How do I properly dispose of an unspent 9mm Luger cartridge??

[polichick]

Found one in a parking lot and picked it up before some child got it ~ now I don't know what to do with it.

(Obviously, I don't own guns.)

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

1. DIBS!!!! PM me for mailing address.

Seriously though, just toss it in the trash or give it to a local gun nut to dismantle.
There's no law against throwing them away - and I doubt you're equipped to disassemble it.

Being of unknown origin, it would be unsafe to fire for anybody.

[polichick]

4. Really? I didn't think you could just throw them away...

I went to the shooting range looking for a gun enthusiast today, but nobody was there.

[fedupinhouston]

6. I'm calling bullshit on that one

If you went to a range and nobody was there, perhaps you could go to one which is open?

Alternatively, you could simply toss it in the trash can.

Its just a bullet. Its essentially harmless without the gun.

[AtheistCrusader]

13. Nah.

Plenty of ranges are 'empty'. Snoqualmie Vally Rifle Club is one. You get a combination to the gate with your membership, and even get to play range officer, if you like.

[polichick]

14. This might be one of those - not sure, but it's very active on weekends...

You can hear it from a nearby park.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

7. yeah, no big deal.

If you go to a shooting range, there will likely be a metal container somewhere for misfires and duds. You could put the round in that box with the reat of the defective ammo for the range to handle. Keep in mind you cannot simply mail it unless labelled as ORM-D Small Arms (hazardous material) if you plan on sending it somewhere. But simply tossing it in the trash bin won't do any more harm than any other brass/lead piece of metal.

Or keep it. Place it in the mailbox of a right-wing arch-nemesis. He'll never suspect it to be you... but I digress. :)

[femmocrat]

2. How did you know what it was?

I would take it to a police station.

[polichick]

3. It's printed on the bottom - I just called a bullet. lol

[MineralMan]

5. Drop it by a gun shop or a police station.

No problem. Either will take it for you and deal with it.

[Howzit]

27. Just don't walk up and announce "I have bullet"

They might think you meant "I have a gun" and deal with it as a threat.

Keeping the round out of sight in your closed hand or envelope, ask the desk officer if they can dispose of a round of ammunition you found? When they yes, where is it, tell them where it is and ask if you can place it on the counter.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[Fire_Medic_Dave]

9. Take it to a police station.

[TheWraith]

10. Toss it in the trash. No worries, really.

A bullet is only powerful because the gun channels the hot gases produced by the burning powder. Without a gun, even in a fire it would only really have the power of a nasty firecracker.

[Xenotime]

31. If you toss it into the trash it might have your finger prints on it.

Then if something happened, there could be a problem.

[polichick]

11. THANKS EVERYBODY! nt

[dashrif]

12. Don't

fire it or let any one fire it ,if it got ran over and bent out of round it may squib and the next round will blow up the gun

put it in the trash if it goes of in a trash truck or landfill it will just pop and know one will be hurt bullet - barrel and breach = little pop like firework

[polichick]

15. Yikes, didn't think about it being run over. Looks okay, but who knows. nt

[Betsy Ross]

16. I took unwanted ammunition to the police department.

They didn't ask for my name.

[paulsby]

29. while this is true, it's not the BEST option imo

because it burdens a govt agency with placing this item into evidence for later disposal. iow, it takes a bit of time and paperwork and i'd rather have police spending less time doing such administrative crap.

imo, the BEST solution is simply taking it to a local gun store if that is available. most will have no problem taking unused ammo out of your hands. ammo is expensive. my police agency uses civilians to process found property (which is what your case would be), but it still eats up resources.

but yes, bringing it to the cops is a responsible option. certainly you don't want to leave it there, or just throw it in the garbage etc.

[jeepnstein]

30. The police likely...

tossed it in the trash and went on with life.

Just throw it away. It's a bent round and not worth anything at all. Unless it's chambered in a firearm it is not lethal.

[spin]

17. There is no really safe way to deactivate a live round...

short of firing it or having the reloading equipment to pull the bullet, remove the powder and the primer. You then can deactivate the primer and if you want the power by soaking in oil for a day or so.

You could try spraying the bottom of the cartridge case that contains the primer with WD40 or some other penetrating oil. This might work, but Murphy's Law would bet against it. Now if you cleaned your ammo that you loaded your defense weapon with WD40, Murphy's law would indicate that you would deactivate the ammo and it wouldn't fire when you needed it.

Murphy's law is Whatever can go wrong will.

But the chances of a 9mm firing if you dumped it in the trash are very slim. A police station or shooing range are your best bet.

If you go to a shooting range, just give it to the range master. See if he will allow you to watch the shooters. You might have to rent glasses and hearing protection, but the experience could be rewarding and could expand your horizons. Shooters are usually very friendly and there is a good possibility that one will allow you to fire a weapon if you are reasonably polite.

If you are anti-gun, the experience may not change your mind, but when you discuss firearms you will be able to say you fired one.

Of course, there always is the possibility that you will become interested in the sport. You meet a lot of interesting and intelligent people at a shooting range. Usually they are are the regular shooters who will be more than happy to provide you with advise. Shooters welcome newbies. I've often worked with a new shooter to improve his ability and always was more than willing to allow him/her to try my firearms.

It's fun to let a person try his hand at your favorite sport, especially when he walks away and says, "Wow, that was fun." Most do and many purchase their own weapons and become very proficient at using them. A few become so good that they outshoot me. That makes me proud.

[krispos42]

28. Alas, that won't ruin a seated primer

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot39.htm

The fluids don't penetrate.


You could probably just yank it apart with pliers, though. Dump the powder in the toilet, toss the bullet in the trash, pour some WD-40 in the case so it ruins the primer from the inside, then toss the case in the the trash as well.

[Taitertots]

18. It is a sign that you should buy a handgun.

Go to a gun store with a firing range to dispose of the round, and leave with a nice new in the box handgun.

[spin]

19. Not a bad plan, however...

i wouldn't trust a round I found laying around to test my new firearm.

[Taitertots]

20. The round is just an indicator

You go in to have them dispose of the round. While there pick up a .38 revolver.

[spin]

21. Or a nice Ruger .22 caliber target pistol...

Very inexpensive to shoot and VERY accurate.

edited for fat fingers.

[Taitertots]

22. Never had a problem with mine

Good groups at 50 yards.

[Statistical]

24. +1 except I wish they still made the MK II (I dislike the changes to MK III)

Still a great gun and nice to practice the fundamentals for a tiny fraction of the price of center fire ammo.

If I was willing to deal with the time and expense of an NFA item this one would be nice. Could shoot on my land without annoying the neighbors or getting the cops called.

[spin]

25. My Ruger is a MK II and is a tack driver. (n/t)

[jody]

23. Outstanding, a sign from God that you need to exercise your RKBA. n/t

[spin]

26. God works in mysterious ways. (n/t)

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

37. I was the last to leave once and found 1/2 box of .380 someone left

I've just ordered a Ruger LCP to shoot it :)
I'll need more ammo when I blow through ALL 20 rounds though. :rofl:

I also ask for ammo @ Christmas from friends/relatives. Sometimes they reply, "What kind?"
To which I respond, "Doesn't matter. If it's a caliber I can't shoot, I'll buy a gun to shoot it."
Never fails to get a laugh but the joke's on them... because I'm serious.

[Endangered Specie]

32. spray WD-40 all over it, especially the primer (back end of the cartridge)

[dashrif]

34. see post 28

that only works with unseated primers

[old mark]

35. They are very well sealed with a laquer like sealant, and the WD40

probably won't work.

It's pretty safe unless it's confined to a small space, like inside the chamber of a gun. If you threw it into a fire, it would just pop the bullet out of the case and make a little noise.

mark

[ffellini7080]

33. Throw in in the nearest dumpster

Simple as that.

[SteveM]

36. Very good question. Perhaps we regulars should research this...

I have a few duds, bent-up rounds and a squashed .12 ga. field load.

There needs to be a protocol to follow when disposing of defective rounds; I'm not interested in simply dumping lead into land fills, though it is better there than in some places. There is no problem at the range (which is mined periodically to salvage the lead), but I never remember to grab the few lemons I have. Maybe gun shops/dealers can start a program where a gut bucket is provided for disposal of bad rounds.