Video - SAAMI tests what happens to ammunition in fires and other intense situations

I found this neat video that tests what happens to civilian marketed ammunition in instances where the ammunition is shot, run over with a bulldozer, dropped from 65ft, 200,000+ rounds lit on fire in a semi truck, ect...



Shot shells, rifle, and handgun ammo are all tested. The order of tests are :

1 : Drop test. Boxes of ammo are dropped from 65 feet.

2 : Boxes of ammo shot by a high-powered rifle.

3 : Blasting cap test.

4 : Ammo run over by bulldozer. (They mangle the heck out of it)

5 : Ammo put in "bonfire"

6 : 115,000 rounds set on fire inside a retail store model.

7 : 252,000 rounds lit on fire inside of a semi-truck trailer.

In the trailer test, a firefighter walks up a few feet away from the open back of the trailer and gets hit by multiple projectiles. He doesn't even flinch,

To sum this up, when the ammunition ignited in these tests, the velocity and energy of the projectiles were extremely low. Just thought this would be some cool info to share.

As a ex vol firefighter i am more worried about propane tanks then ammo.

I have fought many fire in homes with ammo and the projectile seldom goes more then a couple feet.

Even .50 bmg.

One department i was on was a old mining town vol fire department.

In that town i was worried about the old miners having a box or two of blasting caps in the old sheds around town.

We were burning down a old shed one winter and there was one or more boxes of blasting caps and they blew a nice hole in the side of the building as it burned, Luckily we were standing back and not fighting the fire because the owner wanted the building burnt so they would have little to haul to the dump.

My teeth were gnashing and I had to quit watching! There are ammo shortages and they do this?

Originally posted by Magister
My teeth were gnashing and I had to quit watching! There are ammo shortages and they do this?

No, it's the other way around.

These guys caused the shortage

150,000 rounds just for one test! Yikes.

P