How often do you find live ammunition?

[VirginiaBikeGirl]

I found this live round buried near the bleachers in a fairgrounds. Definitely NOT what I expected to find! I've found another large caliber 7mm round near a bunch of empty shells in the middle of the woods. I figured it had been a deer stand.

How often do you all run into live ammunition? Is it typically buried, or on the surface? And what do you do with it?

C

 

[MasonDixonMding]

I’ve found a few. I just throw them out with all of the other trash I find.

 

[VirginiaBikeGirl]

I’ve found a few. I just throw them out with all of the other trash I find.

Yah, I get rid of them also. I wish they didn't sound so good in the headphones!

 

[hoser]

HAHAHAHA As some know Too Pointer and I both hunt on National Guard Property. Places where the guard camped or "bivouacked" we have found a lot of unspent rounds from small arms to 50cal. Both of us know that when digging there to use caution and don't dig with a pickaxe. . Well we only had one pick between us so being the nice guy, I let him use it.

 

[UT_Dave]

I find unfired ammo on the regular. Unless it's something old, unusual or interesting, I just toss it. Something like an unfired Henry .44 I keep though.

- Dave

 

[mudwhale]

As a staff trainer/ski instructor at our mountain I have found 9mm and .45cal loaded clips on the snow.

 

[GroundSweeper]

I used to put them in a jar, but now just toss them. I find more spent than live rounds, even more bullets than live rounds….

 

[OBN]

My Best... 15 years of hunting the water, ammo dump. Several 45 cal.. small beach in a rather bad area.

 

[itsaring!]

Find them regularly beach detecting. FWIW I have taken some 1943 live rounds out of the ocean and pulled the bullet out and the powder will still flash when lit. If you find an old grenade call the po po!

 

[vmc1161]

I hunted along the river where there was an amusement park with target shooting for prizes. I found a couple hundred 22’s. Stupid same signals as a coin. I did find a mercury dime and some other things that I can’t remember right now. I have found a lot of live and spent rounds.

 

[Beachhunt1]

It goes in streaks at beaches where I hunt. About every other year I find live ammo. Never any quantity.

 

[VirginiaBikeGirl]

I hunted along the river where there was an amusement park with target shooting for prizes. I found a couple hundred 22’s. Stupid same signals as a coin. I did find a mercury dime and some other things that I can’t remember right now. I have found a lot of live and spent rounds.

Right? That brass sings in the headphones.

 

[Tinhorn3]

I found 22 caliber a lot, mostly fired but some not fired. I found one yesterday...

 

[too_pointer]

HAHAHAHA As some know Too Pointer and I both hunt on National Guard Property. Places where the guard camped or "bivouacked" we have found a lot of unspent rounds from small arms to 50cal. Both of us know that when digging there to use caution and don't dig with a pickaxe. . Well we only had one pick between us so being the nice guy, I let him use it.

I wondered why I dig most of the signals ? Just k/d Nope just jealous, I am lucky to know him !!!!
too_


too_

 

[markinmichigan]

.556 in a tot lot.....

Mark in Michigan

 

[Iggyks]

Quite a few. I figure some were dropped in the snow and lost. Or tall grass. But some early high velocity rifle rounds at an old school ground look like they were banged with a hammer or rock trying to detonate them.

 

[atomicbrh]

I found this live round buried near the bleachers in a fairgrounds. Definitely NOT what I expected to find! I've found another large caliber 7mm round near a bunch of empty shells in the middle of the woods. I figured it had been a deer stand.

How often do you all run into live ammunition? Is it typically buried, or on the surface? And what do you do with it?

C

Take live rounds to your locally owned gun store not a franchise type gun store.
One of the employees can break down the cartridge safely and dispose of them properly.
At one time I was one of those employees.
If you know an experienced reloader, they can do the same thing.

 

[goldendreams]

Take live rounds to your locally owned gun store not a franchise type gun store.
One of the employees can break down the cartridge safely and dispose of them properly.
At one time I was one of those employees.
If you know an experienced reloader, they can do the same thing.

If someone is that worried they can grab plyers and yank the projectile out...

 

[atomicbrh]

If someone is that worried they can grab plyers and yank the projectile out...

In today's world, there are people who are so urbanized or technically inept that they panic over a spent, empty cartridge much less an intact "live" round. Not suggesting that VirginiaBikeGirl is one of those people. Pliers are the most inefficient way to pull a bullet. The gun stores/reloaders worth their salt will have a kinetic bullet puller that contains the bullet and every grain of powder including the powder that clings to the bullet without putting a mark on any of the components. I worked in three different brick and mortar gun stores in another life. All of them working 3 day gun shows most weekends. Plus our youngest is an armament design engineer. More than likely I would just give an odd cartridge like this to a steady customer who had a firearm of the same caliber. As outrageous as that may sound, ammo is so out of control expensive that every cartridge and component is important. Ammo is in such high demand that just one cartridge could help a customer begin the process of zeroing a rifle.

 

[VirginiaBikeGirl]

In today's world, there are people who are so urbanized or technically inept that they panic over a spent, empty cartridge much less an intact "live" round. Not suggesting that VirginiaBikeGirl is one of those people. Pliers are the most inefficient way to pull a bullet. The gun stores/reloaders worth their salt will have a kinetic bullet puller that contains the bullet and every grain of powder including the powder that clings to the bullet without putting a mark on any of the components. I worked in three different brick and mortar gun stores in another life. All of them working 3 day gun shows most weekends. Plus our youngest is an armament design engineer. More than likely I would just give an odd cartridge like this to a steady customer who had a firearm of the same caliber. As outrageous as that may sound, ammo is so out of control expensive that every cartridge and component is important. Ammo is in such high demand that just one cartridge could help a customer begin the process of zeroing a rifle.

This girl is a Marine veteran and former board member of the Virginia Gun Collectors Association..... The round in my post is a .264 Winchester Magnum. Kind of unusual to see these days. :-)