first bad rounds. Why?

[cleanview]

Well I am new to reloading and have benefited greatly by this forumn.

Last night was shooting various loads through two different 380 pistols. Less than 50 rounds all together. 2 misfires from each gun. Came home and pulled them apart, wondering if i forgot powder. They were normal loads. I have only used cci primers so far. I dont think any contamination has happened to the primers, and these are the only misfires so far. Obvious indentations int he primers.

Any ideas?

 

[MtnCreek]

Try putting this misfired cartridges back into the chamber and hit them again.

It sounds like a primer seating issue. What tool are you using to seat the primers?

 

[kingmt]

Probably didn't have the primers seated deep enough. I've had problems seating CCI primers.

 

[wingman]

Possibly using a penetrating oil such as WD40 or Kroil oil on guns would do the trick does not take much to kill a primer.

I never use CCI primers only Winchester or Remington had problems years back with CCI.

Wanted to add not sure I would try to fire bad rounds again could cause a squib.

 

[kingmt]

I'm sure he meant to just cap the primer but I would give them a second strike in they didn't go off the first time.

 

[MtnCreek]

Wanted to add not sure I would try to fire bad rounds again could cause a squib.

Probably won't cause a squib; it'll either go off or it won't. If the primers on the misfired rds go off on the second strike, the problem is likely primers not seated all the way. If they still won't pop, something else is going on: bad primer (probably not the case), firearm issue, out of spec primer pocket.

 

[FullEffect1911]

There have been several times this has happened to me. The first couple times it was from a revolver that was just light striking ammo (factory ammo even). The most recent time it was from me not seating a primer deep enough when I first started using my progressive press. Each time they went off with a second strike.

I think these are the most common reasons a primer won't go off. CCI primers generally require more striking force to ignite. So if you have a gun that is sometimes finicky about igniting primers this will possibly show up with CCI the most.

Conversely I use CCI to test if an action job was successful or not as far as having enough striking force to reliably ignite primers. So it can be beneficial as well.

 

[Dapperdan]

Try Federal primers, they are considered the "softest" in the industry.

 

[LiveLife]

If the primers ignite on second/subsequent strikes, they were not seated deep enough to set the anvil against the priming compound.

I have used CCI and Winchester primers for many years without issues.

Before changing primer brand, I would load another test batch and make sure they were seated below flush (.004" below) and range test. If you don't experience any misfire, high seated primers were probably the problem. If you still experience misfires, then it's something else.

 

[TH3180]

Wanted to add not sure I would try to fire bad rounds again could cause a squib.

How so?

 

[243winxb]

Make sure the COL is not to long, holding the action open a few .001"

 

[wingman]

How so?

Personally I just don't do it if I get a bad primer I won't use a second strike I bring it home pull the bullet check for problems, did I make a mistake in weighting powder,etc. Why compound a problem with a second hit, I would only do it in a combat situation where the round was needed otherwise senseless.

It's been a number of years since I had a failure but I have pulled bullet,checked weight and if all good then test fired primer alone.

 

[rcmodel]

1. Make sure the primers are fully seated below flush with the case head.

2. Try another brand of primer.
Win, Rem, or Fed primers are easier to ignite then CCI primers.

rc

 

[snuffy]

Possibly using a penetrating oil such as WD40 or Kroil oil on guns would do the trick does not take much to kill a primer.

False. It's been proven time and time again that primers are VERY difficult to contaminate/kill. Normal storage and handling just does NOT affect them. They've been soaked in water, oils, penetrating oil and some solvents. Dry them out, they still fire. The protective lacquer coating they receive as their final step in manuf. keeps out most things that would kill them.

Wanted to add not sure I would try to fire bad rounds again could cause a squib.

I too don't not understand your thinking on this. The primer either fires or it don't. The powder could be contaminated so it's weaker than the rest, but that would have happened the first time the firing pin hit .

The OP didn't give us much info. Nothing about the load, or what type of pistol we're talking about. I don't have a .380, and I don't know much about how they're built. BUT it seems to me that I would suspect the short travel of the firing mechanism would contribute to weak hits on the primer. Couple that to a possible high seated hard primer, you get misfires.

 

[cleanview]

thanks for all the posts.

I was firing them out of two differernt guns and both had 2 misfires so I doubt that it was the guns.

I use a lee turret press and am new to reloading all the way around.

What is a "squib"?

I bought the cci just because it seemed like a good name. I bought a 1000 and will keep using them and try some differnet ones in the near future as well. probably federal or winchester.

So is it safe to deprime them? My better judgment says dont do it. But I really dont know.

Going to be doing some differnt loads tonight and firing them. Trying to figure out what I like before loading up my first big batch.

 

[kingmt]

Go ahead deprime & smile. Nothing unsafe about it as long as you don't have your eye in it.

 

[Cherokee]

I've been using CCI's for over 50 years, good primers. Bet you did not fully seat them.

 

[cleanview]

Could any media from cleaning the brass cause the misfire?

I have changed the way I sort it after tumbling which ensures removal of all. But some of my first tumbles may have had some media still in the case.

 

[kingmt]

I've never tested it but I still say no way accept for it may have keep you from seating it.

 

[GLOOB]

Media? Probably not. My first time loading rifle, I wasn't accustomed to cleaning between sizing/decapping and priming. I primed 100 cases before realizing I forgot to clear the flash holes. I'd guess 20-30% of that batch had media plugging the flash hole. They all shot fine.

 

[1SOW]

What is a "squib"?

The worst example: you loaded a round and failed to drop enough/any powder. You fire the round and the primer (only) pushes the bullet about two inches into the barrel. That is a squib.

If it only pushes into the barrel an inch, or if it "falls" out the end of the barrel it's still A a squib.

The really bad news is when it pushes the bullet far enough to cycle the slide and load another cartridge into battery allowing YOU to shoot again. The second bullet (and pressure wave) hit the jambed bullet and blows up the barrel or any handy (pun) shooter parts.

Seat your primers below case level.

 

[Steve C]

Primers are so seldom bad that in 35 years of reloading I have had exactly ONE bad primer in ammunition that I had reloaded and that was in new factory primed brass. In this failure the primer cup was so thin that it split upon firing and the flame escaped out the rear of the primer and did not set off the round.

If the round doesn't go off most of the time it is failure to seat the primer into the bottom of the pocket. I read a lot of nonsense about measurements on how deep you should seat a primer. There's only one depth and that's into the bottom of the pocket, best done by feel and how deep it is depends upon how deep the pocket happens to be. You try to fire the round again because most of the time the first hit by the firing pin will drive the primer into the bottom of the pocket and the second hit will set it off.

The amount of powder in the case has nothing to do with the round not going off. If you left the powder out and the primer went off you would find your bullet stuck 2" or more in the barrel. If the powder was bad or contaminated you'd see it behind your bullet dribbling out of the barrel into the chamber.

 

[Seedtick]

+1

If the round doesn't go off most of the time it is failure to seat the primer into the bottom of the pocket. I read a lot of nonsense about measurements on how deep you should seat a primer. There's only one depth and that's into the bottom of the pocket, best done by feel and how deep it is depends upon how deep the pocket happens to be. You try to fire the round again because most of the time the first hit by the firing pin will drive the primer into the bottom of the pocket and the second hit will set it off.

The amount of powder in the case has nothing to do with the round not going off. If you left the powder out and the primer went off you would find your bullet stuck 2" or more in the barrel. If the powder was bad or contaminated you'd see it behind your bullet dribbling out of the barrel into the chamber.

Yup!

That right there covers it.

Seedtick

 

[cleanview]

going with the primers were not seated enough. I had already pulled the bullets apart so I went and looked at them them last night and I have a hard time seeing any differences. Not the case when loading last night I place the finished round nose down in the plastic storage case and inspect the primers every few rounds. i looked down and one round had been deprimed but not primed. oooooopppss. I have been making sure to press plenty hard to seat the rounds better. learning as we go. Lot of fun though. I find it all very interesting but still a lot to learn.