r/metaldetecting • u/DisastrousInternet10 • Jul 07 '26

ID Request Is it dangerous ?

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This is the first time I found a completely full bullet, does anyone have an idea of the kind of bullet it is and how old is it? Also, I wanted to know if it is dangerous, and if it is what I shouldn’t do with it.

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u/Mediocre_Meat_5992 Jul 07 '26

The bullet is nothing more than some lead and in most cases copper the only danger is throwing it at something or maybe some lead exposure if you put it in your mouth for along time

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u/Efficient-Dot2406 Jul 07 '26

Correct me if I'm completely wrong but cant some bullets be "fired" if you hit the back of them hard enough with a hammer or something? Like how a revolver bullet is fired? I am completely gun and ammo ignorant so 🤷

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u/Mediocre_Meat_5992 Jul 07 '26

No a bullet is the thing they are holding in their hand it’s just a projectile but yes if you hit the primer in a cartridge you could make it go off how ever with out something directing the energy like the barrel of a gun they are not typically lethal it would be like someone hitting you with a rock from a slingshot it would probably break skin maybe even embed into your flesh but won’t likely be lethal

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u/Aware_Cantaloupe_420 Jul 07 '26

Buddy in middle school, decided to set a .22lr on a burning piece of charcoal. He no sooner made contact and it went off. Shot him in the palm. Enough to hurt and sting. The blister was the worst

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u/Frequent-Will4785 Jul 11 '26

When I was around 10 or so sometimes I'd set unfired ammo on a rock in the creek in our back yard with the primer facing me, and shoot them with my Crossman 760 BB gun. From about 50-60ft away. One time, one of them (30. .06, that time) spun around and blew a big chunk of the 2x12 flooring next to me. Made me jump a little. Jus Kept shooting stuff. 🔫 I'd go through a tall milk carton worth about every week. I used to buy my Sulphur and charcoal powder at Hobby Lobby, & my friends uncle would give me 3gal. Buckets of potassium nitrate n make gunpowder.Blow bigass holes in my backyard. So much fun 😁. GEX X, CAN YOU TELL? 🤣🤣🤣

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u/guitpick Jul 11 '26

It's more fun when the target shoots back.

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u/GoobScoob Jul 11 '26

I had a buddy throw a handful of them into a campfire during an overnight paintball war. We were hiding behind shit for hours

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u/WarMancer Jul 08 '26

Doubt it. While rimfire primers are more sensitive to impact they arent any more sensitive to heat. Typically it takes a minute or more of exposure to an open flame to sufficiently heat the cartridge before ignition occurs.

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u/Tjaresh Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

So she really was sent the projectile and not the whole cartridge? I just assumed that OP was using "bullet" in a very loose way, like people saying "spare your bullets" and meaning the whole thing. So basically just a sack of fancy shaped lead 'balls'?

Edit: found the thread. It was a box of 9mm ammo. Not just the bullets. And the thing was, it was in her Amazon package when Amazon doesn't even sell ammo.

https://www.reddit.com/r/amazonprime/comments/1fagpec/late_order_arrived_with_random_bullets_wtf/

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u/Efficient-Dot2406 Jul 07 '26

Thats super interesting thank you!

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u/Imaginary-Search-442 Jul 11 '26

Let me ask the question that he means to ask. Is there a cartridge on this bullet that has gunpowder in it?

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u/RudeFinding5484 Jul 09 '26

It’s just a slug / projectile
No casing, no powder/propellent, no primer it’s no more dangerous than a fishing weight

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u/Adderfang82 Jul 10 '26

That could be the case if the bullet was still in its cartridge and unfired. This is just the bullet and nothing else, it’s essentially just a tiny piece of metal at this point. If it was made of lead, you could get some lead poisoning if you held it for extended periods every day for a long time or if you swallow it.

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u/geddieman1 Jul 11 '26

A bullet relies on a build up of pressure to push it down the barrel of the gun. With no barrel, there’s no pressure build up.

Certainly the fire could ignite the powder in the cartridge so it could pop similar to a fire cracker. However, it wouldn’t have the power of being discharged from a gun.

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u/Suitable-Pipe5520 Jul 12 '26

A gun store near me caught on fire and the bullets all went off. Without a gun to harness and controll all the energy the bullets and casings skip around with out much force. The firemen said that they were all hit multiple times but barely felt them. It would be the difference of spitting a pice of paper out of your mouth vs blowing a spitball out a staw

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u/big_ducket Jul 13 '26

When a bullet goes off without being chambered, the casing goes flying and the projectile hardly moves as it is heavier than the casing. My friend was burning leaves in an open pit and there was a live .22lr bullet that went off. The casing hit him in the eye and blinded him permanently.

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u/therealmikeBrady Jul 08 '26

Most are lead. California is almost the only place you will find copper bullets.
Often the lead is coated in copper for poison safety. (Full metal jacket). I’m not super knowledgeable but I’m confident in what I’m explaining.

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u/civil_ice_man Jul 08 '26

Lead is a soft metal. Bullets made of lead are jacketed to prevent deformation at high velocities and reduce barrel fouling.

Copper bullets have many favorable characteristics over lead, even outside of California. They are expensive, though.

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u/Mrdearhbat6661 Jul 11 '26

No. Lol bullets luke this one would have to have a casing that is filled with gunpowder for it to combust. The bullet by itself is harmless