http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_re_us/cannonb...BFY7DfsiOm3589Gs0NUE
According to the article the victim was an experienced collector. Got to be very careful handling ordinance. Sad.

Yep, I just read the sad story myself.
Now for one thing, I've never really understood how that ancient ordnance worked. So I would be extremely reluctantant to hang around any of that stuff for very long. But this guy was an experienced collector and supposedly knew what he was doing. I suppose it just goes to prove that your next mistake could be your last one.

Just like the soldiers who were manning the coastal guns in a Civil War era fort during the beginning of WWII. They had a very large shell that was supposed to be inert, certiified by the Army Ordnance people. They were using two of these as andirons on either side of a fireplace in winter. BOOM! More casualities for the Civil War! I have handled CW vintage Shells and cannonballs and handled EVERY one VERY carefully. I don't like dealing with them personally.

He wasnt A.O. or E.O.D.. He should have known it could go BOOM. Sorry, not to be a smart A-- but I recently fired some Span-Am. era 30-40 Krag ammo. It was nasty looking and had some rust and mold on it. Every one of the cartridge's went off. None of them was a dud. My point is, old ammo/ordinance, is not inert/safe no matter when it was made. Here is a case in point, a 145 year old cannon ball with black powder, Still live.

Absolutely partner! Funny you were talking about the 30-40 Krag Jorgensen rifle and ammo. The wife and I were watching Roughriders last night and I was explaining the rifle to her. I had a friend in Washington State that several of those in his collection. I thought they were an excellent shooting rifle. Too bad the reloading wasn't up to snuff. Most everybody then who was using bolt action repeaters were using sripper clips, including the Spanish on their Mausers. I had a 95 Chilean in a western stock that was just a fine shooting rifle. Used 7x57mm.

I have around 300 rounds of DENVER ARSENAL 1942 06 ammo that looks bad but it still goes boom. I use it sparingly. Then I clean like H---.Had some old 6.5x55 swede from the 30's works good. My point is No matter how old or bad it looks you have to treat it with caution. You don't use a grinder on ordinance. My older brother was EOD/EM in WWII. He was in a unit that helped clean up Utah beach after the invasion. In just three weeks his unit lost several men, He taught me a few thing's, one of them was to respect ordinance. Just when you think you know it all one will get you.

This is a sad and kind of unbelievable story. I really don't see how that happened?

Black powder residue will blowup with a spark of any kind or heat. Pressure sensitive (land torpedos)or fused time shot is risky buisness playing with them. Ordnance shot and the fuzes produced by the south mid-war to wars end were as much a risk to the crews as to the enemy.
I go by this " I see it, I mark it and call EOD and let them play with it. While I'm at bino range."

quote:

Originally posted by bangfxr:
Black powder residue will blowup with a spark of any kind or heat. Pressure sensitive (land torpedos)or fused time shot is risky buisness playing with them. Ordnance shot and the fuzes produced by the south mid-war to wars end were as much a risk to the crews as to the enemy.
I go by this " I see it, I mark it and call EOD and let them play with it. While I'm at bino range."

Good answer/quote. Bangfxr

quote:

Originally posted by Cadet_SimsA:
This is a sad and kind of unbelievable story. I really don't see how that happened?

Go to the first post Angala. Click on the link, read it all. The short of it is this. He was grinding on an explosive with a grinder. Heat or sparkes caused it to detonate.

My last two years on Active Duty was with Armed Forces Police at the Washington Navy Yard.

They had 16" projos sitting on concrete bases with chains welded to them as decorative fencing in some places around the Yard. One day, some retired Battleship Sailor, just happened to notice, beneath the layers of white paint, some of the projos had fuses, something an inert practice round wouldn't have.........OOPS!!

I remember that. I heard of a navy torpedo used as display in a museum that was found to be fully armed. Still had the warhead in it.

Speaking of cannon balls. I got a letter from a friend in Okla, who's an artillary officer for the C.S and is a retired guard Arty officer.
He and family were visiting a museum and one of the employee's knew him and asked if he'd like to see the new find that was in both the attic and basement of the museum. These were 12 and 24 pounder shot and they were going to have them stacked up on both sides of the main door and welded togeather the next day. They were federal shot with one small problem. They were ALL time fuzed shot with the fuzes in them. Everyone was evacted from museum and EOD was called and they were shocked at what they saw. A total of 52 shells were disposed of.
The employees had rolled these things along the floors and down the stairs with out a one going off. Angles were watching those people.

I can se it now. Here you go down the stairs and I'll roll this cannonball down to you. Thump, thump.WHOOM, DID YOU Catch it. Ah S--T, now we gotta get another one. It would have been one of those OH,S--T moment's, Then time for a 911 call.

Your very right it would have been an " AW S__T" moment and then it would have turned into the "WTF" were you thinking monent. and then someone would most likely say " How much is this going to cost"

quote:

Originally posted by bangfxr:
Your very right it would have been an " AW S__T" moment and then it would have turned into the "WTF" were you thinking monent. and then someone would most likely say " How much is this going to cost"

OR, "I hope you have good" Insurance. I never understood why anyone would want a live piece of ordnance in their house or possesion.(SIC) I guess it comes from being around it and seeing what they can do that makes me feel that way. IF those cannon Balls didn't look like a one fingered bowling ball I would have been on the blower to E.O.D. in a heart beat.