Priming woes

Status
Not open for further replies.
Silly question - but how do you salvage/de-prime a primer inserted upside-down like that? I've had no problem carefully pushing out a few unfired primers (FTFs, or other situations, I forget), just a very slow version of the normal de-capping (Lee turret, always have eye protection when primers are present).

But it is more interesting than I would care for to push out a live reversed primer with the de-capping pin. How does one do it?
 
If I loaded a flipped primer, I'd probably just toss it - brass and primers for a single round are relatively inexpensive. I've read you could possibly deactivate the primer (WD40?) and save the case, but I've never done it personally.
 
Ole'Joe said:
Get used to it! Since the rush on guns / ammo, more and more are going to "reload". ~Not a Clue, but, they'll do it anyway
Click to expand...
We'll probably see more "Funny thing happened at the range today" threads ... :D
 
I am thinking that those were loaded on a press mounted priming system as my Lee hand press would not allow the brass to be removed until the primer is just about flush. It is sad that some of those that are most likely just learning to reload are not cautious and observant when working with something that could harm them so badly. My bet is that reloader is going to say that reloading does not work and go into a story of how they ruined a (whatever 45) trying it.:D Are you going to take apart the ammo and see if the charges are near to correct if you can ID the propellent as well?
 
Once the ammo shortage levels out and all these guys realize reloading isn't instant and easy, they will be putting all their equipment on eBay or in a box. Helps the industry, then folks like us will score some deals on the flip side. It's how I have at least six or seven rock chuckers. People buy an RCBS combo kit, go to the range and 30% of their ammo either doesn't fit in the chamber or fire and they quit. Reloading gets a bad rap from them like it is the process that's wrong and natural selection keeps the buffoons out of the hobby.
 
Depriming procedure:
Notify everyone within earshot that there may be fireworks.
Put on full face shield.
Put on hearing protection.
Use your depriming tool of choice, have at it, and d@#n the torpedoes.

I can't sleep at night if I know that there are live primers in any trash or scrap piles. If the cases are not salvageable, I take them outside, grip them with pliers, and cook them off with a propane torch. (wearing appropriate protection of course.)
 
HHHmmmmm I've deprimed live cartridges before. This has worked well: put on eye protection, pull bullet using kinetic puller or bullet puller collet (as the case may be), dump powder from brass or kinetic puller, use sizing/depriming die to punch out primer. Go slow, but even if a single primer only goes off, there's not that much energy in them.
 
I've also had primers flip sideways in the RCBS hand primer before,
Click to expand...
Since getting some age on it, my RCBS will occasionally flip a small primer sideways, but it is very hard to "seat", which you must do to get the case out. I simply tap it out with a small hammer and decapping pin and re-prime. No way one can miss it happening if one is paying any kind of attention, at least with a hand primer anyway. I suspect there is a feel difference on most progressives as well.

The upside down one. Just decap as usual. Looks like a Federal, but who knows.

The lesson is to pay attention to what one is doing. The first rule of reloading is no distractions and 100% concentration on the task at hand.

Yes, I hand prime while half watching TV sometimes, so sue me. ;)

Anything else is alone and attentive, or in teaching mode with one other person. :)
 
if you're using one of the hand primers that uses regular shellholders (like the RCBS round tray version) then you can remove the case and shellholder from the tool together, place it in your press with a decapping die, and push out the smooshed primer. however, i haven't had this happen with my RCBS hand primer.
 
It is for this reason, and a few more, that I load everything on a single stage using the batch technique.

I haven't had a bogus round since I started about 8 years ago.
 
Walkalong said:
Since getting some age on it, my RCBS will occasionally flip a small primer sideways, but it is very hard to "seat", which you must do to get the case out. I simply tap it out with a small hammer and decapping pin and re-prime. No way one can miss it happening if one is paying any kind of attention, at least with a hand primer anyway. I suspect there is a feel difference on most progressives as well.

The upside down one. Just decap as usual. Looks like a Federal, but who knows.

The lesson is to pay attention to what one is doing. The first rule of reloading is no distractions and 100% concentration on the task at hand.

Yes, I hand prime while half watching TV sometimes, so sue me. ;)

Anything else is alone and attentive, or in teaching mode with one other person. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah I find I make a LOT more mistakes if I'm distracted. Not necessarily "watching TV" level of distracted, just ... distracted. Trying to do extra steps while powder is being poured in the electric hopper; making labels, deburring case necks, counting something, whatever.

As an experiment on extreme distraction, I put my Surface tablet up on the reloading bench to watch some Star Trek (e.g. I'm a nerd) while loading 300 Win Mag the other day. I actually DROPPED a tray full of powder on my lap. I grabbed it, wasn't paying attention, and knocked the little metal tray against something as I went to pour it. Ended up with close to 70 grains of H4831SC in my lap, on the floor, everywhere. After a second incident, when the powder bridged in the funnel I was using and I didn't notice until I lifted the funnel off the casing, spilling a ton more powder, I was "done done done" with the video.

Shut the tablet off and turned on my radio.

There are certain things I can do a midst distraction. Evidently, making ammo is not one of them. And, I've been doing this almost 20 years.

It's not an "I'm experienced enough so I can get away with it" sort of thing.

It's a "don't matter how experienced you are, when the powder/primer/bullet goes in the casing you best give it your full attention" sort of thing.
 
I occasionally get some sideways like that... the little primer holder on the Lee classic turret press will sometimes catch the top of the shell holder while pivoting in and flip the primer on its side.

I have never put one in completely backwards, but I was wondering just this weekend if that was possible.


As for flush primers... I prime hundreds of cases in one sitting even though on a turret press....and I feel each cartridge for high primers as I pull it out of the shell holder.
 
My Loadmaster has made cartridges just like the ones illustrated. There is a new primer trough that is supposed to take care of the Loadmaster priming woes.
 
Last edited:
I don't bother trying to salvage the primer, just the case. Simply pull the bullet, dump the powder, and flood the case with water. If it's a sideways or upside down primer, let it set in water. I give it 24 hours, at which point I usually have very oddly colored water due to the compounds in the priming mix. At that point the primers are quiet dead, just deprime as normal.

-Jenrick
 
Just... wow. What happened with the one on the right? It looks like it was stuffed in there sideways.
 
Its happened to me, on a Lee breech lock.

The transfer from primer arm to primer seater can stick a bit and make the primer sideways in the seater.

How someone doesn't notice, then procedes to add powder and a bullet it beyond me.


I'm glad I don't shoot enough to need a progressive.

Sent from my CZ85 Combat
 
If a primer gets sideways in my LNL hand primer it won't feed onto the ram. An upside down one will feed, of course, but when I hand prime I raise the next primer high enough on the ram to see it so I know it's set right. Then I put the case into the shelholder and seat the primer. That way I can't get one in wrong unless I do it on purpose.
 
yep they look like some my Lee 1000 would put out.. 44 mag,, thats why it sits under my bench and not on it.
 
makes you want to quit buying reloaded ammo. can't see a reloader doing that and just leaving them.

murf
 
I so far have found primers to be very forgiving. I have about ten out of the ~20k primers ive loaded so far. most are just crushed sideways but ive never managed to seat one upside down. when im out collecting brass I'll also grab any loaded rounds that have been dropped to possibly add a new caliber to my cartridge collection/fill up the one gallon glass jar I almost have topped off. Before I started reloading and wasnt nearly as knowledgeable about firearms and the potential danger I was at the range with my brother and during cease fire we found some loaded 9mm on the ground. I was aware of potential problems shooting ammo found on the ground due to the possibility of some arse dropping KB loaded rounds with evil intent. Anyways we found some tula and blazer aluminum and figured no way there would be a problem. they went boom, boom, click. he didn't notice the click and just racked the slide and then called me over when the round wouldn't fully go into battery. I quickly found out there was a bullet stuck in the barrel and found that the powder got wet. It could have ended badly but now I know better and colllect every loaded round I find to prevent that from happening to someone else.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

armoredman
  • Locked
I plunged my hands into the Leprechaun's pot, only to find fools gold.
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
1SOW
1
H
  • Locked
Selling junk brass
Replies
12
Views
907
jenrob
J
Baron66
  • Locked
Stray Brass in Action Bays
Replies
15
Views
1K
FastCut
F
S
  • Locked
Who reloads steel case .223?
2
Replies
26
Views
5K
Potatohead
Potatohead
Walkalong
  • Locked
Berdan 9MM Cases
Replies
4
Views
698
ReloaderFred
ReloaderFred
Back
Top