# Uh, naive urbanite ammo question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2001, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972 "2001-01-08T06:55:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sleepy\_Weasel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Sleepy\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleepy_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/61 "2001-01-10T15:26:03Z")
My only good story on shooting reactive targets involves an old antifreeze jug full of water, and my dearly departed MAK90 (not dead, just sold to a good home when I got my Mini-14). While the MAK would keep shooting no matter how filthy it was (true to it’s AK heritage), it was notoriously inaccurate. A friend and I set the jug out way too far away, inspired by earlier good results with some customized .22’s, and got tired trying to hit this jug offhand at 200 yards. We walked over to see if there were ANY holes in it, and at about 10 yards I hip shot it with one of those cheap Russian HP’s you see everywhere in the little white cube boxes. I was surprised later to find that the disappointing little entry hole was backed by a 10 inch exit hole, on a jug that was only about 3 inches thick. I was more surprised with a more immediate reaction from the water in the jug, which flew back in my face. I will NEVER fill a reactive target with water from a stock tank again! Bleah! ---
**Author:** ![Sleepy\_Weasel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Sleepy\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleepy_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/62 "2001-01-10T15:29:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > I believe as of 1986, it is in the US illegal to trqansfer (buy/sell) any guns capable of full-auto (including selective fire) per Federal law. No new “machine gun” permits will be issued, in othwer words. I don’t know if this means if you had such a permit (pre-1986) if you could still get another one or more of them, were you so inclined. > > I was under the impression that the 1986 law stated that no “machine guns” manufactured after that date would be sold to anyone except the military and law enforcement. This means that you could not legally modify your AR-15 into a selective-fire rifle after that date. AFAIK, you can still buy machine guns manufactured before 1986 if you live in a state that allows it. Anyone want to check with the BATF? > \*\* How about YOU check with 'em? [http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/index.htm](http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/63 "2001-01-10T16:27:09Z")
> [@](#): > > All NFA firearms that are not in possession or control of the United States government must be registered. Possession of an unregistered NFA firearm is a violation of Federal law and subjects the possessor to possible criminal prosecution and the seizure and forfeiture of the firearm. > > Individuals not otherwise prohibited by Federal, State, or local law **may lawfully acquire an NFA firearm** in one of three ways: > > 1. A registered owner of an NFA firearm may apply to ATF for approval to transfer the firearm to another person residing in the same State or to a Federal firearms licensee in another State; > > 2. An individual may apply to ATF for approval to make and register an NFA firearm (except for a machine-gun); or > > 3. An individual may inherit a lawfully registered NFA firearm. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/64 "2001-01-10T17:45:51Z")
I think when the weather clears up this spring, I’ll continue my studies in the “Ballistic Recieving Arts”. Any suggestions? Tripler Nah, I’ll start another thread later . . .“Tripler shoots stuff!” ---
**Author:** ![Sleepy\_Weasel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Sleepy\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleepy_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/65 "2001-01-10T17:56:35Z")
I’d like to see more footage of the “chicken gun” they use to test aircraft windshields for birdstrikes… ---
**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/66 "2001-01-10T19:30:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BF \* > \*\*Also must commend Johnny on the proper definition of an explosion. IIRC, all explosions are burns, ie., the rate at which a material burns determines destructive force, sound, etc. \*\* Actually, I think that’s the difference between (can’t remember if this is the right terminology) high-order and low-order explosives. Low-order explosives, such as gunpowder, burn at an advanced rate. High-order explosives, such as nitroglycerin, literally explode, rather than merely oxydizing. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/67 "2001-01-10T19:36:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by occ \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by BF \* > > \*\*Also must commend Johnny on the proper definition of an explosion. IIRC, all explosions are burns, ie., the rate at which a material burns determines destructive force, sound, etc. \*\* > > Actually, I think that’s the difference between (can’t remember if this is the right terminology) high-order and low-order explosives. Low-order explosives, such as gunpowder, burn at an advanced rate. High-order explosives, such as nitroglycerin, literally explode, rather than merely oxydizing. \*\* So either you didn’t see or didn’t care for my post. Fine, it was needlessly over-complicated, even if technically correct. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/68 "2001-01-10T19:46:04Z")
Trip, how about full cans of aerosol whipped cream? And I wanna see film footage! hehehe… ---
**Author:** ![Sleepy\_Weasel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Sleepy\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleepy_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/69 "2001-01-10T20:39:28Z")
I’m a bit curious about that too. On the one hand, the “cream” is just sitting in the can in a puddle, and gas bleeds into it when the nozzle is opened, so it might just leave a big splat while the gas blows the can apart, on the other hand, I may be missing something. I know from experience that sealed cans of carbonated drinks can be fairly dramatic, though I haven’t tried a wide variety of ammo on them. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/70 "2001-01-10T21:35:13Z")
Since people are quoting me, or at least referring to something I wrote, this is what I was trying to say: Smokeless powder (nitrocellulose powder?) burns rapidly, rather than explodes. Given Anthracite’s definition involving the speed of sound, I don’t know if _all_ smokeless powder burns at a subsonic rate. But that was just an aside to my original message: that a force equal to and in the opposite direction of the force propelling the projectile overcomes the mass and inertia of the bolt in a blowback-operated semi-automatic firearm. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972/71 "2001-01-10T22:53:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sleepy Weasel \* > \*\*…sealed cans of carbonated drinks can be fairly dramatic, though I haven’t tried a wide variety of ammo on them. \*\* Spray paint is quite entertaining as well. I shot a can of spray paint dead center, and the can blew itself in half. the bottom half didn’t move noticeably, and we never were able to find the top half. The sand at ground zero was all blown away and all that was left was the hardpacked dirt underneath. The paint left a blackened “blast pattern” on the ground, spreading radially from the can. It actually looked like somebody had set off a small bomb. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-naive-urbanite-ammo-question/48972.md?page=3)