Broken Primers while Decapping

Yup, that primer died of the <edit> Panic!

I'd try to ream that ring out of the pocket, but that's slow.

Its pretty common. I see it a lot in 223 brass. I think a Berdan depriming tool would remove it or maybe grinding down an allen wrench to look like a miniature pry bar might remove the piece remaining in the case. All of these that I have seen have been in common calibers and are range pick ups. I just scrap them.

I don't think its from the way I operate the press. I'm usually a slow and deliberate kind of guy. The shape of the depriming pin may have an influence on this? I use a standard Lee Universal depriming die.

edwardware said:

Yup, that primer died of the <edit> Panic!

I'd try to ream that ring out of the pocket, but that's slow.

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I haven't seen this issue before but, if it weren't a primer, if it was just a busted nut or broken O-ring or a pressed bearing, I'd use an appropriately-sized EZ Out on it. Those suckers dig in HARD and yank/spin anything out that isn't welded - and a few things that are!

I’ve had this happen a few times,and only with range pickup brass. It seems that when the brass stays wet and is often covered with wet dirt and mud,corrosion starts. The corrosion will wick between the primer and pocket,and stick the two together. The decap pin knocks the bottom out of the primer when it becomes the weakest link. My experience and opinion only, but it makes sense to me.

osprey176 said:

I’ve had this happen a few times,and only with range pickup brass. It seems that when the brass stays wet and is often covered with wet dirt and mud,corrosion starts. The corrosion will wick between the primer and pocket,and stick the two together. The decap pin knocks the bottom out of the primer when it becomes the weakest link. My experience and opinion only, but it makes sense to me.

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I’ve thought the same thing as to the cause. It seems that decapping a batch of brass from an outdoor range is when it usually happens.

I've had this happen quite a few times with once fired 9MM Speer brass. No other brand has done this and only a small percentage of Speer brass does this for me.
I was wondering if they used some sort of sealant that bonded the primer to the case.

This has happened to brass that was dredged up from mud puddles at the range. Looked like they had sat in the water for a year or more. Casings were dark brown with tarnish as well. Tried to universal decap and poped the top off every primer I tried. After 20 or so I just scrapped them as is.

It occurs to me this has ALMOST happened to me a number of times. I backed off feeling greater than normal resistance during the process.

I have looked at quite a few of these in mid-process and the primer was really being pushed and was bulging/almost stretching from the pressure from the pin. Then I would turn the case and apply pressure again. Each time the primer would eventually pop out.

I can’t recall what brand brass it was but I thought it was S&B. I’m not sure why I think that.

Edit: this is once fired indoor range brass

Got my first one the other day. A WW 38 case of unknown origin. I would have never caught it but for the funny feel of the decapping pin.

Some brass has a primer sealant, not anything like nail polish. It's more like loctite. No need for a primer crimp process to retain the primer, and it seals out moisture and oils.

The dreaded “ringer” where there is one, others almost always follow. Never had one with brass that wasn’t outside in the dirt for some time.

I concur with the consensus: range pick up does this.

A couple of passes with a pocket uniformer gets the remnants out

It's called a ringer, and is caused by the brass getting wet and staying wet for a long time.

I prep a lot of range brass and occasionally get a few of these primers that the end breaks out and the sides stay stuck in the case, I toss them in to the recycle bucket.
I also get a some primers that get bulged out almost to where the depriming pin almost pushes through the primer.

I don’t think there is a consensus at all. There are a number of experiences and while some are similar in their causes they are certainly not all the same. And while outdoors and wet may be the cause of many of these stuck primers, there are other causes mentioned as well.

These were certified once-fired cases from indoor LEO range. First time in 3 years of reloading that I've experienced this. All beheaded primers. All bright, shiny, and beautiful, but scrap.
38 Spl and .380 ACP. Maybe my press doesn't like any brass with 38 stamped in it.

I've seen this happen with wet tumbled brass where the primers were not removed and left to air dry and brass left out in the elements for a while.

Hornady whitetail brass. 308. I am new to reloading. I had a ringer on most of them. The HSM's did not happen to. Gonna try some of the suggestions on here. Thank you

markr6754 said:

These were certified once-fired cases from indoor LEO range. First time in 3 years of reloading that I've experienced this. All beheaded primers. All bright, shiny, and beautiful, but scrap.

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betcha a primer pocket reamer will twist those right out.

1KPerDay said:

betcha a primer pocket reamer will twist those right out.

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this was my thought exactly, or just a common pick tool to raise an edge, and then a set of needle nose to give it a twist and a yank.

film495 said:

this was my thought exactly, or just a common pick tool to raise an edge, and then a set of needle nose to give it a twist and a yank.

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Do not use a dental pick! You will gouge the insides of the primer pockets.
Pocket ream followed by a brush if it doesn’t look quite right.

I've pushed the decapping pin through a primer before, but never popped the top off a primer.

My friend is actually the one who did it to all my .308's. I had not gotten a press yet. And he had just started out. He told me last night that yes, rotation helps. Hence the reason he has broken a few pins..

I’ve seen this with Federal NT 9mm cases. Broken primers, or ringers as it’s called, are a PIA and in a progressive really cause an issue.
I’ve picked up brass that has lain on the ground through the winter months (NY weather), and has been blackened, presumably by some chemical reaction. Put it through the wet tumble and even that only lightened it slightly but the primers push out without any issue. I’m on roughly the 20K number of wet tumbled 9mm cases and I don’t deprime before tumbling and I don’t see an issue with ringers, unless it’s an NT case. Some can try to blame wet and corrosion problems, but I’ve not seen it. Good luck.