OT: Save Your Spent Primers

[Modoc ED]

I've been saving my spent/fired primers.

I ran across this link several years ago. Lots of good info in the book Army Training Manual "Improvised Munitions Handbook" TM 31-210 of 1969.

Here is the link for re-using spent/fired primers.

http://www.libertylib.com/improvised-mu ... imer.shtml

The procedure is somewhat tedious but it works. I've tried it using fired WLR primers in my .30-06. I reloaded the rounds just as I would using new primers. I do not have the ballistic details -- fps or energy.

You can get the book from http://www.amazon.com

TIP: It is really helpful if you get a pair of mini-needle-nose pliers (the electronics small size). If you're a reloader, you already have the means to decap and seat primers.

EDIT: It took a long time and was tedious. I would only do it again if I were completely out of primers with no way to get more. This is just an idea to keep in the back of your mind. It is easy to put spent primers in a jar and save them for a rainy/what if day.

[piller]

Hope it never gets to that point, but......

[gary rice]

Looks like its already very close to that point. I cant find any anywhere, not midway, midsouth, none.

[Ysabel Kid]

I'm kicking myself now for all the spent primers I've tossed over the years!

[alnitak]

Looks like I'll be stocking up on matches too. Need a bigger basement!

[gary rice]

I'm kicking myself now for all the spent primers I've tossed over the years!

Me too. i have about 8000 large rifle and 7k large pistol, 2k small pistol so it's not like im out but i sure wish i had more. Look on gunbroker, i couldnt believe it. They are bidding up to 90 bucks for a carton now.

[O.S.O.K.]

I say just stock up on primers! The manufacturers will catch up with demand - you can bet they are hating every day that they can't fill an order - $$$ down the drain!

I just checked Grafs - they've got primers - just order on-line and pay the hazard fee - order enough that it doesn't cost much per box.

ETA - I just ordered 9,000 - http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=15066

[BigSky56]

This procedure was used by the indians that whooped custer, several 44 henry rimfire cases that had been reloaded up to 7&8 times was found on the battle field, army must of learned it from them. danny

[J35]

several 44 henry rimfire cases that had been reloaded up to 7&8 times was found on the battle field, . danny

I wonder how they determined that?

Have fun

[BigSky56]

Firing pin strikes on the rim guess they didnt iron them out. danny

[JustaJeepGuy]

Doesn't the Henry have a double firing pin? I don't know how there would be an odd number of firing pin strikes, though.

[Rusty]

I don't know about y'all but here we can't find strike anywhere matches around here with out a great deal of looking.

[20cows]

They'd be corosive, by the way.

[claybob86]

Does the stuff stay put in the primer cup? Seems like it would tend to empty itself out through the flash hole during handling with nothing to hold it in place.

[J35]

Firing pin strikes on the rim guess they didnt iron them out. danny

I suppose anything is possible.

I only wondered because I have found several old 44 Henry cases in the MTNS of S AZ and a couple of them had multiple firing pin marks.

Just figured the ammo was bad about like some 22's you get today.

Have fun

[DixieBoy]

BigSky is right. I researched the Little Bighorn fight quite a bit while in grad school. There has been quite a bit written about the "forensics" research done out there. Many of the rimfire cartridges recovered had quite a few firing pin strikes on them.

I believe, but am not certain, that with these being black powder cartridges, the Indians may have simply made a paste of black powder and then allowed that to seep into the rim area, dry, and refill with powder. Don't know how they would have gotten their hands on whatever was used for factory priming material back then, but I'll bet obtaining black powder was much less problematic. - DixieBoy

[Gun Runner]

Was at the gun shop today just browsing and they had primers. $30.00 1000 for lg rifle. This shop is part of the mi-wall corp. that sells reloads and they have a contract with Winchester for primers. Powder was a diffrent story only one can of powder on the shelf, but was told more comming in.

As for the stike anywhere matches I get them at Raleys (Bel-Air and theres one other thats all related) Have 10 boxes of (250 per box). I bought them for a diffrent reason. Also someplace have a receipe for loading primers and making loads for rifle/pistols. May have to dig that out.

Gun Runner

[revolverjunkie]

well im glad i biught a copy of that TM also it has a recipe for "red or white" powder propellant looks like its for rifles so im assuming it burns on the slow side doesn't really say how much to use though. also there is a recipe for improvised black powder. never can be to prepared. especially when you need a shaped charge

[abcollector]

Not to steal the Modoc ED's thread but what is the best style/brand of "strike anywhere" matches? I have on hand a box of the Diamond brand for emergency/camping use and am less than happy with them. They are difficult to lite, don't burn very long if they do and many times the wood stick breaks in the striking process. Is there another brand out there that's better?

[Modoc ED]

Not to steal the Modoc ED's thread but what is the best style/brand of "strike anywhere" matches? I have on hand a box of the Diamond brand for emergency/camping use and am less than happy with them. They are difficult to lite, don't burn very long if they do and many times the wood stick breaks in the striking process. Is there another brand out there that's better?

Just get what you can find.

[Tycer]

Not to steal the Modoc ED's thread but what is the best style/brand of "strike anywhere" matches? I have on hand a box of the Diamond brand for emergency/camping use and am less than happy with them. They are difficult to lite, don't burn very long if they do and many times the wood stick breaks in the striking process. Is there another brand out there that's better?

Blue Diamond are the best IMO, but none of the stores here have them. I bought ten boxes last time I was in Birmingham.

[coyote nose]

Good post modoc Ed.
Make sure you clean out the bore VERY good after using these...this stuff is supposed to be really corrosive. I read this idea several years ago and the authors were insistant that a water based solvent be used to wash away the salts that would be deposited in the barrel, as well as using a regular bore cleaner after it. Have no idea what the book was now. Would assume you would also have to wash the case out well. I think it is some type of phosphorus in the heads so what little I recall from chemistry classes I would make sure to wash my hands very well after doing this too...some types of phosphorus are very poisonios. As far as strike anywhere matches go...I heard they initially were dropped from stores during the clintonista years because they could be used to make primers!! Now I am hearing that it is too hard to ship the strike anywhere matches and haz mat is just through the roof for them. I see them at gunshows...generally $2/box to 3 boxes for $5. BTW, IMHO Ohio Blue Tip matches were the best when i was a kid using them to make various devious devices. Looked into it recently and Ohio Blue Tip was bought out by the diamond match company. That is the only brand I see nowadays.

[J35]

Doesn't the Henry have a double firing pin? I don't know how there would be an odd number of firing pin strikes, though.

I believe you are right, reading your post made me go hunt up the ones I found.

The two firing pin strikes are 180 degree's apart on the rim , sounds like a good idea for rim fire.

I have a couple with 3 strikes or six dents.

Have fun

[JustaJeepGuy]

Looked into it recently and Ohio Blue Tip was bought out by the diamond match company. That is the only brand I see nowadays.

Rats! Blue is my favorite color--that's why I liked 'em!

[Steelbanger]

Yesterday my wife and I stopped in a market run by local Mennonites and while browsing I spotted a three pack of strike anywhere matches. So for $2.75 I now have some emergency back-up should my primer stash be consumed.

One of these days I am going to try making a few. Corrosive eh? Wonder if I can borrow a friends rifle for testing. Should be interesting.

[AmBraCol]

As for reloading rimfire - it's doable and I've done it. In Brazil where I grew up it was easy to come up with CBC brand berdan primers for reloading full brass shotshells. 22 ammo was about $10 equivalent per box of 50. And you'd usually get three or more duds per box. Expensive stuff and not that reliable at the time. So we'd take a fired 22 shell and a couple of Berdan primers. We'd squeeze the primers with pliers from the sides to loosen up the powder (we tried scraping - BAD idea - blisters on finger tips HURT) and then dump the powder into the 22 shell. We'd then carefully tamp it down with the head of a nail that barely fit into the shell. Then we'd fill it up with FFFg black powder (kids could obtain all kinds of fun stuff back then if they had the money) and press a 3T shot into the mouth of the shell with slip joint pliers. It would slide down flush with the mouth of the case and we'd be ready to go. Just make sure that your firing pin is going to strike on a part of the rim that's not been mashed down yet. We'd get three reloads out of one shell and then it'd get iffy. With firing pin strikes every 90 degrees around the rim you'd practically be guaranteed to have it fall on a primer dust holding area. Trying to get more strikes around there made it less likely. Anyway, the primers were corrosive and the powder was hygroscopic. Not a good thing, even though we'd scrub the barrel out well each time we used it. The apex of our experiments included a ratshot shell filled to the brim with firecracker powder and a 3T shot squeezed in on top of it. We only loaded one of these rounds and we fired it in my cousin's Winchester 67. I've always wondered at the velocity of that round. We flipped for the chance to shoot it and he "won". Which meant I got to stand behind him with my fingers in my ears. And it also meant that HIS ears rang for a week or so. The head blew off the shell. The tiny projectile completely drilled through a piece of dry brazilian hard wood over an inch thick - the kind that you have to drill before driving nails into it. We were sure we'd ruined the rifle but running the cleaning brush in from the muzzle pushed the remains of the shell out of the chamber. And it was just as good and accurate as it was before. Anyway, there are many ways of providing the means of reloading ammo when need be. And making a workable firearm? It ain't that complicated. And such home made firearms can replace the "Liberator" pistol for the same type of scenario. You don't need rifling, a repeating action or any of that if the idea is just to "cap" an invader and obtain their modern weapon and ammo. Cops down here are not allowed to patrol on their own or even just in pairs out in the countryside. The reason? It's too tempting to "the boys" to ambush them for the guns and ammo they carry.

[2571]

Legal status depends on which you state you live in. Legal here in MI.
However, despite having been improved a 100 years ago to prevent spontaneous ignition and / or ignition by rats, some franchise store chains will not sell them due to "potential liability".

Absolute worst case scenario, I can probably send you some from MI. They are not real expensive -- $2 or 3 a box.

[AmBraCol]

Legal status depends on which you state you live in. Legal here in MI.
However, despite having been improved a 100 years ago to prevent spontaneous ignition and / or ignition by rats, some franchise store chains will not sell them due to "potential liability".

Absolute worst case scenario, I can probably send you some from MI. They are not real expensive -- $2 or 3 a box.

$2 or 3 a box PLUS Hazmat charges....

[Chuck 100 yd]

IIRC this is the third primer shortage in the last 15 or so years.
There was a big one about the time Billy Bob moved into the white house. I was expecting it and started to lay some away over a year ago. Not hundred of thousands mind you but enough to keep me shooting . Within a year the shelves will be stocked again I bet and you will see many for sale at a loss at the gun shows.
About 35 years ago there was a "SHORTAGE" of baler twine forecast due to an embargo on imported sisle (sp?) by the folks in the industry, so my boss bought up truckloads of twine trying to corner the market. Before the haying season started
New Holland came out with plastic twine. Boss lost his butt on that venture as you almost could not give it away and once it started to age it was worthless!!