High Primer Loaded Cartridge Stuck in Shell Holder

sigcurious · August 3, 2012, 07:39 PM

So...what do I do? Aside from running down to bass pro shops and buying a new shell holder(would be my 3rd trip there today! lol), what are my options? It seems like I might be able to slowly slide it out, but that just doesn't seem like a good idea. Given to hold it the bullet or primer is inevitably pointed at some part of my hand. Seem like a good way to get a burn and a chunk of metal in my hand.

Here's a pic of the situation.

mrawesome22 · August 3, 2012, 07:43 PM

Seat the primer deeper.

sudo apt-get update

sigcurious · August 3, 2012, 07:44 PM

I thought it was unsafe to attempt to reseat a primer?

Creeper · August 3, 2012, 07:45 PM

Paranoid?

Pull the bullet, dump the powder... spray the primer with oil and remove it.

C

Jeff H · August 3, 2012, 07:49 PM

If you have a kinetic puller, you'll notice that the shell holder is about the same size as the collet. Tape it on if you can't get the threaded nut on over the shell holder. Put the whole thing in and pull the bullet then seat the primer deeper once there is no more powder and bullet.

I have reseated a few primers in loaded rounds before, but I always feel pretty nervous doing it. Although I've never set off a primer seating it, you never know.....

William T. Watts · August 3, 2012, 07:53 PM

I would pull the bullet (if you don't have a puller use pliers) dump the powder and punch the primer out. You should determine why you failed to seat the primer, obviously you did not do a visual or you would have seen it not seated properly. Always check the primer is seater at least flush or slightly below. William

mrawesome22 · August 3, 2012, 07:57 PM

Primers go off from impact, not pressure.

Hell, even impact from a firing pin fails to set them off if they aren't seated deep enough.

sudo apt-get update

Brian Pfleuger · August 3, 2012, 08:07 PM

Pulling that bullet could be extremely dangerous. There are multiple documented instances of a primer igniting because a shell holder was used in a kinetic puller.

The most obvious and safest thing, really the only appropriate thing, is to just seat the primer. There is no more risk than there was seating it the first time.

Don't over complicate it.

Creeper · August 3, 2012, 08:16 PM

Got a point Brain. I have a ancient, screw bullet puller... and have never used a kinetic in my life.
If there are documented incidents where primer ignition could happen... then seating the primer the remainder of the way would be the safest.

Cheers,
C

wncchester · August 3, 2012, 08:35 PM

"There are multiple documented instances of a primer igniting because a shell holder was used in a kinetic puller."

Well, there was at least ONE. And there is reason to question the validity of that story. That looks like a screw up from loading a round start to finish in a turret press without removing the case; that's less than an ideal way to reload, IMHO. But, put the shell holder and cartridge back in the press and pull the bullet with wire cutter pliers and there will be no hazard at all to punching the primer out normally with a sizer die.

Lost Sheep · August 3, 2012, 08:37 PM

The only danger of seating the primer deeper is if a granule of powder has fallen through the flash hole and somehow exerts enough pressure on the primer to set it off. Highly unlikely, but if you drape a heavy cloth over the whole press while seating and wear eye protection, you will be OK.

Take the cartridge, hold it in your hand, primer side up and shake gently until you figure any powder sandwiched between the primer and the primer pocket has fallen back through the flash hole into the main body of the cartridge. Then put your shell holder with cartridge back into your press and seat the primer.

As was said before, it is a sudden impact that is supposed to set off primers. Slow pressure rarely does.

But do take precautions. Even though the damage that can be done by a cartridge igniting while it is not in a chamber or other confined space is minimal, bad luck can throw a shred of brass into tender places. Besides, the embarrassment is well worth any precautions you can take. ("But honey, I shielded the press before I started!") If you are married, and your spouse is at home when you do this, it would be best to tell her not to worry if she hears a bang. I have set off a primer before (on purpose, I chambered a primered empty cartridge and fired it just to see how much power and noise a primer had.). If you have a small apartment, your neighbors MIGHT be able to hear it. If you have a large house, someone on another floor MIGHT miss it. It is a worthwhile experiment. Put a piece of paper in front of the muzzle. The burn marks are educational, too.

Lost Sheep

Lost Sheep

sigcurious · August 3, 2012, 08:42 PM

Thanks Guys! No fire, no mayhem, first/test run continues on!

SL1 · August 3, 2012, 08:55 PM

Seating a high primer in a case that has a bullet and powder already loaded is NOT as safe as seating the primer in an empty case.

Rarely, a primer that is not seating properly WILL go off while being seated. Since this primer did not seat properly, there may be an issue with the primer or case, and there IS a slight possibility that trying to seat it will set it off.

With powder and a bullet in the case, the primer will probably ignite the powder if it does go off. If the case is not confined by a die, then it MIGHT just poof the bullet out of the case and do no real harm. BUT, I have set off loaded rounds outside of a firearm (intentionally as a kid) and had the equivalent of a cherry bomb, except that it does blow brass shrapnel around instead of sawdust. That is definitely a sight hazard, at least. I would expect that it could remove fingers or worse.

Confined in a die, a loaded round is definitely a bomb if it does go off. Think firing a round in a gun with a barrel obstruction.

So, considering the previous thread about setting off a cartridge by using a shellholder for a press instead of the proper holder for a kenetic puller, I suggest that you sacrifice the bullet by pulling it with pliers, dump the powder and THEN try to reseat the primer.

SL1

GP100man · August 3, 2012, 09:01 PM

Cuz brought me an icecream bucket full of 45 acp just like that .Apparently theres no feedback on a Lee pro 1,000 on priming.

I had a 12"x18" peice of 1/4 plate steel ,I leaned it on/over the round while useing a press mounted priming set up .

Did`nt set a primer off, but the pucker factor was kinda hi

sigcurious · August 3, 2012, 09:11 PM

My press primes on the downstroke, so it's as far away from the die as it can be. While I can't be 100% certain, I believe it was due to operator error on my part, rather than an obstruction or misshapen brass or primer. After all, it was the 18th live round I've ever loaded.

Fortunately it finished seating just fine.

Edward429451 · August 4, 2012, 11:07 AM

It's good to ask questions, but these guys are paranoid and making it way more complicated than it has to be. I've had to reseat primers maybe a hundred times or more over the years and it's no big deal.

Caution is good, paranoia is not productive.

jcwit · August 4, 2012, 11:41 AM

Quote:

It's good to ask questions, but these guys are paranoid and making it way more complicated than it has to be. I've had to reseat primers maybe a hundred times or more over the years and it's no big deal.

Caution is good, paranoia is not productive.

Absolutly!

The same applies to all the supposed dangers of lead.

Real secret, common sense!

joneb · August 4, 2012, 12:12 PM

You could put the cartridge and shell holder in the press without a die, if you can grab the bullet with vise grips the bullet will pull out when the ram is lowered.

floydster · August 4, 2012, 01:05 PM

This is one of the reasons I pre-prep and hand prime all my brass.

dickttx · August 4, 2012, 07:13 PM

Why not just toss it?

sigcurious · August 4, 2012, 07:17 PM

Even though shell holders are cheap, options are preferable to throwing out a perfectly good part. Anywho, since you skipped the thread...the problem was already resolved, without throwing the shell holder out.

farmerboy · August 4, 2012, 07:39 PM

Stick shell holder with bullet back in press and pull handle and reset primer deeper. If you choose to throw it away then get my address and throw it my way.

Salmoneye · August 4, 2012, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Pulling that bullet could be extremely dangerous. There are multiple documented instances of a primer igniting because a shell holder was used in a kinetic puller.

/\/\THIS/\/\

May I ask How/Why you were seating a primer after charging and seating the bullet?

Lost Sheep · August 4, 2012, 08:21 PM

Salmoneye,

How it came to pass is unclear in post #1, but the photograph is pretty clear why he is trying to seat it now. The primer prevents the cartridge from coming out of the shell holder.

I speculate that Sigcurious was loading in a Turret Press using the continuous mode, completed all the operations (except only partially completed the primer seating part) and discovered the problem, a bullet that would not come out of the shell holder because of a primer not fully seated.

Lost Sheep

farmerboy · August 4, 2012, 09:30 PM

I was in a hurry once, passed up about 10 that needed primers. Went ahead and charged and seated bullets, then remembered did not have primers. Went ahead and seated primers. Could have pulled bullets and started over but chose to seat primers. No biggie. I know it could be dangerous as some say it could also be scary to walk outside and look up to see an airplane falling out of sky and hitting your head too. Not saying this is the best way to do things just saying sometimes things happen.

August 3, 2012, 07:45 PM	#4
Creeper Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2008 Location: Woooooshington Posts: 1,797	Paranoid? Pull the bullet, dump the powder... spray the primer with oil and remove it. C __________________ Shoulder Drive Nicholson Club

August 3, 2012, 07:49 PM	#5
Jeff H Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2009 Posts: 176	If you have a kinetic puller, you'll notice that the shell holder is about the same size as the collet. Tape it on if you can't get the threaded nut on over the shell holder. Put the whole thing in and pull the bullet then seat the primer deeper once there is no more powder and bullet. I have reseated a few primers in loaded rounds before, but I always feel pretty nervous doing it. Although I've never set off a primer seating it, you never know..... Last edited by Jeff H; August 3, 2012 at 08:01 PM.

August 3, 2012, 07:53 PM	#6
William T. Watts Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 1,074	I would pull the bullet (if you don't have a puller use pliers) dump the powder and punch the primer out. You should determine why you failed to seat the primer, obviously you did not do a visual or you would have seen it not seated properly. Always check the primer is seater at least flush or slightly below. William Last edited by William T. Watts; August 4, 2012 at 09:41 PM.

August 3, 2012, 08:16 PM	#9
Creeper Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2008 Location: Woooooshington Posts: 1,797	Got a point Brain. I have a ancient, screw bullet puller... and have never used a kinetic in my life. If there are documented incidents where primer ignition could happen... then seating the primer the remainder of the way would be the safest. Cheers, C __________________ Shoulder Drive Nicholson Club

August 3, 2012, 09:01 PM	#14
GP100man Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2007 Location: Tabor City , NC. Posts: 1,969	Cuz brought me an icecream bucket full of 45 acp just like that .Apparently theres no feedback on a Lee pro 1,000 on priming. I had a 12"x18" peice of 1/4 plate steel ,I leaned it on/over the round while useing a press mounted priming set up . Did`nt set a primer off, but the pucker factor was kinda hi __________________ GP100man

August 3, 2012, 07:39 PM	#1
sigcurious Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2011 Posts: 1,755	High Primer Loaded Cartridge Stuck in Shell Holder So...what do I do? Aside from running down to bass pro shops and buying a new shell holder(would be my 3rd trip there today! lol), what are my options? It seems like I might be able to slowly slide it out, but that just doesn't seem like a good idea. Given to hold it the bullet or primer is inevitably pointed at some part of my hand. Seem like a good way to get a burn and a chunk of metal in my hand. Here's a pic of the situation.

August 3, 2012, 07:43 PM	#2
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	Seat the primer deeper. sudo apt-get update

August 3, 2012, 07:44 PM	#3
sigcurious Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2011 Posts: 1,755	I thought it was unsafe to attempt to reseat a primer?

August 3, 2012, 07:57 PM	#7
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	Primers go off from impact, not pressure. Hell, even impact from a firing pin fails to set them off if they aren't seated deep enough. sudo apt-get update

August 3, 2012, 08:07 PM	#8
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Pulling that bullet could be extremely dangerous. There are multiple documented instances of a primer igniting because a shell holder was used in a kinetic puller. The most obvious and safest thing, really the only appropriate thing, is to just seat the primer. There is no more risk than there was seating it the first time. Don't over complicate it.

August 3, 2012, 08:35 PM	#10
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"There are multiple documented instances of a primer igniting because a shell holder was used in a kinetic puller." Well, there was at least ONE. And there is reason to question the validity of that story. That looks like a screw up from loading a round start to finish in a turret press without removing the case; that's less than an ideal way to reload, IMHO. But, put the shell holder and cartridge back in the press and pull the bullet with wire cutter pliers and there will be no hazard at all to punching the primer out normally with a sizer die.

August 3, 2012, 08:37 PM	#11
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	The only danger of seating the primer deeper is if a granule of powder has fallen through the flash hole and somehow exerts enough pressure on the primer to set it off. Highly unlikely, but if you drape a heavy cloth over the whole press while seating and wear eye protection, you will be OK. Take the cartridge, hold it in your hand, primer side up and shake gently until you figure any powder sandwiched between the primer and the primer pocket has fallen back through the flash hole into the main body of the cartridge. Then put your shell holder with cartridge back into your press and seat the primer. As was said before, it is a sudden impact that is supposed to set off primers. Slow pressure rarely does. But do take precautions. Even though the damage that can be done by a cartridge igniting while it is not in a chamber or other confined space is minimal, bad luck can throw a shred of brass into tender places. Besides, the embarrassment is well worth any precautions you can take. ("But honey, I shielded the press before I started!") If you are married, and your spouse is at home when you do this, it would be best to tell her not to worry if she hears a bang. I have set off a primer before (on purpose, I chambered a primered empty cartridge and fired it just to see how much power and noise a primer had.). If you have a small apartment, your neighbors MIGHT be able to hear it. If you have a large house, someone on another floor MIGHT miss it. It is a worthwhile experiment. Put a piece of paper in front of the muzzle. The burn marks are educational, too. Lost Sheep Lost Sheep

August 3, 2012, 08:42 PM	#12
sigcurious Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2011 Posts: 1,755	Thanks Guys! No fire, no mayhem, first/test run continues on!

August 3, 2012, 08:55 PM	#13
SL1 Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2007 Posts: 2,001	Seating a high primer in a case that has a bullet and powder already loaded is NOT as safe as seating the primer in an empty case. Rarely, a primer that is not seating properly WILL go off while being seated. Since this primer did not seat properly, there may be an issue with the primer or case, and there IS a slight possibility that trying to seat it will set it off. With powder and a bullet in the case, the primer will probably ignite the powder if it does go off. If the case is not confined by a die, then it MIGHT just poof the bullet out of the case and do no real harm. BUT, I have set off loaded rounds outside of a firearm (intentionally as a kid) and had the equivalent of a cherry bomb, except that it does blow brass shrapnel around instead of sawdust. That is definitely a sight hazard, at least. I would expect that it could remove fingers or worse. Confined in a die, a loaded round is definitely a bomb if it does go off. Think firing a round in a gun with a barrel obstruction. So, considering the previous thread about setting off a cartridge by using a shellholder for a press instead of the proper holder for a kenetic puller, I suggest that you sacrifice the bullet by pulling it with pliers, dump the powder and THEN try to reseat the primer. SL1

August 3, 2012, 09:11 PM	#15
sigcurious Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2011 Posts: 1,755	My press primes on the downstroke, so it's as far away from the die as it can be. While I can't be 100% certain, I believe it was due to operator error on my part, rather than an obstruction or misshapen brass or primer. After all, it was the 18th live round I've ever loaded. Fortunately it finished seating just fine.

August 4, 2012, 11:07 AM	#16
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	It's good to ask questions, but these guys are paranoid and making it way more complicated than it has to be. I've had to reseat primers maybe a hundred times or more over the years and it's no big deal. Caution is good, paranoia is not productive.

August 4, 2012, 12:12 PM	#18
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	You could put the cartridge and shell holder in the press without a die, if you can grab the bullet with vise grips the bullet will pull out when the ram is lowered.

August 4, 2012, 01:05 PM	#19
floydster Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 2008 Posts: 472	This is one of the reasons I pre-prep and hand prime all my brass.

August 4, 2012, 07:13 PM	#20
dickttx Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2011 Location: Fort Worth Posts: 500	Why not just toss it? __________________ Education teaches you the rules, experience teaches you the exceptions (Plagiarized from Claude Clay)

August 4, 2012, 07:17 PM	#21
sigcurious Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2011 Posts: 1,755	Even though shell holders are cheap, options are preferable to throwing out a perfectly good part. Anywho, since you skipped the thread...the problem was already resolved, without throwing the shell holder out.

August 4, 2012, 07:39 PM	#22
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	Stick shell holder with bullet back in press and pull handle and reset primer deeper. If you choose to throw it away then get my address and throw it my way.

August 4, 2012, 08:21 PM	#24
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	Salmoneye, How it came to pass is unclear in post #1, but the photograph is pretty clear why he is trying to seat it now. The primer prevents the cartridge from coming out of the shell holder. I speculate that Sigcurious was loading in a Turret Press using the continuous mode, completed all the operations (except only partially completed the primer seating part) and discovered the problem, a bullet that would not come out of the shell holder because of a primer not fully seated. Lost Sheep

August 4, 2012, 09:30 PM	#25
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	I was in a hurry once, passed up about 10 that needed primers. Went ahead and charged and seated bullets, then remembered did not have primers. Went ahead and seated primers. Could have pulled bullets and started over but chose to seat primers. No biggie. I know it could be dangerous as some say it could also be scary to walk outside and look up to see an airplane falling out of sky and hitting your head too. Not saying this is the best way to do things just saying sometimes things happen.