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View Full Version : Bullet explodes in woman’s handbag



MrMark
06-12-2012, 01:34 PM
Linkity link. (http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/579432/Police%E2%80%94Bullet-explodes-in-woman-s-handbag-while-she-shops-at-home-improvement-store.html?nav=5052)

Story below.

Thoughts?

"A shopper at Lowe's, 701 N. Loyalsock Ave., Montoursville, had to take a trip to the hospital on Sunday afternoon, following a freak accident in which a bullet apparently exploded in her purse as she was in the store, according to Montoursville Deputy Police Chief Jason Bentley.

"She did not have a gun in her purse or on her," Bentley said, adding that the woman, whose identity was not released, was not aware that she had two or three bullets in her purse.

"Something must of hit the primer of one of the bullets," Bentley said. "The bullet stayed in the purse, but its casing put a hole in the purse and caused a minor leg wound," he added.

The incident occurred about 2 p.m., but the woman did not seek treatment at the Williamsport Regional Medical Center until about 5 p.m., after her son encouraged to do so.

The 56-year-old woman, who lives in the Williamsport area, later was discharged, Bentley said."

bagz013
06-12-2012, 01:37 PM
Thats freaky!!

Wonder what cause it to discharge like that?

Jessika
06-12-2012, 01:51 PM
I dunno seems like there would be more to the story. She did not even know she had bullets in her purse? Odd but I guess it can happen...:crazy:

Pyzik
06-12-2012, 02:04 PM
I dunno seems like there would be more to the story. She did not even know she had bullets in her purse? Odd but I guess it can happen...:crazy:
I think that would happen pretty easily. I bet if I dropped a handful of rounds in my wife's purse she wouldn't realize it for weeks, lol.
I'm not saying that someone else put the rounds in there, just saying I've seen a woman's purse and how much stuff can be in there.

10x25mm
06-12-2012, 02:22 PM
I wonder whether static electricity or some small battery powered appliance leaked charge. This has been known to cause primers to ignite.

fr3db3ar
06-12-2012, 04:25 PM
9v?

Jessika
06-12-2012, 05:20 PM
I think that would happen pretty easily. I bet if I dropped a handful of rounds in my wife's purse she wouldn't realize it for weeks, lol.
I'm not saying that someone else put the rounds in there, just saying I've seen a woman's purse and how much stuff can be in there.

True... but I always know what is in mine.... I dont put much in mine though so I see everything lol

1911lover
06-12-2012, 05:23 PM
The moral of the story is don't carry battery powered sex toys and live rounds in your purses ladies. :spawn: :mrgreen:

Pyzik
06-12-2012, 05:26 PM
True... but I always know what is in mine.... I dont put much in mine though so I see everything lol
Haha, I wish my wife was like that. I hate it when she asks me to get something from that bottomless pit.

Jessika
06-12-2012, 05:29 PM
Haha, I wish my wife was like that. I hate it when she asks me to get something from that bottomless pit.
Yup mine has wallet a mini purse for if i dont wanna lug the bigger one in my gun at the moment until i get the holster i want a pen n some receipts lol prwtty empty...

TAC
06-12-2012, 05:53 PM
Linkity link. (http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/579432/Police%E2%80%94Bullet-explodes-in-woman-s-handbag-while-she-shops-at-home-improvement-store.html?nav=5052)

Story below.

Thoughts?

"Something must of hit the primer of one of the bullets," Bentley said. "The bullet stayed in the purse, but its casing put a hole in the purse and caused a minor leg wound," he added.



Probably something her husband rigged up...but failed! :lipseal:

Shadow Bear
06-13-2012, 10:46 AM
Likely a rim fire (.22, perhaps). I've seen those go off with what should have been a minimal impact (3-4 foot drop).

Bang the purse just right, and 'bang'!

Dabears!
06-14-2012, 05:58 PM
ive had it happen to me with a 45
fell from hand while i was sitting at my desk at home a few years ago
landed on something
discharged
went through keyboard and destroyed key fob on key chain for my winter car.

DP425
06-14-2012, 07:59 PM
Like I said in the other thread that degenerated into something of an internet abortion...

Typical rounds, the bullet won't have enough energy, un-chambered to penetrate the skin, let alone cause lethal wounds. Materials (such as a plastic keyboard) which are brittle and don't have any "give" will break, but thanks to the give of flesh, the results are less problematic- though you will certainly end up with a nice bruise.

The casing is actually the more dangerous as it will almost always send some amounts of shrapnel flying. Again, this will typically only cause superficial wounding in part due to the low mass and low velocity.

I know a guy who took brass shrapnel from the casing of a .50 BMG to the groin when the shooters failed to check and verify the headspace and timing. Painful and messy, but all superficial.



Also leaded a bit of a lesson myself after setting up my new reloading room/bench. I mounted my Dillon 550B which had been on an elevated mount that had a bin holder to catch the finished cartridges. Well I couldn't find the original bin holder for direct mounting to the bench so I just tossed a 5gal bucket under the press. As luck would have it, one cartridge landed primer first on the rim of another and discharged. Bullet hit my friend's palm who was on the press, also put some brass surface level in his arm. Learned my lesson on that one...

It is kind of surprising that it would happen in a purse- purse must have hit something solid to give the force. I can't see a few loose rounds going off in a purse on their own without some sort of additional force factor.

detroitbassist
06-14-2012, 10:05 PM
Makes two reasons I was lucky the day of my (very large) cpl class!

First was the extra RSO sitting in on the class to be a 2nd body in a couple disarm demos. After they were done with his cleared weapon, he sat down, reinserted his mag, and had the muzzle pointed directly at me in the middle of the full room, as he was shaking trying to chamber a round (stiff recoil spring I guess).

Second (and on topic) was in the range portion. Class was 50+ people on 10 lanes, so to save time, we were instructed to pour all of our ammo out of the boxes and into our pockets. Seemed a little weird, but we were assured that it was safe. Glad I didn't end up being a youtube link in one of these postings!

Is it standard practice to carry loose ammo like that? Feels kinda like tempting fate even though I see reloads sold in bags and dropped on the counter at ranges all the time. :hardhat:

shooter57
06-15-2012, 08:21 AM
amazed the case came out of the purse not the bullet.

teecro
06-15-2012, 09:20 AM
amazed the case came out of the purse not the bullet.

Case was likely reduced to shrapnel made of light thin brass with sharp jagged edges; bullets rarely travel more than a foot or two due to their mass and weight.

Tyler
06-15-2012, 05:18 PM
amazed the case came out of the purse not the bullet.


I think it would make sense. The expansion of gas would push the case backward with more force than the bullet because the bullet is heavier.... Makes sense in my head, but can't really get the words out to describe my train of thought.

Roundballer
06-15-2012, 06:37 PM
I think it would make sense. The expansion of gas would push the case backward with more force than the bullet because the bullet is heavier.... Makes sense in my head, but can't really get the words out to describe my train of thought.
Mass Moment of Inertia.

The bullet has more Mass, more to overcome to implement motion.

Case has less Mass, takes less to make it move.

Pressure from the expanding gases press only against the base of the bullet.

The same pressure is contained in the case and works not only against the head of the case, exactly opposing to the base of the bullet, it also presses against the sides of the case. The side pressure will expand the case to release the hold on the bullet, but may also expand fast enough to rupture the case.

The NRA published some testing, where they used heat to set the rounds off. The testing was intended to see how loose ammunition would react in a fire, but the same principles apply here. None of the rounds (all common rifle and pistol types, no 50 BMG) had enough energy from either end, or any side to fully penetrate a single layer of corrugated cardboard.

This is not to say that people don't need to be reasonably cautious in handling ammunition, more along the lines of just don't be stupid.

Tyler
06-15-2012, 08:48 PM
Thanks! Much more well-typed than my post. I am absent minded when I am not typing or writing for a college paper HAHA! They also did something like this on mythbusters.... I believe they even had 50 bmg...


Mass Moment of Inertia.

The bullet has more Mass, more to overcome to implement motion.

Case has less Mass, takes less to make it move.

Pressure from the expanding gases press only against the base of the bullet.

The same pressure is contained in the case and works not only against the head of the case, exactly opposing to the base of the bullet, it also presses against the sides of the case. The side pressure will expand the case to release the hold on the bullet, but may also expand fast enough to rupture the case.

The NRA published some testing, where they used heat to set the rounds off. The testing was intended to see how loose ammunition would react in a fire, but the same principles apply here. None of the rounds (all common rifle and pistol types, no 50 BMG) had enough energy from either end, or any side to fully penetrate a single layer of corrugated cardboard.

This is not to say that people don't need to be reasonably cautious in handling ammunition, more along the lines of just don't be stupid.