I am a bit above average on loaded ammo and primers so my local fire department ....

... probably wouldn't even approach my house if it was popping off. They would just stand off and let it burn to the ground, or they would run like hell if it did start to pop off.

And I would not blame or criticize them.

What about you?

Nitesite, I'd simply mitigate the possibility of a fire throughout your house and surrounding property. Plus have fire extinguishers placed in strategic locations.

If you store everything in a single small room there are automatic fire suppression systems that can be installed like the ones they use in computer rooms or on boats that don't make a mess. Some of these are basically standalone and require no real installation issues.

Baring that I simply store both ammo and reloading supplies in metal military ammo cans. I've seen some references that most ammo will actually burn vice explode but not sure.

Regards

Nitesite, here's a picture of totally stand alone fire suppression systems which can be sized to your storage space.

Yeah, most people don't know that loaded ammo just explodes without projecting the bullet anywhere. Sort of like a firecracker.

It is the loaded round in the chamber of a firearm that bystanders need to be worried about if that round cooks off.

I believe that loaded ammo presents more danger during fire by the brass casings shrapnel than the bullet, which just kind of lays right there if the cartridge explodes.

And the brass shrapnel probably has a 2-4 foot radius (at most).

Primers going off would sound bad but they would be like lady-finger firecrackers that don't do any harm at all.

And smokeless powder would just burn like a flare but will never explode.

But my local fire department wouldn't have gotten that memo.

This ought to be required viewing for all fire and law enforcement personnel. Lots of false beliefs out there.

However, this follows the military experience of taking a rifle round through a loaded magazine on a chest rig with no detention of other rounds. But still a scary happening.

Regards

I remember a front page news story where a reporter was too close to a house fire and took a cooked off round to the head on live TV. She lived with relatively minor injuries, and after a bit of investigation as a result of the oversensationalized article it was found she was actually hit with the casing.

That is a very sad movie...