Primer detonation?

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Primer detonation?

Post by bronco93 » 18 May 2018, 11:06 pm

Anybody ever had a primer go off while reloadimg How loud are they? I cant really make one "accidentally" go off seeing as my garage where I reload is about 3m from next door.
Dozen 22lr .22WMR .22WRF .22hornet .223 .310 .303 .243 .30-30 20g 12g .410 32-20 .357 and a couple .58 muzzle loaders
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by brett1868 » 18 May 2018, 11:14 pm

It's surprisingly difficult to set one off without a firing pin, I've mashed them when seating without going off. That said, there's plenty of reports online of entire primer tubes blowing up on Dillon presses. They're about the same volume as a cap gun so I wouldn't worry. Ensure you wear eye protection, if one does let go there's 2 small sharp bits of metal you don't want your eyes to get in the way of.
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by vmaxaust » 19 May 2018, 6:50 am

I have a Harvey primer removing hand tool. Use it for the odd time I only need to remove one or a few primers.
I loaded a primer into a 223 case backwards, put case in tool. Lay tool on the floor and stood on it. Acts like a firing pin. It went off perfectly and is reasonably loud but nothing like a gun shot. More like a cap gun on steroids.

http://www.harveydeprimer.com/




Anybody ever had a primer go off while reloadimg How loud are they? I cant really make one "accidentally" go off seeing as my garage where I reload is about 3m from next door.
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by Bent Arrow » 19 May 2018, 8:20 am

I've done it in a hand primer with the tray pretty much full. Was a long time ago loading 357 but scared the absolute beejeesees out of me. Wear safety glasses!
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by SCJ429 » 19 May 2018, 3:06 pm

Hit one with a hammer and it will go off. Loud enough to need hearing protection.
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by marksman » 19 May 2018, 4:20 pm

I have never had one go off when priming cases but do hold my lee hand primer tool facing away from me as I prime cases
I have had one detonate when depriming an unfired primer in a wilson hand loader while I was holding the die
did scare the living day lights out of me and did have to change my jocks :shock: , it wasn't just noisy it shot the depriming mandrel out of the die
the difference when taking out from the wilson to a wobble die is the wobble die pushes the primer out and you whack the primer out with the wilson
I don't do it with the wilson any more but have not had a problem depriming live primers with wobble dies
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by BRNO_Bigot » 19 May 2018, 6:47 pm

Did that a time or two in the old days with a Lee Loader - one of the old ones before they had a dedicated priming tool and you had to put the case over the primer and gently whack the case down level with a mallet (it had a rod in the case to to thump on, so you didn't beat the case lips up).

It was attention-getting, but not so bad that anyone actually needed new underwear. (except my mom, she sent us boys to play outside).
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by bigfellascott » 19 May 2018, 6:53 pm

Similar sound to a 22 going off, surprisingly loud!
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by wanneroo » 20 May 2018, 2:37 am

I know of someone that had a tube of primers go in their Hornady progressive and it nearly set their house on fire from the fireball that went upwards when the primer explosion set the powder on fire in the powder measure. A primer itself is loud enough to need hearing protection for.
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by coroboreeboy » 20 May 2018, 6:33 am

I have no experience with rifle primers, having only used small pistol primers. These aren't loud at all. I have a rough concrete floor in my shed and have had at least 3 primers detonate underfoot on separate occasions. Difficult to quantify how loud they were, but definitely didn't need hearing protection, would be louder hammering in a nail I'm sure.
Sometimes when reloading I get a primer not seated correctly, either sideways or not fully in the pocket. After pulling the projectile and emptying the powder, I often find that the primer is sticking out so far that I can't get the case back in the press to deprime it. I put the case on the bench base up and hammer the primer flat. I can now fit it in the press. Often, the primer goes off. No drama, don't even think about reaching for the ear muffs.
The closest that I came to serious injury, was some years ago when I had a loaded .38 round stuck in a Lee progressive press. I levered the round out with a screwdriver and the primer went off. Luckily for me, the round stuck because the primer was in sideways. Because the primer was in sideways, it failed to ignite the powder. That one called for a change of undies!
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by Homer » 25 May 2018, 6:43 pm

G'Day Fella's,

Bronco93, I know a bloke that despite the warning from Lee, used Federal small pistol primers in his Lee progressive press.
A heap of primers (60+) detonated all at once, which caused this bloke to s**t himself and leave his ears ringing, for weeks afterwards.
Luckily for him, he was smart enough to be wearing safety glasses (which were damaged in the explosion).
After that experience, he never used Federal primers in his Lee reloading press and he always wore a full face motor cycle helmet after that, when reloading!

They might look small and insignificant, but any primer is exceedingly powerful and potentially dangerous!
So don't play with them, as they are not toys!
You have been warned!!!

D'oh!
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Last edited by Homer on 26 May 2018, 10:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by straightshooter » 26 May 2018, 7:54 am

bronco93 wrote:Anybody ever had a primer go off while reloadimg How loud are they? I cant really make one "accidentally" go off seeing as my garage where I reload is about 3m from next door.

In over 40 years of reloading involving seating 30000+ primers and depriming 100's of live primers (with care) and using a variety of priming methods, I have never had a mishap.
I suppose it all depends just how ham fisted you are.
If, when things go askew, the tool you normally reach for first is a club hammer then you may experience difficulties.
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by bronco93 » 10 Aug 2018, 10:24 pm

I had fail after fail for tonight's little reloading session. I had a primer (actually 4) go off tonight. I got a case stuck in my decapping die (thats another story) So I was just using one of those lee hand loaders (the ones where you use a mallet an wack everything to load) to de prime. I forgot to size the neck so the cases were to big for the bullets. So I decided to de prime the the live primers with the lee hand loader so I could size the neck. Anyway, I had a welders glove on and a face shield, did about 10 of them no problem. But I forgot to remove the primers from underneath the loader. So I had 3 primers underneath and as I wacked the 4th one in they went off. Was a nice flash and the depriming rod just about went through the roof. My ears are still ringing haha and there is a nice hole in my work bench about 10mm deep. Pretty funny to watch on the CCTV. Funny thing is was teaching my missus how to reload. Atleast now she will know what not to do. Actually dont know how I didnt get the police knocking on my door. Was just as loud as my 223.
Dozen 22lr .22WMR .22WRF .22hornet .223 .310 .303 .243 .30-30 20g 12g .410 32-20 .357 and a couple .58 muzzle loaders
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by bladeracer » 11 Aug 2018, 6:26 am

I bet that made your ears ring :-)
I had one go off a couple months back. It got crushed in sideways in a .303 case, but it curved itself around the flash hole where the decapping pin couldn't reach it. So I had to pull it out with needle-nose pliers. I just about had it when the bastard went off!
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by Wombat » 12 Aug 2018, 1:09 pm

I've read that spraying primers with WD40 will make them inert. Maybe doing this and waiting for a day before trying to deprime a malformed primer may be the way to go?
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by bladeracer » 12 Aug 2018, 1:16 pm

Wombat wrote:I've read that spraying primers with WD40 will make them inert. Maybe doing this and waiting for a day before trying to deprime a malformed primer may be the way to go?


Perhaps, if you're concerned about primer detonation. Just makes a loud noise, I've never seen any fragments come from them.
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Re: Primer detonation?

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 12 Aug 2018, 4:10 pm

I have also read that dropping them in water is good..I just deprime and put in a bag until i find a suitable set place to dispose them
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