Question on exposed bullets on bandolier, gun belt
ignorant gun newbie with a question:
Just curious about how the average bullet manages to withstand the elements when carried about on a cowboy holster or bandolier like the Cossacks use to wear. I've seen old 'Nam pictures of GI's with M60 belts around thier neck as they walk through the jungle.
It looks cool, but isn't there a problem about deforming a cartridge when you hit the ground? What about humidity, dust and crud weaking the seal on a primer? And wouldn't shotgun shells be especially liable to be deformed or crushed if you had them in a bandolier, rifle sling or stock?
Just curious about how the average bullet manages to withstand the elements when carried about on a cowboy holster or bandolier like the Cossacks use to wear. I've seen old 'Nam pictures of GI's with M60 belts around thier neck as they walk through the jungle.
It looks cool, but isn't there a problem about deforming a cartridge when you hit the ground? What about humidity, dust and crud weaking the seal on a primer? And wouldn't shotgun shells be especially liable to be deformed or crushed if you had them in a bandolier, rifle sling or stock?
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i would guess that the heavier cases on military brass would help keep it from deforming. also, it would probably have to hit on rocks or something to deform. the humidty dust and crud probably wouldn't be as much of a problem because they probably didn't have to carry them for very long before they got shot off anyways. as for the shotgun shells, i would say they would be hard to crush considering they are plastic. i really don't know, but this is what i can figure.
I'm not an expert, but i did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.0 -
the biggest problem is corrosion. I got a new Cowboy belt this spring and loaded it with some new ammo. The match last weekend, I was running low on ammo for the side shoot. I tapped into my belt for some extra ammo, and that stuff was ugly, light green spots on a chocolate covered field. I need to get some nickel plated brass for my belt.
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As far as cowboy gun belts go, yeah you don't want to leave cartridges in the loops too long, they get pretty tarnished and corroded looking from sweat and stuff although I don't think it really hurts anything as long as you keep your gun clean and well lubed. I rotate cartridges through my belt fairly frequently. Deforming has never been a problem for me with my cowboy gun belt but then again I don't drop and roll much now days. When I was a machine gunner in the Marine Corps, we carried bandoliers of 7.62 blanks for field training exercises for the M60 but we used them up so fast it didn't matter much. All of our live ammo was used at the range so there wasn't much crawling around with live ammo. But I did do a lot of crawling in the dirt with the blanks and never had a problem with deforming the blank's cases or with their primers. Biggest issue was dirt and grit (Twentynine Palms California)transferring to the gun but there we just did our best to keep everything as clean and brushed off as possible. The M60 was a pretty tolerant gun. 0 -
Yep....corrosion is the biggest thing keeping rounds in leather belts and somewhat less in canvas. The Cowboys of the Old West probably didn't give it a whole lot of concern considering their rough lifestyle. Wouldn't have mattered if they turned a bit green as long as they would chamber. As far as dings went thy were generally firing close range so the effect would have been nil. Gun maintenence in those days was difficult and complete cleaning of firearms didn't happen everytime they shot. That's one of the reasons a pristine 1880's gun is so rare. They were shooting Black Powder remember and when you examine these old pieces virtually all of them have pitted barrels from the powder residue not being cleaned regularly. 0 -
Ref: Draping a belt of ammo across shoulders. We used to refer to the folks that did this as Rambozos. First, the linked ammo comes in a bag. Leave it in the bag until you need it. Problem is not deformation of cartridge- its the mud and crud that WILL gunk up your weapon. The second issue is that when you have two crossed belts of SHINY ammo crossing your camo'd body, you just gave your opponent an ideal AIM POINT. [xx(]
Friends help you move. REAL friends help you move BODIES!0 -
Hi,
Previous answers have been on the mark.
Yes, there can be a problem with ammo carried in a belt or bandoleer.
And to offer documentation of why it is hard on the ammunition, consider the nickel plating on cartridges offered for sale by numerous manufacturers. Yes, the nickel plating is designed to prevent corrosion when carried in military and police gun belts. The nickel prevents corrosion thus providing reliable backup ammunition if should the occasion arise.
Corrosion by far, is the single most detrimental affect of carrying ammunition in a gunbelt. For further evidence, look what happens to a pistol stored in a leather (other fabrics as well) holster for a long period of time. The leather is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air) and will corrode the metal given enough time or enough humidity or both.
Additionally, consider belted machine ammunition. Surplus belted machine gun ammunition is sometimes not a good bargin because a thin line of corrosion sometimes forms around the brass where it intersects with belt. As a result, this belted ammunition with this corrosion causes many FTFs, FTEs, or simply destroys the casing.
Most modern ammunition is impervious to moisture, dust, dirt, debris, etc. because the primers and bullets are sealed into the casings. Military ammunition is excellent example and the primer and bullet waterproofing seals can be observed on the exterior of the primer annulus and the bearing surface of the bullet (often red or green in color).
I suspect damage is not a major concern since the cartridge would have be directly impacted with force sufficient enough to deform the casing or dislodge the bullet. While this is certainly possible, this might only ruin one or two bullets. Corrosion would cause more substantial damage, since it would affect all the cartridges.
Regards,
Heavyiron
"If I don't see you nomore on this world, I'll meet you on the next one, and don't be late!" - Jimi Hendrix0 -
Ammunition in belt loops, open bandoleers and exposed MG belts make me cringe because of fine dust, sand and grit that gets into the barrel and the machinery of the gun.
Belt fed conversions of the M16 are especially ill conceived because that gun has no tolerance for fine earth dust or sand.0
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