Primer didn't fire, what to do?

[SkookumJeff]

Not sure where to post this question, wish there was a reloading forum here, this is not a reloading 'equipment' issue.

I have a .357 magnum hand load that did not fire. Out of a box of fifty, this is the only one that failed. As I recall, I tried to fire this cartridge several times to no effect. There is a nice dimple in the primer.

I am nervous about trying to disassemble this cartridge, all I have is an impact puller for this caliber. I hate to just throw the cartridge into the garbage as is, I'd like to get it broke down and remove the primer. I'm nervous that this thing might still go off if I mess with it in any way. Any suggestions other than to just toss it?

Skook

[rototerrier]

Use a kinetic puller on it. No more chance of it going off than anything else. In fact, I'd even argue this round has an even less of a chance of going off since it won't fire from a direct hit.

If you are really concerned, though I wouldn't be, get a collet style puller.

You can also rig a manual puller. Put some leather around die hole of a press. Stick some needle nose vice grips down in there (threads protected by the leather/cloth) and then run the bullet up in the hole. Grab hold of the bullet with the vice grips and then lower the ram to pull the bullet.

[John Boy]

Only one round with a light hit? Bad primer
As far as pulling the bullet with a kinetic bullet puller - millions have been done by thousands of reloaders so what makes you so afraid!

[JBinMN]

ETA: I see to others have posted while I was typing.. G'luck! anyway!
:)

-----------------------------------------------

Are you trying to save it for some reason, or trying to make it inert/dead only?

I see no real good reason to save any of the components for just one cartridge, as all are not worth much. The cost of one case, a questionable primer & the charge & boolit/bullet being maybe about a quarter dollar or so max. isn't worth much in the grand scheme of things, IMO.. I would just want to make it "inert/dead" & throw the parts away or recycle only the lead & powder.

If , for some reason you want to save the components , I would just take the cartridge, place it in a shellholder of the correct size, then either run it up to the top of a single stage press & grab the projectile with a pair of "dikes" ( Diagonal pliers/snips) & lower the ram [pulling the case & the projectile apart. Or, if your press & the cartridge are not long enough for that, then place a socket that fits over that ram & run the projectile up thru the 3/8 or 1/2 square hole & do the same with the pliers there at the base of the press.

You could also,I think, if ya don't have a way of doing that, just take 2 pairs of pliers, eye protection & some leather gloves, then grab the case with one set of pliers & the boolit/bullet with the other & twist & bend at the same time to break apart the connection. I believe the likelihood of it going off is pretty small doing it that way also, but I would go with the first suggestion myself.

( I have done the Press method before & then removed the live primer also, for more than one cartridge to break down to use the components. All went well. So far, & I have enough confidence in that, to do it again. ;) it is a YMMV deal, I guess. ).

IMO, a cartridge would not have the same pressures outside of the chamber as it does when within the chamber since nothing constricts the possible pressure created if it for some weird reason would go off.

Do as ya like, but that is "My Opinion". You have to decide for yourself.
G'Luck!

:)

PS - I have tried the kinetic "whack" method & prefer the press method..Works every time for me, when the kinetic sometimes takes more than a few hits on some cartridges. I prefer to just get the job done without extra effort, myself.
;)
Once again... YMMV.
;)

[SkookumJeff]

Only one round with a light hit? Bad primer
As far as pulling the bullet with a kinetic bullet puller - millions have been done by thousands of reloaders so what makes you so afraid!

I've had and used my kinetic puller for at least 20 years now. I've used it enough to know that there's a lot of energy involved in getting a bullet to move. What I'm nervous about is the primer going off as I'm pounding the puller. Just because this primer didn't go off from a firing pin strike, doesn't mean the primer is dead. I've seen a picture of one of these kinetic pullers that did get blown apart from a cartridge detonating, so it does happen. I don't want to win a Darwin award.

Skook

[lightman]

You should be safe to pull it. While you should hold the gun in a safe way for a little while, it has been plenty long enough. I pick up any duds that I find at the range and break them down when I get home. Never a problem.

[popper]

Lightman is talking about a 'hang-fire', not normally a problem for us but a good reminder to "leave it in the chamber' for a while. Powder kinda fizzles for a while before going bang. Pull boolit, dump powder and punch out the primer (wear your safety glasses).

[SkookumJeff]

Are you trying to save it for some reason, or trying to make it inert/dead only?


;)

Just trying to make this cartridge dead, I don't care about saving the components, 'cept the lead of course, which I will remelt. I just want this cartridge dead.

Let me clarify, for some reason the anvil didn't detonate the primer mix. That doesn't mean the primer mix is dead (although that's a possibility too). This primer has a nice dimple in it but did not fire. It could be this primer is ready to detonate if the primer cup is flexed or the primer sustains a severe enough shock, say, from an impact puller. I don't want to be picking little pieces of hard plastic our of my face. Maybe I'm being a little over cautious here, that doesn't seem unreasonable to me given the nature of this hobby.

Skook

[fredj338]

I've taken apart dozens of live rounds with a kinetic, never an issue. Wear safety glasses just in case though.

[Soundguy]

I would bet a live round is less safe than your non firing one to kinetic pull, and I've kinetic pulled bajillions of rounds in the past to reclaim materials.

Chances are, bad primer.

[44MAG#1]

Put it in your press raise it up and take a pair of side cutters to the bullet and slowly raise the handle.
Again not rocket science.

[Grmps]

cheap bullet puller; (Will ruin the boolit)
a piece of pipe (PVC OK) that fits over your presses ram and is taller than the cartridge
place the cartridge in the ram, raise it until the boolit is clear of the pipe and grip the boolit with something (I use a wire stripper with the holes enlarged to a little under the boolit diamiter, but needle nose vise grips, side cutters, pliers, anything that can firmly grip the boolit)
Lower the ram and your done

[country gent]

If you arnt comfortable with the kenitic puller and hammering it out, then theres another way to pull it that's pretty easy. Pick up a piece of pipe or conduit that fits over the shell holder /ram of your press and cut it 1"-2" set this over the ram and raise ram up grip bullet with sidecuts and pull down the pipe will hold the side cuts up and the ram will pull the bullet.

[NSB]

Two years ago I pulled apart over 3,500 rounds of live ammo with a kinetic puller to salvage the bullets and powder. Not one problem. I've been using these pullers for years. If there were any real danger in using them no one would be making them....liability and lawsuits, etc. I wouldn't even hesitate doing it.

[RogerDat]

I'm not sure I see a direct compare between pulling apart live ammo and pulling apart a hang fire. By design the primer has pushed down to the anvil and might be more susceptible to going off. I would think the dikes and press pull down would be better than a kinetic, stand back not over your work, and if you have one wear a face shield, if not at least wear decent safety glasses.

I do recall a video that showed a bullet wouldn't penetrate drywall at 12 inches without a barrel around it to channel and contain the pressure. Putting it into a plastic container that will contain that blast like a pipe bomb seems less advisable than the press and pliers method.

[MOA]

If you are still nervous after these posts than just get some penetrating oil and put some in a plastic cap off a handy bottle from your shop and set the case in it for a day or so and the primer should be very, very, dead. Than just pull it. Throw powder away and re-use case and bullet.

[runfiverun]

you couldn't make it fire by igniting the primer 6 other times, it ain't gonna go off now.
knock it apart, throw the bullet in the pot, and reload the case.

[gwpercle]

It's OK, in the last 50 years I've used the kinetic puller on thousands of loaded rounds , most military with crimped in bullets. I've never had a primer go off...it sounds risky but it really isn't.
Get out your seating die and break the crimp by seating the boolit just 1/10th inch deeper , while applying no additional crimp. The primer on your round is more than likely non functioning anyway.
Insert in the puller and whack on a solid surface...three moderate blows works better than trying to do it with one big sledgehammer blow.
Case , bullet and powder can all be re used. Resize , deprime and carry on.

We used to break down military 30-06 ammo for the primed cases or to replace the full metal jacket bullet with soft point for deer hunting.
Gary

[RogerDat]

That break the crimp by seating the bullet deeper is a nice trick, I'll have to remember that. Made some "dummy" 45 colt rounds to go in a cartridge belt for a play and now have to pull them down, those have no primer but I think they do have a crimp on the bullet.

[Soundguy]

Heck, I even deprime live primed brass. As long as they aren't sealed, crimped or staked, go slow and its usually noise free ;)

[NSB]

A dud primer and a hang fire aren't the same thing. A hang fire is when there is a delay in the ignition of the powder. A dud primer is just a dud primer. It never goes off. After five or six hits it's just not going to fire.

[RogerDat]

A dud primer and a hang fire aren't the same thing. A hang fire is when there is a delay in the ignition of the powder. A dud primer is just a dud primer. It never goes off. After five or six hits it's just not going to fire. I stand corrected on my choice of terms. Thing is there is still the primer material in there, and yes one would have expected it to fire if it was going to by now but it is different than an unfired cartridge being torn down which several compared it to. Not the same. In real terms you have a compromised or damaged primer, it did not perform as designed, to me that means it can mis-perform in other unpredictable ways. Probably won't but to me it simply isn't worth taking even a small chance with an impact puller for that little reward.


The OP wants to dispose of it safely, I like the idea of soak in penetrating oil and pull apart on press to accomplish that making it safe for disposal. I applaud the responsibility that doesn't just say "dump it in the trash" without rendering it safe.

[Soundguy]

Merely setting it in oil or water won't automatically kill primers.

I've done two tests, motor oil and water with commercial ammo. Dropped a round in each, pulled out two days later.

Collet pulled projectile, dumped powder. It lit off fine with a match.. Primer popped when manually put in the breech and fired.

I'll never trust soaking methods to deactivate ammo.

I was given 2 of those brown paper and twine 15?packs of milsurp 762x54r that had rust pocked cases and watermark discolored paper.

I tossed part of one batch in a zip lock and oiled it. FORGOT about it and broke it down MONTHS later. All powder was dry and I ran all cases thru an old shot out type 53 to deactivate all primers before tossing them.. They ALL popped. At that point I shot the rest of the ammo in the 53, since the projectiles from the first group didn't clean up in the tumbler.

No cases let go, all fired and hit a cardboard target set close just to have proof of projectile exit. I use that shot out type 53 because its bore will swallow projectiles without them making much contact, Thu less pressure. That and an old ballistic he's wrapped around the action and string triggered. Only one round at a time.

If you want deactivated ammo, you must deactivate it. I have ww1 & later ammo like 303 & Turk 8mm that looks like it was buried in the desert. Some of the cordite rounds are getting dud and hangfire primers finally. Any time I find more I have stashed I just break it down for projectiles and burn off the powder.

[lightman]

Just trying to make this cartridge dead, I don't care about saving the components, 'cept the lead of course, which I will remelt. I just want this cartridge dead.

Let me clarify, for some reason the anvil didn't detonate the primer mix. That doesn't mean the primer mix is dead (although that's a possibility too). This primer has a nice dimple in it but did not fire. It could be this primer is ready to detonate if the primer cup is flexed or the primer sustains a severe enough shock, say, from an impact puller. I don't want to be picking little pieces of hard plastic our of my face. Maybe I'm being a little over cautious here, that doesn't seem unreasonable to me given the nature of this hobby.

Skook

You are plenty safe. Its not a ticking bomb. Your biggest danger was a few seconds after the primer was struck. After that, its all over. Especially since you tried to fire it a few other times. Its not going off. I've pulled bullets out of lots of live ammo, and more than a few duds, using a kinetic puller. And punched the primers out with no problem. Your damaged primer is not a problem. When removing the primer, just apply steady pressure, slow and easy. Work gloves and safety glasses are always a good idea.

[Soundguy]

Might be a primer that lost its anvil..

[MOA]

Merely setting it in oil or water won't automatically kill primers.

I've done two tests, motor oil and water with commercial ammo. Dropped a round in each, pulled out two days later.

Collet pulled projectile, dumped powder. It lit off fine with a match.. Primer popped when manually put in the breech and fired.

I'll never trust soaking methods to deactivate ammo.

I was given 2 of those brown paper and twine 15?packs of milsurp 762x54r that had rust pocked cases and watermark discolored paper.

I tossed part of one batch in a zip lock and oiled it. FORGOT about it and broke it down MONTHS later. All powder was dry and I ran all cases thru an old shot out type 53 to deactivate all primers before tossing them.. They ALL popped. At that point I shot the rest of the ammo in the 53, since the projectiles from the first group didn't clean up in the tumbler.

No cases let go, all fired and hit a cardboard target set close just to have proof of projectile exit. I use that shot out type 53 because its bore will swallow projectiles without them making much contact, Thu less pressure. That and an old ballistic he's wrapped around the action and string triggered. Only one round at a time.

If you want deactivated ammo, you must deactivate it. I have ww1 & later ammo like 303 & Turk 8mm that looks like it was buried in the desert. Some of the cordite rounds are getting dud and hangfire primers finally. Any time I find more I have stashed I just break it down for projectiles and burn off the powder.

This is why I chose specifically the words "penetrating oil". Motor oil and water is not "penetrating oil". Penetrating oil has very specific characteristics and will get into the primer and the powder after a few days of soaking. Then the cartridge can be broken down into its parts for future use or discarded.

[GhostHawk]

A Stand there, maintain muzzle control, keep muzzle pointed downrange for a timed 2 minutes.

B Unload gun.

C Using a kinetic hammer pull round apart.

D using a pin from a Lee depriming die and a block of wood with a hole drilled in it for the primer to drop into knock the primer out.

E throw primer.

F I have had a primer that got squeezed into a primer pocket sideways go off when the pin touched the inside of the primer. But, the case is pointed UP, my fingers are several inches away from the primer, the pin hopped a little, fingers tingled for 1 minute. But no damage was done. Period.

If you really want to be anal about it, weld an extension on to the depriming pin. But it really is not needed.

As long as the case is empty, bullet and powder are removed, no where near. There is nothing there to damage your fingers.

YMMV but that is my story and I'm sticking too it.

[plainsman456]

Just put in the press and use a pair of pliers on the bullet to pull it out.

It is not much of a problem.

[rondog]

Or, just throw it away.....

[fatelk]

Runfive is right, the only way that primer is going to pop is if you remove it from the cartridge and hit it with a sledgehammer. I’d pull it with a kinetic puller without a second thought.

I’ve seen the photos of exploded bullet pullers too, but always with the explanation that someone tried pulling an old military spotter or incendiary or something. I’ve never heard of a regular round going off in one.

[6bg6ga]

I had one that wouldn't go boom once. I took it apart and found a dead spider in the case. He died as a result of the primer going off and blocked the spark to the powder. I learned never to eat dinner and leave uncovered cases on the bench. Had it happen with a 300 Black out too.

[ChuckO]

So far people have mentioned safety glasses and face shields. No one has said anything about hearing protection. Even a primer detonation in my workshop would be too loud. I always put on the muffs when pulling ammunition.

[6bg6ga]

https://www.esafetysupplies.com/products/dupont-tychem-tk-fully-encapsulated-level-a-coverall-back-entry?utm_campaign=Product%20Ads%28BSC%29&utm_content=Disposable&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_term=1100504401014

Lets go the full route with a Hazmat Suit.

Now, you can safely remove the dud primer.:veryconfu

[Petrol & Powder]

you couldn't make it fire by igniting the primer 6 other times, it ain't gonna go off now.
knock it apart, throw the bullet in the pot, and reload the case.

/\ YEP /\

To the OP, you're wayyyyyy over thinking this.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I use an old pair of farrier's nippers in the reloading press to pull most bullets, little bullet damage and no thwack thwack thwack. Any cutter type pliers would work, then deprime carefully.

[Soundguy]

This is why I chose specifically the words "penetrating oil". Motor oil and water is not "penetrating oil". Penetrating oil has very specific characteristics and will get into the primer and the powder after a few days of soaking. Then the cartridge can be broken down into its parts for future use or discarded.

penetrating oil is just thin oil, and you are hoping capilary action can get past a sealed primer, sealed projectile, crimped primer, staked primer, or solid metal to metal seal.

Good primer pockets and crimps on AVERAGE commercial ammo should be fairly fluid tight for a good bit of time. Again.. I've done the testing and don't count on soaking to deactivate.

They have dug up ordinance in muck and water with DRY goods still intact from the great wars.

Soaking is hit or miss.

[Soundguy]

/\ YEP /\

To the OP, you're wayyyyyy over thinking this.

Yup.. every time I see threads like this.. I think.. someone is probably not cut out to mess with things that go boom and make ammo and use them, if this is causing a stoppage....

[Outpost75]

The risk of setting off a primer with an inertia puller is minimal. In the remote chance that it does happen, it is normally due either to a loose anvil, or from using a regular shell holder in the bullet puller, combined with a high or loose primer, such that the case head becomes mis-aligned with the shell holder and is set off by misalignment in the shell holder.

I HAVE had this happen to me twice in 40 years of reloading. Both times were .38 Special in which the round "popped," disassembled smoking and blew the case forcefully out the top of the bullet puller, bouncing off the ceiling. Once the bullet puller body also shattered, but other than ringing ears I was unhurt. But good reason to wear safety glasses in all reloading and unloading operations.

My advise is to try the inertia puller, but carefully, because several light taps are better than one mighty whack!

[blackthorn]

If you are still nervous after these posts than just get some penetrating oil and put some in a plastic cap off a handy bottle from your shop and set the case in it for a day or so and the primer should be very, very, dead. Than just pull it. Throw powder away and re-use case and bullet.

That is NOT repeat NOT going to work! Killing primers with oil (or anything else) is an OLD WIVES TALE! When I started reloading in the nineteen sixties, the “common” knowledge was; don’t touch the primers with your bare hand---you will “kill” the primer! During that time (and for some time thereafter) if I had to remove a primer from a damaged case etc. I dropped it into a small (airline liquor) bottle along with some really light weight oil. Later I learned I could have reused most of those primers and the little bottle got shoved to the back corner of a shelf. This subject appears from time to time on one or another of the sites I visit and I remembered that little bottle. SO----I went and found it. I dumped out the 20+ oil soaked primers and washed them in white gas (Coleman fuel). I let them dry for a day and then set them into some old 303 brass. The freshest primer in that bottle was at least 20 years old. Every one of those primers fired (to some degree)! Some only lightly “popped” but others gave quite an authoritative “bang”. I don’t know if they had enough power to set off a powder charge BUT I do know I will never believe you can “kill” a primer by soaking it in anything.

[mdi]

I've had and used my kinetic puller for at least 20 years now. I've used it enough to know that there's a lot of energy involved in getting a bullet to move. What I'm nervous about is the primer going off as I'm pounding the puller. Just because this primer didn't go off from a firing pin strike, doesn't mean the primer is dead. I've seen a picture of one of these kinetic pullers that did get blown apart from a cartridge detonating, so it does happen. I don't want to win a Darwin award.

Skook

If this is the case, take it to your local PD. Or just put it in a drawer someplace and forget about, OH wait, it might roll around in the drawer and explode! Add me to the thousands (tens of thousands?) of impact bullet puller users that have used one for many years with out any problems. I've even used shell holders instead of the collets supplied with the puller!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Or, just throw it away.....

This seems to be what most shooters do with "duds" at my sportsmans club range...mostly I find them on the ground while scrounging the spent brass, but some make it into the trash cans, which I will occasionally empty, since I may use the range more than most (our range isn't very busy).

Now, I'm not gonna preach that you should or shouldn't trash 'em.
Myself I pick 'em all up and save them, most are factory loads, After a police "Qual" shoot, they will be 5 or 10 loaded rounds I suspect from clearing chamber (no dents in primer), these usually have water damage as our range is in a swampy woods. While I will sometimes disassemble them with a inertia puller, mostly they sit in a box near all my sorted range brass of calibers I'll never use.

[Soundguy]

That is NOT repeat NOT going to work! Killing primers with oil (or anything else) is an OLD WIVES TALE! When I started reloading in the nineteen sixties, the “common” knowledge was; don’t touch the primers with your bare hand---you will “kill” the primer! During that time (and for some time thereafter) if I had to remove a primer from a damaged case etc. I dropped it into a small (airline liquor) bottle along with some really light weight oil. Later I learned I could have reused most of those primers and the little bottle got shoved to the back corner of a shelf. This subject appears from time to time on one or another of the sites I visit and I remembered that little bottle. SO----I went and found it. I dumped out the 20+ oil soaked primers and washed them in white gas (Coleman fuel). I let them dry for a day and then set them into some old 303 brass. The freshest primer in that bottle was at least 20 years old. Every one of those primers fired (to some degree)! Some only lightly “popped” but others gave quite an authoritative “bang”. I don’t know if they had enough power to set off a powder charge BUT I do know I will never believe you can “kill” a primer by soaking it in anything.


Agreed!, this is the exact same thing I have observed.

[vzerone]

That is NOT repeat NOT going to work! Killing primers with oil (or anything else) is an OLD WIVES TALE! When I started reloading in the nineteen sixties, the “common” knowledge was; don’t touch the primers with your bare hand---you will “kill” the primer! During that time (and for some time thereafter) if I had to remove a primer from a damaged case etc. I dropped it into a small (airline liquor) bottle along with some really light weight oil. Later I learned I could have reused most of those primers and the little bottle got shoved to the back corner of a shelf. This subject appears from time to time on one or another of the sites I visit and I remembered that little bottle. SO----I went and found it. I dumped out the 20+ oil soaked primers and washed them in white gas (Coleman fuel). I let them dry for a day and then set them into some old 303 brass. The freshest primer in that bottle was at least 20 years old. Every one of those primers fired (to some degree)! Some only lightly “popped” but others gave quite an authoritative “bang”. I don’t know if they had enough power to set off a powder charge BUT I do know I will never believe you can “kill” a primer by soaking it in anything.

Might be in the early days of primers that they weren't sealed. I'm talking about the primer itself not seated in a cartridge. I always laughed about "don't touch them with your fingers". First off you're only handling it a minute amount of time. Second you my not have your finger over top the anvil end. Primers are pretty durable little critters!

[frkelly74]

I like the short piece of PVC pipe and a set of wire crimpers method mentioned way back there somewhere. It does distort the bullet but it is non impact and seems safe to me. The pipe piece I use is from a 1 1/2" PVC trap cut off and even though it is thin walled it has served well.

[sawinredneck]

Put it in a press and smash it!
I honestly have no idea how many loaded rounds I’ve broken down with a kenetic puller. I was given 100rds of 40 S&W that someone else had loaded, all came apart just fine with no issues.

[44MAG#1]

It's hard to believe this has generated 3 pages of replies. And it seems the OP seems so unconcerned about it.

[frkelly74]

The real reason that I tried the method I use is that I broke my inertial puller that my brotherinlaw gave me and was too cheap to buy another one, and I found that I liked gently pulling rather than impact pulling.

The reason that mass cannot be weighed is that the concept of weight is only valid in one particular gravitational environment at a time. On earth gravity is constant and so the relative mass can be expressed in terms of weight. It is apples to apples because the gravity is a constant. In space you have to think in terms of mass because mass is related to inertia which a body does have even in a weightless environment. A body in a weightless environment with its inertia will take force to move it and force to slow it down relative to its mass. Newton had this all figured out. The systems used in the space industry tend to use metric measures and therefore mass is called out in kilograms for the calculating of moving things around. Please pardon the off topic discourse. I could not help myself.

[SkookumJeff]

It's hard to believe this has generated 3 pages of replies. And it seems the OP seems so unconcerned about it.

I've been busy for a day or two, just getting back to this post. Unconcerned? Not so. Many thanks to the folks that gave me some good advice. Most of the posts here were much appreciated. I am surprised this post generated so much response.

I don't start posts just to entertain myself. I had a problem, I was curious what others have done with this problem. A couple of comments from me. The comment about using PVC to shield the ram is exactly what I was looking for. Should have thought of that myself. I've also tested (bare) primers by soaking them in oil for days or weeks. I've yet to see that work.

I've been hand loading ammo since I bought my first centerfire firearm in 1980, a Winchester 30-30. I bought that gun to hunt deer and bear with. At the time raising a family I couldn't afford a 30-06, which is what I really wanted and what eventually replaced that rifle. The '06 was eventually sold when I upgraded to a 300 Win mag. I load everything except rimfire ammunition. Pistol, rifle, shotgun. I recently retired after a 4 decade career working as a machinist, a CAD jockey and an IT analyst. I've hunted and fished all my life, another passion of mine is running rivers in my drift boat. Photography, writing and woodworking compliment my shooting hobby. To those who suggest I'm too timid to load ammunition, well, all I can say is don't be like Dick, cause Dick doesn't know what he's talking about. I've been on here long enough to recognize the usual suspects that seem compelled to post derogatory comments. It's always the same folks. Lastly, given my interests, I get around in forums. Of the forum's I use, this forum, this community is the best on the internet and I respect and appreciate the expertise that is shared here.

Skook

[Geezer in NH]

Put it in your press raise it up and take a pair of side cutters to the bullet and slowly raise the handle.
Again not rocket science.Winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Soundguy]

For those that broke their inertial puller, a foot of 3/4 PVC, a T, and 2 slip caps and you can make one. Trim 2 1" or so pieces, under into either side of T, big piece is handle, cap on both sides, drill cap just smaller than your shell holder.

If you have a bucket of stuff in the garage you can make one free, vs a 7-11$ one, in a pinch

[Soundguy]

Hmm.. Post # 48 doesn't seem to match thread title...

37 ys loading/shooting exp vs not knowing what to do with a recalcitrant primer.

Just sayin.... ;)

[jeff100]

Hmm.. Post # 48 doesn't seem to match thread title...

37 ys loading/shooting exp vs not knowing what to do with a recalcitrant primer.

Just sayin.... ;)

Recalcitrant primer? Cha CHING, dollar word, I like that.

Yeah, you'd think, right? Honestly, over all that time, just haven't had a lot of hangfires, they make me nervous when they do happen. I don't like it when my fuse burns down and nothing happens either. I figured I'd get a bit of razzing over this, it's all good.

Skook.

[Soundguy]

Believe me, I'm not a fan of hang fires or dud primers either. The hangfires are imho, worse.

If I have a batch of ammo, like miksurp, and I start seeing dud or hangfires, I just stop and put it in the reclaim pile, and depending on what it is, and how old, might just keep the projectiles. I've kinetic pulled until numbers. I have a few sizes of colkets and depending on what I'm pulling or what I'm doing with it, I may collect or kinetic pull.

[David2011]

I stand corrected on my choice of terms. Thing is there is still the primer material in there, and yes one would have expected it to fire if it was going to by now but it is different than an unfired cartridge being torn down which several compared it to. Not the same. In real terms you have a compromised or damaged primer, it did not perform as designed, to me that means it can mis-perform in other unpredictable ways. Probably won't but to me it simply isn't worth taking even a small chance with an impact puller for that little reward.


The OP wants to dispose of it safely, I like the idea of soak in penetrating oil and pull apart on press to accomplish that making it safe for disposal. I applaud the responsibility that doesn't just say "dump it in the trash" without rendering it safe.

A damaged primer can become sensitized without going off. Sometimes, rarely, they go bang later with little pressure when you try to press them out of the case. It won't hurt anything as long as you have the proper protective gear on but may make you wet your pants.

Oil or water will not kill a primer.


I had one that wouldn't go boom once. I took it apart and found a dead spider in the case. He died as a result of the primer going off and blocked the spark to the powder. I learned never to eat dinner and leave uncovered cases on the bench. Had it happen with a 300 Black out too.

I had the same thing happen with Jun bugs crawling into .40 S&W cases. The press (Dillon 650 with case feeder) was in a large workshop with no insect protection.

[rondog]

This seems to be what most shooters do with "duds" at my sportsmans club range...mostly I find them on the ground while scrounging the spent brass, but some make it into the trash cans, which I will occasionally empty, since I may use the range more than most (our range isn't very busy).

Now, I'm not gonna preach that you should or shouldn't trash 'em.
Myself I pick 'em all up and save them, most are factory loads, After a police "Qual" shoot, they will be 5 or 10 loaded rounds I suspect from clearing chamber (no dents in primer), these usually have water damage as our range is in a swampy woods. While I will sometimes disassemble them with a inertia puller, mostly they sit in a box near all my sorted range brass of calibers I'll never use.

I do the same, my club has matches and training classes, and sometimes I can find dozens of live rounds and duds. I just save 'em up until I get a bunch, then have a bullet pulling festival. Sort out the bullets and reuse 'em, brass too. Punch out the primers unless they're virgins, throw the powder on the lawn.

But if the OP only has one round he's concerned with, I'd just toss it. It's not a bomb after all. If it's really a concern, then toss it out in a pond or lake, it'll sink in the mud and never be seen again.

[crackers]

" I dropped it into a small (airline liquor) bottle..."
Aw jeez.

[Dennis Eugene]

When I see a post such as this generate three pages over such a simple thing as a dud round I can't help but shake my head. I remember when this site was a place to come and learn, to share novel ideas with like minded individuals. Now I see how much time I wasted just getting to this point I begin to wonder why I stop in here at all anymore. In ten short years in amazes me to see where we have gone, and frightens me to contemplate where we are headed. D.

[mdi]

When I see a post such as this generate three pages over such a simple thing as a dud round I can't help but shake my head. I remember when this site was a place to come and learn, to share novel ideas with like minded individuals. Now I see how much time I wasted just getting to this point I begin to wonder why I stop in here at all anymore. In ten short years in amazes me to see where we have gone, and frightens me to contemplate where we are headed. D.

Yep, fear of a common practice can be paralyzing...

[303Guy]

Will a primer dislodge the boolit from the crimp?

There are two possible causes of misfires (apart from the dud primer). No powder and a fired primer! :oops:

The no powder is easily preventable but getting a spent primer in the primer try can catch a person. :mrgreen:

[Drew P]

When I see a post such as this generate three pages over such a simple thing as a dud round I can't help but shake my head. I remember when this site was a place to come and learn, to share novel ideas with like minded individuals. Now I see how much time I wasted just getting to this point I begin to wonder why I stop in here at all anymore. In ten short years in amazes me to see where we have gone, and frightens me to contemplate where we are headed. D.
Sounds like you could improve on your reading skills. The post was clearly titled and could have been skipped over. Remember, it’s only simple matter after your process has brought you to the feeling that it’s simple. Maybe lots of other people don’t have that resolution yet. I myself have heard the oil soaking trick, various pulling methods, some of which make no sense to me (inertia). What I do is save them to throw in the bonfire. It’s nit that safe initially, but afterward they are very safe.

[John Boy]

What I'm nervous about is the primer going off as I'm pounding the puller. Just because this primer didn't go off from a firing pin strike, doesn't mean the primer is dead.
In order for the anvils in a primer to ignite, the have to be hit fast and hard. The primer in a kinetic hammer is not being hit hard and fast

[JBinMN]

I am getting the impression that this is starting to become a case of..... 208729

I unsubscribed a while back, but this topic keeps popping up in the daily pages I check. Like this time, I kept checking to see what had happened...

Only thing I am curious about, is what did SkookumJeff ( The OP), do with the cartridge???

Otherwise, even though I am not trying to stop folks from posting here, & I am not sure about the rest of ya, but I am all for letting this topic "die". That is "my" vote anyway.
;)

[fatelk]

Call the bomb squad. They’ll come in wearing those level III armored suits and dispose of it safety with a controlled explosion. :)

[fatelk]

A damaged primer can become sensitized without going off. Sometimes, rarely, they go bang later with little pressure when you try to press them out of the case

Interesting, learn something new every day. I’ve never heard of this before. Is it something you’ve seen personally?

[SkookumJeff]

Only thing I am curious about, is what did SkookumJeff ( The OP), do with the cartridge???

;)

Can't find that cartridge right now dang it. Put it back in the ammo box, but, I have a LOT of ammo in my ammo locker, so far haven't found the box it's in. That said, once I do find it, I'm just gonna take some wire cutters and pull the boolit in my press. Then I'm gonna hit that primer with a torch to see if it pops. I'm betting it will. I'll post the results in case anyone has an interest early next week.

Skook

[mold maker]

By heating the head of the case enough to fire the primer, you will likely render the case useless. The process is called annealing which is good for the mouth and neck, but not the head.
Push the primer, pour the powder, and save the case and bullet.
If little rocket man can hold the world hostage surely you can accomplish this simple task.

[fatelk]

I’m sure I don’t need to say it, but be careful and wear good safety glasses and gloves when you do that. That primer will likely pop and come shooting out like a little bullet.

I knew a guy who pulled apart an old shotgun shell and shot the primed hull with a BB gun. Part of that primer came across the yard and embedded itself deep in his arm. He had to go in and have it surgically removed.

[44MAG#1]

He had to be a phenomenal shot with a BB gun or he had a very small yard.

[yeahbub]

Of all the commercial primers I've loaded over 40 years of reloading, I only recall two duds. One had an empty primer cup, no trace of compound at all. The other I'm not sure about. Both, and a bozillion others were successfully pulled with kinetic pullers. Pull it and go.

The only kinetic puller horror story I ever read about was some fellow who detonated a WW2 8mm spotter bullet when it pulled and hit the bottom of the tube, but that's a whole different animal.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I knew a guy who pulled apart an old shotgun shell and shot the primed hull with a BB gun. Part of that primer came across the yard and embedded itself deep in his arm. He had to go in and have it surgically removed.


He had to be a phenomenal shot with a BB gun or he had a very small yard.

My Dad (God rest his soul) had a awesome story about a BB gun and a live 12ga shotshell...I believe it happened when he was 8 or 9 ?

It's not a real long story, but it's too late for me to type it, tonight.

[fatelk]

He had to be a phenomenal shot with a BB gun or he had a very small yard.

Or just really (un)lucky. It was 30+ years ago, an elderly friend of my grandfather. The way I heard it he set the hull on a fence and took a shot at it, then immediately realized the foolishness of his actions. As I recall he only had one hand . The other had been lost in a hunting accident when he was younger. The primer piece hit the stub and traveled up his arm. It’s been a long time so I may not have the details quite right.

[fatelk]

Another friend has a story of throwing live 22lr ammo into a fire. It involved picking a sliver of brass out of his ear.

[6bg6ga]

When I see a post such as this generate three pages over such a simple thing as a dud round I can't help but shake my head. I remember when this site was a place to come and learn, to share novel ideas with like minded individuals. Now I see how much time I wasted just getting to this point I begin to wonder why I stop in here at all anymore. In ten short years in amazes me to see where we have gone, and frightens me to contemplate where we are headed. D.

Sir, I for one apologize that you had to be put out reading this thread. That you wasted your time reading all the way thru it. We should in fact do some soul searching on what may be acceptable threads and simply forward them to you for your thoughts and consideration before posting anything.

[44MAG#1]

While I have found this thread entertaining. The question in my mind is did it really need to generate this many responses?
Depriming a live round isn't very dangerous unless one tries to do it with a hammer by beating the manure out of it.
I would have used side cutters put the round in the press raising the cartridge grabbing the bullet and lowering the hammer. That way no whacks or anything else. Regular loaded cartridges I use a hammer style puller. And have for years.
I don't soak cartridges in oil or other liquids.
There is very, very, very, very few things in reloading the requires rocket science intelligence.
This is one of them.
Too many now wants to be spoon fed rather than digging after the knowledge. I had to dig. Still do quite a bit of research now although information is now more prevalent than in 1970.
Until I bought my Glock M20 a few months ago I knew nothing a bout a 10MM. But I am learning through working for the knowledge not sitting back and wanting to be spoon fed.
We will always have the both kinds the spoon fed types and the study, work and dig after knowledge types.
I guess we need both types.

[lightman]

I'm just guessing, but I expect the OP wants to salvage the case because its part of a batch of brass that he is keeping together. He will eventually loose some to loose primer pockets or splits but he mentioned 50, so I'm betting he has these in boxes.

Anyway, the method I like best is in post #12 that Grmps posted about the PVC pipe. I do the same thing with the top of the press when the cartridge is long enough to stick through the threaded area.

[mdi]

I think this thread shows how paralyzing fear can be. A simple operation, done prolly tens of thousands of times, is so frightening to a person that he cannot decide what to do with a single misfired round.

I took apart a primer very early in my reloading career to see what actually happened when hit with a firing pin. The compound needs to be crushed, with force, between the primer cup and anvil for any ignition to take place. No crushing taking place in an inertia bullet puller...

[RED BEAR]

For a single bullet if you are worried about it at all. I would say toss it in a river or creek. Why bother over a single round.

[SkookumJeff]

I think this thread shows how paralyzing fear can be. A simple operation, done prolly tens of thousands of times, is so frightening to a person that he cannot decide what to do with a single misfired round.

I took apart a primer very early in my reloading career to see what actually happened when hit with a firing pin. The compound needs to be crushed, with force, between the primer cup and anvil for any ignition to take place. No crushing taking place in an inertia bullet puller...

You ask a simple question, expect to get a few simple answers. I never could have imagined the commotion this question created...and I'm the one who's over thinking this?

Since this thread has spiraled out of control...here's one for y'all...

My first experience with live ammo took place when I was 9 yo. I came upon a kid younger than me who I thought was lighting firecrackers. Turns out he had a paper bag of 22 shells, was placing them one at a time on a flat rock and smashing them with another rock. BANG! After I saw what he was doing I thought that was 'bout the most fun a kid could have so I joined in we spent a few hours smashing all those 22 shells with big rocks. By the time we were done a whole passel of kids had surrounded us to watch the fun. Course being the responsible youngsters we were, we didn't let any of the 'little' kids participate, too dangerous. This was fifty years ago. No one was injured, nobody got arrested, nobody got sued.

Skook

[gray wolf]

You ask a simple question, expect to get a few simple answers. I never could have imagined the commotion this question created...and I'm the one who's over thinking this?

Since this thread has spiraled out of control...here's one for y'all...

My first experience with live ammo took place when I was 9 yo. I came upon a kid younger than me who I thought was lighting firecrackers. Turns out he had a paper bag of 22 shells, was placing them one at a time on a flat rock and smashing them with another rock. BANG! After I saw what he was doing I thought that was 'bout the most fun a kid could have so I joined in we spent a few hours smashing all those 22 shells with big rocks. By the time we were done a whole passel of kids had surrounded us to watch the fun. Course being the responsible youngsters we were, we didn't let any of the 'little' kids participate, too dangerous. This was fifty years ago. No one was injured, nobody got arrested, nobody got sued.

Skook

And this means what ?
Other than Kids can and do participate in doing dangerous things.
Don't smash your bullet with a rock.
Put it in an inertia puller and be done with it, cheese man.

[crackers]

"As I recall he only had one hand . The other had been lost in a hunting accident when he was younger."
I'm surprised the guy was elderly. That type usually doesn't even get to retirement.

[SkookumJeff]

And this means what ?
Other than Kids can and do participate in doing dangerous things.
Don't smash your bullet with a rock.
Put it in an inertia puller and be done with it, cheese man.

It was an anecdote intended to be humorous. I got what I needed here about 50 posts prior. Sorry you didn't like the story, I'm done here.

Skook