Howdy! Primer mishaps

[Daniel E]

Well I'm new here, so Hello everyone. Being new to reloading I have been very cautious about the rounds I have loaded, about 150 since getting my 550b last week. Here is the problem, while i checked every spot i could measure that the lyman manual told me to the one place i didn't check was the primer. So to my surprise when i get to the range yesterday and and load up my first magazine i pop off two rounds then..click, try to i rack the slide but no go. so i take the gun apart and find the bullet stuck in the barrel. after i pull it out i notice a small mark where it looked like the firing pin hit the primer. so i pull that one out and try a different box. Same thing happens. Pull out some factory federal and it shoots ten no problem. So it must be the primers right? my question is, so i don't waste 150 bullets and cases and powder, how would i go about taking a bullet apart, i have the a kinetic bullet puller that i practiced on by putting a spent brass with a bullet in and that worked fine, but having the primer set in deeper worries me. Should it or am i just being over cautious. Also after i get the bullet and the powder out how to i get rid of the primers. Thanks again, sorry for writing so much

[Jim Watson]

Wrong.
The primers are fine, you have been leaving out the powder.

[jcwit]

Use the puller. No worries. If they were unsafe the lawyers would have put the manufactures out of business years ago or at the least had them taken off the market.

[mrawesome22]

Yep, bullet stuck in barrel means no powder.

You take the cartridge apart. The bullet is only the projectile

Sent from HenseMod6.

[Daniel E]

just pulled one apart from the batch, power all in my bullet puller now....

[Daniel E]

also i measured the depth of the primer .005 is that too much? i also loosened the case holder on the press a little bit and tried a primer it looks better could i have had the case holder too tight would that have done it?

[Tuzo]

Step by step analysis:

1. Probably not the cause but primers may be seated too deep if you vigorously cleaned the primer pockets with a reamer type tool and took off too much metal from the base of the primer pocket. Otherwise, primers are seated properly.

2. Your results do not indicate a weak crimp that may result in separation of bullet and case. I assume a taper crimp since you mentioned loading a magazine.

3. Too little or no powder is the likely cause. Use your kinetic puller and you may discover no powder. Pull all your loaded cartridges. Advice: strike a hard surface such as a steel plate or concrete floor with your puller. Wood is soft and absorbs too much energy.

4. Flare the empty cases, visually check the powder charge and reseat the pulled bullets. Leave the already inserted primers alone. Shoot. Do this for 10 to 20 rounds and see if your problem is fixed.

6. Check the operation of your powder charger.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

No powder. Looks like you are charging some cases and not others.

[Daniel E]

brand new starline cases, 4.3 gr of bullseye, a 230gr nosler fmj, federal primers no. 150, shooting out of a new baby eagle .45 acp. i just dont understand.

[ScottRiqui]

I'd pull a couple more of your suspect cartridges and weigh the charges. In your first post, you said that you had two rounds that fired normally before you got the stuck bullet, so it may just be that the round you took apart might have been one of the "good" ones.

If you had a full powder charge and it ignited, the bullet wouldn't have gotten stuck in the barrel. If you had a full powder charge and it *didn't* ignite (almost impossible if the primer ignited with enough force to lodge the bullet in the barrel), you would have had a mess of unburnt powder in the chamber.

The only thing that makes sense is that you had no powder, or a drastically-reduced charge.

[1Hobie]

Let us help you understand....squib bullet in the barrel is almost always no powder in the case.
To help your state of mind, get a new batch of primers.
When I bought my 550b many years ago, I had a couple of squibs. The reason..I checked out the round's charge on my scale but didn't put the powder back in the cartridge.
Start eyeballing the charge in the cartridge everyround for awhile. Starting out on a progressive press can be a daunting task for a new reloader. But you've got a great press and you have to get use to multi-tasking.
Better luck to you.
Hobie

[Daniel E]

so after 15 rounds all have been filled with 4.2 or 3.9 gr of powder depending if i spill any while pouring out of the bullet puller, the left side brass is the problem brass the right side is a factory bullet

[Daniel E]

im sorry i must have misspoke when i said bullet i meant the whole case not just the bullet. sorry. as in to get the brass out of the barrel i had to use a knife to pry it out, which was not fun

[jef2015]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but your primer looks low and cocked to the side. Is it? It should be a little less than flush.

[mrawesome22]

Looks to me like sp primer in lp pocket:what:

So to be clear.... You had a cartridge get stuck in the chamber. Correct?

And the one on the right is a factory CASE, not a factory bullet. I'll say it again, the bullet is the part that travels down the barrel and hits the target. A cartridge consists of a bullet, powder, case, and primer.

Sent from HenseMod6.

[Daniel E]

they look flat in person, could have been the angle and lighting of the picture, but i adjusted the case holder and now i am .003

[Daniel E]

thats correct but a sp wouldnt fit in a lp brass would it? it would fall out i think plus i just read the box, federal lp primers no. 150

[mrawesome22]

I would think it would fall out.

But it sure looks like a sp primer sitting in a lp pocket.

Sent from HenseMod6.

[ScottRiqui]

I wouldn't worry too much about the primer - they either ignite or they don't, and it sounds like all of yours have ignited.

I would continue to pull some more bullets and see if you come across any squibs or light loads.

As for the brass being stuck in the barrel, that has me perplexed. I'd take the barrel out of your pistol and check all of your remaining loaded rounds real quick - they should drop freely into the barrel under their own weight with a nice "plonk" sound.

[Daniel E]

ok will do, again thanks for all your help guys

[Daniel E]

oh what should i do about the 150 cases i have with non detonated primers in them, can i just pop them back in the press and go slow and punch them out or just toss the brass

[mrawesome22]

The 45acp indexes off the case mouth.

What is the diameter of a loaded round at the mouth of the brass?

If you apply too much crimp, the round will go too far into the chamber and the firing pin won't be able to reach the primer.

The more I look at your pic, I think it is just the lighting making it look like a sp primer.

Sent from HenseMod6.

[4runnerman]

Looks like the primer is seated to deep to me also. Give us a close up of the one on the left. This still would not make bullet get stuck in barrel.

[Sport45]

oh what should i do about the 150 cases i have with non detonated primers in them, can i just pop them back in the press and go slow and punch them out or just toss the brass

Take the decapping pin out of the sizing die and then size them as usual. No need to toss perfectly good primers.

Don't worry about seating primers too deep. They should be pressed to the bottom of the pocket and then compressed a little bit. Inspect your loaded rounds to make sure no primers are protruding from the pocket. If they are, pull those bullets and reseat the primers before sizing again.

[Daniel E]

i measured .470 at the case mouth, .003 under what lyman manual said so that might be it!