primer sensitivity tester
Attachment 223977
my setup:
A 30" piece of 3/4 PVC water pipe is cross-drilled with 1/8" holes every inch. Right-top is a 3/4x 1.035 steel cylinder 2 oz drop weight. A coat hanger wire is placed through the holes in the PVC pipe at the desired drop height to hold the weight. Right-bottom of the photo is my percussion cap test fixture which slips into the PVC and positions the cap at the 0" location. Left is a 1/16x3/4 dowel firing pin with the end smoothed over into a hemisphere. An aluminum plug 0.80" diameter x 11/16" long drilled through with a 1/16" hole that centers the firing pin in the PVC. An 1" diameter aluminum barrel holds a 38spl (#V drill) on one end or a 45 colt(#31/64 drill) on the other, a 0.312" long section on the ends of the barrel is turned to 0.80" to slip into the PVC.
I put a piece of paper on the floor at the end of the barrel to 'photograph' the primer spray. Set up the rig with PVC vertical on a concrete floor, slide the wire through the PVC at the desired drop height, drop in the weight and pull wire to fire. Note: Large Pistol Primers may launch the weight out of the PVC.