depriming live primers

[Smokey Joe]

Removing and killing primers

IMX, primers are NOT killed by oil. There is a sad case, however, of a LEO who regularly cleaned his loaded mags with WD-40 (which has a penetrant) and his rounds failed him when he tried to stop an armed bank robbery in progress. Having heard of that, I have decided never to oil my mags--clean 'em dry, leave 'em be.

This may have been long enough ago to have been before primers were sealed as they are now. But why take chances.

As to killing primers--I've gone the case-in-a-vice, hit-primer-with-a-punch route. It is slow and piddly, also noisy, and I had one blow out and come up and hit me once (no damage, but it stung, and once is enough.)

I've fired 'em in the gun in question to kill 'em. Safe, but again, noisy and time-consuming, plus you dirty the gun.

The only efficient way to kill primers you don't want is to put them one by one on a hard surface (I use a piece of railroad rail) and hit them sharply with a hammer. With eye/ear/hand protection of course. Still noisy, but MUCH quicker than the other ways.

Removing them from the cases? Another vote for doing it slowly and carefully with a resize/deprime die. Primers need to be hit sharply to go off. If you oosh them out they don't get mad at you. I have removed more than I care to count, this way.

Incidentally, I have re-used removed primers in other handloads, and while I would not do this with hunting or SD rounds, for plinking or even sighting in, they have worked just fine, 100%. They go into the primer pocket a little easier the 2nd time around, but there is still enough resistance to keep 'em in once you get 'em in.

 

[Randy in Arizona]

I think I have had two primers go off when decapping live primers. Both IIRC were corrosive primers crimped into 30-'06 cases. I just got to going too fast!

Now if you have a batch that you need to pop off, use them to shoot flies! Just position the muzzle about 6" - 8" from the fly, aimed at the fly of course and pow, no fly! Now I was doing this in an unfinished garage. No drywall or paneling. It will mess up a painted surface so be prudent where you do this.

But it is the most entertaining way to get rid of flies that I have found!

 

[Primersinmyshoe]

Randy, that sounds like a great way to "swat" flies .

Since I only reload handgun calibers I forgot about you rifle shooters, whose brass is more valuable than mine. It looks like the consensis is that it's OK to deprime live primers if you take your time - operating the press slooowly. And of course wearing protective eyeware and hearing protection is strongly recommended.

The best way I've heard of to dispose of live primers, or loaded ammo is to mix up a batch of cement, put ammo into a coffee can and pour in cement. That will keep dangerous stuff from our curious children's little fingers.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Future hazard

Primersinmyshoe--Re the cement treatment for primers and ammo you don't want--I can see where that'd take care of the problem as far as YOU are concerned. But what about the poor dude who finds this concrete cylinder in 100 years and uses it as part of his fireplace? You've built him a bomb!

Hate to be a nay-sayer, but hadn't we ought to manage things so as to not be more hazardous than necessary to future Americans? Unlikely, sure, but why risk it?

I like permanent solutions.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Randy You're sick...I like you....

If you can't use the primer over again after extracting it do what I do. And this should be satisfactory for Smokey Joe too. After collecting a few and you are going to a river, lake or pond. Just throw them in...

 

[bigjim]

You can also shoot them at things from your .20 cal spring air pistol pelet rifle. They blow up when they hit stuff.

 

[Rico567]

I agree with "Smokey Joe," in that primers should be permanently neutralized before disposal. I simply deprimed live primers....when I was younger. Now, if I don't feel like popping them in the relevant gun, I just use one of those cheap Lee tools, cost about $5. They have a small & large size, and consist of a punch and a round metal piece the cartridge case sits in, with a hole in the bottom for the spent primer to drop into. You just use a hammer and tap the primer out. I've used this method for some years, and have set off one or two primers. Because the thing sits on the bench, there's a loud pop but no danger.

 

[gwalchmai]

What happens if you shoot them with a BB gun?

 

[Johnny Guest]

Hey, I like it.

Smokey Joe wrote - -

If you oosh them out they don't get mad at you.

Very good, Joe. You seldom read someone making proper use of the verb, "To oosh." I was beginning to think it was a regional-type word.

Nothing new here. I am of the "run the primed case gently back into the deprime die" school. While there is a SMALL risk of setting off the primer, it is probably the safest way to do it. The case is confined in a steel tube pointing at the ceiling and the floor. There is enough room around the bottom to allow escaping gasses to vent freely.

Sometime in 2006 I'll pass my fortieth aniversary as a handloader. By careful count, I've loaded just over half a gazillion rounds, and have needed to remove a few hundred live primers. Perhaps I'm just a very cautious oosher, but I've NEVER had one light off in the press.

As to killing primers with oil. I've heard and read credible accounts on both sides of the issue. Without doubt, modern primers are sealed far better than they were in decades past. I can't dismiss the memory of working with a young officer who, during rainy weather, would liberally spray his nice Model 19 with WD-40. One sunny afternoon, we went to the local landfill to plink a bit, and he had two dead rounds from the first cylinder of factory magnums. I dunno . . .

Best,
Johnny

 

[armoredman]

I will be depriming a batch of Remington 7.62x39 primed brass I got - i need the MilSpec primers in them for the SKS, and I don't know the condition or story behind the primers in them. I guess I will use the slow and carefull method....very slow and careful....

 

[edg19]

decapping live primes

Thanks to all for the input, think I try decapping a few. All safety gear in use edg19

 

[pcf]

and the test results are in...

beign stubborn, I had to find out for myself...... well mal and bigjim you were right.
test consisted of
-Fed, CCI, Win large pistol primers
-Barnes CR10, Hoppes #9, acetone, MEK, WD-40, 3in1 oil, 5-30w motor oil, water, case lube, hornady one shot.
-Speer plastic cases and bullets
-Ruger Super Blackhawk

-10 of each primer were soaked in each solvent overnight. (except oneshot which was sprayed on and tested after 5 minutes of soaking.)

Barnes CR10
-CCI one dead primer
-Win and Fed, all fired

Hoppes #9
-all fired

acetone
-CCI one dead primer
-Win 2 dead primers
-Fed all fired

MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone)
-CCI 3 dead primers
-Win 1 dead primer
-Fed 4 dead primers

WD-40
-CCI 2 dead primers
-win all fired
-Fed 1 dead Primer

3in1 oil
-all fired

Motoroil
-CCI and Win all fired
-Fed 1 dead primer

Water
-all fired

Cased lube
-all fired

Oneshot
-all fired

I wouldn't draw too many conclusion. I wouldn't count on solvents/penetrating oils to kill primers, and I wouldn't discount the ability of solvents/oils to kill primers.

 

[The Bushmaster]

pfc...Excellent test results...I believe we can put this to bed. Modern primers are getting more and more indestructable (better quality). Enough of the primers remained live and enough of the primers died to prove that once and for all that primers must be delt with in a manor that they can't be accidently discharged by the unknowing. Therefore...Physically deactivate them or disgard them in some way as to render them inaccessable by people or animals...Works for me...

 

[Primersinmyshoe]

OK, I'm still wondering what to do.

I do not want to detonate any primers by hand, or in a press.

I do want to dispose of bad ammo and live primers from time to time.

If embedding them in concrete isn't good enough, what is the answer?

 

[The Bushmaster]

Primersinmyshoe...Just how many of these "bad" primers do you have anyway??? two or three or maybe two or three dozon?...I know a friend of mine that has a wood burning potbelly stove in his loading room (on the far side)(I know...This is not good, but he must keep warm). He will throw one or two in at a time and enjoy the pop. I don't do this and I don't want anyone reading this to do it on my say-so....But if you must.......

 

[Primersinmyshoe]

Bushmaster,

I average about 10 rounds of loaded ammo and 10 live primers a month.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Couldcha' dig a deep hole in the garden and burry-em??? Like I said...Wait a minute...How come ten a month? I make a mistake once in a while. I DO sink slowly when walkin' on water, but. Ten a month??

 

[Primersinmyshoe]

Those 10 a month are high primers. I will not reseat live primers in a loaded round. I reload on average 1000 - 1,500 rounds a month. With an unlimited supply of brass, I don't care about saving the cases. I have a very small backyard, so digging a hole wouldn't be unnoticed by Mrs. Primersinmyshoe.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Blame it on the dog....If you don't have one, get one...

 

[Mal H]

pcf - Excellent tests! Thanks. There's nothing better than empirical data to prove or disprove a theory.

 

[Smokey Joe]

So, what ARE you gonna do?

Primersinmyshoe--Understand your reluctance to reseat a primer in an assembled round. I'd be similarly reluctant. Sounds like you'll hafta pull the bullets (use a kinetic puller--saves the bullets) dump the powder (you can save and reuse this also) and reseat the primers with the priming arm of a single-stage press. Sounds kinda putzy, but you have to do something with 'em--you can't just save 'em up until forever.

You won't detonate 'em with a hammer. (I tell you, it works 100%.) You can't bury 'em (and I don't reccommend that anyhow.) Pcf has demonstrated that no solvent reliably kills 'em (especially water--don't throw 'em into the lake.)

So, what ARE you gonna do?

 

[gwalchmai]

You know those postage paid response envelopes you get with junk mail?

 

[Ol` Joe]

You know those postage paid response envelopes you get with junk mail?

 

[armoredman]

You know those postage paid response envelopes you get with junk mail?

Just for the legal types here, baaaaaaad idea.....
A stove? Hmmm, Christmas carol coming in...."Deprimed primers popping on an open fire, shrapnel ripping off your nose...."

 

[Deavis]

OK, I'm still wondering what to do.

I do not want to detonate any primers by hand, or in a press.

What is the concern that is causing your inaction? Are you really that worried about setting a primer off? Let's go through this logically... You are going to disassemble the rounds to save the bullet and primer using whatever bullet puller you have. So now that you have this primer brass.

Option 1) Seat the primer farther into the case and re-reload the case.
Difficulty: Negligible
Risk: No more than seating the primer in the first place
Logical Reason for not doing it: None since you've taken this risk before

Option 2) Detonate the primer in your weapon
Difficulty: Medium due to the pain of manual feeding
Risk: None unless the barrel close to something valuable
LRFNDI: None because you can safely deprime every round in your garage or backyard by pointing the pistol at the ground

Option 3) Detonate the primer in the barrel with a punch
Difficulty: Slightly painful process and you have to clean your barrel
Risk: Absolutely positively none if the barrel is setup properly and nothing is within a few inches of it
LRFNDI: None, it is completely safe. Loud, but safe unless you stick your head at the end of the barrel

Option #4) Throw them in the trash and call it a day
Difficulty: None
Risk: It is theoretically possible that the primer will detonate during the waste pickup/dumping process.
LRFNDI: Small probability that somehow the primer, which is incredibly resistant to detonation in any way unless hit a very specific way, may go off during compaction or dumping. In which case there is most likely nobody near it that can be harmed and wet rash doesn't ignite easily from such a small, fast flame.

So, there are your 4 options. Man up, pick one and go do it. Primers are not some "crazy powerful thing" that will maim you if you detonate one. They are loud, make a small flame, and that is about it. Quite disappointing, really. I, and many other people here, have popped hundreds of them. If you are worried, I'll send you a video of me setting one off if it will make you more confident.