Remove Live Primers

[Harry]

Thanks for all the info. I never knew that after drying, the primers would once more be active. This forum rocks.

[Reverend Al]

I save decapped live primers in a pill bottle marked "decaps".
I use them for plinking or experimental loads. I would never just toss them- I've lived through two "shortages" when you could NOT find primers.
Thomas
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Same here ... I've deprimed hundreds if not thousands of rounds of scrap ammunition after pulling the bullets and powder charges (mostly from ammo given to me which is of unknown heritage or loading information). I save those primers and use them for fire-forming cases with blank charges and cornmeal filler. It saves me wasting expensive, brand new primers and if I get the odd misfire or dud it's really not a big deal since they didn't cost me anything in the first place. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Bmi48219]

I've salvaged a couple hundred primers in the past few years, used a Lee Classic punch & base and a 8 oz. rawhide mallet. Safety glasses and a leather glove on hand that holds punch. Never had one go off while being tapped out. I keep the in a airtight plastic vial marked with the primer size. I use them for target practice loads. Never had one FTF.

[lightman]

I've removed lots of live primers with both a resizing die and a universal decapping die with no problem. Just go slow and smooth and wear safety glasses, just because! I would not recommend driving them out with a punch and hammer. BMI proved that you can, but there are safer ways. Save and reuse them if you want, but I don''t. I have no problems dumping them in the trash can for disposable.

[Blackknight]

I had a lot of shotgun primers, removed from shotgun shells that were broken down to salvage components when the crow roost moved. I placed the primers in a glass jar, filled it with transmission fluid, set it on the work bench for a couple years and while cleaning the bench I found them and threw the contents in a brush pile. When I was burning the brush pile several months later it sounded like pop corn popping.

[Soundguy]

Agreed, I've seen primers recover from being wet and oily. I either re-use em, or pop em..

[mdi]

I'm in the "carefully remove and reuse" camp. I've done a few in my 30 years of reloading (even with a Lee punch type, verrrrrry carefully!). Just like a bunch of the fellers above I've not had any problems and no FTFs using the "used" primers. But, it's your ammo, your guns and your time. If you feel better, mebbe safer, about trying to "kill" the primers and using fresh primers, then by all means do that. What I'm comfortable with my feel "cavalier" or hap-hazard to you...

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I would advise against doing that; I'd recommend you deprime, as planned, and prime with new primers after trimming and cleaning the brass. It might cost you $0.30 or $0.40 (new primers) to preclude a "misfire" at an inopportune time.

Another vote for re-priming with new primers.

Why take a chance with old primers & new components & the old primers ( or even just some of them) don't work & then you went to the efforts of loading & all for nothing & then still have to dispose of, or take them apart to try to recover, etc.

Your decision & G'Luck! with whatever ya decide.

OK, thank you all for the advise. I will carefully deprime and start from scratch. I suppose placing the primers in water for a time should make them safe. Is that OK? How do you dispose of live primers?

Thanks,

I have stumbled onto "non-factory" primed cases on several occasions. If I feel the need to decap the live primers, I will not use them for anything but plinkers or target loads. I store them in used factory packages, that have been clearly marked Salvaged primers and include a note of their history/source. I probably have 6 or 7 packages of them on the shelf right now.

One time, much like Harry's situation, 200 rds of 30-06 primed cases that were stored in a damp MN basement for more than a decade. The brass was heavily tarnished and I wasn't sure if the cases were FL sized or just necksized...no previous owner to ask. So I decaped them and use the old live primers for fireforming wildcat cases or even plinking loads where I am fireforming cases to match a rifle's chamber.

Another time, I swapped for some 44 mag brass with what turned out to be a former member who is a famed DeadBeat...anyway, in the package that was suppose to only be 44 brass shipped via USPS, was 44 loaded ammo and 45 colt primed cases mixed in...those had Rifle primers in them, and they protruded the case head like a sore thumb.

[blackthorn]

After all the times this subject has been discussed on this board, I almost cannot believe there are still "old hands" touting the soaking of primers in ANYTHING with the idea they will be made dead! SO---I'll post this again:
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.

See also post #25 in this thread.

[dverna]

It is probably safe to deprime if you do it slowly. I used to do it once in a while and decided it was not worth doing...at least for me. But I rarely run into brass that needs to be deprimed. Now, I would either fire off the primer with the case in the gun, or use a safe load, and use the case for plinking ammunition.

As others have said,, it is nearly impossible to "kill" a primer by soaking it in anything. .

[Harry]

OK, here is the full story for any who would be interested. These 30-30's are once fired from my Win. Mod. 94 that I got for my 14th birthday (now am 75). I have not fired it since around 1966. These brass were deprimed and reprimed by my dad in the mid '60s. I had already stopped hunting due to travel. They are all Peters or Super-X. They have been kept dry in gun case and safe all these years. I am trying to load everything I have. I only target shoot anymore. I deprimed them with my Lee universal decapping tool in my press. No issues. Cleaned in my vibratory cleaner. Then I full length sized (probably not necessary) and trimmed to spec. I may reuse primers or all new. Haven't decided (note: target only).

[sparkyv]

I'm in the "carefully remove and reuse" camp. Just like a bunch of the fellers above I've not had any problems and no FTFs using the "used" primers...

I too, am in this camp. I use a Lee hand press with a universal depriming die, and never had an issue. I always reuse my pulled primers in my plinking reloads and never once did they not go "BOOM".

[JBinMN]

OK, here is the full story for any who would be interested. These 30-30's are once fired from my Win. Mod. 94 that I got for my 14th birthday (now am 75). I have not fired it since around 1966. These brass were deprimed and reprimed by my dad in the mid '60s. I had already stopped hunting due to travel. They are all Peters or Super-X. They have been kept dry in gun case and safe all these years. I am trying to load everything I have. I only target shoot anymore. I deprimed them with my Lee universal decapping tool in my press. No issues. Cleaned in my vibratory cleaner. Then I full length sized (probably not necessary) and trimmed to spec. I may reuse primers or all new. Haven't decided (note: target only).

I am interested & it is great to hear the "back story" of their origin..


Glad to hear/read ya had no issues & I am looking forward to hearing how they work out for you. Both how the primers do if ya use them, & about the completed rounds when ya get them shot.

G'Luck!

[Wayne Smith]

The only ones I don't re-use is when the anvil gets displaced when decapping. It has happened a couple of times.

[HangFireW8]

I have pushed live primers out for almost 50 years and NEVER set one off. Push is the way don't just slam the press handle.

I am now using a Lee universal deprimer on a Lee classic Iron prees catching the primer in the tube. After depriming I get rid of them by tossing them in the wood stove it's pop pop pop. No worry they are not TNT.

For years in my gunshop we tossed old ammo into the stove to cook off it goes pop and that is it. The lead will be recoverable in the bottom of the stove.

WARNING!! do not toss Black powder cartridges or shells in just the smokeless ones unless you want to clean the soot after the pipes let go.

You're right, push smoothly, not jerk or bang. About 30 years for me, until last year, I finally popped one. It was in a formerly crimped ex-military case. No harm done, as there was no pile of flammables or live primers anywhere near. I snapped the rest of that batch in my rifle, but I'd decap live primers again, as long as they're not crimped, or even formerly crimped.

As for cooking off ammo... I wouldn't re-use that brass, as the heads are now annealed.

I have no problem with people who choose to pop them in the gun, instead of trying to decap.

[bangerjim]

Just pop 'em out! O do it all the time. Never had one go off.

Would not recommend re-use of old primers! Why waste your time.

I use the old ones in my high powered air rifle. Fun to shoot at a brick wall at least 60 feet away. They really go POP! Scares the droppings out of the stupid pigeons. Just don't fire at close-up hard surfaces. And ONLY use high-powered guns.

[RED BEAR]

I have removed and reused thousands of primers and never gave it a thought. Did them the same as if they were fired. Not to sure what this says about my reloading? But am to cheap to let good primers go.

[Duckdog]

Ditto. I would have shot them as your dad left them, if they chambered, and then dealt with them as normal after the fact. If I do remove a primer, I always just use it as normal and have never had issues. Waste not, want not. If I were to have a misfire when hunting, it would just be that critters lucky day, I guess.

[BHill]

If the brass will chamber without trying to enter the throat why not load with light practice loads and prep the brass after practice? Accuracy difference will still be within the offhand margin of error.


Edit: Sorry, I just reread the op's question. I would feel just fine depriming them slowly and reusing the primers for non critical use.

[Motor]

Before deprimeing I would give each case a shot of penetrating oil inside to kill the old primer. Whichever way you decide to deprime I would not reuse the primers.

This is unreliable at best. Penetrating oil does not reliably kill primers. It's most effective on the compound that is between the cup and anvil which is difficult to get to because of the main compound sealing it off.

I have removed live primers on many occasions. Like the posts above suggested go slow and protect your eyes. I usually drape a heavy cloth over the press as well. I've never had any issues.

Motor