I de-capped some live primers, now what?

[TheCarDoctor]

I don't want to start another "is it OK or not OK to de-cap live primers" thread. I've already done the de-capping. (no problems, by-the-way) I'm wondering if there is any reason I should not reuse the primers I took out. Otherwise, how is the best way to dispose of them?

[Beanie-Bean]

CarDoc,

That's happened to me, and I've just very carefully placed them in the primer punch cup (Dillon 550) and used them. No issues, either. I still have both eyes, hands, and all my fingers.

Just be careful, that's all.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Recap them and and make little boomers for your gun.

I've decapped many a live primer. Just did 5 the other day because I decided to anneal the brass before I loaded it. Put them all back in, they all said "BOOM!" when I pulled the trigger and not before, just like every one before them did.

[howlnmad]

Reuse them, no sense in wasting primers.

[hammie]

I hope no one gets angry, but I'm going to offer a dissenting voice.

There is the primer anvil with priming compound between the anvil and the primer cup. It takes a lot of force to punch out a primer and the de-capping pin has a small diameter. Therefore a lot of force per unit of area will be applied and there is no way that the anvil will not be deformed and priming compound not displaced. I don't know if that will significantly affect the sensitivity and reliability of the primer. Everyone's experience says that it doesn't, and certainly experience trumps conjecture.

Regardless, I would not use recycled primers on any ammunition that might be used for self defense or hunting and instead limit the recycled primers to range and plinking. But that's just me.

[TheBear]

reuse them

[serf 'rett]

Just in case you missed the office memo - reinstall.

[TimSr]

Regardless, I would not use recycled primers on any ammunition that might be used for self defense or hunting and instead limit the recycled primers to range and plinking. But that's just me.

I would agree.


If you ever are in a situation where you need to dispose of live primers, just drop them in a little bit of oil, enough to immerse them, and it will render them dead forever.

[hgmeyer]

Sinking them in oil may not de=activate the primer... depends on brand, etc. Some testing results were posted on Predatormasters responding to a thread about the subject. Seems that WD-40, oil, acetone, and a whole lot of other stuff did not fully deactivate the primers.

Suggestion was to "seat" them if possible in an empty case and pop them off, if possible.

[TheCarDoctor]

Regardless, I would not use recycled primers on any ammunition that might be used for self defense or hunting and instead limit the recycled primers to range and plinking.

My plan was to only use them for plinking unless someone posted that they've had a high rate of missfires with recycled primers then I wouldn't use them at all.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I wouldn't reuse a decapped primer in a SD round because I wouldn't load my own SD rounds. For hunting, as I said, I've never had a single reused primer fail and there has to have been a few dozen over the last 5 years or so. I guess I don't worry about the 1:1,000,000 chance that it happens to be an animal that would break my heart if the gun says "Click" instead of "BOOM!" The primer is extremely unlikely to fail and it's extremely likely to be an 80lb doe if it does fail, not a 200 inch buck... cuz I've never seen a 200 inch buck.

[jcwit]

Looks as if the general consensus is to use them. I know for a fact I would, and have many times.

[RC20]

I just ptich em though I do punch them out with the de-primer

[Hydrostatic Shock]

I did it with 100, 308 rounds that would not chamber after I did not set up the fl sizing die correct. Pulled each round, resized, reprimed with the same primers and shot them all no problem.

That was the dumbest thing I've done in my reloading career!

[Misssissippi Dave]

As long as they are not badly deformed, I just get rid of them in the base of cases I am loading. Waste not want not.

[dahermit]

There is the primer anvil with priming compound between the anvil and the primer cup. It takes a lot of force to punch out a primer and the de-capping pin has a small diameter. Therefore a lot of force per unit of area will be applied and there is no way that the anvil will not be deformed and priming compound not displaced.

A deformed anvil would not necessarily be a problem, as long as they are still in the primer cup when you re-prime with them. When I looked at live-deprimed primers under magnification, I could not see any deformation. As to priming compound displacement, if it does not fall from the cup, there is likewise no problem. "Pre-stressing" the primer compound (slightly displacing), by seating the primer further than flush and slightly flattening them has been a technique for improving accuracy for years.

[jag2]

Being independently wealthy, I waste the 3 cents. Just the way us rich people roll. Also, even if you just use them for plinking rounds realize that if they don't go off then you have disassemble the round. I'd pay 3 cents not to do that.

[lll Otto lll]

Why did you decap them in the first place?

[reloader28]

I've reused many primers and have never had one single misfire.
If its intact, it will work.

[hodaka]

Yep, I just popped out 50 from some .308 brass that I had prepped from when I had a PTR. I will load them up for my M1 this afternoon. I have reused primers fairly often without a problem. As others have commented, SD loads are the only ones I use factory ammo for and I trust that I'm never down to a 30-06 for SD.

[BigD_in_FL]

Have ALWAYS reused the primers with no issues at all - pistol, rifle, or shotgun

[mikld]

Well, the primers I have re-installed/shot all worked as well as new-outta-the-box. I can't remember the last dud attributable to a primer. So, I'll load them regardless of the intended purpose (SD or hunting). What-ifs can drive you crazy...

[droptrd]

^^^ Yep

I reuse them too