Primer didn't fire, what to do?

[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!

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

[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.