Playing With Primers

[JimT]

Well ... with a few primers.
I was cleaning up my old brass .. the throw-away stuff. Splits, cracks and messed up somehow so it can't be reloaded. I deprime all of 'em and keep them in a container. If the primers are not fired and the shell is not bent up so badly I can't get it out, I keep the old primers and repurpose them in practice ammo. If the cases are too screwed up to get the primer out or if they are Berdan primers, I put them in the vise and turn the torch on 'em and pop the primers.

Messing around this morning I decided to see what the primers would do if I crimped the case mouth shut. I set up a piece of 2x4 about 1" from the case locked in the vise and turned on the torch. I did this for each case listed.

IMG_2906.JPG

I don't know that it proved anything. The Ruskie cartridges were military and the primers were crimped in. That may have made a difference, though I am just guessing. The 5.56 was the only one that buried itself deep enough that t he cup is still in the 2x4. The 40 S&W came close.

[Griff]

Well, if nothing else, you way seems more fun that simply dropping the decapped primers in oil. I can run the primed case up in the decap/sizer die and never set one off. On the Dillon 550C I can smash them flat sideways, and they don't go off... but...

[JimT]

Well, if nothing else, you way seems more fun that simply dropping the decapped primers in oil. I can run the primed case up in the decap/sizer die and never set one off. On the Dillon 550C I can smash them flat sideways, and they don't go off... but...

Oil does not always stop primers from firing. Lee Jurras demonstrated that by having primers that soaked for several days in oil and then having them still fire, though that is probably the exception. I demonstrate to new reloaders that it is a sharp blow that sets primers off. Crushing them will not do it unless it is fast. I take a primer, squash it totally flat in a vise slowly. Then rap the vise with a small hammer and the primer pops.

[GunnyMack]

Small rifle/ pistol fit nicely in a 177 airgun, even more fun to shoot them at something hard!

[Grizz]

i toss em in the fire, or fire em at the fire, but Jim's setup looks interesting

[JimT]

I do keep all the primers I can punch out. They are fine for plinking ammo. But depriming Berdan stuff is hard and when it is a live primer I pop them. I also turn the torch on all primers that have been struck by the firing pin but never went off. Most of the time those primers will fire, even though a firing pin strike did not set them off.

[samsi]

Well, if nothing else, you way seems more fun that simply dropping the decapped primers in oil. I can run the primed case up in the decap/sizer die and never set one off. On the Dillon 550C I can smash them flat sideways, and they don't go off... but...

Glad I'm not the only one that smashes the odd primer on a Dillon. It used to be annoying, but now that they're stupid expensive it's something more than that.

[Bronco]

One of the joys of reloading is just plain playing around !

[Sixgun]

What I don't understand is how do live primers get into damaged/worn out/split cases? I can understand a dozen or two in a lifetime as sometimes we don't always check for major splits. It's common when breaking down ammo that the load was bad but "damaged" cases?

I'm sitting on a quarter million primers (285,000) I've been saving since 1981. Before that I used to throw them out but realized they are copper so I started saving them.

Did you know primers are made from c-4 explosive? At least dats what I was toad.---005

[JimT]

What I don't understand is how do live primers get into damaged/worn out/split cases? I can understand a dozen or two in a lifetime as sometimes we don't always check for major splits. It's common when breaking down ammo that the load was bad but "damaged" cases?

I'm sitting on a quarter million primers (285,000) I've been saving since 1981. Before that I used to throw them out but realized they are copper so I started saving them.

Did you know primers are made from c-4 explosive? At least dats what I was toad.---005

I pick up all the loaded ammo I find on the range. It's amazing what people drop. And there are always rounds that were snapped on several times but never fired. Some get driven on by vehicles and are dented and bent. I salvage the bullets and the primers if I can. With .22's I salvage the bullets and powder. The brass cases are tossed into a container and I will trade them in for lead at the metal recycler one of these days.

[Sixgun]

Jim,
Are you trying to tell me you will salvage a primer from a damaged loaded round that someone ran over which was probably in the rain......give me your address, I'll send you some fresh primers in their factory packaging.

You pick up pennies on the ground in a parking lot?

At our club it's rare to even find fired cases unless it's that junky Russian steel stuff.----006 a.k.a. Mr. Primer

[JimT]

Jim,
Are you trying to tell me you will salvage a primer from a damaged loaded round that someone ran over which was probably in the rain......give me your address, I'll send you some fresh primers in their factory packaging.

You pick up pennies on the ground in a parking lot?

At our club it's rare to even find fired cases unless it's that junky Russian steel stuff.----006 a.k.a. Mr. Primer

Sure. Some were even under water for awhile. And they still work! I collect a few rounds most times I go to the range. Toss them in a box. Maybe 6 or 8 months or longer I run them through the cleaner and salvage what I can. I like the .22's people drop. Gives me lots of great powder for reloading .22's.

[Sixgun]

Oh,man...TWO things...your either cheap or living in 1930.

I know your pulling my leg...By the way, what are you doing up this late? Did you have your milk and cookies yet?

[JimT]

Oh,man...TWO things...your either cheap or living in 1930.
I know your pulling my leg...By the way, what are you doing up this late? Did you have your milk and cookies yet?

I enjoy playing with all kinds of ammo.
I have plenty of good primers and powder. This other stuff is just fun.

No milk and cookies. Eggnog & rye whiskey.

[Sixgun]

Yea...me too Jim....I enjoy ammo as much as guns....everything involved with guns......probably narrow minded but oh well, it's my life. Casting bullets, reforming cases, shooting them, working on them, trans Atlantic them...everything

I do miss a good three fingers of Wild Turkey 101 bourbon..straight.......inner ear problems and dependence makes me abstain.....

[Sixgun]

Hey Jim...try a shotgun primer or a 50 BMG like I did in the garage one time......had the empty in the vise and whacked it with a center punch.......Must be 10x the power of a regular primer......piece of it came back up through my forefinger that took about 6 months to heal.....

I know, candidate for the Darwin Awards....

[Tycer]

If this is what you do as a wise old owl, it’s a wonder you made it through puberty!

[Shasta]

Speaking of primers, I witnessed an interesting occurrence a few weeks ago. My silhouette shooting partner was firing a Marlin .32-20 and had a round that popped the Winchester Small Pistol primer but did not fire the round. Inspection revealed that the primer (loaded on a Dillon 550) was seated in the pocket sideways. I was very surprised that it worked at all!




Shasta

[AmBraCol]

Speaking of primers, I witnessed an interesting occurrence a few weeks ago. My silhouette shooting partner was firing a Marlin .32-20 and had a round that popped the Winchester Small Pistol primer but did not fire the round. Inspection revealed that the primer (loaded on a Dillon 550) was seated in the pocket sideways. I was very surprised that it worked at all!




Shasta

I've managed to do that with a hand priming tool. Can't imagine how badly I'd screw up by trying to do it high volume at speed.