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Boy says squeezing bullet made it explode

beneteaubeneteau Member Posts: 8,552 ✭✭✭
edited August 2012 in General Discussion
MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC-TV) - A young boy is recovering after he says a bullet exploded in his hand after he squeezed it.

Derick Currie, the boy's father, said his son is going to recover from his injuries though he may get punished for playing with a very dangerous object.

Leo the pit-bull guards the house where the 11-year-old nearly lost his hand.

Currie's son spent most of Monday night at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, but was recovering at home Tuesday.

Currie showed what's left of the bullet to Action News 5. The point was flattened and the casing was mangled during the accident that injured the boy's thumb and forefinger.

Investigators say they never found a gun after the accident and that the child told them that he simply squeezed the bullet and it went off in his hand.

Experts say it typically requires fire, a spark, or some sort excessive heat to set off a bullet without a gun. Currie said he's still talking to his son, searching for an explanation about how it happened and where the bullet came from in the first place.

"He said he found it in his room, but I don't know where he got it from," Currie said.

Currie said that he's taught his children that guns and ammunition aren't toys.

"He know exactly not to be messing with no bullets," Currie said. "We don't promote nobody playing with guns in our house."

Police say their investigation is ongoing, but at this point, the boy's injuries appear to be the result of an accident and will likely not result in arrests or criminal charges.

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Comments

  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,437 ******
    edited November -1
    Currie must be a GB forum English major.
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • toolmaniamtoolmaniam Member Posts: 3,213
    edited November -1
    I call BS. That boy did something besides squeezing the bullet.
  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,437 ******
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by toolmaniam
    I call BS. That boy did something besides squeezing the bullet.
    I'm still wondering how squeezing a bullet could make the powder inside the casing explode. One would have to squeeze that copper clad lead quite hard, methinks.
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • toolmaniamtoolmaniam Member Posts: 3,213
    edited November -1
    Probably took a match or lighter to the case. You would have to smack it with a hammer to make it go off, thats depending if you hit the primer end.
  • grumpygygrumpygy Member Posts: 48,464 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Does the Lead end of the bullet look bent up. Wondering if he hit it while holding it on the ground.
  • TopkickTopkick Member Posts: 4,452 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by grumpygy
    Does the Lead end of the bullet look bent up. Wondering if he hit it while holding it on the ground.



    Bingo!
  • SpartacusSpartacus Member Posts: 14,415
    edited November -1
    quote:Does the Lead end of the bullet look bent up. Wondering if he hit it while holding it on the ground.


    yep.
    there's no mention of the condition of the primer........


    tom
  • kannoneerkannoneer Member Posts: 3,402 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Obviously the boy held the cartridge between his thumb and index finger, like driving a nail, and placed the nose on a hard surface and struck the base with a hammer. Don't ask if I have ever seen it done. Another way to set off a cartridge foolishly is to chuck it bullet first into a drill and spin it while polishing the case aggressively with steel wool. The case will look much like the one pictured, but of course the bullet will be undamaged. Again, no need to ask questions.
  • spasmcreekspasmcreek Member Posts: 37,717 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    sounds like a paul harvey lead in
  • CS8161CS8161 Member Posts: 13,596 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Mr. Perfect
    Currie must be a GB forum English major.


    [:D][:D]
  • tccoxtccox Member Posts: 7,379 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Way back, maybe 65ish years or so, I got a cartridge from a bowl at Grandmaw's house. I took it outside and proceeded to pound it with a brick, rock, or something. It exploded!! Like a firecracker!! Busted my fingers like a firecracker!!

    Looking back, I presume the cartridge was loaded with black powder.Back that many years ago, it was not uncommon to have BP ammo around, especially in rural houses. BP will sort of explode instead of burn like modern powder.

    From looking at the slug from the cartridge, he had to have hit the slug pretty hard to deform the round. There is no way the slug would have been propelled foreward to hit something. He probably had it slug down, and beat it on the primer with something. Tom
  • RosieRosie Member Posts: 14,525 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Don't shoot them with a BB gun either.[:)]
  • whiteclouderwhiteclouder Member Posts: 10,574 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The man needs to teach the little twerp not to lie.

    Clouder..
  • bartman45bartman45 Member Posts: 3,008 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Only thing that little germ did was squeeze the primer with something like a rock.
  • tccoxtccox Member Posts: 7,379 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yeppers, They need to show us a picuture of the primer!! Tom
  • gunpaqgunpaq Member Posts: 4,607 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sounds like the excuse the neighbor Amish boy told his dad 50 years ago. He and his brothers were charging off 30-30 rounds by smacking the ends of them with the round lodged in a bolt hole of a plow shear.I watched them do it twice before running home to our farm. The boy lost the tip of his thumb and had a nasty slayed oped cut and powder burns on his palm.
  • searcher5searcher5 Member Posts: 13,511
    edited November -1
    Perhaps they need to toss some kryptonite at him and see what happens.
  • armilitearmilite Member Posts: 35,490 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Geezzzzzz looks like he put the bullet in a vice and then hit the primer with some kinda tool.
  • KEVD18KEVD18 Member Posts: 15,037
    edited November -1
    been there, done that. not the squeezing a bullet off, but making up a story to explain doing something dumb that you shouldnt have been doing that sounds great in your prepubescent mind but is clearly a giant pile of hogwash to any adult exhibiting higher brain activity.

    surprisingly enough, it never worked out any better for me than it did for this kid. hopefully the kid learns a few lessons from this and comes out the other end smarter and reasonably unharmed.
  • fideaufideau Member Posts: 11,895 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Must have been a Glock bullet.[:D]
  • oldemagicsoldemagics Member Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    from the condition of case and bullet, i am betting he had the thing primer towards palm and slammed it into a hard suface
    that would explain the deformity of the slug, and being his hand was still in forward motion, the bullet no place to go caused the csae to rupture
    double charge a small case and seat the bullet and you will get the same result
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