A question about misfires.,

[The Terminator]

At one point today, I had 3 bullets with dented primers, sitting on the shooting bench. I managed to get all of them to fire after re-shooting them. The rest, I just pulled the hammer back and fired them on the 2nd try.

Question is, what do you do with a misfire? I mean, if it won't fire at all. I hated to throw it in the trash, it could go of at some point. I certainly didn't want to try and pull the bullet with my kinetic puller. Boom, right?

If I'd been in the forest, I might have thrown it up into the woods. So what would you do with a round like this?
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[Smaug]

Sometimes, I get light primer strikes on my Bersa 380 when it is filthy dirty.

Like you, they shoot if they're hit a second time. The crap in the firing pin tunnel just slows it down too much sometimes.

If it happens with a clean gun, that is another story. In that case, make sure the primers are seate deeply enough. They should be flush or just below flush with the back of the case.

[Antihero47]

I had about 6 misfires that even after 4-5 strikes, they never fired. I ended up using my bullet puller and I kept the bullet and brass. I tossed the powder and the primer.

I imagine that you could pull the bullet, keep the powder and reload the cartridge with the same powder, cartridge, and projectile. Just add a new primer.

Keep what you want and toss what you don't.

*I feel that if I can hit the primer 5-6 times with a firing pin and it wont go off, no harm to hit it with a bullet puller.

[Casimer]

Impact/ inertial/ kinetic pullers are designed to disassemble live rounds. They don't compress the primer. I've never heard of anyone detonating a primer w/ a bullet puller. You should still wear safety glasses though.

Once you have the bullets out, you can use Kroil or Hoppes, or another penetrating oil, to deactivate the primers - empty the powder from the case, pour the oil into the case, cover the case, let it set for several days. Then you can try decapping the cases - don't forget safety glasses, and ear plugs might be a good idea

[Shane Tuttle]

Question is, what do you do with a misfire? I mean, if it won't fire at all. I hated to throw it in the trash, it could go of at some point. I certainly didn't want to try and pull the bullet with my kinetic puller. Boom, right?

Wrong. Using any quality bullet puller properly will not cause harm.

So what would you do with a round like this?

I pull mine. If you don't want to go through the trouble, head to your nearest gun shop. He/she may know of a reloader that will want your duds.

[steve4102]

A major cause of primer related misfire is due to the primer not being seated deep enough. What happens is the firing pin strikes the primer and puts a nice dent in it, but the anvil is not in contact with the case so there is now way for the primer to go off. In many instances the firing pin will dent the primer and seat it to the base of the primer pocket, a second firing may then set it off.

If you are having a lot of misfires, i would check to make sure you are getting them seated deep enough.

[The Terminator]

Steve4102,
That is exactly what happened. It did not take much work to learn and correct the problem. Properly cleaning and preparing primer pockets is now part of the fun with reloading. In the past, I never had this issue with .38/.357's.

I feel good about it now.

[cdrt]

Once you have the bullets out, you can use Kroil or Hoppes, or another penetrating oil, to deactivate the primers - empty the powder from the case, pour the oil into the case, cover the case, let it set for several days. Then you can try decapping the cases - don't forget safety glasses, and ear plugs might be a good idea.

Primers are coated with a lacquer type material to make them impervious to the above process. It is a waste of time to try soaking them in oil, water, or you name it.

You can safely decap a live primer using your sizing die. I've done it a ton of times without any problems. Yes, wear safety glasses, but as I've said, I've never had one go off.

[Slamfire]

You can safely decap a live primer using your sizing die. I've done it a ton of times without any problems. Yes, wear safety glasses, but as I've said, I've never had one go off.

I use a Lee Decapping die, it is vented at the top.

I removed 700 + CCI#34's from 308 brass. Never had a primer pop.

I removed 700 or so crimped primers from US WWII 30-06. About one out of 20 blew. Made one heck of a bang, scared the cats, the blast vented out the top of the die, and nothing happened.

Wear glasses.

[GuateShooter]

you most use a kineti bullet puller to disembli your round, if you do this you only lost the primmer,

[amamnn]

You can use the rear end of most calipers as a depth gage to check primer seating.

[Chief-7700]

It is not a matter of dirty primer pockets! In the ten thousand .45ACP rounds I have reloaded NEVER cleaned a primer pocket nor had a miss fire. Problem could be primers not seated all the way and or a weak (old) firing pin spring. The second hit of the firing pin leads me to think that the primers not seated to proper specifications, the first hit seats them and the second hit fires them. JMHO
Chief

[FrankenMauser]

Misfires.... I shoot in the desert....

If it won't fire with 3, 4, 5, 6, strikes; I toss it.

If, for some reason, I don't want to leave it on the ground; I throw it in the trash when I get home.

If I tried enough primer strikes to deem it a 'dud'... it's not going to go off without an act of god.

[Shoney]

After a "click" on a live round, WAIT AT LEAST 30 SECONDS, with proper muzzle control to insure it's not a hangfire.

Next without removing the cartridge, attempt to fire it a second, or third, or fouth time. Most will detonate on the second firing, because of the unseated primers. When you are sure it won't fire, dissassemble it.

Other things to consider if it isn't a primer issue:. Read Smaugs post on dirty weapon, or check to make sure the spring is strong enough.