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Need advice on disposal of bad primers

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Legally/Ethically : Take them to the hazardous waste disposal in your county.

What I would do : Seat and shoot them, as many have suggested.

I for one would use them for plinking ammo. I'm cheap so I will never waste any component that can possible be used...
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+2 :D

Most entertaining : Put in can, place on lit BBQ, replace strong lid on BBQ. ( I like things that go bang)
 
Melt a half an inch of paraffin in a pan,,,

Melt a half an inch of paraffin in a pan,,,
Prime some cases with your primers,,,
Do the cookie cutter thing,,,
Fun plinking ammo.

Wax wadcutters,,,
Great for pest control.

Aarond

.
 
Neutralize them with a 50 wt% Sodium Carbonate solution and dispose of in the trash.

If it helps I'm a chemist in the aerospace industry.
 
Most entertaining : Put in can, place on lit BBQ, replace strong lid on BBQ. ( I like things that go bang)
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But please wear eye protection. And they are loud too. ;)
 
I came across Comrade Mike's suggestion in Wikipedia. It works. FYI sodium carbonate is washing soda, found in the laundry section.
 
Give them to a fellow shooter, with full disclosure. I'd sure take them off your hands, and dispose of them properly. I'm sure there's someone close to you that would do the same.

This will save you a trip to the local hazmat pickup on a Saturday morning when you could be doing other things.

Can you tell us more about these primers? Brand, etc?
 
I have been led to believe that soaking live primers in drain oil will deactivate them. After that I would dispose of them as I would any other trash.
 
Okay sodium carbonate I will check into, this seems a legitimate option. Will not simply bury them, and Cowboys point about prescribed burns is well taken. Also will check for free hazmat day, seems to me we had one not too long ago.

Yes seems a shame to throw them out just because they are questionable, but I've done same with powder that was inadvertently mixed. Not gonna sweat it.

Thanks again for constructive comments. - TH
 
Lead styphnate is only slightly soluble in water and methyl alcohol and may be neutralized by a sodium carbonate solution.
 
This is why lead primary explosives are sort of a double edges sword. They're pretty much insoluble in most solvents. Makes them resist the environment well but makes then hard to dispose of.
 
If you don't want to use them for plinking ammo like I suggested in Post #21 why not give them to someone who will? Tell them your concerns and let them choose to use them or not. Even though there are more primers available today they are still very expensive and hard to find in most cases.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
If you don't want to use them for plinking ammo like I suggested in Post #21 why not give them to someone who will? Tell them your concerns and let them choose to use them or not. Even though there are more primers available today they are still very expensive and hard to find in most cases.
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Okay Arch I will offer them to the local gentleman that sold me my last can of powder. He used to have a shop at our local rifle range and does reloading. I agree it seems a shame to have to toss them, but my sense is that they were bottom-of-the-barrel primers that were not taken care of properly and that's probably why it was the only box left at that gun show.

But I will not simply bury them. Powder is one thing, but primers have got a lot of gnarly chemicals in addition to being metallic.
 
Water does nothing. Oil doesn't always kill 'em either.
TfflHndn's firing 'em is the only 100% sure fire disposal technique for primers. You will absolutely not set 'em off by stepping on 'em. A deep hole if you don't want to load 'em.
 
Okay everyone will be happy to know that I donated these "questionable" primers to a local shop this morning.
 
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