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ace1001
03-28-2007, 01:47 PM
Have any of you had or known of primers igniting from: static discharge, electric fencers,welders or concussion from dropped gun, ect. Ace

44man
03-28-2007, 03:18 PM
I have punched out live primers for years, dropped them, stepped on them, got them in sideways, upside down, you name it, and have never had one go off. (51 years.)
The only one I know of is when my friend left one on his bench and while soldering something, he passed the flame over it and it popped.

357maximum
03-28-2007, 03:55 PM
I know a guy that touched off 100 or so small pistol primers in an old inline progressive press..pacific or some such deal...it was a heavy handed ******* operator induced error....he took out a few ceiling tiles and had a ringing in his ears. Not sure what he did but i would say one was upside down and he forced the machine when it hung up..no it was not me, it was a friend of my father in law who is famous for owning big hammers, but none that are too big.

I set off 1 primer unintentionally with a lee hammer loader in 38 spcl as a kid....same type of deal.....too big a hammer...no harm done just a pulsation and sting to my finger and a puzzled look upon my face.

ace1001
03-28-2007, 04:11 PM
I wonder if an electric fencer could set off all 6 in your revolver. One for Mythbusters, but of course, we would have to start the myth. Ace

MtJerry
03-28-2007, 04:30 PM
I set off a primer once while unloading some 45ACP. I was using a shell holder from my press instead of the littel collet supplied with the tool.

This is a DANGEROUS practice ... please don't repeat my mistake.

Here is a post I made about it on another forum, be sure to read the whole thread as I finally figured out my mistake:

http://www.familyfriendsfirearms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48609&highlight=reloading+accident

JeffinNZ
03-28-2007, 06:17 PM
In my young (and foolish) days I lined up a shotshell primer in my father's vice in the shed and whacked it with a sharp end of a nail.

DANG did my ears ring for an hour!!!!!! Did I mention it was a tin shed? LOUD! I'll give you loud!

Bigjohn
03-28-2007, 06:47 PM
I can also relate a secondhand story of two primer discharges.

Both occurred on a friends Dillon 550 press while reloading 45 acp.

Both were jammed under the shell plate base plate when he lowered the ram; caught them on the edge of the primer cup. And both were in the same reloading session a couple of minutes apart.

I was in the room for the first and outside for the second.

John

DLCTEX
03-28-2007, 07:37 PM
I too have punched out live primers without a discharge, rifle, pistol, and shotgun.
I've had them crosswise , backwards, crushed them and bent them. A few months ago I finally had one discharge. My Rockchucker press bolts were slightly loose and a small rifle primer worked under the press as I was doing some caliber changing sizing. There was a loud pop so I shut down until I finally found the fired primer with a scorched mark to affirm what had happened. Dale

dubber123
03-28-2007, 07:43 PM
I once read about a fellow that wanted some real looking, but inert display rounds. He came up with the idea to heat the primer up on a primed but empty case until it popped. This in theory would give it an unfired appearance, but with no live primer. The primer fired backwards out of the case and 2" into his bicep muscle. OUCH. I imagine it was pretty hot by that time too. Primers are potent little buggers.

26Charlie
03-28-2007, 08:54 PM
I have had a primer pop when depriming a live primer in .30-06, in the press. I hold a piece of metal sheet so it can't get me, if I have to do this.
There was a semi-custom ammo maker in Virginia who had some sort of assembly operation involving several workers - this was about 18 years ago near Fredericksburg. He had one woman depriming live pistol cases, the primers dropping into a container from the press. After about 1500, one let go in the press and fired all those in the container. The woman was badly injured. Of course, water or oil in the container would have prevented the problem, but I never met the owner, so I don't know how smart he was. I only talked to the sheriff's deputy who investigated it.

ace1001
03-28-2007, 11:09 PM
If you want to neutralize primers, just spray the inside with WD-40. Hell of a trick to play on your hunting buddies. I will kill shotgun primers from the outside. Ace

MtGun44
03-28-2007, 11:17 PM
This WD-40 thing is fine as far a possibly making your ammo
not work - NOTE the "possibly" part, this is very important.

FACT:

WD-40 DOES NOT reliably or permanently deactivate primers !!!

Ask me how I know this. [smilie=1:

Bill

buck1
03-28-2007, 11:50 PM
A buddy of mine touched the end of a RCBS primer tube, he got a static spark and lit off the whole tube at once! He lost about 1 inch of trigger finger and had to have several primers removed from his hand.
Those tubes get a build up of primer dust over time, THEY NEED TO BE CLEANED SOMETIMES!.........................Buck

44man
03-29-2007, 08:11 AM
Extreme care must be used with every loading process and primers are the most touchy. I have been lucky but always use care.
But I have one question for Ace---do you plan on going around touching your gun to electric fences? I don't think it will set off a primer but why not load one round and go touch one and let us know what happens. Take off the rubber grips too to make it more interesting. And don't pee on the fence!
Guys, we can have fun with this one, Hee, Hee.

looseprojectile
03-29-2007, 12:10 PM
I had one of the little tools that had a punch and a base with a hole in it for clearance for the primer to go out the bottom. These were made for those crimped GI primers. Use a hammer to strike the punch. Worked fine.
To speed up the operation I would assemble the primed case on the base with the punch inside and hold the base against my leg. Did hundreds this way. Thanks to the three layers of fabric I only had a nasty two inch bruise for a month.
NOW, I never use any tool that involves percussion around reloading gear at all.
Something that has always made me cringe is those who would pick up a can of powder and shake it to see how full it is.
A lot of powder has NITRO GLYCERIN in it. Black powder is especially prone to detonate with rough handling. It is true that smokeless powder can be made to detonate from percussion. I won't give it a chance. I ain't as stupid as I once was. Experience is a good teacher, if we live through it. By the way, I worked for Hercules Powder Company for a while in the seventies, learned to respect explosives.:roll:
Be careful out there.
Happy shooting

3sixbits
03-29-2007, 12:19 PM
If you notice the primer tubes on Mike Dillon's machines you will notice they are vary different than the way he made them when he was still working out of his garage at home. This was because another manufacture had a primer tube blow on there press when a customer touched off the tube on a fluorescent light fixture hanging over his loading bench.

ace1001
03-29-2007, 12:34 PM
I don't want to arc on the finish of my gun. I duck under fences every day and started to wonder about the havoc a chainfire on my revolver could cause. Ace