Don't be stupid & light off your primer tube. A public service announcement.
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So I had my first "That was dumb. Yep, I still have 10 fingers." moment while reloading some 9mm last night. I was sitting at my Hornady LnL progressive press, which seems to have a problem with Federal small primers hanging up when the cam tries to slide them forward. On most days it's only been a minor annoyance, however last night for some reason every single one was sticking in there. I started down the wrong decision path by getting annoyed.
After 5 teardowns to clear the jam, on the 6th one I stupidly decided to just rack on the cam a few times to clear it out. The smart thing to do WOULD have been to stop, tear it all down, and leave it alone until I could chamfer the bottom of the hole where the edge of the primers were hanging up. I must have left my thinking cap at work.
So, what did the stuck primer say to his 94 friends sitting on top of him in the primer tube? BANG!!! The protective blast shield steel tube that surrounds the aluminum primer tube acted like a barrel and shot the ruptured aluminum tube an inch into my ceiling! (see photo) Primers are no joke, folks, the entire full tube lit off insantaneously just like a gun shot.
Be safe, guys, and don't let the combination of testosterone & malfunctioning machinery get the best of you. I take full responsibility for the ID10T error here, it could have easily caused an injury much greater than my pride & a ringing in my ear. I'm pretty embarrased about it but maybe my story will save someone else some pain.