Oops. (Do I have a problem?)

JSmith · Oct 21, 2018

Loading .45 ACP, 5gr 231 over 230gr. round nose, new Starline brass, CCI large pistol primers.
I finished of a box of 100 primers and opened another one. Guess the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing; I just noticed I opened a box of CCI large pistol magnum primers by mistake. I primed 10 cases before I caught the error.
Are those primers too perky to shoot in my Colt Series 70? Can I leave them as is, or should I decap them and replace with plain old large pistol primers?

Blue68f100 · Oct 21, 2018

If your not at max you should be fine. Will add about 30fps to the load.

LiveLife · Oct 21, 2018

FYI, Winchester LP is marked for both "Standard or Magnum Pistol Loads" - https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2900619596/winchester-large-pistol-primers-7

You should be fine since you are not using max charge. Compare these load data for 230 gr RN bullet and note OAL/COL vs max charges:

230 gr Lead RN W231 COL 1.200" Start 4.3 gr (699 fps) - Max 5.3 gr (834 fps) - http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

230 gr Lead RN W231 COL 1.240" Start 5.1 gr (794 fps) - Max 5.6 gr (853 fps) - https://www.speer-ammo.com/download...un/45_caliber_451-454_dia/45_Auto_230_LRN.pdf

230 gr Speer TMJ W231 COL 1.260" Start 5.6 gr (833 fps) - Max 6.2 gr (903 fps) - https://www.speer-ammo.com/download...liber_451-454_dia/45_Automatic_230_TMJ_RN.pdf

Zaydok Allen · Oct 21, 2018

How does one decap live primers aside from just poping them off safely and then decapping?

LiveLife · Oct 21, 2018

Slowly with eye protection.

I have deprimed quite a few live primers over the years and none of them detonated.

Of course, your experience may vary.

splattergun · Oct 21, 2018

and hearing protection.

JimKirk · Oct 21, 2018

Yes ... Slow and easy ... With all the protection devices in place .... Lost count of how many ...

Dudedog · Oct 21, 2018

Slowly with eye protection.

I have deprimed quite a few live primers over the years and none of them detonated.

Of course, your experience may vary.

and just for fun I reused some of them and they worked fine.

Zaydok Allen · Oct 21, 2018

Huh..... you learn something new every day.

ArchAngelCD · Oct 21, 2018

No need to disassemble the rounds. They are safe to shoot, magnum primers don't create a nuclear explosion.

LiveLife · Oct 21, 2018

460Shooter said:
Huh..... you learn something new every day.

You can say that again.

Even at 52, I am pleasantly surprised and shocked from time to time to either learn something new or find out I have been doing things wrong my whole life (Often with my wife laughing her toosh off

).

I guess I am still human.

cfullgraf · Oct 21, 2018

Dudedog said:
and just for fun I reused some of them and they worked fine.

I've decapped more live primers that I care to admit to and have reseated just about all of them.

I've crushed a few primers in cases where I forgot to remove the crimp. They were too damaged to re-use but they had to be decapped just the same to save the case.

As everyone has said, slow and easy.

Zaydok Allen · Oct 21, 2018

bds said:
You can say that again.

Even at 52, I am pleasantly surprised and shocked from time to time to either learn something new or find out I have been doing things wrong my whole life (Often with my wife laughing her toosh off ).

I guess I am still human.

I find myself learning all sorts of things this year as it's my first year of loading.

Fortunately there haven't been any house fires in the process.

Walkalong · Oct 21, 2018

Dudedog said:
and just for fun I reused some of them and they worked fine.

I've reused all of them.

Walkalong · Oct 21, 2018

460Shooter said:
I find myself learning all sorts of things this year as it's my first year of loading.

Fortunately there haven't been any house fires in the process.

That would be a real stretch IMHO. Primers need to be hit to go off, so never say never, but it is unlikely that you will set one off decapping them with a sizer or decap die. And even then, unless you have a half pound of powder poured over your press and bench......

Heck, I have decapped a bunch of live primers with a Lee decapping rod and a small brass hammer and none have gone off.

Not recommending it, just saying.

Home made brass hammer (Made the head anyway).
Home made base.
Lee decapping rod from a sizer.

Brass Hammer, Base, & Decapper Pic 2 @ 85%.JPG

Zaydok Allen · Oct 21, 2018

Walkalong said:
That would be a real stretch IMHO. Primers need to be hit to go off, so never say never, but it is unlikely that you will set one off decapping them with a sizer or decap die. And ecen then, unless you have a half pound of powder poured over you press and bench......

Heck, I have decapped a bunch of live primers with a Lee decapping rod and a small brass hammer and none have gone off.

Not recommending it, just saying.

Home made brass hammer (Made the head anyway).
Home made base.
Lee decapping rod from a sizer.
View attachment 808534

I was just kidding about the house fire remark.

None the less, I treat my bench with caution. I think the manual for my press says to never decap a live primer, but I have no doubt it's a CYA thing now.

Walkalong · Oct 21, 2018

460Shooter said:
I was just kidding about the house fire remark.

Figured you were exaggerating a bit...

Walkalong · Oct 21, 2018

460Shooter said:
I think the manual for my press says to never decap a live primer

Well, they are explosive after all, can't blame them for that.

dh1633pm · Oct 21, 2018

They come right out easier then when they went in. You can wear all the safety gear in the world, but unless your knocking on them like a firing pin, your good to go. Or if yo want to have some fun, just remove the bullet, empty the powder, and use your pistol to shoot the primers. Makes a nice bang.

Zaydok Allen · Oct 21, 2018

Walkalong said:
Well, they are explosive after all, can't blame them for that.

Nope, and if they didn't say it they'd have a real liability issue when some knucklehead hurt them self.

This is why I love THR.

Englishmn · Oct 21, 2018

dh1633pm said:
Or if you want to have some fun, just remove the bullet, empty the powder, and use your pistol to shoot the primers. Makes a nice bang.

It's really fun if you do it in a revolver and the primers back out and lock it up.

dh1633pm · Oct 22, 2018

If the primers back out on a revolver loaded with only a primer and a case, then you certainly know which brass to reload and which to chuck into the recycle bin.

Walkalong · Oct 22, 2018

Pretty standard for the primers to back out with no powder/bullet, and often times it will lock up a revolver. New cases too. Normally the forces from the bullet firing will back the case up and re-seat the primers.

Englishmn · Oct 22, 2018

Walkalong said:
Pretty standard for the primers to back out with no powder/bullet, and often times it will lock up a revolver. New cases too. Normally the forces from the bullet firing will back the case up and re-seat the primers.

Thats why you drill out the flash holes larger when using primer powered wax bullets.

Rule3 · Oct 22, 2018

JSmith said:
Loading .45 ACP, 5gr 231 over 230gr. round nose,

The main "problem" I see is that your powder is over your bullet. They generally do not work well that way, and most probably you will have a lot of squibs!

Just use the primers it's not gonna matter, Lead or FMJ still doesn't matter Hodgdon Max is 5.3 and they seat their bullets short.

Oops. (Do I have a problem?)

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