Flat tire from a 22 rimfire case?

[bcp]

As a kid, I was told to always pick up every 22 case so it wouldn't punch a hole in a tire. This would have been before tubeless tires. I still tend to do this, more for a good cleanup than to prevent a flat.

Has anyone ever had a flat tire caused by a rimfire case punching a hole in a tire of any type?

Bruce

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[Knobgoblin]

Sounds plausible. If you were a kid back in the 1940s

 

[JustSomeGuy]

View attachment 1768038

Sounds plausible. If you were a kid back in the 1940s

I was a kid back the 40's and if I remember correctly, everyone's main concern was either putting an eye out or keeping track of the lug nuts.

 

[gmerkt]

Yeah, much more of a concern when tube tires were contemporary technology. My grandmother would admonish my dad to stay on paved roads. Many times I heard here say, "Don, don't drive out there;, you might get a puncture." That was the word used for a flat tire, a puncture.

I personally have never heard of a .22 casing causing a "puncture" but I'm sure it's possible under the right circumstances and it's no doubt happened. How else would someone give out that advice without some basis of knowledge? It might be more likely on bald tires, which people used to drive on more commonly than they do now.

People used to be way more cost conscious about vehicles. Meaning, they were loathe to spend anything on them short of just keeping them moving. Like tires. The US Government was no exception. If you look at old pictures of US Post Office Department vehicles, many bald tires may be noted. And, the USPOD was driving Model A and AA Ford trucks purchased in 1929-31 into the early 1950's. There are pictures of Depression-era US Army vehicles with bald tires. In my old hometown, the city bought a fleet of 1942 Ford trucks for wet garbage collection (before Insinkerators were built into every home). They were still driving these old things up to around circa 1960, and many a bald tire could be seen on those. In those times, safety was mostly not even thought about; economy of operation was more important.

1929 Model A mail truck:

Note, it's not red / white / blue, that olive green is the color originally used. The dark blue with red / white trim was used 1950's-1980. Circa 1980, the USPS began buying in white with red / blue trim.

He's dead now, but some years ago I had a friend who grew up in England. One of his early jobs was working for an electronics repair firm, including deliveries. He had this job in the 1950's. The delivery truck was a well worn-out, pre-war English Ford, a little van thing. One day he was driving along and the front axle broke. Which caused him to crash the truck into a stone wall. He was mildly injured with a gash on his head. But his boss fired him from the job for wrecking the truck. He wasn't given so much as a Bandaid for his injury.

A tire shop that I used to do business with kept a collection of objects they'd removed from punctures tires. They had some interesting stuff in there. I don't recall seeing a cartridge case, though.

My experience of road hazard punctures usually involves a rear tire. Because if you run over something that is laying flat on the road, it won't penetrate the tire. But what will happen is, the front tire kicks the object up off the road and then the rear tire hits it on an angle of injury.

 

[Yarome]

As a kid, I was told to always pick up every 22 case so it wouldn't punch a hole in a tire. This would have been before tubeless tires. I still tend to do this, more for a good cleanup than to prevent a flat.

Has anyone ever had a flat tire caused by a rimfire case punching a hole in a tire of any type?

Bruce

I've never heard of it or had it happen, but I guess it's possible. Really though it sounds more like a motivational myth to get you to pick up your brass.. which was a more prevalent parenting tactic back in the day.

IE., Don't do "that" or you'll go blind. If you kiss a girl before you're married you'll go cross-eyed. Wash your hands or you'll get warts. Don't swallow the seeds or it will grow in your belly. Don't do "that" or hair will grow on your palms. Use soap in the bath or your butt will rot and fall off. Don't pick your nose or you're finger will get stuck. Don't eat bugs or their eggs with hatch and come out your ears. Ice cream trucks only play music when their out of ice cream. Etc.

Maybe that was just my house(?)

 

[TTSX]

No, it's not gonna happen to modern tires.

 

[orygun]

22LR, "probably" won't cause a flat tire, but I found a 9mm case in one of the tires on my wife's truck a couple of years ago. Not thin on tread, the case was working its way into the tire. (obviously the case had been standing up when run over) The case was in far enough into the tire that I couldn't get it out with my bare hands and had to get ahold of it with pliers. I could see how that one could have caused problems eventually.

 

[Jay Walk]

.22 can't even kill you so how is it going to flatten a tire?

 

[kmk1012]

I worked in the tire industry for over 16 years, nothing surprises me any more when it comes to flat tires. Best one was a pickup drove in with a set of bicycle handlebars stuck in his rear tire by the neck banging the body very badly, still holding air. Another was a bolt long enough to puncture the 22" tire AND the wheel, still holding air. Spark plugs, wrenched, lots of weird stuff.

 

[doninoregon]

what will happen is, the front tire kicks the object up off the road and then the rear tire hits it on an angle of injury.

That's my experience too. The front tire sets it up, the rear eats it.

Also, the vast majority of flats I've gotten were when the tire was almost worn out, ie very low tread depth.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Those old bias ply tires were shiet. Back in the day I had a 64' Marauder I bought from a grandma who only used it to run to the store so it had 50,000ish miles. 3 of the 4 tires eventually peeled off in big strips as I was driving. They all had tubes so never any blowouts.

 

[bcp]

The people warning me about this were teens and young adults in the 1920's and 30's, so I suspect they had experience with poor tires.

Bruce

 

[WAYNO]

In the service, we received flat tires regularly from rifle brass. Rimfire cases, like a miniature hole punch, are shorter, but no different than the same length screw, which I've received plenty of flats thru many years.

 

[gmerkt]

In the service, we received flat tires regularly from rifle brass. Rimfire cases are shorter, but no different than the same length screw, which I've received plenty of fats thru many years.

I don't doubt it. Standing on end, the mouth of a case is similar to a knife edge. In my time in the army, I never personally saw it. I've driven over abandoned live ammo without hazard. Our tactical vehicles of the moment had the NDT or NDCC tread, very thick where the rubber meets the road (so to speak), and the area between the notches was raised up quite a bit.

Also, the vast majority of flats I've gotten were when the tire was almost worn out, ie very low tread depth.

Luck has been with you. The last few punctures that I've gotten were into low mileage tires. Michelins that I wasn't going to part with easily. The tire shops have gotten very picky about what they will repair - subject of another of my posts here. Not to go over old ground again too far, there is a fairly limited area of tread face that they will repair. The last three times on these Michelins, Discount Tire found reasons not to repair them. Each time, I brought the tire back home and repaired it myself with a plug kit. "GASP??? You did what??? You're gonna DIE!" Well, not thus far and that was thousands of miles ago. And no loss of air pressure over time. So I'm guessing they will be good and go the distance.

 

[po18guy]

Dunno about flat tires, but I did run with a 22 casing once.

 

[Bigbull94]

.22 can't even kill you so how is it going to flatten a tire?

Obviously you don't know much about the .22 long rifle. It in fact has killled lots of people. Kills a cow , horse, elk, deer, without any problem so I am sure it still can do the job!

 

[tinhorn]

I'd say it's possible. I'd go so far as to say the farther you are from civilization, the more likely it is that SOMEthing weird is going to puncture a tire.

When I was at a tire and battery shop once, I asked them to check out a tire for a slow leak. They found part of a razor blade!

 

[billdeserthills]

I don't doubt it. Standing on end, the mouth of a case is similar to a knife edge. In my time in the army, I never personally saw it. I've driven over abandoned live ammo without hazard. Our tactical vehicles of the moment had the NDT or NDCC tread, very thick where the rubber meets the road (so to speak), and the area between the notches was raised up quite a bit.


Luck has been with you. The last few punctures that I've gotten were into low mileage tires. Michelins that I wasn't going to part with easily. The tire shops have gotten very picky about what they will repair - subject of another of my posts here. Not to go over old ground again too far, there is a fairly limited area of tread face that they will repair. The last three times on these Michelins, Discount Tire found reasons not to repair them. Each time, I brought the tire back home and repaired it myself with a plug kit. "GASP??? You did what??? You're gonna DIE!" Well, not thus far and that was thousands of miles ago. And no loss of air pressure over time. So I'm guessing they will be good and go the distance.

Several times I've installed a boot & radial tube on newer tires Discount refused to repair

Amflo 13-127 Tire Repair Boot 6" | eBay

Tire Repair Boot 6" 1 per Bag.

www.ebay.com

 

[JohnnyMac]

I had a 64' Marauder

Bet you'd love to still have that....

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Bet you'd love to still have that....

It's funny but I don't at all actually. It had 54k miles, a 390 which was good but it was a boat. Being a 64' it was one year earlier than the advent of the muscle car so still a bit of grandma boat look to it. I had lots of muscle cars back in the day due to restoring them so don't have any desire to own them cuz I've already owned most of them in the past. It would be nice to look at them in the driveway but driving not so much. Modern cars are so much nicer in terms of driving there is no comparison.

Style wise though those early muscle cars to me are just gorgeous. I always liked the years 65-68' the best in terms of style. Had some older (62 Cadillac convert, 63 galaxy, 64 ford fairlane sport coupe are some that come to mind) but that was just before the "muscle car". After 69' they kind of became bloated muscle cars imo. 65-68' was the sweet spot for me. Had several 66 mustangs, 65' gro, 68 firebird to name a few. I wouldn't mind having a 65, 66' mustang convertible as that was one I was never able to get. Mustangs honestly were not built well though, everything too light duty (have not had any Shelby's, boss 302 etc but did have a 72 Mach 1).