How to kill primers?

[Pond, James Pond]

I have about 4 cases with live primers that I want to remove.

The cases won't feed into my rifle without the bullet and I don't want to force it and I see no reason to risk a primer going off inside the confines of a decapping die, blowing old primer dust all over the place if the dies are now useless anyway.

So, any house hold products that I can put down the neck of the case to render the primers inert whilst not damaging the brass, or my sonic cleaner later when they go for a make-over?

[lee n. field]

Spray oil should do it.

[Snyper]

You could remove the decapping pin and resize the cases so they could be fired in your rifle

[Pond, James Pond]

You know, I can't even remember why I wanted to remove them, now....

That was an option I considered, but for some reason I came to the conclusion that they had to come out regardless.

I'd still like to know how to de-arm primers, if purely to have the option.

[Snyper]

I'd still like to know how to de-arm primers

Oil "can" work, but there are no promises it will work

[Pond, James Pond]

WD 40? Ballistol? Vinegar? Single Malt? (I'd probably suck on the primers once they're out if you suggest that last one)

[Sevens]

Most tests to kill primers with a solvent either fail completely or fail much of the time.

On the other hand, all primers are designed to detonate with a solid hit and slow, measured recapping force simply does NOT set them off. My experience is only one guy's view, but it's literally HUNDREDS of manual decaps over 25yrs with zero BANGs.

For the squeamish, put a bath towel over the entire press & go slow.

[mikld]

FWIW; In 30 years of reloading I've never had to try to "kill" a primer. If I need to trash a case, for whatever reason, that has a live primer in it, I'll just punch it out in my sizing dies. Large and small, Magnum and standard, rifle and pistol, American, Canadian, and Russian primers are easily and safely popped out in a plain old sizing die, and I have never had one pop as I tried to remove it. I've read of attempts to kill primers (WD40, water, motor oil, etc.) and none seem to be 100% effective (but again I haven't had a need so I haven't tried it). Mebbe urine?

[Pond, James Pond]

Mebbe urine?

That would be a scene hard to explain if my wife walked in, mid-disarming.

[Lost Sheep]

The only truly inert primer is one that has its chemical reaction run to completion.

The chemicals in the primer are covered with a foil, which, if intact, keeps even the most penetrating of penetrating oils out.

Manually feed the empty cases through your rifle and fire off the primers. Snyper's suggestion should enable that.

De-prime cap them in your press. You don't have to call yourself squeamish to practice safety precautions. Drape a heavy cloth over the press, wear safety glasses and hearing protection. Gloves if you want or even a face shield. But it is nearly impossible to set off a primer with slow, steady pressure.

After removal, light a small fire in a gallon (4-liter) can or stone firepit or some such semi-enclosed space. Toss the primers in, one at a time. Be careful, as pieces/parts of the primer (the anvil or the cup) may fly out.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep

[hartcreek]

Why do they have to be deprimed? Just cause the case will not chamber in your rifle does not mean that they need to be deprimed.

[nemesiss45]

Fwiw, i have tried to "kill" 5 primers with WD40. It worked on precisely 0 of them.

On the other hand, i have never had a primer detonate while decapping it in a press.

[ckpj99]

If you've ever used a Lee Classic kit that utilizes a hammer and a rod to seat the primer, you've probably detonated a primer or two. While it's a little scary because it's shocking, it's not that dangerous. I'd just decap slowly with your press, and if possible use a set up that decaps without the case being sealed way up in the die, maybe lower the decapping pin as low as it will go or something.

[madmo44mag]

Once I tested how long it would take synthetic motor oil t kill a primer and it took 6 months.
Only 1 of 5 fired.
When it went off it was more of a "poof" not a bang.

[mikld]

If you've ever used a Lee Classic kit that utilizes a hammer and a rod to seat the primer, you've probably detonated a primer or two. While it's a little scary because it's shocking, it's not that dangerous.

Been there, done that (and had to change my panties the first time it happened! ). I like to occasionally go "retro" and use one of my 6 Lee Loaders, but the only one that would set off a primer was my .44 Mag/Special kit...

[emcon5]

I have decapped live primers a few times, and so far have never had one go off.

What I did was put on eye and ear protection, and go really slow.

I have also "deactivated" them with the firing pin. Sometimes it is difficult to get them to feed without a bullet (with a Mauser type extractor), but with a little guidance with your finger they usually do.

For a Remington type you can just shove them in the chamber and close the bolt.

[Backroad]

Agree with SEVENS. Just removed about dozen from .223 cases using my RCBS recapping/sizing die that wouldn't size down to fit in the cartridge gauge. No problem.

al

[45_auto]

Only sure way to disarm them is to de-cap them like normal, then smack the primer with a hammer.

In the late 1990's I had a friend who wanted some 45 Colt "show" ammo for his gunbelt. He didn't want dented primers.

I'd always heard the horror stories about WD40 killing primers, so I dumped a sleeve of primers (100) in a cup of WD40.

A week later I pulled out 10 of them, put them in cases, and every one fired.

Same thing with 10 more 2 weeks later.

By that time he needed the dummy cartridges, so I resorted to picking the anvil and primer pellet out of some primers with an exacto knife and just leaving the primer shell. Used those for his dummy loads, with a hole drilled through the case where you couldn't see it under the belt loop so they wouldn't get mixed up with live ammo.

Over the next couple of years I would take a few primers out of the WD40 every so often and try them out. Every single one of them worked perfectly.

[tangolima]

That's good to know. I remember the 1st I read on hand loading. When it came to handling primers, it warned against possibility of the minute oil on bare hands. It will kill or degrade the primer. The same repeated in literatures elsewhere. Guess it is all bovine excrement.

-TL

[William T. Watts]

Push them out with a decapping die or your sizing die, both methods work, never had I set off a punched out live primer.. In 45 years of loading ammunition I've had lots of things happen but setting off a primer isn't one of them!! William

[skizzums]

please run it by us, why do you need to remove the primers again? you can trim and/or resize the primed case, right? if you need to trim, just do it wearing safety googles

[Panfisher]

It ain't no thing to remove a live primer, lube the case up and run it through the dies just like normal. I've pulled bullets from lots of loaded ammo folks have given me as "salvage", sized/deprimed them and never set one off yet. Way back in the day with the old Lee Kits (the ones you used a mallet on) I punched out several live primers even then. No sweat, simply do it and move on to the next step.

[44 AMP]

it warned against possibility of the minute oil on bare hands. It will kill or degrade the primer. The same repeated in literatures elsewhere. Guess it is all bovine excrement.

YEs, and no...

In the old days, (40+ years ago) many primers were made without any foil or other barrier, and oil from hands, or any other source could easily get to the priming compound, and kill it.

Today, as you can see from what others have posted, its a lot tougher, and while still possible, can't be counted on.

I agree that a slow steady push (and the case must be properly centered in the shell holder, so the primer has some place to go) will not set off a primer.

I've done it, even reloaded the primers into new cases and shot them.
I won't recommend you do it, but it has worked for me.

[zxcvbob]

I think sodium hydroxide will kill them. (I don't remember why I think that)

Oil just makes them unreliable.

[Lost Sheep]

zxcvbob,

Sodium hydroxide? Any chemical still has to get past the foil (sometimes a sealant as well) to get to the chemicals priming in the priming compound.

If NaOH will corrode through the seal, maybe so. But I still like firing them (either in a gun or a flame) best. Second only to actually re-using them.

Lost Sheep