When I was the DFO (Divisional Forest Officer) in charge of the Sundarban mangrove forests, each forest coupe office was supplied with four .303 British Lee Enfield rifles and 50 rounds of ammunition (174Gr army surplus spitzer tipped FMJ military ball) for the forest guards to take out during patrol. At the end of their shift, the patrol team handed over the rifles & ammunition to the next patrol team. Forest guards were made to account for every single cartridge expended (And I ordered them that I would not accept any warning shots. If they fired their service rifles while on duty, they were ordered to bring back proof of whatever/whoever they shot to the beat officer). Service ammunition was strictly rationed because it had to be shipped all the way from Gilatola Army Cantonment in Khulna (and only after the DFO made a written application to the Army Sector Commander).
In the summer of 1982 (nine months into my first term), the forest guards from the forest station in Noliyan tell me (while I had gone there on a surprise inspection visit) that all 50 rounds had exploded in the summer heat. I was appalled but calmly asked them to show me some brass fragments or such. Nobody could produce them.
Later, I ordered a formal inquiry to be launched. It quickly turned out that the crooks had sold the 50 rounds of ammunition to local pirates. Needless to say, those forest guards soon had bigger problems to worry about than accounting for missing service ammunition.
I have, however seen .300 Holland & Holland Magnum ammunition (Remington 180Gr Core Lokts) which (after many years of storage in a humid go-down) developed microscopic cracks in the brass and was "Weeping" nitroglycerine through the cracks.
