Getting shot in a 20 round AR magazine

[Ronin64]

I am a uniformed police officer and I carry a Colt 6940 on duty as my patrol rifle. I keep it loaded with a 30 round PMAG, but I keep a 20 round GI mag in my front vest pouch of my kevlar vest, it fits nicely between the actual armor and the trauma plate. Its relatively easy to draw it if I need a quick reload. I have enough stuff on my belt and I can't fit the 20 round mag on my belt.

Anyway, another officer commented that this practice was dangerous in the even that I was shot in this 20 round mag... as it would cause other rounds to go off causing more trauma to myself. I have personally never shot a full magazine to see what happens, so I have no idea. However, I have seen incidents where ammunition was dropped on the floor and exploded.

Does anyone have any experience/knowledge of what would happen if the 20 round mag were shot while it was in my vest?

I know when I was in the military, all my mags went on a tac vest setup, so I suppose the danger is the same?

[Suwannee Tim]

Let me clarify, the trauma plate is between you and the mag? Exploding ammo poses a minimal hazard because he cartridge case being unsupported by the chamber ruptures at low pressure. Powder, especially rifle powder needs higher pressure to burn completely. I was present when a shotgun shell exploded in a buddy's pants pocket. The pants were ruined and he got a small, slight burn. I wouldn't give it another moment's thought.

[GTifosi]

+1
You've got a significantly higher chance of being injured by sharp bits of mag and brass when pulling it out of the stash point.

[Ronin64]

It goes: vest - mag - trauma plate insert.

[Chameleox]

Thousands of tactical officers and servicemen and -women carry mags on the front of their armor every day. Many have unfortunately been shot through the mag. If the mag presented more of a danger than the possibility of some additional fragmentation (besides, you know, the bullet), you'd have heard more about this.

NTOA had a test published in their journal a year or two back. I believe Snipercraft or ASA reenacted the scenario of shooting a gun out of a suspect's hand. By targeting the gun, and occasionally striking a bullet in a cylinder or magazine, the results were entirely unpredictable, but IIRC, the struck cartridges never went high order, or only did so rarely enough that it shouldn't be a concern.

[Failure2Stop]

I've shot dudes through full AK mags and none of them went off. (ETA- I do wish some of those had been tracers, just for the possible light show).
I don't worry too much about it.

However, having a gap between a plate and soft armor will reduce the effectiveness of the plate.

[AKDoug]

Certainly not any worse than getting that mag shot through while it hangs on your belt.

[Pilgrim]

Leave your mag right where it is, it's perfectly safe to have it there.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot9.htm

[Dano5326]

Of no consequence. A extremely unlikely to "go off" (9 of 10 dead virgin seekers, surveyed, agree) and the uncontained pressure insignificant.

What was suggested, hide all replacement mags under your plates?

[Chameleox]

Of no consequence. (9 of 10 dead virgin seekers, surveyed, agree)

You mean virgin seekers who are dead, or seekers of dead virgins?

Dano and F2S: Thank you for your service, and for your contribution to the scholarly research on this subject.

[JMFM0911]

Cops carrying AR mags :rolleyes:

[90slow50]

I've shot dudes through full AK mags and none of them went off. (ETA- I do wish some of those had been tracers, just for the possible light show).
I don't worry too much about it.

However, having a gap between a plate and soft armor will reduce the effectiveness of the plate.

Whoa! That got real, real quick. Thank you for the service. I'm sure the op appreciates the real life reference as well.

[trlcavscout]

A buddy took a round through a mag a couple feet away from me back in 04 it didnt go off. It made the mag unuseable obviously but the round it hit just dumped the powder in the mag.

[trlcavscout]

You mean virgin seekers who are dead, or seekers of dead virgins?

Dano and F2S: Thank you for your service, and for your contribution to the scholarly research on this subject.

I dont think they care if the virgins are dead or alive, or even female for that matter.

[ucrt]

...
... I have seen incidents where ammunition was dropped on the floor and exploded.
...

=================================

Just curious, what were the situations where dropped ammo went off?

.

[DIRTMAN556]

I find it interesting that a public service member asks questions like these on an internet forum. Not just any forum but M4carbine! Maybe more training is needed?

The question reminds me of MYTHBUSTERS, specifically what would happen to ammunition in a fire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfoJAwlUopI

This is simply to illustrate Suwannee Tim's point of ammunition needing high pressure to actually eject a bullet. The ammunition in the fire example, you would be much more at risk of the exploding shrapnel caused by the brass casing as GTifosi mentioned. Just some food for thought.

Maybe the MYTHBUSTERS should bust/confirm the myth of cartridges being shot at.

[Pax]

I dont think they care if the virgins are dead or alive, or even female for that matter.

Or human.

F2S, Dano: Great work guys.

[Ronin64]

Cops carrying AR mags :rolleyes:

Trolling much?

anyway, the situation with dropped exploding ammo was when one of our property workers accidentally dropped a bag of ammo. One of the rounds went off sending fragments of the casing into her leg. It was a minor injury but the hospital and to remove the fragments and she was out of work for a week or so.

[Ronin64]

I find it interesting that a public service member asks questions like these on an internet forum. Not just any forum but M4carbine! Maybe more training is needed?

The question reminds me of MYTHBUSTERS, specifically what would happen to ammunition in a fire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfoJAwlUopI

This is simply to illustrate Suwannee Tim's point of ammunition needing high pressure to actually eject a bullet. The ammunition in the fire example, you would be much more at risk of the exploding shrapnel caused by the brass casing as GTifosi mentioned. Just some food for thought.

Maybe the MYTHBUSTERS should bust/confirm the myth of cartridges being shot at.

Thanks for posting this video. What's wrong with asking such questions here?

[Shagnasty]

However, having a gap between a plate and soft armor will reduce the effectiveness of the plate.

+519843

Get that thing out of there. The scuttlebutt in the industry says that NIJ found that even adding air mesh behind armor will increase back face signature by a significant amount. "They" say it will come out in their next standards that it can not be back there. Please, sir. get appropriate gear and carry that mag somewhere else.

[MistWolf]

Smokeless powder is not ignited by shock. A bullet striking the case of a cartridge will not set the powder off. If the bullet strike were to set off the primer, that will ignite the powder. There is not enough neck tension to hold the bullet enough to allow much of a pressure rise. Physics dictate under these conditions, the lighter of the two parts, bullet and brass, would travel the furthest. It could still hurt or injure someone, but velocity will be greatly reduced.

As smokeless powder does not explode and the bullet will be pushed out at low pressures, the case will not explode into shrapnel. If there is brass shrapnel, it will be due to damage from the bullet strike itself

[DIRTMAN556]

Thanks for posting this video. What's wrong with asking such questions here?

Never said there was anything wrong with such questions.

[Iraqgunz]

Let's close it before the shenanigans starts. Question asked and answered.