A story:
When I was in the Air wing of the Marines there was an ordanance man, 
Sgt by rank, that liked to remove the powder from the huge shot gun 
shells we used in practice bombs. One day he took six shells and 
piled the powder in a pile on the tarmack. With head over the powder 
he dropped a lit cigarette on the pile.  the SA lost his eye brows, 
eye lashes, mustache and the front of his hair and acquired a 
terrible sun tan and his three strips. AND you can't believe chickens 
wouldn't eat small bullets. We raised chickens for a living during 
the depression and believe me chickens will eat everything including 
each other. Never heard of one going off though!!! Would certainly 
cause a BAD CASE OF INDIGESTION and HEART BURN.


At 11:44 AM 2/11/2009, you wrote:
>I really cannot envision a sane person piercing a bullet with a knife. All
>my stuck .22 bullets or shells were extracted by pushing a pen knife blade
>behind the flange at the rear and scratched the shell. But I could 
>see a couple
>of liquored up teens (or adults with a teenage mentality) dreaming up some
>sort  of mumbly peg dare game of stabbing bullets (maybe for dollars).
>
>Ron May
>Legacy 106, Inc.
>
>
>In a message dated 2/11/2009 8:55:30 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
>[log in to unmask] writes:
>
>IMHO:
>
>The logic behind cutting metallic cartridges to salvage  lead and
>powder seems a little "forced" to me.  A pair of pliers to  pull
>bullets make a lot more sense, and would be a lot safer than cutting
>into loaded cartridges, and frankly, I would assume that most lead
>bullets could be dislodged from most cartridges using simple
>hand/finger power, even without a pair of pliers.  But I haven't
>personally tried that ...
>
>.22 caliber wind chimes made me laugh,  though ...
>
>Mark
>
>
>
> >Hmmm...interesting responses you've  gotten and all sound like viable ideas.
> >
> >A co-worker of mine,  Doreen Cooper, found a number of Colt .45
> >cartridge cases that had  been cut in a similar manner in a military
> >context dating to 1902 in  Skagway, Alaska . Here is what her
> >armaments analyst, Charles Atkins,  had to say:
> >
> >"A cut in the case, in the area that formally held  the bullet, is
> >rare but not unknown in Alaska. This cut is used to  unload the case
> >and salvage the powder and lead. This was accomplished  by placing
> >the loaded cartridge on a hard surface, probably containing  a groove
> >to stabilize it.. Then a knife like tool was placed in such a  way as
> >to cut the brass case lengthwise over the bullet. The tool was  then
> >struck, cutting the brass case and releasing the bullet. The  bullet
> >could then be removed and saved for recasting into whatever  shape or
> >size was needed and powder could be saved and reloading into  another
> >cartridge."
> >
> >Cooper went on to suggest that the  soldiers inhabiting the small
> >sheds where these cartridges were found  were salvaging bullets and
> >powder for use in personal weapons for  hunting wild game in
> >off-hours.
> >
> >Here is the  citation:
> >
> >Cooper, Doreen C.
> >2004    Gold Rush  Life in Skagway: The Second Avenue "Cabins."
> >Report submitted to  General Services Administration, Auburn,
> >Washington, by R & D  Consulting, Skagway, Alaska. p. 95.
> >
> >Hope this  helps.
> >
> >Catherine Holder Spude, PhD
> >7 Avenida Vista  Grande #145
> >Santa Fe, NM 87508
> >505-466-1476  home
> >505-913-1326 cell
> >
> >"Life is not tried, it is merely  survived if you are standing
> >outside the fire," Jenny Yates and Garth  Brooks.
> >
> >--------------------------------------------------
> >From:  "Avery, Paul" <[log in to unmask]>
> >Sent: Wednesday, February 11,  2009 6:07 AM
> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Cartridge  Case Question
> >
> >>Hello all,
> >>
> >>We did some  work recently at an 1830s plantation house in North
> >>Carolina.   We recovered a fairly large number of cartridge cases from
> >>what  appears to be an early 20th century deposit.  It was located  just
> >>off of the front porch, so it looks like they were sitting on  the porch
> >>and plinking.  There were some unusual calibers,  including several .32
> >>Winchester Self-Loading Rifle and .22  Winchester Automatic.  The most
> >>unusual thing though, was that  there were more than a dozen .22 short
> >>and .22 long cases that  appear to have been jabbed with a knife.  The
> >>cut goes through  one wall of the case and runs lengthwise just above  the
> >>rim.
> >>
> >>Is this just random behavior  indicative of boredom or is there more to
> >>it than  that?
> >>
> >>Someone suggested that the cases were sticking in  the person's gun and
> >>they used the knife to remove the case.   That makes some sense, but
> >>there isn't enough space between the  edge of the cut and the mouth of
> >>the case on the .22 shorts for it  to be stuck.  I can't imagine how they
> >>managed to get the  things to stay still while they punched the hole in
> >>them.   Risky indeed to hold something that small and stab it with  enough
> >>force to puncture the case!
> >>
> >>I plan to  try it myself as soon as I have a chance to create some empty
> >>.22  cases, but in the meantime, I'd like to hear from the  group.
> >>
> >>Thanks!
> >>
> >>Paul G. Avery,  RPA
> >>Senior Archaeologist
> >>MACTEC Engineering and  Consulting
> >>9725 Cogdill Road
> >>Knoxville, TN   37932
> >>Phone: (865) 588-8544x1169
> >>Fax: (865)  588-8026
>
>
>--
>
>Mark C. Branstner, RPA
>Historic  Archaeologist
>
>Illinois Transportation
>Archaeological Research  Program
>University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>209 Nuclear Physics  Lab, MC-571
>23 East Stadium Drive
>Champaign, IL 61820
>
>Phone:  217.244.0892
>Fax: 217.244.7458
>Cell:  517.927.4556
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>"I hope there's pudding" -  Luna Lovegood (HP5)
>
>"If you only have a hammer, every problem looks  like a nail"- Anonymous
>
>
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