Safety Question About Loose Ammo

[Smitty]

This is probably a dumb question but I'm preparing to take a trip to a range a couple of hundred miles away. I have ammo cans containing loose 7.62x39 and cans with loose 223.
My question is, can the bumping and jarring of highway or off road travel cause an impact between the pointy nose of one projectile to impact the primer in the base of another projectile with enough force for primer detonation.
I have been shooting for over 50 years and never seen or heard of this happening in an ammo can so please humor an old *art and tell me if you think it's possible. Number of years shooting doesn't equal having all the answers. Thanks for your opinions.
Smitty

[dreyna14]

My reloading bench is so full of stuff that I often have to put a can on the floor or on the end of the table and toss each new round into it as it's done. Never had one go off yet.

[Artery]

I've had similar thoughts, and the way I see it, the ammo is shipped on a big bumpy truck over thousands of miles of interstate, everything seems to be okay. Ammo is dragged along improvised supply lines in jungles and deserts and it still manages to get to the front lines where our soldiers put it to good use.

Point being, it doesn't seem to be a problem, I'm still convinced it could be with rimfire rounds. If one was thrown on a hard surface with enough velocity, I'd think they could go off. Not sure if the scene from Saving Private Ryan where theyre arming mortar rounds by striking the primers on the bottom on a plate by hand is realistic or not.

Still better safe than sorry, I try to keep my ammo squared away neatly when possible.

[Beelzy]

It will be ok.

Some ammo sellers have been know to actually ship loose ammo in cans.
Not the best way for keeping the ammo pretty(no dings/dents), but plinking
ammo is seldom stared at.

[stphnman20]

It'll be fine. I had about 8 full ammo cans of loose 5.56 in my truck during the 03 invasion. The cans were bouncing around in the back going throught the Iraq desert for about 5 months. So you'll be good.

[Vinz]

oooohhh.....another job for the Mythbusters.

I've never had or heard of any contact mishaps.
vinz

[Full Clip]

It's ammo, not nitroglycerin.

[xrMike]

It's ammo, not nitroglycerin.

Actually, if the powder in the rounds is a double-base type (and it probably is), it really does contain up to 50% nitroglycerin.

[fairfaxjim]

Actually, if the powder in the rounds is a double-base type (and it probably is), it really does contain up to 50% nitroglycerin.

Nobody likes a know-it-all!
Next I suppose you'll be telling us it's rocket science too!!

As for the OP's question, I've received lots of ammo packed loose in bags, ammo cans, what ever from commercial reloaders. If those picky B@$^@%#$ at UPS and FedEx don't worry about it, it probably has ZERO chance of being a problem.

[bohoki]

even if one pops it wont start the chain reaction required to go nuclear

[Full Clip]

Oh, come on! You know what I mean!!! Doh!

[AKman]

Loose ammo is immoral and dangerous. Throw a condom in the box to be on the safe side.