Ammo in your safe,really safe?

[Single_shot]

Is ammo in your safe,safe?

From fire?

I have the understanding that it can get hot enough to burn a gun stock,and possibly take the temper out of gun steel.I also understand that those who keep cash in it will lose the cash to fire.

My question is,what about the ammo I store in it? Will it go off and if/when it does,will the safe walls keep it contained? What would the balistics be since it is not surrounded in a rifle bbl.....not compressed....just loose ammo? I think I read somewhere that most types of wood ignite at ~400F,what about powder or primer?

[Elmo]

Even if ammo ignite, since it's not contained in a rifle chamber, it's not lethal. You safe/metal cabinets should be able to contain it.

[cityboy]

I did about 30 years in the FDNY. I remember reading one article in one of the trade journals Fire Engineering, WNYF or the old Fire Journal about the behavior of ammo in apartment and vehicle fires.

Ammo in a 20 round box tended to cook and detonate without lethal force as the projectile was not confined and directed in a barrel. Ammo that was in a revolver with all cylinders loaded had the one under the hammer cook and detonate with a lethal amount of energy, the rest cook and detonate without the projectile achieving a lethal amount of energy. My experience as the "hot shell man" for the 5" gun mount on the ship was that I was told to get the cooking round that did not go off over the side before it detonated. From my experience for a misfire in the Guard with the 105 artillery, the TOW missle and the Stinger missle we were told to keep it pointed in a safe direction for two minutes and let the round cook. Attempt to remove it once to a safe area (a pit youwould dig) and call EOD. You're not allowed to have large quantities of ammo in your home in NYS, even if it .22LR. I think its close to the basic load for an infantryman of 210 rounds. Its been a while since I read that law. A large amount of ammo in a safe could build up enough pressure to be a serious, lethal problem. At shipboard and aircraft firefighting school the drill was to get water from a hoseline onto the 500lb bombs on the planes to cool them off. I'd be pissed if I was crawling through your house and your safe full of ammo detonated, could be construed as a boobytrap for first responders which is why you're not allowed to booby trap your home. There are laws and firecodes for storing large amounts of ammo, yellow, metal signage, distance from other buildings, and you'd probably need a permit. Ease you mind any?

[Single_shot]

I did about 30 years in the FDNY. I remember reading one article in one of the trade journals Fire Engineering, WNYF or the old Fire Journal about the behavior of ammo in apartment and vehicle fires.

Ammo in a 20 round box tended to cook and detonate without lethal force as the projectile was not confined and directed in a barrel. Ammo that was in a revolver with all cylinders loaded had the one under the hammer cook and detonate with a lethal amount of energy, the rest cook and detonate without the projectile achieving a lethal amount of energy. My experience as the "hot shell man" for the 5" gun mount on the ship was that I was told to get the cooking round that did not go off over the side before it detonated. From my experience for a misfire in the Guard with the 105 artillery, the TOW missle and the Stinger missle we were told to keep it pointed in a safe direction for two minutes and let the round cook. Attempt to remove it once to a safe area (a pit youwould dig) and call EOD. You're not allowed to have large quantities of ammo in your home in NYS, even if it .22LR. I think its close to the basic load for an infantryman of 210 rounds. Its been a while since I read that law. A large amount of ammo in a safe could build up enough pressure to be a serious, lethal problem. At shipboard and aircraft firefighting school the drill was to get water from a hoseline onto the 500lb bombs on the planes to cool them off. I'd be pissed if I was crawling through your house and your safe full of ammo detonated, could be construed as a boobytrap for first responders which is why you're not allowed to booby trap your home. There are laws and firecodes for storing large amounts of ammo, yellow, metal signage, distance from other buildings, and you'd probably need a permit. Ease you mind any?

I'm not a NY res. I remember having hang fires with 4deuce mortar HE rounds.My local FD knows everything there is to know about my ammo and where it is in the house.

[Big Indian]

Wouldn't this depend upon the type of safe, proximity to the fire, how long it's burning etc????

[Lawdwaz]

You're not allowed to have large quantities of ammo in your home in NYS, even if it .22LR. I think its close to the basic load for an infantryman of 210 rounds.

If you could find that somewhere in print and point it out to us that'd be great. Last night I picked up a rarity these days, a brick of 22's. I'd hate to have any trouble with the law or fireman.

Have you ever heard of a stash of ammo blowing up in a house fire? I guess I could Google it...........

[Contender]

I would also like to see this in print. I could find nothing other than New york city. I wouldnt find it hard to believe, but have never seen a state law covering how much ammo can be stored.

I have 2 years before I can leave this commie state and am not staying a day longer than I have to. I believe I have enough ammo to get me to that point so I will never have to experience the new ammo law these idiots put in place.

Lawdwaz, where did u find a brick of .22's??? This stuff flies off the sheves within 2 hours after the truck arrives in the places I have looked.. You have to be there at the exact delivery time.

[tuckersdaddy]

i have to keep my ammo in a safe? um... how big of safe do they make???

[Lawdwaz]

i have to keep my ammo in a safe? um... how big of safe do they make???

Noooooooo you don't have to keep your ammo locked up.

Good heavens lets not give 'em anymore ideas.

[Lawdwaz]

Lawdwaz, where did u find a brick of .22's??? This stuff flies off the sheves within 2 hours after the truck arrives in the places I have looked.. You have to be there at the exact delivery time.

The Gun Center had .22's and .223 in stock and on the shelf. They are a bit more connected than most stores in the state, I'd guess.

They didn't have a huge selection of course but they had both.

[HuntOrBeHunted]

I have a decent sized safe for ammo. It says fireproof but I could say i'm rich to and i'd be lying lol. If I have a fire you'll see me running out with nothing more than my wallet car keys and my dam gun safe haha..

[Nomad]

never heard of laws about storing ammo in our homes, I have a few thousand rounds in mine.

It needs it be in the chamber to "fire"laws of physics and all, equal and opposite reactions....

been in a few hundred house fires never had ammo fire or explode, could not care any less how much or how you store it

[Pygmy]

Loaded ammo and bulk smokeless powder is most certainly flammable, but it is not an explosion threat...

Back in '94 I had a house fire, and when the firemen asked me if I had any explosives, I told them that I had 5 or 6 thousand rounds of loaded ammo, 10 or 12 pounds of smokeless powder, a couple thousand primers and three or four one pound cans of black powder..

They were not at all concerned about the loaded ammo or the smokeless powder, but the BP had them a little worried. As it worked out, they stopped the fire before it got to my gun room.

Fortunately, I no longer keep any ammo in my home, other than one speed loader for my S&W .357 mag, which I store in a lock box right behind the security safe where I keep the key to my trigger lock for the revolver, so it is no longer an issue.

[adkbuck]

Loaded ammo and bulk smokeless powder is most certainly flammable, but it is not an explosion threat...

Back in '94 I had a house fire, and when the firemen asked me if I had any explosives, I told them that I had 5 or 6 thousand rounds of loaded ammo, 10 or 12 pounds of smokeless powder, a couple thousand primers and three or four one pound cans of black powder..

They were not at all concerned about the loaded ammo or the smokeless powder, but the BP had them a little worried. As it worked out, they stopped the fire before it got to my gun room.

Fortunately, I no longer keep any ammo in my home, other than one speed loader for my S&W .357 mag, which I store in a lock box right behind the security safe where I keep the key to my trigger lock for the revolver, so it is no longer an issue.

Well said pigmy. As long as smokeless powder is not stored in a pressure vessle it will only burn. Cartridges will just blow apart pretty much harmlessly although some low velocity shrapnel can be produced. However cartridges that are chambered in a firearm provide the same danger when the cook off as when they are fired. Pyrodex is more like smokeless powder and much less of an explosive hazard than true black powder.

[shawnhu]

never heard of laws about storing ammo in our homes, I have a few thousand rounds in mine.

It needs it be in the chamber to "fire"laws of physics and all, equal and opposite reactions....

been in a few hundred house fires never had ammo fire or explode, could not care any less how much or how you store it

NYC has a law regarding ammo quantity. In the law of opposite reactions, a round standing straight up against the floor of the safe could "possibly" fire straight up, without the need of a chamber.

Edit: on second thought, there's a possibility that the brass casing may explode sideways since there's no chamber to hold it together.

Edited February 2, 2013 by shawnhu

[Ford]

How ammunition responds to, well many things including fire.

[noahmstone]

From the research I have done there is no state or federal law on quantity of ammo or the way it is stored. There are certain localities that limit this in their fire code. They are more worried about black powder than they are loaded rounds. Loaded rounds not under pressure don't react the same as they do in a gun under pressure.