primer would have had a cardboard box between it and what ever hit the primer and so would the nose of the bullet. That would be pretty good protection for an accidental blow. Likely why ammo is shipped in boxes and not loose.

Looks like the bullet was sitting on something rough and hard, that dented it and gave the round the support that it needed for a strike on the primer, to set it off. I believe a different story is involved from the one that was told rockinbbar. Just an opinion of someone that has picked up a lot of boxes of ammo over the last 57 years of shooting.

Any body else ever had a round go off when they picked up a box of ammo?