Flash-Over Incident with Hornady Hand Priming Tool

[lotech]

Yep, that is what I use and have used for close on 40 years. Never had any problem with primer detonation, but on the other hand I have avoided using Federal primers until now. There were no restrictions in the new Lee manual on CCI's, but there was a limit on Winchester - may have been less than a 100. Mainly the thread was a good reminder to me to at least wear safety glasses, which I have not done in the past. This is more of a note to myself than anyone else, and by making this note, maybe I will remember to wear them.

There is no restriction on primer brand in the Lee manual because Lee developed the safer square tray model, probably before the manual was published. Granted, it doesn't work nearly as well as the original, but it's allegedly safer. I gave up on all the mystery metal hand priming tools some years ago and went with 21st Century without regret. May be one primer at a time, but it always works.

[centershot]

Ive been using the 1st generation Lee priming tool (round tray) for 30+ years, never had a problem. I've used mainly CCI but also WW, Re., FC and Alcan, no mishaps. I still say that the original Lee tool is the best hand priming tool ever made.

[lotech]

Ive been using the 1st generation Lee priming tool (round tray) for 30+ years, never had a problem. I've used mainly CCI but also WW, Re., FC and Alcan, no mishaps. I still say that the original Lee tool is the best hand priming tool ever made.

No criticism, just an additional comment. I had several of the original round tray models for a good while. All wore out. They probably would have lasted longer if I had lubed them regularly rather than sporadically. However, these tools were made of a soft material and were never intended to last forever. If you prime only 5,000 or 10,000 cases annually (that's a guess, but that's not much use), they may last a very long time. If you prime a lot of cases with these tools, they'll wear out fairly quickly.

[dverna]

I have the old round tray Lee and also one of the RCBS hand tools. Never did like having a tray full of primers close to my hands. But I only used them for rifle rounds and I mostly shoot pistol.

When I started to get more into rifle loading, I got the RCBS bench primer. It puts the primers away from the seating operation and still gives decent "feel". I do not know if a primer that "pops" would flash over the distance to the tube so I may have a false sense of security. And having a tube of primers at face level go off would not be a good outcome. It might be a good idea to add a "blast tube" like Dillon has on their system.

[barrabruce]

My lust for a tray type loader as been cured.

Glad You came out out it relatively undamaged.

Having done a trade with metal chips flying I’ve always use eye and ear protection.
But I’m glad I wear glasses as they have undoubtedly save my vision on a few occasions when things go unexpectedly wrong doing other things.

Preaching to the converted I suppose.
I’m lucky I have had only come out with ringing ears and the deadly spot of shame when l have set off an odd primer over many years of loading.

[1hole]

FACT; any primer can be set off if a loader works hard enough to jam an off-center or flipped primer into a pocket.

What we "know" is often limited to what we read so we need to pay attention to the source of our information, none of us experience everything. What we think we know is often repeated by others who have very limited information and no understanding of the issue but speaks as an "insider" (web guru) who wants the world to think he's knowledgeable.

Back when it became quite lucrative for clumsy people and unscruplous lawyers (is that redundant?) to sue innocent products as "defective" (ie., not totally foolproof). Federal's lawyers got the bad idea of blaimeing the AutoPrime in a class action suit. Dick Lee took understandable offense at that and immediately started recommending any brand but Federal. Either way, it had no basis in fact because all primer brands work well if the user pays attention. (I suppose the management of both Lee and Federal have finally gotten over that snit-fit.)

Lee started making square primer feed trays so it would be easier to load a full box of primers into the tray without spilling. I have no idea how our web gurus have managed to twist that into saying the square trays themselves are unsafe. Surely someone will want to quote some "expert study" about it. (Maybe they can quote the same "scientists" who want us to wear surgical sneeze masks to catch a virus particle that's about a third smaller than the open weave of the silly mask filters? )

[JoeJames]

Been reloading @40 years, and never touched off a primer with the old Lee Auto-Prime, but this thread has gotten my attention for sure, and I will wear safety glasses from here on out. Getting in a carton of Federal Large Pistol primers last week, and this thread coming on the heels of that was enough to convince me. I may be an old superstitious Arkansas hillbilly (which I am), but the two occurrences - one right after the other, was like the Lord was tapping on my shoulder.

[GONRA]

GONRA is perpetually pleased with my olde bench mounted RCBS Standard Priming Tool 09512.
Uses standard shell holders.
>>> No primer tray, automatic feeder, etc. <<<
That's just fine for me - maybe not for others.....
Today's RCBS Primer Rod Assembly 09471 for small and large priming rods fits this olde tool Just Fine.

Smallest Lee bench mounted press can easily be modified to a similar tool for
.50 BMG, 8mm Solothurn / Lahti and 9mm Soviet Berdan primers.

PS: Primers DEFLAGRATE.
If they REALLY DETONATED powder grains would SHATTER! KABOOM!

[garbler]

There is no safe place for carpet in the reloading room period. Actually no safe place in hospitals either but ? My brother used to help an old timer who loaded a couple hundred rds of 12 ga every other night and there were small woven oval rugs on the concrete floor. They shook them out once and there was about four shells with of shotgun powder in just one. Think about it

[Buck Shot]

Glad you weren't hurt (too badly, anyway) and thanks for letting us know. I was just actually thinking of replacing my RCBS single-primer hand priming tool with one that has a tray...maybe I won't after all. That's interesting also about the static electricity...I never considered that!

[AndyC]

There is no safe place for carpet in the reloading room period.

Excellent point right there.

[Soundguy]

I've been lucky. never had a primer detonate during seating. I have seated some darn hard primers too. Some cases had such small primer holes that the primer actually crushed. I have seated a primer sideways and it crushed to dimension too... seated one upside down once. Again.. lucky I guess. I use all primer brands.

The rcbs round and square do have gates.. mind you there are usually 4-5 primers past that gate so if there is a pop off.. you could still have 5-6 primers going off.

When i get cases with super tight pockets I usually stop the batch and run them in a case prep machine that has a primer true cutter. sometimes the cleaner just don't cut it and they have to be trued up.

[pt4u2nv]

Just to add to possible scenarios with hand priming tools i can tell another story that i was extremely lucky on . I was using a progressive press and using the priming tool that was on it. I ran probably several hundred 38 special cases and stopped for a double check on some that were completed and in the catch box. I found one case that the primer was setting just a couple of thousandth high and thought what the heck i will just use the hand primer to push the primer a little deeper. Yes, before you get your panties in a bunch i should have never attempted that and I knew that but..... I figured I had used the hand primer for 30 years and thousands of loads with no problems what will a little push hurt. The primer was seated perfectly flat and centered so i thought "no problem" well as I slowly put a little pressure on the handle the shell detonated in my hand and brass pcs went into my stomach, and right hand. Bullet just fell to the floor. Well 2 surgeries later to remove the brass in my stomach and hand i no longer use the progressive to seat primers and use only the RCBS bench primer . Be safe and take nothing for granted. By the way I never had a primer go off before using the hand press, that is why I assumed it would be OK to give it a little "push" to set the primer.

[Green Frog]

I had a very short run of 9mms to do. They were already cleaned FL sized and deprimed, so I got out my good old first gen Lee priming tool (with “M” screw-in shell holder) and primed all 24 in about ten minutes start to finish and not a single one ignited! Then I used one of the little Lee belling tools, 231 powder from my Pacific Pistol measure and seated the bullets with a 310 tool. I decided to finish up with my RCBS taper crimp die... about 45 minutes or so altogether. This was truly interdenominational reloading!

Froggie

[Mal Paso]

The rcbs round and square do have gates.. mind you there are usually 4-5 primers past that gate so if there is a pop off.. you could still have 5-6 primers going off.

Wrong! There is space for 1 Primer past the gate. Take it apart and Look again.

[Soundguy]

I think we are both wrong....because we are both talking about different gates. Im talking about the tray gate. And yes.. I just counted. 5 small primers are still available to feed once you close the tray gate. The gate you were talking about is the sliding metal bar and yes it closes off after each primer. Both of us should have been more specific since there are two gates

[rintinglen]

I've been lucky. never had a primer detonate during seating. I have seated some darn hard primers too. Some cases had such small primer holes that the primer actually crushed. I have seated a primer sideways and it crushed to dimension too... seated one upside down once. Again.. lucky I guess. I use all primer brands.

The rcbs round and square do have gates.. mind you there are usually 4-5 primers past that gate so if there is a pop off.. you could still have 5-6 primers going off.

When i get cases with super tight pockets I usually stop the batch and run them in a case prep machine that has a primer true cutter. sometimes the cleaner just don't cut it and they have to be trued up.

I retired my Lee hand primers for exactly the reason that there is no cut off on them but there is on the RCBS. As the primer ram comes up, the cut out on the bar linking the operating level passes the window that allows the primer to enter the path of the ram and interposes a steel block separating the primer tray from the primer in use. In the event of a problem, only one primer is involved, the others are blocked off by the bar.

Not as fool proof as the priming system on my old Dillon 450B, but certainly stronger than the pot metal and plastic on the LEE.

[Soundguy]

I retired my Lee hand primers for exactly the reason that there is no cut off on them but there is on the RCBS. As the primer ram comes up, the cut out on the bar linking the operating level passes the window that allows the primer to enter the path of the ram and interposes a steel block separating the primer tray from the primer in use. In the event of a problem, only one primer is involved, the others are blocked off by the bar.

Not as fool proof as the priming system on my old Dillon 450B, but certainly stronger than the pot metal and plastic on the LEE.

You missed the second post clarifying this. Rcbs uses 2 gates.. The metal and a plastic one. The plastic one has 5-6 primers past it.

[mdi]

I've got one of those Hornady hand primers if you wanna buy one thats in one piece. I don't care for this particular priming tool (I have better luck priming with a Lee Loader).

[Electrod47]

This thread has been a real eye opener. I been loading for 45 years and can only be described as a very careful loader not out to set any records. I own at least 20 reloading manuals and other books on the subject and love to reread them when its to hot in my big metal barn/garage to be out there tinkering on some modest load work up. I have 5 presses set up. Each one a Lee of all their configurations ending 20 years ago. With all the Lee hand primers from the 70's that I still use. Plus the auto prime on my one set-up. I have detonated a handful of primers over the years. That's it. Am I smart. No way. I am one lucky moron. I've done it all in the past from primers in a glass jar to dumping a hundred primers in a round tray and working it so fast I mash sideways a few primers from each tray! Carpeted floors yeah that's me.
Thank you for starting this thread.