Tina Erwin's clear response to someone's query on storage of bullets is
shown (edited for brevity) following this text. Steming from that, I would
like to hear from other museum workers, especially those from military
museums, re: storage of ammunition.

As a Curator I do have concerns about emptying the powder out of all
cartidges as one is making major changes to the artifacts.  Small Arms
Ammunition (SAA) is usually quite stable and safe.  There are also
complications in emptying cartidges. Brass cartridges usually have the
bullet crimped in place and if pulled, the bullet will usually sit loose and
possibly crooked, fall out or fall inside in the casing when reinstalled.
Bullets can also shift and the bullet may sit higher or lower in the casing
thus giving an erroneous idea of the length and appearance. Soft bullets can
also be easily damaged during this process. Some cartridges are especially
problematic as they have thin brass wrapping or are paper wrapped (e.g.
Snider-Enfield .577").  Incendiary and tracer bullets have additional
burning material in them.  Even if one removes the main propellant, one
still has the more sensitive primer to deal with, or ignore. though it does
contain less explosive.

As far as fire departments refusing to enter a burning building containing
any live ammunition unless it was in a fireproof cabinet, then many
buildings in the USA would probably be left to burn to the ground, including
sporting goods stores, police stations and perhaps half of the homes.   Have
other museums heard of this fire department exclusion? How widespread is it?

Thank you

Colin Macgregor Stevens
Museum Curator
Burnaby Village Museum
6501 Deer Lake Avenue
Burnaby,  BC, V5G 3T6,  CANADA
Phone: (604) 293-6500  FAX: (604) 293-6525
Business e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Museum Webpage:
http://www.burnabyparksrec.org/villagemuseum/villagemuseum.html

 ===========================================================================
Tina Erwin <[log in to unmask]> wrote in message
news:s7e23f68.050@mothra.kshs.org...
...If the bullets still have powder in them, standard procedure is to have
the powder removed. This is a fairly simple process that a trained objects
conservator can perform. ...
If your curator decides that it is essential to keep the powder (???),
he/she should then be informed that there are some procedures that must be
followed. First, you are required to inform your local fire department that
you have live ammunition and where it is. Fire Department personnel will not
enter a facility with live ammunition unless it is properly stored in a
fire-safe cabinet. That would be the second procedure you must follow. The
museum must purchase a fire-proof cabinet for storage of these artifacts or
they must be stored away from the rest of your collections. Unless you do
this, you are risking the safety of the entire collection. (This is why most
facilities just empty the powder out.)

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