Do I need to re-tumble brass after firing only a primer?

[The Wiry Irishman]

I'm starting load development for a .44 mag bullet I haven't used before. I loaded up a box of 50 in 5 groups of .2 grain increments using H110. And regular large pistol primers. Crap.

So I'm going to have to pull all 50, and I'm short on .44 mag brass, so I can't just let it sit. I've read about various methods of recovering live primers and frankly I'm not comfortable with any of them. I figure I'm just going to put on my ears, load up the empty cases in my gun, and pop the primers in my garage. Would I need to re-tumble these cases after the primers were fired, or could I just drop them right back into my clean brass bin?

Also, I haven't pulled them yet, so I suppose if someone wants to trade 50 pieces of clean, twice-fired non-magnum primed brass for some unprimed or once or twice fired brass, I could do that, too.

 

[rcmodel]

No need to clean them.

And certainly no need to fire them off in the first place.

Just take the de-capping pin out of the die and run them through again.


BTW: Firing them in a revolver will bind up the cylinder due to primer set-back, and it won't want to turn.
Very hard on the lock-work!

rc

 

[oneounceload]

You're doing depriming, I'm assuming, because you used large pistol and not large magnum pistol primers? I have deprimed hundreds of live primers using my single stage press. As long as you go easily and barely knock them out, you'll have them to use again, and your brass will be fine. If you still want to fire them off, remember, they'll be loud, so your neighbors, (depending on how close they are), might get concerned. Either way, no need to retumble them

 

[rcmodel]

H110. And regular large pistol primers.

AH! I see clearly now!

I'd still shoot them with a different powder, or just de-prime them as oneounceload said.

It is not dangerous in the least.
Just wear safety glasses and don't bang the handle down.
As long as you use smooth steady pressure there is no chance of them going off.
And even if one did, it won't hurt anything.

I repete.
Firing just primers off in a revolver is going to bind up the cylinder and it is hard on the gun.

rc

 

[Six]

As for re-tumbling, not at all. Since all it does is clean and shine the brass up some, no need unless it's dirty to begin with.

Firing just primers off in a revolver is going to bind up the cylinder and it is hard on the gun.

I've done exactly what the OP wants to do, and this is definitely true. I fired a couple primer-only loads, but quickly gave up as the primers set back and effectively jammed the gun.

Just load them with an appropriate load if you can find one. If not, deprime them as you do used ones. Make sure to wear safety glasses, and because I'm paranoid, I like to cover the press with an old towel or something for live primers. It's really not a big deal as long as you're moderately careful.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Oh hell...Just down your safety glasses and ear protection and run the gently through your resizing/decapping die and save the primers for something else...I have (and neither have any of these guys) set one off punching them out with the resizing/decapping die...

 

[Doug b]

If you have some 2400,you might pull the bullet and resize as rcmodel says without the decapping stem and expand and recharge with 2400,it lights off readilly with a standard primer.I've had recycled primers fall out and avoid that practice.