I submit my skull for the beating I deserve...

[Ysabel Kid]

I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake!

I've been loading up .38 Specials like they are going out of style. Finally exhausted my supply of bullets, so will need to cast some and/or buy some more. Decided to head into some .44 stuff, with the idea of loads for my levers. I have two Lee hand-priming tools - one that I leave the "large primer" pan on and one I leave the "small primer" pan on. I went to fill up the large primer one, and discovered about 30 primers sitting in it. Problem is, I don't have a clue as to what they are! I will need to go through my reloading notes to confirm. I suspect they are standard large rifle primers that I was using for the .45-70. By "suspect" and reload are not two words I want to go together, so I may just have to pitch them all!

So, I bow my head for some well-deserved smacking. Fire away!

[claybob86]

You're being a little too hard on yourself. Just pitch 'em.

[cnjarvis]

Bang thy head against a wall thirty times and go and sin no more.

Stuff happens. +1 to what Claybob said. At least you're smart enough not to use them without verifying which ones they are. Worst case scenario at this point: You're out 90 cents.

[papasan]

Are you sure?? Ok then, this should
be fun!

SMACK...SMACK...AND SMACK.
How was that?

papasan

[Gobblerforge]

I don't know how many primer variations you have, but you could open another pack of each and see which ones they match. At least in my case thats what I have done. But I only have a couple types and they are different looking when compared. Just a thought.
Gobbler

[TedH]

If you can't tell by comparing the color of the mix to known primers, just pitch them. It's only a dollar.

[Ysabel Kid]

Are you sure?? Ok then, this should
be fun!

SMACK...SMACK...AND SMACK.
How was that?

papasan

Thank you sir, may I have another?

Yep - I will compare to my stock this evening. I don't have too many primer types on hand, nor have used that many different ones in the past. If I have any doubts, out they go.

I still deserve a good rap on the noggin though. I'm teaching my son how to reload, and this was not a good example!

[rjohns94]

Check, match or dump. all is well. What you are teaching you son is to cross the ts and dot the Is. Your attention to detail is still showing through. If God had made us perfect, there would be no need for HIS Son. blessings (and no smacks on the head)

[JReed]

As others said it shows you are paying attention and that is what counts. You caught the problem before you stuffed them into cases and saved your self some heart ache. So check your stuff and keep banging out those rounds.

[J Miller]

I just love these rich guys who tell you to pitch everything.

Did you check the shell holder in the priming tool? That should give you a clue as to what you primmed the last time.
Large Rifle Primers are taller than Large Pistol Primers. Open a box of each and measure them. Check the colors on the mix and match them up.

Every one makes boo boos.

Joe

[Griff]

I just love these rich guys who tell you to pitch everything.
Did you check the shell holder in the priming tool? That should give you a clue as to what you primmed the last time.
Large Rifle Primers are taller than Large Pistol Primers. Open a box of each and measure them. Check the colors on the mix and match them up.Every one makes boo boos.
Joe

Ditto. Although, may I suggest in the future that you return any unused primers or powder to their original container when finishing a reloading session. Now if it was powder... I'd be on that DITCH IT bandwagon also. I couldn't begin to add up how many pounds of powder I've destroyed over the past 35 years of reloading.

[morgan in nm]

You are being too hard on yourself. Who knows, you could have been distracted for some reason and not returned those primers back to their containers. Stuff happens but like others have said, you at least have the forethought to concern yourself with the safety factor. If it were me, I wouldn't necessarily throw them away but I use only one type of primer, Winchesters, and I have a pistol bench seperate from my rifle bench. I have bought primed brass before and decapped them because I didn't know what kind of primers were used but those were for calibers that were going to be loaded for strict performance.

At least you didn't make the same mistake I did one time. Read the wrong powder in my loading data and loaded 20 rds extremely hot. Luckily, I wrote down all the information and did my data inspection before I fired any of them. My heart skipped and I pulled every one. Now, I highlight the loading data that I want and make notations so it won't happen again.

[Blaine]

You caught your mistake. Period. Good job. It helps everyone here to read these mistakes, so thanks for trusting us with your tale of woe (even if we are laughing our butts off at you )

[J Miller]

Another thought for the future. When I get ready to prime I count up the number of cases I need to prime and put that many only in the priming tool. A pain in the rump sometimes, but then again when I'm doing priming the tool is empty.

Joe

[donw]

...slappity! slap! slap!

think of it this way...your good proceedures may have saved you some heartache...

now...get it together, man!!!!

[WCF3030]

If you do something long enough, eventually you mess up.

Although in my opinion, messing up would have been realizing what you did after you already setted the primers, or blew something up.

[Glenn]

J Miller has the procedure for determining Large pistol from rifle - measure the height. Doesn't work for small, they're the same.
However, if you mix up small primers, use them to load a less-than-full load in a single action revolver. If they are rifle primers, that big heavy hammer should set them off no problem. Any increase in pressure won't be a problem because you're well below max.
Glenn

[awp101]

SMACK...SMACK...AND SMACK.
How was that?

Why do I keep seeing the scene in Airplane! where everyone is lining up to "calm down" the hysterical lady?

Thank you sir, may I have another?

Hey! He can't do that to our pledges, only WE can!

And you ARE setting a good example. A BAD example would have been to say "I don't remember what size these are...let's go out to the driveway and hit them with hammers!"

[Ysabel Kid]

Joe hit the nail on the head. I looked at the shell holder I also managed to leave in the hand primer and sure enough it was for the .45-70 Government case. I checked my reloading log, and that was the last case I had loaded using a large primer of any kind. Lastly, I compared them to large pistol primers, and they were indeed taller, and they matched perfectly the Remington Large Rifle primers I still had on hand.

Mystery solved, but a good lesson none-the-less!!! I figured I'd probably get a rather long line of you fellows ready to give me a head-smacking considering all my opinionated posting here!!!

[Gobblerforge]

Ahhhhh. Grasshoppa.................On the road to enlightenment, remember..................................it's not always paved.

[brucew44guns]

Jay, I have always looked up to you as the genius on the forum. I mean---in my book you could do no wrong, you're perfect in every way. What is it, that I couldn't count on your wisdom to get me through a tight spot?, when the chips were down? But now---OH NOW!!, you come along and admit to a blunder like this. It just wrecks everything I conjured up in my mind about your infallability. I wish you had lied about this, or simply never told the truth to anyone. It will take at least 10 minutes for me to recover from the hurt of this mistake you made.

[Ysabel Kid]

Jay, I have always looked up to you as the genius on the forum.

ME?!? Hell, I'm a better BS-er than I thought...

In all seriousness though, I did want to start a discussion on this. We have a lot of folks who start reloading while here on the forum, and I really like all the discussions we have on the topics associated with that activity. Any time someone can learn from another's mistakes - without having to experience those mistakes themselves (especially the potentially dangerous ones), is a good thing!

I'm sure you got over it in 2.5 minutes tops!!!

[Tristan]

Primers are cheap, fingers and eyes are irreplaceable. Easy choice.

- Tristan

[Cast Bullet Hunter]

Is the only question whether they are rifle or pistol primers? Measure the height and compare to ones you have still in the factory packaging, large rifle primers are higher than large pistol.

[Gobblerforge]

Any time someone can learn from another's mistakes - without having to experience those mistakes themselves (especially the potentially dangerous ones), is a good thing!

I say it's good to point out potential mistakes that beginners don't even know exist, and how easy it is to screw up when our attention gets diverted.
Gobbler

[S.B.]

Consider the damage that oily fingers do to primers if you pick them up? You've gone the expense of buying two priming tools now your worrying about a few left in one of your tools? Good God man can't you think of a better waist of bandwidth? HEHEHEH

[Shasta]

I'm glad you were finally able to solve your problem. After having experienced the same problem myself, here is how I now prevent it. Each time I finish a pack of 100 primers, I cut out the top of the cardboard sleeve and save it. If I have a loading block of primed cases that have not yet been loaded, I put one of the appropriate sleeves on it so I know what primer was used. Same goes for any of the 4 RCBS priming tools I have. Any primers left in it get a sleeve label for future reference. Haven't had a primer mix-up since!



Shasta

[Ysabel Kid]

I'm glad you were finally able to solve your problem. After having experienced the same problem myself, here is how I now prevent it. Each time I finish a pack of 100 primers, I cut out the top of the cardboard sleeve and save it. If I have a loading block of primed cases that have not yet been loaded, I put one of the appropriate sleeves on it so I know what primer was used. Same goes for any of the 4 RCBS priming tools I have. Any primers left in it get a sleeve label for future reference. Haven't had a primer mix-up since!

Great idea Shasta!!!

[Paladin]

I have been loading since 1970 and learn something new every day. I can not count the number of times I have discarded powder and primers because I didn't have them labeled. When I get back I will put these ideas into my bench set up. THANKS AGAIN…