Salvaging old ammo- primer question

[beezapilot]

In cleaning out the boxes and boxes of stuff that has materialized in my shop, I am finding a bit of reloaded ammo. Not knowing who reloaded with what I would like to salvage some of the brass for re-reloading. I've a puller so getting the lead out is no problem. But how does one safely pop out a live primer???

[rodok]

I do it very lightly and with glasses on. I've done a few 1000 and never had a problem, I use a universal de-capper and usually don't save the primers unless they are ones I put in and I know what they are.

[jcwit]

Remove the primers just as you normally would decap a case ONLY GENTLER.

Use the primers if you question them for plinking ammo, I've done this thousands of times with no issues.
No reason to waste the primers.

[Sensai]

I prefer not to press out live primers. I've done it, and lots of folks do it on a regular basis, but I have a reminder in the knuckle of my right forefinger of what can happen. If you have in mind reloading some of the brass with low level loads, why not just use it with the current primers in it? I wouldn't use them as-is for anything anywhere near max loads, but for practice rounds they should be fine. If you do decide to press them out, please wear safety glasses and maybe leather gloves. Go slow and don't force anything. I have never had a primer that was properly seated go off. My little souvenir is from trying to press out a cocked primer. Best wishes, Gary

[303carbine]

I wear glasses and put a shooting glove on my hand and hold it in front of the press while I push the primer out ...gently.
Never had one go bang on removal.

[Eddie2002]

Don't forget ear protection, if a primer gets set off inside it will make your ears ring, guess how I know ;)

[runfiverun]

why not just shoot them.
I just loaded up the last 500 of the rounded [domed] small pistol primers I had in the cabinet.
the ones I went and test fired throughout the load testing all shot fine, littlegirl informed me the other 450 went off without a hitch also.

[lavenatti]

I would prefer to use the primers. However, if you are pressing them out remember not to let a pile of them accumulate. One going off is painful, fifty will probably remove something you hold dear.

[CATTLEMAN]

When messing with an unwanted live primer. I try to discharge the primer in a gun chambered for the type of ammo I am working with. If I can't then I will usually put a drop of light oil in the case and stand the case up on the bench for a few days to hopefully spoil the priming compound before I discard the case or de-prime it very carefully.

Primers are surprisingly powerful, be VERY careful with them.

[jcameron996]

When messing with an unwanted live primer. I try to discharge the primer in a gun chambered for the type of ammo I am working with. If I can't then I will usually put a drop of light oil in the case and stand the case up on the bench for a few days to hopefully spoil the priming compound before I discard the case or de-prime it very carefully.

Primers are surprisingly powerful, be VERY careful with them.

Primers are also surprisingly hardy, don't assume that just because you have put a drop of oil or sprayed them down the WD40 that they are now inert. All of the same suggestions on safely removing live primers should be followed if removing those that are supposedly inert. That being said I agree that I would reload the ammo and use them for practice. Primers are expensive.

[sparkz]

I also have a few brass with cocked and even saw one inverted and bullet pulls, ect. and otherwise unloadable brass due to primer falt, what if I soaked them in water for day/s and deprimed?
I only ask as in our learning to load we had a baggie full of assorted brass I would love to recover

Please advise
Patrick & Sean Campbell

[Janoosh]

If you must de-prime, use a universal deprimer, be careful, and go slow...really nothing to it... I wear eye protection ( now glasses) when I reload cases anyway.

[oscarflytyer]

Safest way - Soak the cases in oil. Will render the primers inert. Then pop them out.

I have not done this, but what was recommended to me.

[jcwit]

One is in a lot more danger driving to and from the range than removing a live primer using common sense and a press.

This holds true whether decapping one primer or 10,000 primers.

I personally know of a number of friends who have been involved in accidents going to and from the range.

I personally know of none of my reloading friends who have been harmed when decapping live primers.

[mold maker]

Trying to deactivate live primers is way too iffy to be depended on. Primers are made to withstand enviroments that aren't normal.
Just slowly press the primer out, preferably with a universal die.
The priming compound and the firing mechanics are made to fire only with an impact in the center of the cup. All safety equipment should of course be used.

[rcav8r]

I have had primers go off while trying to remove them. IIRC, they were in .mil shells that didn't get full depth swaged in the primer pockets on first processing, so got jammed in there pretty good.
Used the lee universal deprimer, kept my face out of the line of fire, and wasn't surprised (after the first one!) when some went off.

[mold maker]

Another thought.
You didn't state the date and source of the primers. Are they corossive? If so they are more trouble than their worth to save.

[xs11jack]

Would someone do the oil in the primer thing and then fire it, just the primer not a fully loaded round, in a gun of that cal. and see how that works. I think most of the primers will fire, even after several days soaking in oil, WD40, etc.
Ole Jack

[John Allen]

I use a lee hand press with a universal decapping die and take it nice and slow. Also be sure to not let the active primers collect in the reservoir. If one goes off they could set them all off.

[BruceB]

Some years ago I performed almost precisely this trial.

I placed a number of CCI Large Pistol primers in BATHS of

-gun oil

-Hoppes #9

-WD40

"Baths" means the primers were IMMERSED, covered totally by the liquid in question.

....and then, over a period of some time, I tried firing five of them from each bath every few days. As I now recall, it took about TWO WEEKS before the primers were completely inert. They became progressively weaker in flash and noise, but it took a LONG time to kill them. Remember, they were SUBMERGED!

At the same time, I took a box of fifty .45ACP cast-bullet loads, all nose-down in a cartridge box, and sprayed the heads with WD40 to the point that there were pools of the stuff on the primers. I then tried firing a five-round test with those rounds every month. This means the test lasted ten months....and EVERY ROUND fired normally, right up to (and including) the tenth month.

Those primers were seated in many-times-fired cases, without sealant of any kind.

Anyone still think that primers are sensitive and easy to de-activate?

[Garyshome]

I press them only when the case is damaged. Never had any trouble.

[David2011]

Within the last year or two Handloader Magazine published an article that has a similar test and conclusion to BruceB's tests. Primers are very hard to kill and none die quckly from WD-40 or anything else. Soaking in water, even when it does work, is reversed by the primers drying out.

On an slighly related side note, gunpowder was once stored underwater in bags. When it dried out it worked as new.

David

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Some years ago I performed almost precisely this trial.

I placed a number of CCI Large Pistol primers in BATHS of

-gun oil

-Hoppes #9

-WD40

"Baths" means the primers were IMMERSED, covered totally by the liquid in question.

....and then, over a period of some time, I tried firing five of them from each bath every few days. As I now recall, it took about TWO WEEKS before the primers were completely inert. They became progressively weaker in flash and noise, but it took a LONG time to kill them. Remember, they were SUBMERGED!

At the same time, I took a box of fifty .45ACP cast-bullet loads, all nose-down in a cartridge box, and sprayed the heads with WD40 to the point that there were pools of the stuff on the primers. I then tried firing a five-round test with those rounds every month. This means the test lasted ten months....and EVERY ROUND fired normally, right up to (and including) the tenth month.

Those primers were seated in many-times-fired cases, without sealant of any kind.

Anyone still think that primers are sensitive and easy to de-activate?

That doesn't surprise me. Priming composition is usually protected by a foil disc and lacquer. I think alcohol or lacquer thinner before the oil would reduce the number of fireable ones, and maybe eliminate them. But I know of no body parts that I would bet on it.

Usually I would fire them, munus bullet and powder. With a piece of pipe lined with water-pipe insulating foam sleeve, you can do it in an apartment. Old primers may be corrosive, which is no big deal if you are prepared to pour boiling water through the barrel until it is hot enough to evaporate the droplets. But VERY old ones could be mercuric, which will dangerously embrittle the brass, and might even have done it without firing at all. That sort of ammunition is probably too collectible to shoot, but you never know what somebody might do to shoot his pride and joy just once.

[nicholst55]

Safest way - Soak the cases in oil. Will render the primers inert. Then pop them out.

I have not done this, but what was recommended to me.

I have done it and it only worked about 50% of the time.

[lental]

I've used exclusively Winchester Primers until the recent shortage when I picked up 2k of Tula because that's all I could find. Over almost 30 years of reloading, I've never had a Winchester primer fail and I've removed a bunch of them without any problem, either. After about 500 rounds, I had my first Tula fail to fire. Also, I've attempted to remove one Tula when I damaged a case while seating a bullet. That one popped but not much louder than a cap pistol. I was using the decapper that came with the Lee die set and the same one I've used to remove dozens of Winchester primers without incident. All the advice on proper safety and not letting a bunch of primers collect is spot on. I've got three more Tulas to remove soon and will be interested in seeing if it can be done.

Len

[beezapilot]

EPILOG- I pressed them out carefully and slowly with the suggested universal de-capper, no problems. Many thanks for the input!