Primers

[rlowman]

I am new to casting and reloading. I did several loads and I have 2 primers in upside down. Is there any way to get them out or do I need to trash the brass?

[Love Life]

If the rds ar already loaded then I would stick cartridge in a cup of water for a day or two, then use a bullet puller, knock the promer out, and call it good.

If the cases aren't loaded, then slowly push th eprimer out with your decapping die.

[Ubet]

You can soak the primer in oil, and let it set for a day or two. This should deaden the primer. One of the old manuals listed soaking primers in oil to dispose of old unknown primers.

[Pb Burner]

Get yourself a kinetic bullet puller and disassemble the cartridge. Some people will warn you about doing the following, but I've never had a problem(but I also always wear safety glasses while reloading). Very slowly and easily run the cases with the upside down primers into the resizing/decapping die. You will save all your components. Get the bullet puller, you will need it more than once.

[Pb Burner]

Get yourself a kinetic bullet puller and disassemble the cartridge. Some people will warn you about doing the following, but I've never had a problem(but I also always wear safety glasses while reloading). Very slowly and easily run the now empty cases with the upside down primers into the resizing/decapping die. You will save all your components. Get the bullet puller, you will need it more than once.

[Harter66]

I've knocked out many primers just as PB has w/o any issue. Infact the only primer I've had go off out side of the chamber was a 209 in a shotshell how or why is unknown best guess is a piece of shot in the capping station.

[runfiverun]

I use a dental pick to pull the anvil and scrape the priming compound out, then i pound the boolit out of the case.

[Walter Laich]

I'm in the kinetic bullet puller camp.
As mentioned above all the components including the primer can be reused

[ubetcha]

I have found that, even though I apply very careful pressure when using the sizing die, the primer will dent and look like a fired primer. I have never tried to see if they will work properly when reinstalled correctly. I just deactivate them and toss them. I would think that trying to scrape the primer material out would chance igniting the material, but I never tried it to find out.

[Shiloh]

When dis-assembled, push out slow with the decapper. if not damaged, use it again. I keep such rounds in a margarine tub and they go into my shirt pocket to keep seperate. Then theyusually gat fired first.

Shiloh

[trapper9260]

I'm in the kinetic bullet puller camp.
As mentioned above all the components including the primer can be reused

I do the same also and have not had a problem yet and also do shotgun also with out a problem.

[tazman]

Lots of good advice above.
I read in a reloading manual that if you sprayed the open primer with WD40 it instantly made the primer inoperable and could be removed normally. Fortunately I haven't needed to do that yet. I have certainly crushed a bunch I got in the pocket sideways though.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I left some 30-06 cases outside in what I thought was a water tight container, it wasn't. They set there for over a year before I opened the container and found the cases were submerged in water. I poured out the water and let the cases dry. Some of them had been primed so just out of curiosity I but a case in one of my '06s and to my surprise it went off with a loud bang. If I were going to kill the primers I would use oil, not water.

[BruceB]

NO NO NO!!!

There is lots of BAD advice in this thread.

Some info here is correct, however.

Look, primers work on IMPACT. No impact, no "BANG!" Therefore, the advice about GENTLY pushing the primer out of the case is correct. Wear safety glasses, sure, but GENTLE is the key word.

Primers will NOT, repeat: NOT be de-activated by a short exposure to oil, WD40 or powder solvent. How do i know? BECAUSE I TRIED IT, unlike many who repeat "what I read" somewhere or other.

CCI 200 primers were placed in BATHS of WD40, gun oil, and Hoppes'#9....that is, SUBMERGED in the fluids. Every day, after the first 24 hours, I removed five primers from each bath, primed .45ACP cases with the soaked primers, and tried to fire them.

It took OVER A WEEK before they finally were totally inert, specifically including those bathed in WD40! "Instant de-activation"????

HAH!!!!

Also, why in blazes would anyone worry about reusing a removed primer or primers? We are talking about a THREE-CENT component, and there's no real way to ensure that the removed primer won't end up in a crucial round of ammunition. Three cents is peanuts when it comes to reliable ammunition. Better to scrap the removed primers and be sure. A screw-top can or jar with some sort of solvent will kill them, but NOT INSTANTLY.

Yes, I know that primers are in short supply. That's still insufficient reason for *ME* to risk substandard performance on any round I fire.

And, how on earth does a primer get the appearance of a fired one (dented) when pushed out from the INSIDE of the case??

Don't believe everything you read, not even this post. TRY IT FOR YOURSELF. Soak a few primers and test them periodically. THEN you'll know. There are far too many myths floating around, and some can get you hurt.

[hendere]

Upside down seated primers pushed out with a decapping die can look fired. I don't reuse them though. I also have personally tried to kill different primers with oil, some of them never did die.

[dragon813gt]

Am I the only one that is wondering how the primers ended up being upside down?

[hendere]

I have an older Lee hand primer that will sometimes flip the primer if I'm not careful. I stay on top of it now but it has happened to me in the past.

[jonas302]

Don't need a puller take the die out of your press grab the bullet with a side cutters or pliers and retract the ram gently and with caution push out the primer wear eyes and ears to be supersafe universal decappers are best so you can feel better hopefully you have a single stage press

If you have never ever had a primer upside down you probably need to do more reloading and less wondering

[Randy C]

If I have to push out live primers I do It slow and where safety glasses and there is not any powder on the bench I keep a fire extinguisher close buy. I never try to reuse a primer. This has work for me several times.

[telebasher]

I have used the spray nozzle on an air hose with the air turned down to 70-80 PSI. I shot the primer into a wadded up red rag and it was installed right side up and fired just fine. My nozzle has a coned orfice that you can hold tight in the neck of the cartridge case and hit the button a short burst and out comes the primer. BTW, I have done this three or four times.

[DrCaveman]

I used to be afraid of running those cases thru the decapper/resizer. Figured it would blow up toward my powder shelf, no good

But then i did it a few times, nice and slow, glasses on. (moved the closest powder to be safe)

Seemed the same as decapping any round. Just had to catch the primer, and voila it was ready to be flpped and set into the next case. No dent.

Just go easy, like BruceB says.

[milrifle]

Guess I just like to live dangerously.....I have no problem pushing out an up-side-down primer in the decapping die. Yeah, it sometimes puts a small dent in it. Yeah, I turn it over and reuse it. I've never had one to not go off when fired. I wouldn't use it on self defense ammo or match ammo, but for plinkers or warming/fouling shots? I wouldn't think twice.

[CastingFool]

I have used WD40, too, and it didn't work. I think rifle and pistol primers have a coating on them to help keep moisture out. Shotgun primers do.



I left some 30-06 cases outside in what I thought was a water tight container, it wasn't. They set there for over a year before I opened the container and found the cases were submerged in water. I poured out the water and let the cases dry. Some of them had been primed so just out of curiosity I but a case in one of my '06s and to my surprise it went off with a loud bang. If I were going to kill the primers I would use oil, not water.

[CastingFool]

My Lee hand primer will sometimes flip a primer when it drops on top of the push rod, particularly with small primers. Sometimes, they will drop sideways.



Am I the only one that is wondering how the primers ended up being upside down?

[ubetcha]

Am I the only one that is wondering how the primers ended up being upside down?


If I use my Lee progressive press, once in a while, the priming ram will hit the bottom of the shell holder when the ram is pushed into the press ram and the edge of the primer will flip it over. If I don't notice it right away, then it will be installed upside down.. I have noticed this happening on my non-Lee presses also. Because of this, I hand prime with a lee priming tool on most all my loading

[Love Life]

Am I the only one that is wondering how the primers ended up being upside down?

No, but we don't ask those kinds of questions.

[crazy mark]

I will admit to depriming backward primed cases and reusing the primer with the little divot in it. Never had one fail to fire but use them for plinking loads. Doesn't mean it will work for every one.

[DxieLandMan]

I've done it before and very carefully deprimed the case with the single stage press. Not recommended but I've had no problems so far. However, I do wear goggles JIC because I like my vision.

[blackthorn]

Bruce (post 14) is right (as usual)! Sometime ago there was a similar post that made me curious. I had some primers that I had dropped into a little bottle of light oil about 30+ years ago, before I learned they could be reused. These had sat in my shed all those years, subjected to extremes of hot and cold weather. I went out and opened the bottle, dumped the primers into a small cup, washed of the old oil with white gas (Coleman fuel), loaded them into some empty 303 cases and every one of the ten I tried produced at least a "pop". Now, I do not know if they had enough life left to ignite a load, but "pop" they did!! I would/will NEVER rely on any thing (other than a firing pin) to deactivate a primer!!

[BruceB]

To expand a bit on my comments above:

I believe that "MURPHY" is alive and well..... and ACTIVE.

Therefore, if a given item or procedure is not 100% in all respects, it doesn't get used in my ammunition. There are no "plinkers" or "practice rounds" coming out of my shop, to be set aside for non-critical purposes. All rounds are either as perfect as I can make them, or they are broken-down for another try... and I won't re-use the primers if they had to be removed from the cases, because they MAY not be 100% any longer.

*I* am most assuredly NOT perfect....far from it!

However, trying to do my best has served me well for a long time, and the ammunition has also served well as a result. I can count the game animals I've killed with FACTORY LOADS on the fingers of one hand, and they were decades ago. That means a LOT of handloads were used, with perfect satisfaction (thanks to John Nosler, in large part) .... and the TOTAL is well into three figures now.

This is the same rationale used in my efforts to create PERFECT cast softpoints. There are many techniques used to make softpoints, but none were 100% in my estimation. Even 90% doesn't make it in my book, not when it comes to hunting loads. Too many things can go wrong (Murphy, again.)

[dragon813gt]

No, but we don't ask those kinds of questions.

Ok, thanks for the correction. I don't to offend anyone by saying they should pay closer attention. Unless it was loaded on a progressive. My Lee primers will flip one from time to time but I look at every one and fix it well before it gets seated. Let alone put a bullet and powder above it. I completely understand how it could happen on a progressive where you can't see the primers.

[HARRYMPOPE]

I've done it before and very carefully deprimed the case with the single stage press. Not recommended but I've had no problems so far. However, I do wear goggles JIC because I like my vision.

I have done that many times(with primers seated correctly but needed to be pulled) and had no misfires at all. I have shot 1/2 MOA with pull down primers in a Palma rifle.They were the same group sizes as the new ones. I did it on several occasion enough to prove to me if one deprimes slow and carefully the primer is fine.

George

[mikeym1a]

I bought an old 2400 can full of .32S&WLs that had had the primers struck, and looked like duds. All different headstamps. Approx 500ea in the can. The last trip to the range, my son and I fired about 250 of these 'struck' rounds. Five that I tried did not fire. 3 of these did fire in my sons pistol. Gave a new pistol to my youngest son, and gave him 100 or so of these rounds to practice with, and he noted that they looked prestruck. I told him to follow me. I loaded the cylinder, went into the back yard, and fired 5 rounds into the ground. He was surprised. As to reusing primers that you have to remove because they somehow got in backwards, I've done it, and never had a failure to fire. As was said, I pushed them out carefully in the sizing die. A bit of a bother, but, if it was good before going in backwards, why wouldn't it be good after removal? It hasn't been exposed to any contaminants that the normal loading process would not be exposed to. That is my experience. mikey

[tazman]

To expand a bit on my comments above:

I believe that "MURPHY" is alive and well..... and ACTIVE.

Therefore, if a given item or procedure is not 100% in all respects, it doesn't get used in my ammunition. There are no "plinkers" or "practice rounds" coming out of my shop, to be set aside for non-critical purposes. All rounds are either as perfect as I can make them, or they are broken-down for another try... and I won't re-use the primers if they had to be removed from the cases, because they MAY not be 100% any longer.

*I* am most assuredly NOT perfect....far from it!

However, trying to do my best has served me well for a long time, and the ammunition has also served well as a result. I can count the game animals I've killed with FACTORY LOADS on the fingers of one hand, and they were decades ago. That means a LOT of handloads were used, with perfect satisfaction (thanks to John Nosler, in large part) .... and the TOTAL is well into three figures now.

This is the same rationale used in my efforts to create PERFECT cast softpoints. There are many techniques used to make softpoints, but none were 100% in my estimation. Even 90% doesn't make it in my book, not when it comes to hunting loads. Too many things can go wrong (Murphy, again.)

I applaud your determination in search of perfection in whatever discipline you decide to do it in. I sincerely hope you achieve it or at least come close.
I myself am not dedicated enough to do that for more than a very narrow range of items. Hunting ammo and self defense ammo MUST be perfect. Practice/plinking ammo, not so much.
I will be economical in my practice ammo because nothing really important relies on it.
This is definitely not a criticism of you. Just a pragmatic observation of my own shortcomings.

[BruceB]

I applaud your determination in search of perfection in whatever discipline you decide to do it in. I sincerely hope you achieve it or at least come close.

Holy smokes, did I REALLY come across as being that stuffy? I'm not, I assure you!

QUOTE Hunting ammo and self defense ammo MUST be perfect. Practice/plinking ammo, not so much.

We are on the same page. Cast-bullet rifle and handgun rounds are mostly fun-or-experimental stuff. The HUNTING softpoints, very few in number, do receive great care.

QUOTE I will be economical in my practice ammo because nothing really important relies on it.
This is definitely not a criticism of you. Just a pragmatic observation of my own shortcomings.

Taz, I don't see any shortcomings that we don't share!

[tazman]

Taz, I don't see any shortcomings that we don't share!

I just found out one for sure a couple of hours ago. I went back through my reloading manuals about that suggestion of mine for wd40 and found it. It was in a forty plus year old loading manual(I won't name it). I just now realized that the components back then were not sealed and compounded the same then as they are now.
It MAY have actually worked back then but obviously doesn't now. Since I never tried it myself then , I can't confirm.
No matter, I learned another new bit of useful data today.

[44man]

NO NO NO!!!

There is lots of BAD advice in this thread.

Some info here is correct, however.

Look, primers work on IMPACT. No impact, no "BANG!" Therefore, the advice about GENTLY pushing the primer out of the case is correct. Wear safety glasses, sure, but GENTLE is the key word.

Primers will NOT, repeat: NOT be de-activated by a short exposure to oil, WD40 or powder solvent. How do i know? BECAUSE I TRIED IT, unlike many who repeat "what I read" somewhere or other.

CCI 200 primers were placed in BATHS of WD40, gun oil, and Hoppes'#9....that is, SUBMERGED in the fluids. Every day, after the first 24 hours, I removed five primers from each bath, primed .45ACP cases with the soaked primers, and tried to fire them.

It took OVER A WEEK before they finally were totally inert, specifically including those bathed in WD40! "Instant de-activation"????

HAH!!!!

Also, why in blazes would anyone worry about reusing a removed primer or primers? We are talking about a THREE-CENT component, and there's no real way to ensure that the removed primer won't end up in a crucial round of ammunition. Three cents is peanuts when it comes to reliable ammunition. Better to scrap the removed primers and be sure. A screw-top can or jar with some sort of solvent will kill them, but NOT INSTANTLY.

Yes, I know that primers are in short supply. That's still insufficient reason for *ME* to risk substandard performance on any round I fire.

And, how on earth does a primer get the appearance of a fired one (dented) when pushed out from the INSIDE of the case??

Don't believe everything you read, not even this post. TRY IT FOR YOURSELF. Soak a few primers and test them periodically. THEN you'll know. There are far too many myths floating around, and some can get you hurt.
Here it is in a nutshell. I can't count the live primers I have removed in way over 61 years. Never has one gone off.
I can tell you how to do it though. A friend lost a primer on his bench. He had to solder something and the torch found the primer! :bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:

[44man]

I just can't resist this; WD40 is EVIL STUFF. Should never get near any gun.
It was made to displace water but what it does after is criminal.

[tazman]

Here it is in a nutshell. I can't count the live primers I have removed in way over 61 years. Never has one gone off.
I can tell you how to do it though. A friend lost a primer on his bench. He had to solder something and the torch found the primer! :bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:

I'll bet that was a surprise!

[tazman]

I just can't resist this; WD40 is EVIL STUFF. Should never get near any gun.
It was made to displace water but what it does after is criminal.

Back in the late 70's I shot a lot of trap. Since my perspiration was/is highly corrosive, I carried a can of wd40 with me and spayed/wiped my gun down between sets. It proved not to be the best idea I ever had. Even though it did keep the gun from rusting from my handling, it cause a number of other issues..

[beagle]

If you have only a couple of rounds and no inertia puller, remove decapping rod from sizer die. Size the loaded round (after applying lubricant). This will also size the bullet down and you can normally remove with your fingers or with very little effort. I do this on all pistol rounds from the range. Rifle rounds are a bit harder.

Dump powder. As has been mentioned, slowly and easily decap the case and separate it from any dead primers in the catcher. Wear your safety glasses by all means.

I've decapped hundreds of military blank cases (7.62 NATO) when times were hard and reused the primers. The old .30 blanks mostly had crimped pockets and you'd deform the primer but I've never set one off.

Just for information.

What happens if one of these backwards primed rounds get to the firing position. Sometimes, nothing. Sometimes the primer will go but no ignition of the powder. Same with fashholes not drilled. I've run literally millions of rounds of 7.62 Nato through mini-guns and M-60s. The backward seated primers usually tied up the gun when they went off and same with no flasholes. The ones that failed to fire ran on through the gun. In the case of the mini or M134, it ran on through. In the M-60 the result was a stoppage in any case./beagle

[marvelshooter]

I just can't resist this; WD40 is EVIL STUFF. Should never get near any gun.
It was made to displace water but what it does after is criminal.
I belong to a bullseye forum and every time the subject of WD40 comes up it goes on for days. Just sayin'

[ncbearman]

No, but we don't ask those kinds of questions.

Yes true, we all know how PC LL is.....

As far as old primers, knock that sucker back out. Dad used to give me the old ones to "play" with. I would go get the hammer and BANG I was 10 I"m 64 now. I survived. Now if its a loaded case thats different. Care/safety must be used. Boolit puller is then the answer. THEN knock it out.