What do you do with old primers?

[44Blam]

I just empty my little tube of old primers into a bag every so often and I'm slowly amassing them. Does anyone do anything interesting with them?

[Michael J. Spangler]

I cash them in with all my scrap brass.
Well not really cashing in but trading for Linotype at the scrap yard.

[45workhorse]

I am saving mine for the zombie apocalypse. To shoot out of my shotgun.:bigsmyl2:

[44Blam]

I am saving mine for the zombie apocalypse. To shoot out of my shotgun.:bigsmyl2:

In the zombie apocalypse, aren't we supposed to shoot dimes and pennies out of our shotguns?

[Traffer]

They can be reloaded.

[sigep1764]

I turn them in to the scrap yard when buying lead. Surprising how much they knock off the total price of the lead.

[smithnframe]

I throw mine in the trash!

[bob208]

they go right in the scrap brass bucket.

[GhostHawk]

Just accumulating for now. Later, yes they can be reloaded. They also work for airgun plinking ammo, or shotgun.

[RU shooter]

I throw mine in the trash!
Same here I have enough jars and cans of stuff sitting around I done need any more

[lightman]

I'm another that saves them to sell with my scrap.

[Taylor]

Just accumulating for now. Later, yes they can be reloaded. They also work for airgun plinking ammo, or shotgun.

Tell me about the air gun part. Caliber?

[ioon44]

Sell them with scrap brass.

[Follow Me]

Way back before I retired I tried to sell or trade with the local metal recycling business. They did not want the spent primers. Just thirty months ago the scrap people in Ft Meyers, Fla, did’nt want them. Now I just put them in the trash. Maybe I should bury them. Wait, that is what the county trash people do.
As far as trash is concerned, we are our own worst enemy. Does China have trash dumps? No, they use any and all scraps and trash in their manufacturing process and sell it to the USA. Don’t mind me, I’m just an old guy on a rant.
Follow Me

[mdi]

They can be reloaded.

Interesting...;)

[lightman]

Way back before I retired I tried to sell or trade with the local metal recycling business. They did not want the spent primers. Just thirty months ago the scrap people in Ft Meyers, Fla, did’nt want them. Now I just put them in the trash. Maybe I should bury them. Wait, that is what the county trash people do.
As far as trash is concerned, we are our own worst enemy. Does China have trash dumps? No, they use any and all scraps and trash in their manufacturing process and sell it to the USA. Don’t mind me, I’m just an old guy on a rant.
Follow Me

Some of the places here don't want cartridge brass either. I have to call around to find one that will.

[Land Owner]

Interesting...;)

If the OP means "old" but still primed primers, then reloading would be appropriate.

If, on the other hand, he meant SPENT old primers, then no. Can't reload those. I do not believe the responder had spent primers in mind.

Some question interpretation has begun among responders.

[JBinMN]

There is a topic about reloading old used Center Fire primers, just recently posted here at this link:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?387222-Reload-primers

As far as the OP question about what do I do with them, currently I have been saving them up for a trip to the salvage yard to turn them in, but after reading the topic shared above, I may try do re-prime some of them & try them out just for research purposes.

[Conditor22]

If the OP means "old" but still primed primers, then reloading would be appropriate.

If, on the other hand, he meant SPENT old primers, then no. Can't reload those. I do not believe the responder had spent primers in mind.

Some question interpretation has begun among responders.

Agreed, more clarification is needed.

Old UNSHOT primers get tested (1 per batch) then used

spent/shot primers I haven't made up my mind so they keep getting put in a larger container.

[mdi]

Way back when I played with reloading spent primers. In a SHTF situation, maybe, and that's a really stretched maybe. But I keep 6K-7K primers on hand for any more "shortages".

I read the OP as old, aka spent primers; .
..my little tube of old primers... as most of the other readers did...

[Traffer]

https://gunstreamer.com/watch/reloading-primers-homemade-primer-compound-eps5_76T8fpsxlTgUktc.html

[gwpercle]

They can be reloaded.

I was just reading a post about reloading them . I'm going to try and avoid that for as long as I can...looked rather tedious !

I do have two gallon freezer bags full...my little girl would "help daddy reload" by sweeping them off the floor and bagging them up for me . My little girl is 47 years old now and no longer "helps daddy reload" but I can't seem to throw them out...they bring back such nice memories .

[georgerkahn]

I have two FULL plastic jugs, and the third -- pictured here -- alllllmost there ;)! I'm hoping to learn a productive thing to do with them.... 247925
geo

[Traffer]

I have two FULL plastic jugs, and the third -- pictured here -- alllllmost there ;)! I'm hoping to learn a productive thing to do with them.... 247925
geo

With Marshall or "Dr P's" method that jug would take about 20 years of 40 hour weeks to reload. hahahahaha

[kevin c]

I guess I'm lucky - my local scrap yard will take them as scrap brass (after running them by a magnet to get out any steel), paying a bit less that the rate for cartridge brass.

I've used them as fillers for home made shooting bags (sealed in plastic before I put them into the leather outer bags) and in jugs to use as activator weights for action pistol props.

[Winger Ed.]

I've done different things with them.

When I had a gravel driveway, I'd toss them out like gravel in a low spot.
I've added them into the bucket going to the scrap yard.

Lately, after having to be revived after I saw the price of corn cob tumbling media,
I toss them into the Lyman turbo as additional make up media.

[JBinMN]

I've done different things with them.

When I had a gravel driveway, I'd toss them out like gravel in a low spot.
I've added them into the bucket going to the scrap yard.

Lately, after having to be revived after I saw the price of corn cob tumbling media,
I toss them into the Lyman turbo as additional make up media.

Gonna try that.. Experimental time...

No work for me, I blame it on the internet. HAhaha
;)

[44Blam]

Sorry - when I said "OLD" primers, I meant "SPENT" primers.

[Winger Ed.]

Gonna try that.. Experimental time...

I'm not a liquid/steel pin guy, but I can't think of why they wouldn't work in those too.

All the media does is bump around, the old primers seem to do fine in my dry tumbler.

[Pablo 5959]

It would be nice if there was a way to make gas check with them.

[Don1357]

I spread them all over my workshop floor by accidentally knocking the priming holding tube on my press from time to time. I'm extremely consistent at doing that.

[Cheeto303]

They go to the scrap yard with my scrap brass. Got to fund my addiction.Wife gets the paycheck, I get the scrap. They are also fun to load in Speer shot capsules.

[JBinMN]

I just came up with a new idea for those used primers.

I am going to try to balance them on toothpicks, sitting on a block drilled with toothpick sized holes, & shoot at them with my .22 pistol at 7 yds & see if I can hit the little things off the toothpicks without breaking the toothpick.
;)

:kidding:

Hey, it was just a thought. All in fun...
;)

Reminds me & now some Reminiscing time... Off topic, but what the heck. Maybe I will delete it tomorrow...



My old man had me shooting a Red Ryder BB gun in the garage with lit birthday candles at one time & if I could get 5 in a row putting the flame out without hitting the candles, he would give me a Coke.

We had made a BB trap out of old carpet & cardboard & boxed in with some some scrap paneling & 1X lumber, and the candles were set into a stick that I drilled holes in, ( with a small hand driven drill) that was left over from a box kite I had made that had crashed into a tree, and then put in a couple of holes drilled in the side of the trap to hold them & still catch the BBs.

I got pretty good at it, but it got kind of "old", so the old man made me start shooting the pips on playing cards too. I had to hit all the pips with one shot each in a single card without any white cut/hit to get the Coke then. that or "head shots" with the face cards & so on...

Later on the idea was to hang a ping pong ball with a hole drilled in it for a string, with some dripped wax in the bottom for a bit of ballast. We put the string in with a broken small part of a toothpick turned sideways tied to the string for the "anchor" to be pulled up inside the ball while the toothpick bit was turned sideways to hold the string to the ball, then Elmers glue or whatever paste we had to keep the string in place, was the next step..

He then had me shoot at that, after he lightly twisted the string to slowly put a spin on it & then a slight push to get twirl on it & I was to hit the ball 5 times in a row to get the prize.

After that it was to just hit the ball when it was swinging to & fro in a small arc.

All sorts of stuff like that when I was about 8-10 years old or so...

Man , I had a blast shooting that Red Ryder while he sat there, watched, gave me some razz or tips both & drank beer while listening to the baseball game. This was usually when it was raining out, otherwise I was outside somewhere doing the stuff kids do...

Oh well, just sharing some memories before I hit the rack. I been doing a lot of that lately with reading about the topic on stilts & such.

Anyway... Hope ya got a bit of a chuckle from my sharing some thoughts & memories.
:)

G'Nite!

[Traffer]

I just came up with a new idea for those used primers.

I am going to try to balance them on toothpicks, sitting on a block drilled with toothpick sized holes, & shoot at them with my .22 pistol at 7 yds & see if I can hit the little things off the toothpicks without breaking the toothpick.
;)

:kidding:

Hey, it was just a thought. All in fun...
;)

Reminds me & now some Reminiscing time... Off topic, but what the heck. Maybe I will delete it tomorrow...



My old man had me shooting a Red Ryder BB gun in the garage with lit birthday candles at one time & if I could get 5 in a row putting the flame out without hitting the candles, he would give me a Coke.

We had made a BB trap out of old carpet & cardboard & boxed in with some some scrap paneling & 1X lumber, and the candles were set into a stick that I drilled holes in, ( with a small hand driven drill) that was left over from a box kite I had made that had crashed into a tree, and then put in a couple of holes drilled in the side of the trap to hold them & still catch the BBs.

I got pretty good at it, but it got kind of "old", so the old man made me start shooting the pips on playing cards too. I had to hit all the pips with one shot each in a single card without any white cut/hit to get the Coke then. that or "head shots" with the face cards & so on...

Later on the idea was to hang a ping pong ball with a hole drilled in it for a string, with some dripped wax in the bottom for a bit of ballast. We put the string in with a broken small part of a toothpick turned sideways tied to the string for the "anchor" to be pulled up inside the ball while the toothpick bit was turned sideways to hold the string to the ball, then Elmers glue or whatever paste we had to keep the string in place, was the next step..

He then had me shoot at that, after he lightly twisted the string to slowly put a spin on it & then a slight push to get twirl on it & I was to hit the ball 5 times in a row to get the prize.

After that it was to just hit the ball when it was swinging to & fro in a small arc.

All sorts of stuff like that when I was about 8-10 years old or so...

Man , I had a blast shooting that Red Ryder while he sat there, watched, gave me some razz or tips both & drank beer while listening to the baseball game. This was usually when it was raining out, otherwise I was outside somewhere doing the stuff kids do...

Oh well, just sharing some memories before I hit the rack. I been doing a lot of that lately with reading about the topic on stilts & such.

Anyway... Hope ya got a bit of a chuckle from my sharing some thoughts & memories.
:)

G'Nite!

You could have your wife throw them in the air so you could shoot them like Annie Oakley.
[smilie=w:

[JBinMN]

You could have your wife throw them in the air so you could shoot them like Annie Oakley.
[smilie=w:

I would prefer to be more like Ed McGivern, as I identify as a man, and that seems to be important to some folks to "identify" so folks know & don't offend anyone....
;)

Hahaha!

I will keep your suggestion under consideration though... Gonna have to ask the missus first. She is asleep at this time.
;)

Now I really have to go hit the rack!
:)

[Land Owner]

I sit here corrected about reloading SPENT primers. Some do! I won't need to though. Got more than a lifetime supply...my lifetime anyway. Learn something new here every day.

[Bagdadjoe]

Reload them...
3 piece primer reloading dies.
Pop the little anvil out, swage the firing pin dent out, put more fulminate in and reseat the anvil .
Over the course of your lifetime you can save up to 20 bucks... and lose three fingers.
What else ya gonna do on those long winter nights? :kidding:

[BNE]

Reload them...
3 piece primer reloading dies.
Pop the little anvil out, swage the firing pin dent out, put more fulminate in and reseat the anvil .
Over the course of your lifetime you can save up to 20 bucks... and lose three fingers.
What else ya gonna do on those long winter nights? :kidding:

Saving $20 in a lifetime is sadly going to be viewed positively by most of us. We will happily spend $50 if we can save $20 by doing ourselves! I identify with this.... reloading a primer is not on my “want to do list”. I hope I never regret that decision.

[Traffer]

Ever since primers went to near 4 cents per, i decided to start reloading my own. It just makes sense. If I can reload 9mm for 2 cents per and the primers cost 4 cents...then the primers MUST be reloaded. It's the principle of the thing. (joking but only slightly)

[mdi]

Man! It's a good thing I don't count pennies for my reloads. I don't waste money, but to "save" money by working 10 minutes per primer and handling primer compound is out of the question (and I'm a confirmed "fiddler").

FWIW whenever I went to a store that sells primers, powder, and 22 lr stuff, I'd just pick up a brick or lb of powder (I cast my own bullets). Over the years I have a good stash of powder, primers and 22 lr, and none of the "shortages/panics" slowed down my reloading or shooting...

[Burnt Fingers]

Just remember those spent primers contain lead.

I've got almost a gallon of spent primers right now.

I'll run a big magnet over them, then take them to the scrap yard.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I was planning to store enough to make a nice BP signal cannon some day, should be fun :)

[dale2242]

My spent primers go in with the junk brass and sold to the scrap yard...dale

[davek8s]

I’ve been tossing my spent primers in the trash. I never thought of taking them to the scrap yard.

But living in California I might start trying to reuse them when they ban reloading here.


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[Texas by God]

Loaded in 12 gauge shells in lieu of shot they positively shred milk jugs of water! Done Done That.

[brassrat]

They weigh down a couple, metal, water bottle anchors for my kayak. Another bunch got me twice the cartridge scrap weight. why...?

[Mytmousemalibu]

If you deprime brass before washing...You wouldn't want to use them as "media" in a wet tumbler unless you are just using the anvils or using small primers to wash large primer brass. Seems crazy but when I have been a little careless and let some get in with the brass too be washed, somehow they manage to get partially pressed back into primer pockets during tumbling! Really fouls up the works on the progressive press feeding system!

[mdi]

I would think that if you don't do your deep breathing exercises with your head in a bucket half filled with spent primers or don't chew on some spent primers while reloading, you won't have any lead poisoning troubles...

[Burnt Fingers]

I would think that if you don't do your deep breathing exercises with your head in a bucket half filled with spent primers or don't chew on some spent primers while reloading, you won't have any lead poisoning troubles...

Also don't eat, smoke, or drink while handling them. Washing hands with cold water and soap after handling them.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I keep D-lead soap in a dispenser on the counter next to the hand soap and always have lead wipes in my range bag. The world has enough hazards as it is, might as well cull as many out as possible.

[David2011]

I've done different things with them.

When I had a gravel driveway, I'd toss them out like gravel in a low spot.
I've added them into the bucket going to the scrap yard.

Lately, after having to be revived after I saw the price of corn cob tumbling media,
I toss them into the Lyman turbo as additional make up media.

I was on Zoro.com a few days ago and saw that they had corn cob media 40 lb for $33.78 and $5.00 shipping. Shipping is free for orders over $50.00.

https://www.zoro.com/zoro-select-blast-media-corn-cob-14-to-20-grit-crn2-40/i/G1695775/

[Mr_Sheesh]

Zoro shipping is $5 under $50, also; Not a bad shipping price at all. And they carry many, many things, they're IIRC a division of McMaster-Carr.

[DukeInFlorida]

A couple of the scrap yards near Daytona employ "felons". Technically, cartridge brass meets the exact same definition as loaded ammo by the ATF, and felons are not allowed to have loaded ammo, or guns, in their possession. So, those scrappers won't accept any cartridge brass or primers. They are just following federal laws regarding employment of felons.

I've found a scrapper 14 miles west of Daytona which does accept cartridge brass and primers. There, I generally trade for lead, usually Linotype, if they have it on the property.

The scrapper, when I lived in Maine, required that I separate the nickel plated from the plain brass. Got a lesser amt per pound for the nickle plated (actually better reloadable brass). Te scrapper I use here in Florida allows mixed brass. Current price is a mere $.90 a pound.

So you know,cartridge brass is also called 70/30 cartridge brass. It's 70% copper,and 30% zinc.

[Wild Bill 7]

Ft. Myers still won't take them. I have about 40 pounds of them right now. Last time I took some scrap metal to Garden Street recyclers they refused the spent primers which was about a year ago. I may try making some snake shot shells with them when I have some extra time to experiment.

[Kraschenbirn]

All three recyclers/scrapyards within 30 miles of here won't take primers and don't pay enough for cartridge brass to make the trip worth my time. Same three recyclers won't sell scrap lead, saying that it's "a hazardous material" and they're not allowed to (re)sell it.

Bill

[Drm50]

I put mine in the trash. How many primers to the pound? Not something I worry about or want to store and have under foot.

[DukeInFlorida]

I mix ALL brass materials together in buckets: cases, primers, and any other brass scrap I find. They just accept it all that way. Just bringing primers in might get them worried about live primers. Best to dilute that impact with cases, etc, in the mix. I don't sort anything. They weigh my buckets, subtract the weight of the plastic bucket, and dump the contents of my buckets into 55 gallon barrels. I'm out in 15 minutes with cash in my hand.

[DukeInFlorida]

There is a division of Grainger, called, "Drill Spot". Used to buy 50 pound bags of corn cob from them, $25 DELIVERED and always got them next day {as good as Amazon ever has been}. HOWEVER, their price for that same bag is now like $99, plus anther $10 for shipping. YIKES!

But, I now very much prefer the harder and less easy to break down into dust crushed walnut shells. This I get from Pet Store supply shop (Zilla Brand) or Harbor Freight (25 pound box, large or small granules). About a buck a pound, either way. Get the small sized granules.



I was on Zoro.com a few days ago and saw that they had corn cob media 40 lb for $33.78 and $5.00 shipping. Shipping is free for orders over $50.00.

https://www.zoro.com/zoro-select-blast-media-corn-cob-14-to-20-grit-crn2-40/i/G1695775/

[richhodg66]

I spread them all over my workshop floor by accidentally knocking the priming holding tube on my press from time to time. I'm extremely consistent at doing that.

This is my method as well.

Dad made some nice range bags with suede and filled them with spent primers, worked great.

I'm keeping mine to eventually scrap.

[lightman]

There is a division of Grainger, called, "Drill Spot". Used to buy 50 pound bags of corn cob from them, $25 DELIVERED and always got them next day {as good as Amazon ever has been}. HOWEVER, their price for that same bag is now like $99, plus anther $10 for shipping. YIKES!

But, I now very much prefer the harder and less easy to break down into dust crushed walnut shells. This I get from Pet Store supply shop (Zilla Brand) or Harbor Freight (25 pound box, large or small granules). About a buck a pound, either way. Get the small sized granules.

I miss "Drill Spot" and those prices. But, the last time I ordered from them I messed up my order (duh) and they sent two bags of media, and I just kept the second one. So, I'm good for a while.

[Mal Paso]

Zoro shipping is $5 under $50, also; Not a bad shipping price at all. And they carry many, many things, they're IIRC a division of McMaster-Carr.

Zoro is Grainger

Be aware that according to Zoro policy once it ships they are done. If it's lost, it's between you and the shipping company to work out. The shipping company they used was Ontrac who used Asian non English speakers who would dump the packages if they couldn't find the address. I sweated one $15oo. order that was sidetracked, the savings wasn't worth it. Also now their discounts do not apply to Ridgid or most other name brands.

[DxieLandMan]

I have a few hundred that I cleaned and now use as media in a wet tumbler and others I sell with scrap.

[mdi]

My thinking is it takes no more work to dump my primer catcher jar into the scrap bucket than walk over to the trash can, actually less because the bucket is closer. If I can sell them cool! If not I can just dump them in the trash or use some in my rotary. I haven't used them to clean brass but have cleaned some rusty tools with them. Works pretty good. There's only one place in my small town that might buy them, but I'm not looking for a profit, or a "bonus", but maybe a trade for lead...

[Cherokee]

I trade my used primers (and no longer usable cases) for lead at the local scrap dealer.

[rondog]

I have the tube from my LCT press routed right into my scrap brass bucket. At my club, I'm the "brass monkey", I'll pick up all brass except rimfires, even damaged and weather-stained brass. Steel and aluminum go in the trash, but nearly everything else goes to the scrapyard.

I'll make a minimal effort to sell some brass to other shooters locally, but it's such a PITA that it's rarely worth the trouble. Just look at the "brass for sale" posts here for example. Scrapyard asks me no questions and gives me no grief. No "once fired" nonsense or brother-in-law price breaks.

Bought a few nice guns with scrap money, working on buying a big safe next.

[blackthorn]

Quote "I'll pick up all brass except rimfires" I assume there is a reason you do not pick up the rimfire cases, but just a comment based on my own experience. Years ago I ran the .22 indoor range for a club I belonged to. Over time, the collected, empty .22 brass paid for two lower end Anschutz target rifles for our junior section, so there was/is value in policing the rimfire brass. YMMV.

[Divil]

They are delicious on salads.:razz:

[white eagle]

I throw mine in the trash!

same here,no use for them

[tankgunner59]

Here we have several scrap yards but only one will take shell brass and they won't take the spent primers so I just throw them in the trash. If we are talking about unfired primers I always keep and reload them in target ammo.

[bikerbeans]

A good friend of mine who owns a scrap yard will not take spent primers or fired brass that hasn't been deprimed (unless he thinks I can reload it). He has this policy because the smelter he sells to will not take the stuff. Apparently the smelter folks are worried about live primers causing trouble in their smelting furnace.

BB

[Eddie Southgate]

Save them for my scrap brass stash .

[Mr_Sheesh]

I just plan to melt mine into an ingot then use that for a digital sundial eventually.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1068443

Probably would cast it via Lost PLA casting. Bronze would take on a nice patina :)

[15meter]

Mine go into the scrap brass.

I have a locked container on the range at the club, had to put a lock on it because of an old @#%**$#@ who would take every bit of brass, right down to 22lr to sell for himself. He did it right in front of me while I told him all money from the scrap went back into range improvements. He just shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the brass.

The locked brass collection container appeared the next week. I was told he was insulted that I had the audacity to lock up the brass like that.

Every year I turn in between $100 and $200 for range improvements. With my primers adding a minuscule amount, but at least they aren't going to the landfill.