I was taking the anvil out of some used primers and had done about 2-3 hundred when I noticed a primer cup on my desk stuck underneath something. I retrieved the primer and without looking to see if it had a firing pin mark, I commenced to taking the anvil out, to my surprise, it was a live primer that must have spilled when I was priming some ammo for reloading. When I say to my surprise. I mean that when it ignited and went Bang it scared the hell out of me. I didn't get hurt, my ears rang for about thirty minutes to an hour, but I didn't get hurt and I was, as always, wearing my safety glasses. That was an accident that I could have prevented by looking for a firing pin strike. Just remember to always pay attention to what you are doing, even though you have done it many times before. Take care and PAY ATTENTION when RELOADING or working with reloading materials. Has this ever happened to any of you??? I would like to know that I am not the only one.
ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN!!!!
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Always good advise, glad it only scared you.
HaHaHa did you have to clean you pants out? LOL
I was breaking down some dropped .22lr when I saw that the powder was sticking up inside the case so I reached for the steel pin that was going to scrape out the stuck powder & BOOM. Evidently just scratching the primer in a .22lr case is enough to set it off. It about gave me a heart attack.
I was breaking down some dropped .22lr when I saw that the powder was sticking up inside the case so I reached for the steel pin that was going to scrape out the stuck powder & BOOM. Evidently just scratching the primer in a .22lr case is enough to set it off. It about gave me a heart attack.
tightgroup tiger
Member
He reloads his primers. Look up some of his posts.
Thanks for sharing, I'm curious on your research regarding reloading primers, have you been successful?
tightgroup tiger
Member
Mine too!
Many, many moons ago I found a rifle cartridge and being the curious kid (about 12) I pulled a bullet to see what was inside. Then I wondered how that thing in the base of the case did what it was supposed to do. I picked up a nail and set it on the primer and lightly tapped it with a hammer. Yep primer went off, quite loud but the surprise was the primer was strong enough to travel up the nail and hit my finger, the side of my left ring finger. Well it hit hard enough to split, not cut, the skin and hurt like he**! IIRC the wound took a while longer to heal, maybe from an impact injury and all the bruising. 65 years later and I still have not repeated the experiment...
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GeoDudeFlorida
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Not reloading. When I was working as a machinist I had a machine (Cincinnati 20 ton horizontal mill) blow a fuse. I hit the power off button and killed the breaker, then went in back to open up the fuse box and pull the blown fuse so I could get the right replacement from Stores. I neglected to put the padlock on the breaker lever. Shop foreman came around checking for goldbricks. Last thing I remember hearing before the ambulance arrived was, "Where's the operator of this machine? Why isn't it running?" Thanks to the good Lord I had a grip on the fuse body, not the ends, and my back was up against the machine in the next aisle. 400 volts went through me. Blew the toes out of my boots and knocked me out for about 20 minutes. I NEVER forgot the padlock again!
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CoalCrackerAl
Member
My accident was with one of my 1911's. I was loading some 45's. And checking how they chamber. And i accidentally pulled the trigger wile closing the slide. Talk about a panic. I checked on everyone in the house. All were fine. My son helped me find where the bullet went then. It went through one of my bins under my bench into the wall then. It's still in the wall. If the gun would a spun any further. It would have been in my leg. It dis a 90 degree turn. So now i take the barrel out of what im testing.
What could go wrong??
I don't like reloading/shooting that much. Also not gonna cast lead bullets or try to make 22 rimfire.
Nope, but then I do not consider messing with primers reloading so self inflicted "accidents" is not something I worry about.
Volts maybe, but not amps.
GeoDudeFlorida
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You're right, volts. I updated it. I have no idea how many amps but I got the shock of a lifetime.
Jonny2guns
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Heard a story over the weekend, my brothers brother in-law, not a bright person, decided to remove the projectiles from some military surplus ammo. He then dumped the powder out of one and was very disappointed, feeling that he was getting cheated as the case was not full. So he proceeded to fill his mil-surplus with powder and reseat the projectiles. He took his new loaded rounds to the range to try his new ammo. He loaded the first round in the chamber, took aim and squeezed the trigger. The next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital a day and a half later....and he's still alive to reproduce and conduct other stupid experiments.
Engineer1911
member
Thinning the herd, M629 with 8-3/8" barrel. Top strap was buried in wood ceiling 1/2" deep. I received a small smoke smudge on my right index finger. Recoil was very short, but sharp. Powder charge detonated, didn't burn, double charge would have spilled powder.
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Paul R Zartman
Contributing Member
I only reload using my Lee wack a mole for all my calibers, gotten use to the (occasional POP that comes my way) keeps me on my toes, gotta love modern technology
What was your load data, I have a very hard time believing a load detonated. I have never seen a cartridge loaded with proper powder blow in anything but 500 mag. Even then improper powder i.e. titegroup was involved in the load that destroyed said gun.
Google AardvarkReloading.com and it is very interesting what you can use and how to make your own primers if they just disappear as a reloading component!!
entropy
Member
No, but when I was a teenager, my mom refused to vacuum the basement shag carpeting after a few primers I'd dropped into the shag went off in the vacuum.
Swampman
Old Fart
Just loss of maid service?No, but when I was a teenager, my mom refused to vacuum the basement shag carpeting after a few primers I'd dropped into the shag went off in the vacuum.
You got off easy.
Just one itty-bitty primer going off under the vacuum got all my ammo, reloading gear and supplies permanently exiled to the garage.
To be honest there had been a couple of previous incidents involving .22 shells, one of which set the vacuum bag to smoldering...
GeoDudeFlorida
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To be honest there had been a couple of previous incidents involving .22 shells, one of which set the vacuum bag to smoldering...
Yup. Been there. Fortunately my wife is a hardy soul and tower of patience. Suffice to say I am VERY careful about not setting off or losing live primers in the house.
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