Primer removal and bullet pull

[Magnum_52]

So, what are your thoughts on depriming a case that the new unfired primer did not set properly. Do you remove the primer and reuse the case or not. Next question, say you suspect you may have not loaded the proper powder load on a finished bullet. That is what a bullet puller is for correct? To separate the bullet components and resue them?

Thanks

[Brian Pfleuger]

You can de-prime a live primer and reuse both the case and the primer if you use reasonable care. I've done it several times. It is advisable to wear eye and ear protection when removing a live primer.

Bullet pullers are intended to remove a bullet from a case, for many reasons. Generally, all components can be reused. Some types of pullers will damage some types of bullets.

[dlb435]

I've removed live primers with no problem. Still, the eye protection is a good idea.....you just never know.
A removed primer is usually no longer good for anything, just spay them down with oil and toss them. Why take the chance of a hang fire or dud for 3 cents?
The case is usually just fine. Just inspect it like you would any clean case before reloading.
If you are not sure what powder you loaded, toss the powder too. If you are sure what it is, put the powder back in the can.
We've all had those "ooops" moments when we started to reload and then remembered that the powder hopper was full of pistol powder and not rifle powder. It's really bad when you mix the powders and have to toss the whole batch!
FYI - I often weigh my reloads. I have a range of weight that I expect. If the round is too heavy or too light, I'll pull the bullet and redo that round.

[Shoney]

Removing Live Primers!

Got live primers? Take this to heart,
It’s not hard, it’s not an art;

How to remove? you might ask
Always safety first, on this little task;

Goggles and ear plugs; guard your senses;
Put up a board for good defenses;

Recycle those primer, any ol’ way;
For fowling shots, or just for play;

No primers to toss, no brass to pitch;
Just decap the hole on’at son-of-a-b-b-b-b-b---gun!

[Sky Master]

I've pulled hundreds of bullets. (Yea I've made that many mistakes) I have found out the best way to pull bullet is with RCBS's collet puller. Just put it in a single stage press and presto pulled bullet and no mess of powder on floors or table. I also use the impact puller for one or two. I prefer to deprime unfired primers using the expanding die with the deprimer on it, then resize and prime again.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Discard the primers?

Hm. I've examined them closely, even under a magnifying glass, and can not tell them from any other primer, the part that matters anyway. The compound and anvil are unaffected. I've never had one not go BANG!

[demigod]

I've pushed out live primers hundreds of times. As long as my Dillon hasn't flipped them sideways and caused me to mash them, I'll reuse them.

[Magnum_52]

Thanks for all the info. That is much appreciated and I look forward to getting to know you guys. Told a buddy of mine then other day that if I had the money I think I could reload for hours every day. One could really get hooked on this.

[DogoDon]

That's beautiful, Shoney!

[snuffy]

Magnum, learn some terminology. The whole cartridge is NOT called a bullet. Just the projectile, the part that goes down da barrel is called a bullet. The rest is called a case, the powder and the primer, make up a cartridge. Another term used by the military is "round", also means the whole cartridge. Some call them "shells", or ammo.

You'll find reloading is very specific about terminology. NOT using the correct term will lead to misunderstandings.

It's a safe thing to do to remove a live primer using either a FL sizer or a decapper die. Just be sure to push slowly and gently. I've re-used primers taken out like that, they may be a bit less sensitive, so use them for informal practice. I never had one fail-to-fire.

Dumping oil on them will do nothing but get them slippery. The only sure way to deactivate them is to fire them.

Reminder; It takes a sharp hard blow by a pointed firing pin to detonate a primer. Then that primer must be firmly held in a primer pocket, and the shell has to be firmly held in a chamber. None of these conditions are present in a shell held by a shell holder while an unsupported primer is being gently PUSHED out of the pocket.

[Magnum_52]

Thanks for the insight. I am AWARE of the terminology, know what cartridge vs projectile vs primer and powder is. I know guns and bullets just not re-loading. I figured that the individuals on this site are intelligent capable reloaders and could figure out what I meant. Thanks for the insight though. I've foudnthat most everyone understood what I meant.

[howlnmad]

Tossing perfectly good primers? That's just a cryin shame.

[44 AMP]

FYI,

After having abnd using a collet type bullet puller for decades, I got an Inertia puller (a Lyman), and couldn't be happier with it!

I pulled down about 400 rnds of GI .308 that was bad (to get the bullets), and even though it was a chore, it was a lot less work than doing it with a collet puller in my press!

Just put the round in, and two, three wacks against a solid surface and presto! Once in a while it take 4 but not often. And these were crimped in, GI laquer sealed rounds!

A collet puller is useful, but it will distort lead bullets. Sometimes mashes them up pretty bad, in order to get the grip needed to pull them. It also leaves a small (and as far as I know) harmless burnish mark on jacketed slugs.

THE inertia puller does neither. Tell ya the truth, it kind of got to be fun.

[wncchester]

Bullet pullers (and stuck case removers?) are erasures for reloaders; we do make mistakes. Most "mistakes" that need to be pulled are loads we hoped would shoot well but don't. There's no point in shooting a whole box after the first 5 rounds go all over the target, it's more logical to break them down and save the components!

Bullet pullers are made in two styles because we actually need both types. Collet pullers are more costly but work well for largish numbers of rifle bullets long enough for the collet to have something to grasp. Inertia pullers are a tad slower but will work on all bullets, long or short, and all cases without costly extras.

We can make it easier to pull all bullets in both military and old rounds by seating them a fraction of an inch deeper first to break the seal/adhesion.

A bullet is a projectile, it's not a cartridge.

[snuffy]

Thanks for the insight. I am AWARE of the terminology, know what cartridge vs projectile vs primer and powder is. I know guns and bullets just not re-loading.

Hmmmm, another one to put on my ignore list!

[Unclenick]

Non-violent decapping of live primers usually doesn't damage them. (The one exception is factory primed military cases that have a primer crimp.) It is actually recommended by manufacturers that primers receive a tiny amount of crush beyond seating to touch the anvil feet to the bottom of the primer pocket. This is to set the bridge (see this article on primers). For that reason they are designed to withstand a bit of constant pressure between the cup and the center of the anvil, and that's where decapping pin pressure is applied.

Some primers seem to be sensitive to being killed by solvents and some seem to be almost completely immune to them. I've seen a report of primers killed by raindrops falling on them in loaded ammunition that was nose down in an open box. I've also seen test write-ups where they've survived a week or two of submersion in various liquids and solvents and still worked fine. Apparently the varnish coatings have variable effectiveness. I've never succeeded in killing a primer because I failed to wear gloves while handling them, but if you are a "ruster"—someone whose skin oils have a lot of salt in them that rusts all non-stainless steel you touch—then I would wear the rubber gloves anyway.

I expect a primer that has been decapped might have cracks in the sealant, so I wouldn't use such primers in ammo for an expensive hunt or for a match or any other kind of must-work application. But as others have already commented, there is no point in wasting them when a lot of non-critical shooting is there to be done.

The inertial pullers are inexpensive and work well, and for lubricated lead bullets can be the only way to go because of the grip issue. But you don't want to pull large numbers of jacketed bullet rounds that way. The Hornady Cam-lock collet puller is the one to have for large quantities. Instead of screwing the collet closer in by hand, as you do with the RCBS and Forster collet pullers, the Hornady closer has a little handle you just press down from vertical to horizontal to clamp the bullet. It works great and is way faster to use than the other style.

Any collet can mark a bullet, but, as Harry Pope said over a century ago, the base steers the bullet. As long as you don't damage the base, accuracy is not usually compromised much. A small amount of marking or deforming of the nose usually has no adverse effect until you get to very long range where the resulting irregular small reductions in ballistic coefficient can cause some vertical stringing. But I'm talking 800-1000 yards there. Even up to 600 yards, people have shot collet-pulled 173 grain Lake City match .308's in competition and not felt disadvantaged over anyone else firing new copies of that same bullet. For all but benchrest shooters, the effect of collet puller marks on jacketed bullets is going to be hard to find on paper. The Lee Factory Crimp die is a collet that intentionally indents bullets even more than the collet pullers do, and it doesn't adversely affect accuracy at more common shooting ranges. Indeed, it can actually improve common range accuracy with some loads.

[Magnum_52]

Thanks for the info guys. Nice to know that there are those out there they have made the same mistakes. Most of the rounds are perfectly fine. Now that I know a bit more about reloading I am more comfortable. I intend on learning from you guys, reading manuals and research. Man, this is fun though.


P.S. Thanks to those that got the point that although I may be a novice I am aware that a bullet is a projectile not a cartrdige and such. So, I shall try to be more precise in future posts.

[wncchester]

Magnum: "I've foudnthat most everyone understood what I meant"

Yes. Typos are well understood and most everyone knows that when some people say bullet, they mean bullet and that when they say bullet they may mean bullet. The point being those of us who know what we are talking about have to guess if the others do or don't. Knowingly mis-using technically important words is not an aid to effective communication, is it?

This is not a put-down, it's a suggestion to make your questions and comments clear so responses can be specific. In reloading, some errors are harmless, some are not and it's not good to have to guess what's meant vs. what's said.

[Magnum_52]

No offense meant but some people just need to relax. Maybe I am not as up on things as you but I do know more than you think. Thanks to those that have provided valuable insight and not worried about the fact that maybe I type faster than I think. Promise that to those that might need a relaxing vacation that I shall try and be more procese in my terminology.

Thanks

[mehavey]

Don't worry about it.
Gentle instruction is often a hard-learned art.

Welcome to the Forum. (Really big )

[oneounceload]

IF you go with the inertia bullet puller, I have found putting one of the yellow cylindrical foam ear plugs in the bottom goes a LONG way to saving bullet tips from distortion.

Depriming primers is easy, just go slow and steady; if they're a little mangled so they can't be used, whacking them with a hammer on the garage floor is a sure way to get momma's attention in the house!

[demigod]

Depriming primers is easy, just go slow and steady; if they're a little mangled so they can't be used, whacking them with a hammer on the garage floor is a sure way to get momma's attention in the house!

I toss them into the fire pit out back. That way I can get a little distance between me and the "POP".

[4runnerman]

I have popped a few primers out that did not seat right.I guess for the price they cost , i throw them away. Most of the time they are damaged by the time they come out and to me,,to take extra time to do it gently is a waste of time. 3 cents a piece,,throw them away...Never take a chance at any thing when it comes to reloading. One screw up is all it takes to sit there and say i wish i would not have done that. Brass will be fine.