Don't be stupid & light off your primer tube. A public service announcement.

[EddieNFL]

I can't see how the OP's mishap occurred during the primer seating operation. Too much steel and brass and distance between the primer being seated and the primer tube.

Neither can I. I was quoting someone else. I have a Hornady Projector, a 550 and a 650. While anything is possible, I doubt crunching a primer while seating would mass detonate the stack in the tube. As I mentioned above, they don't just self ignite; something had to initiate the first one (hint: loader made a mistake).

 

[David Wile]

Hey Nofishbob,

I think your point is well taken. What has been described just doesn't make sense. I am not suggesting the OP was not telling the truth, just that his observation of what happened may be incorrect. I would like to know what Hornady would have to say about the incident, and I am wondering why the OP did not go to Hornady first rather than the internet?

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[Sport45]

I am wondering why the OP did not go to Hornady first rather than the internet?

Probably because he knew the manual that came with his press said:

If at any time during operation you feel like you are forcing the press, stop and identify the problem. Do not force anything, because damage will occur. Powders and Primers are explosive if handled carelessly! Always work slowly and carefully without distractions and wear eye protection.

LnL AP Manual

 

[GJgo]

Bob is correct. The detonation happened because I stupidly tried racking the shuttle as a means to un-stick it from hanging up on the bottom of the primer tube. The 12" fireball came right out the top of the blast tube when all 95 primers lit of instantaneously.

I didn't go to Hornady because it's not their problem- it's mine and I fessed up to it. Besides, when I have gone to them before about the primer seating punch not being long enough after eating through the powdercoat and into the aluminum they pretty much blew me off.

 

[snuffy]

If anything the Dillon 650 priming system is more prone than any other to set off the tube, as reported with alarming regularity. The 550 and LNL AP priming system at least have a large separation between the primer being seated (where most detonations occur) and the rest of the primers in the tube. Only if one goes off at the bottom of the tube (much more rare) does it set the tube off. The 650, on the other hand, has a disk with several primers leading a chain-reaction path from the priming station back to the tube. One problem at either end on a 650, and ka-boom!

I trust my dillon 650 priming system to NOT fire the entire tube full of primers. Although I have to accept it has happened, I'm pretty sure I know why. The primer being seated is NOT the one that initiates the tube to blow. What happens is a missing shell in the prime station causes a primer to hang up in the disk at an angle to be crushed when the disk rotates back under the supply tube. The primer is SUPPOSED to fall out of the disk to be collected in a little chute. On my machine, the primer disk had a few tiny burrs in the holes that the primers travel in from the tube to the priming station. Some careful polishing corrected the problem. I still watch to see for sure if the primer drops clear when the case feeder fails to drop a case, resulting in no shell in position to be primed.

Gjgo, glad you're okay. And thanks for telling about it, it's hard to stand back and be berated for being stubborn or the testosterone "effect". Sort of like the English with their " damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead"!

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

The pictures I saw of a blown up 650 priming system clearly showed the primers in the disk, including at the priming station, went off. The cover piece over the transfer disk was deformed and blackened, and it looked like it bent back towards the priming tube, perhaps indicating the priming station went off first, and chain reacted across the disk, over to the tube. Whichever one goes first, the whole disk will go, and it is not as safely shielded or vented as the tube is, so it is more likely to hit you with shrapnel than the 550 and LNL AP priming systems are.

Andy

 

[mdemetz]

Here is a recent thread on doing it wih a Dillon;
INGO

 

[G36Rick]

I stay away from any primer tubes,way too dangerous !!! use a hand primer or the Lee Safety prime.Stacking primers in a tube is like having your mother in law staying for a month.Sooner or later things will ignite!!!!! LOL!

 

[snuffy]

I stay away from any primer tubes,way too dangerous !!! use a hand primer or the Lee Safety prime.Stacking primers in a tube is like having your mother in law staying for a month.Sooner or later things will ignite!!!!! LOL!

Then G36Rick, you obviously don't load on a progressive! It's a necessary evil with most of them. If you hand prime while using a progressive, you have defeated the speed you can achieve using one. Like loading wearing handcuffs!

Like I said, any gorilla can destroy anything by forcing the press handle when they feel resistance causing the primer to detonate. I've crushed primers quite a few times when a malfunctioning primer feeder puts one in sideways, never had one pop.

Oh and I use federal LP primers in my lee auto hand primer and my dillon 650. I do think I'll move the florescent light from directly above the primer tube though!

 

[David Wile]

Hey G36Rick,

After reading your, "I stay away from any primer tubes,way too dangerous !!!", I am certainly tempted to comment on same. However, those old words keep coming to my head about the idea that if you have nothing nice to say about someone or something, you really should say nothing at all.

There were a pretty fair number of folks killed riding in cars and on motorcycles last week, but we still go out this week and use our cars and motorcycles without even thinking about all the folk who were killed in them the week before.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[EddieNFL]

I just removed the primer mechanism from my 650 to take a closer look. Anything is possible, but for the primers in the disk to sympathetically detonate, the moon stars and planets would have to be aligned. If it happened I don't see an anvil penetrating the platform, shellholder, primer feedbody housing or indexing arm. The only primer not completely enclosed is the one under the feedar. It is about 30 or so percent exposed. It's possible the anvil could escape through the gap between the arm and the shellplate. It would have to cut through the arm. The primer tube is encased by less metal than the those in the disk.

There are odds for anything.

 

[45ACPUSER]

After four months of trying to get the primer system working on my new LNL I finally gave up, in my opinion, it is a bad design all the way around and my direct line to Hornady was to no avail.

I prime on my Lee cast turret, it's great!!!

If I had to do it again, I would buy a Dillon.

Wow now that is funny, them free bullets sure were attractive.....NOT worth it!

 

[G36Rick]

Wow...Didn't mean to ruffle feathers Mr Wile...Didn't mean to offend Dillon owners ect,or anyone for that matter. I certainly think you took it out of context. Perhaps I should have said "In my opinion"...I stand corrected, and humbly apologize...(ok, is this guy a plant from politically correct.com? Or is his mother in law visiting)Lighten up Mr Wile,I'm sorry you did not see my humor or light heartiness with my mother-in law pun,in a however potentially dangerous situation.
Best Regards and Happy Safe Reloading,
Richard

 

[David Wile]

Hey 45ACPUSER,

I don't see one thing funny in repeating the sad words Floydster said in his post on Page 2. Floydster has had problems with his press from the time he first bought it, and I can feel his pain and frustration every times he writes about the problems he has had. There have been over 25,000 of the Hornady LNL presses sold since 1997, and most folks are able to make them work quite well.

People sure are different. Floydster writes tha he has problems with his press and is obviously very frustrated. I am certain that if I lived near him, I could get him and his press working just fine, and I regret that I am unable to help him. You read the same words of frustration from Floydster, and you not only state that you think it is funny, but you have to rub salt in his wounds about his purchase not being worth it.

If he were having the same problems and frustrations with a Dillon 650, would you be so quick to tell everyone how bad a deal Floydster made on it?




Hey Floydster,

I still wish you could find someone near you with a LNL to give you a hand in getting it right.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[David Wile]

Hey Richard,

No, my mother-in-law is not visiting. While she died a few years ago at the age of 99, I always enjoyed her company and certainly would not mind having her around still. If your mother-in-law is not so enjoyable, my sympathies go out to you. If your post is characteristic of your peception of humor, I would suggest you keep you day job.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[ReloaderFred]

Well, this thread went south in a hurry.............

Fred

 

[G36Rick]

Yup sure did...Seems like Mr. Wile has a comment for everything.I think I'll stick to reloading and deter the humor altogether.Sorry for trying to put a smile on others faces,whether being a tad off color/sarcastic.My bad...and Mr Wile,again lighten up.You sound like an angry old fella

 

[thorn-]

I personally think the thread started going south when it was suggested to get a dillon. It went further south when progressive priming was deemed too dangerous (and hand priming is the only safe alternative). I think the mother-in-law joke was just finally the icing on the cake to having so many comments that had not much to do with the issue at hand.

thorn

 

[Roccobro]

I personally think the thread started going south when it was suggested to get a dillon. It went further south when progressive priming was deemed too dangerous (and hand priming is the only safe alternative).

Agreed.

I bit my tongue twice but it still went from bad to worse.

Justin

 

[Balrog]

Hey I was just trying to be funny when I mentioned Dillon earlier, I forgot what a sensitive group you Hornady guys are ...
Its possible to do something stupid with any press.

 

[Ala Dan]

I have used all types of Federal primers since the fall of '72, without any
issues. They have worked very well, all those years. I'm very careful [and
mindful] when handloading; especially when handling primers. I see NO real
reason too change now~!

 

[dc.fireman]

I'm thinking now that I'm going to go pull the priming system on my 1050, just for piece of mind, and give the whole thing a good cleaning. Thanks for sharing GJ - I learned something from it.

-tc

 

[MCMXI]

I stay away from any primer tubes,way too dangerous !!!

I've been reloading since '92 and for the past 18 years have used an RCBS RockChucker (single stage press) and an RCBS PiggyBack II on an RCBS RockChucker (conversion to a progressive press) to load tens of thousands of rounds. Both systems use primer tubes and I've never had one go off. I do wear safety glasses just in case but I simply don't see any way of setting off the whole tube short of dropping it. Sadly, RCBS has seen fit to do away with the primer tube system that I've been using for all these years. They no longer use the same system on their newer presses. I hope I never have to upgrade my presses!

 

[kestak]

Greetings,

Used around 40k primers in my Dillon 550B with primer tubes, never got one going bank.

Thank you