primers

[b1k3]

Hey there, is this the right place to discuss primers? Thanks

[DiscoRacing]

Yes.... but... well.. primers dont like to be discussed... J/K

[b1k3]

Hey thanks, yea they do seem to get kinda hot under the...collar?
I read that a gun with out a bullet is just a paper weight, and as a new re-loader, I have found that a bullet without a good primer is just a very small
paper weight. I spent about 8 months learning how to make my own primers.
I finally got it right and put together a kit for re-loaders that is really safe
if directions are followed. do you think there would be an intrest ?

[DiscoRacing]

Cost would be one of the first issues im sure... as to what a person would actually save.... tho that may actually be second to legal issues... far as liabilities against injuries... that sort of thing.... also patent issues... tons of paperwork..... tho I am interested myself in the idea

[b1k3]

I am putting together a Kit that will contain the tools needed and enough
of my powder and new brass primer cups to make 100 new primers. After
about 8 months of research, I found that the anvils can be re-used however,
the cups cannot be reused with any reliability. My powder is absolutely legal and made of lab grade chemicals. Safe until mixed with the chemical that you
supply. Can be bought at almost any store,and you will need acetone, and a
bottle of rubbing alcohol. The initial kit will cost $50.00 and then re-loaders
can just buy the safe powder and new brass primer cups. Probably enough
to make 1000 for about $25.00 - $35.00. My desire is to make enough to support my habbit "more research" and do what it takes to help all of us
truely support our rights..

[Smokey Joe]

B1 K3--You said your kit will run

Probably enough
to make 1000 for about $25.00 - $35.00.

I hate to be a nay-sayer, a carper, a bad-mouther, but even with the current price increases, that's about what 1 K of primers costs ready-made from your local gun shop, no muss, no fuss, no hassle.

At that point, what's the advantage in DIY and having a learning curve and accumulating yet more "reloading stuff" for SWMBO to complain about?

Nevertheless, good luck in your venture.

[Dragon55]

+1.......... I just bought 1000 Federal SPP's $29.00

[Mike Irwin]

Manufacture of primers is generally considered to be the single most dangerous part of the entire ammunition manufacturing process.

This entire concept makes me more than a bit nervous.

[GeauxTide]

Even at $10 a thousand, I wouldn't; however, the approval of HP White Labs would be a great first step - although expensive. Tremendous personal liability exposure.

[Russ5924]

He may have a good idea if this primer shortage gets any worse

[b1k3]

Thanks for all the responses, I really do appreciate the input. You know your
idea always sounds good to you, so imput is very important to me right now.
I agree with most everything so far and I have some more thoughts for you
all. About 2 months ago I bought a box of remmington primers after loading
a bunch to use as a baseline against my new primers, I found that I had a bad box of factory primers. De constructed the shell and primers and the primer powder was bad. Telling a friend at the range about my bad remmingtons, he showed me two boxes of factory loads, all no fires. I gave my dad's friend a kit to try out for me and he told me that he has 10,000 on back order with no idea of delivery date. I have talked to the owner of a new
ammo mfg. company and she said some primers are only trickeling in now
If these are indications of what is , then I can only imagine what will be. Personally I still go by my old Boy Scout thought, Better to have em and not need em than to need em and not have em .. I am able to Q.C. my primers
by batches and not load unknown quality. I still buy factory stuff to reload
however, now I test fire a few of every thing I buy and am glad for it..
I love shooting again and at the range, if I get a bad round it is no big deal,
but I also now have a few special rounds that are i know without a doubt will
go BANG if and when I really need them to. Thanks guy's More thoughts ?

[NWPilgrim]

Either you have a breakthrough in a new primer formula that is safe for home hobbiest, or this is not a good idea. Current primer formulations are highly unstable and require strict handling procedures and conditions.

I would have to see a LOT of peer review, industry evaluations before i ever considered DIY primers. No amount of cost savings would entice me to try a home bvrew primer. My life and limbs are worth far more than $1 million dollars of savings, even though actual savings appear to be marginal if at all.

I have never heard of an entire box of ammo being bad due to primers. I can probably count the primer failures on one hand that I have experienced in 40 years of shooting and 21 years of reloading and tens of thousands of rounds.

[Unclenick]

I think you're reading the trend backward. CCI brought a new primer production line up at the end of July (at least that was supposed to be the start date) and the last of the triple-normal military stockpiling supply orders that started the whole shortage back in 2006 (when reloading was in a market slump so nobody noticed right away) were scheduled to be completed for primers in March of this year, so that special demand should be gone.

I think there is still a lot of knee-jerk hoarding going on, but the number of people posting that their back-orders have been filled and those reporting one primer or another is in stock at one of the on-line dealers (for a few hours, anyway), has been increasingly frequent. So I expect that by this time next year commercial primers will be widely available again, and that they may well challenge your prices, at least in 5,000 quantities.

That said, I have the same curiosity the others do about what you've got and would be tempted to try it for my education? But then, I have some past experience handling hazardous substances, and a friend who developed military explosives and rocket fuels can provide some oversight. The main thing would be to work in very small quantities in any one place. I suspect that if your kit revealed the composition of your powder, even though it would make your resupply business shrink for that component, you would, nonetheless, garner more interest from those equipping themselves to survive an apocalyptic scenario. Many of them may buy the kits and never use them, just setting them aside for a future emergency.

I know the pellets made for commercial primers are often held to +/-0.01 grains or so. I doubt many of us have the scales needed to achieve that, but I guess I wouldn't be expecting benchrest repeatability from these. Or perhaps you've got a workaround?

[b1k3]

You are right about the small quantities and the other major concern is keeping it wet with alcohol. Those are the most important factors.
Primer powder does'nt burn, it explodes. I have loaded them dry, obviously
one at a time, and have had them go off. One primer by itself going off is
not a big thing, but because the blast is violent by virtue of what it has to
do, and the shock wave is supersonic, a larger quantity in one small place would be dangerous.

[PCJim]

You've peaked my curiosity but like others have posted, I probably wouldn't jump on board for the amount of savings you are stating.

As to the operation of your primers, are you implying that they are fired while they are still wet with alcohol?

[chris in va]

I can see how this would be an advantage if primers were suddenly restricted or banned for civilian purchase.

[RKG]

I'd start by hiring a good lawyer to advise me on the regulatory implications of getting in the business of manufacturing explosives.

[b1k3]

The powder actually dries in a couple hours, so the primers once made up
are as safe as any others. This kit is not designed to mass produce primers
or any thing like that, it actually came about when I first bought my 9mm
and could'nt buy ammo so I decided to learn to reload my own. I bought
everything needed however, no primers. I have never been much good at
waiting and hoping for someone else to do something. Now I make my own
and there is something very cool about being in charge of my reloading
no mater what the economy or politicians do.
I am not manufacturing explosives, but a powder mixture that wont
even pop until mixed with the chemical that you supply.

[abber]

I can probably count the primer failures on one hand that I have experienced in 40 years of shooting and 21 years of reloading and tens of thousands of rounds.

In approximately the same amount of time and number of rounds, I have never seen a primer fail, knock on wood.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I just recently got into reloading but I've been shooting since I could hold a gun. I have NEVER experienced a center-fire primer failure and in untold thousands of rounds of "unreliable" rimfire cartridges I have experienced no more than a handful of failures.

The speculation about future shortages due to direct government action is nothing more than a doomsday prophecy as far as I'm concerned. Barely worthy of the time it took to type this sentence, much less a full blown conversation and certainly not worth the time, money or danger of building my own primers.