Hello,
I was watching a video where a guy had a vest on and was storing 3 mags at center mass. What happens if somebody shoots the mags? Is there a chance one of the bullets could be triggered? I probably won’t ever carry mags here, but I am curious about it all the same.
Thanks.
There would less of a chance of the cartridge going off and a better chance of the mags stopping or deflecting the fired bullet. 
Thanks Bruce. I was thinking that it would probably not ignite without the blasting cap being tripped…but with plate right behind it, the two chances to attack the bullets integrity just made me wonder.
It would be really odd.
Definitely nothing happens when mag is hit from the side.
Different story if the bullet hits the primer of the round in the mag… but what are the chances for it?
I, umm… I really need to ask.
What kind of ammunition are you using that requires a ‘blasting cap’?
I actually almost went in to edit that, but then I thought… F it…Ill leave it in for lols… everybody knows Im new to this. primer!
Indeed.
Although, blasting caps can be fun… just depends.
SAAMI has this neat video where they test ammunition against various threats like impact, fire, etc. The whole video is really cool, but they specifically test impact against being shot around the 5min mark. The likely outcome is just you have a ruined magazine.
This is great. Thanks Harvey!
When a round gets fired inside a chamber, it is quite different from a round being cooked in fire for example. The case is the weakest part of the round, not constrained by the chamber, it kinda explodes outward. The bullet, being the heaviest part of the round, does not go far or with great force, instead fragments of the case fly off. I am sure there is enough to cause serious eye damage, but there is orders of magnitude less energy to penetrate body tissues than a normally fired shot.
Well, I was going to say something, but decided it might not be the best, but what the F…
There are very few personal problems that can not be solved by a suitable application of High Explosives.
Blasting caps are useful… electric and non-electric.
(An old saying I heard probably 40 years or so ago) 
I agree with @BRUCE26 that there’s a better chance the bullet deflect off the magazine and you have just been given another chance to fight on. @Jerzees mentioned the possibility of that bullet hitting that primer are slim. Agree on both of them.
I have had the unfortunate experience to pull off more than a few vests and plate carriers that have been hit. I believe I have only seen one mebby two instances there the round in a mag went off and the end result was a blown out mag with a quarter size hole in it. I’ve never seen a sympathetic detonation of ammunition on or off a person unless it was in a bulk can in a burning vehicle or other similar conflagration. As far as I would be concerned the more crap between mew an the bad guy the better I like it.
I personally carried 4 AR double mag pouches across and an M-9 cross chest. Over several deployments I had to replace the vest, carrier and plate for various reasons to include direct fire damage. Regular ammunition is pretty doggone stable even if it blows up.
Cheers,
Craig6
WHAT A GREAT VIDEO!!! Should be required watching, especially for CCW carriers and general firearm safety classes/training. Truly Amazing!
THANKS for posting!
John
I’ll still be PISSED if some bullet hits one of my magazines. That outcome is better than being shot, but be mindful that standard-cap mags are pretty scarce of late in the known world.
Ummm in general if you are wearing a magazine and it gets hit you HAVE BEEN SHOT. Me personally if a round hits a mag and doesn’t enter me I’m pretty doggone happy even if it was one of my $300 LAR Grizzly magazines or the numbers matching magazine in the numbers matching P-08 in the numbers matching holster (Yeah that’s $$$$$). I can make more money but not if I’m unlucky enough to be flat on my back with a tube hanging out of my mouth because it missed the magazine. The other option is that I no longer need to worry about any of it.
Cheers,
Craig6
I understand that… the specific situation I was referring to involved body armor with a place to hold the mags at center mass…and I was just curious if that increased risk to the wearer… however, it was pointed out that the effectiveness of the round was massively reduced by the fact that the walls of the round would not have the structural support of a rifle barrel…so i think I’d feel okay with storing mags there now