If you are concern about your ammo that’s in your gun and stored securely in your car on a 100+ degree outside weather. Could it have a chance of exploding? Well Let’s take a look at some numbers first.
When we look at a modern round of ammunition, it consists of the following:
- Smokeless primer incorporating nitrocellulose.
- A lead projectile.
- Gunpowder.
There can be other ingredients depending on the specific make and model of a round of ammunition but those are the three primary components. For your reference,
- Lead melts at 621 °F
- Nitrocellulose ignites at around 320-338 °F
- Gunpowder ignites at 801–867 °F.
Surprisingly high temperatures, right?
The hottest place on earth is Death Valley, on July 10 1939 the record recorded temperature on earth was 134 °F. Now imagine the temperature inside of the car, it was probably around 200 °F, well that’s still no even enough to cause your rounds to explode. But if you throw it in to the fire (I don’t recommend this) it will pop.
I would be more concern about the gun’s accessories.