Primer detonation

[Okcafe86]

Last night while seating primers I had a scary pop. Scared the willies out of me. No injuries. It took more effort than normal but other than that I couldn't figure out why it went off. I'll use it as a learning experience to slow down.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Primer kind? Cartridge? Seating device?

[steveNChunter]

I'd like to know the specifics as well. I use an older Lee Auto-Prime hand priming tool and I haven't had the first detonation.

[Smokey Joe]

OK Cafe--I too would like to have more details about your experience. The only primers I have ever detonated, in 40+ years of reloading, were with a Lee hammer-it-in kit, in which the primer in question is surrounded by steel when you're seating it--A too-firm hammer stroke will set one off, very occasionally.

You get a surprising bang, and some smoke drifting up from the die, but that's all. Next procedure is to resize the case again, which drives out the now-spent primer, re-prime (more gently!) and continue on.

All you get out of it is embarrasment, a wasted primer, and a question from your significant other as to "What was that noise?"

But I'd really like to know, if you managed to detonate a primer in some other form of primer seating device. AFAIK, they're all made with safeguards against just such an occurrence.

So, tell us more, please. With pix, if you can.

[mikld]

Just like Smokey Joe's experience, my only primer pops were when using a Lee Loader a bunch of years ago. More info, please...

[jcwit]

Just like Smokey Joe's experience, my only primer pops were when using a Lee Loader a bunch of years ago. More info, please...

Same here, have never had an issue using a hand primer or a press.

I still think priming by hand is the safest.

[FrankenMauser]

I popped one with an RCBS Hand Prime tool, a couple months ago.

Winchester SR primer, but it was my fault. ....I was priming cases with crimped primer pockets, that I had sorted out of a larger lot based on less effort required for decapping.

I tried skipping a step, and it bit me. The primer cup drug on one side of the pocket, got twisted while seating, and decided to complain.

The only real surprise was the way my wife reacted. A big "bang" at 12:30 am, and all she does is send me a text message: "Shoot yourself or do something stupid?"

[chris in va]

That's why I try to seat my primers slowly using a Ram Prime. I've still had a few seat sideways.

[Smokey Joe]

Chris in VA--Yeah, I've been seriously mean to 2-3 primers, in seating them SIDEWAYS if you can believe that, using a Lee Auto-Prime (hand-held priming device) but even squashing them in like they were never meant to be, they did NOT detonate.

It's still embarrassing. But no one was there to see, and YOU'LL never tell, I know!

Normally, primers require some kind of a sharp impact, to be detonated. Like, for example, the blow delivered by a firearm's firing pin...

[Okcafe86]

.223 remington, LC brass, wsr primer, hornady hand primer.

[Okcafe86]

I resized the case and popped the now spent primer out. I'll try to remember to post a pic tommorow. (Of the primer)

[James K]

Is that military brass with crimped primers? If so, do you ream or swage the primer pockets before reloading?

I am thinking that if a primer hangs up on the crimp, then enough force is applied to cause it to "pop" in, that might be enough to set it off. Ordinarily, just force is not enough to set off a primer; it must be force applied suddenly. (Example: You can set up a primed case and a "firing pin" in a vise so you force the pin into the primer; the primer will be dented, but won't fire because the pressure is applied too slowly.)

Jim

[Okcafe86]

Yes it is military brass. I reamed the primer pocket like the rest but I may not of done it good enough.

[nemesiss45]

what tool did you use? I got the lyman primer pocket reamer for my nato brass, but it still leaves the pocket really tight. Now I just hit them with a chamfer/deburr tool and they go in like butter.

[FrankenMauser]

Now I just hit them with a chamfer/deburr tool and they go in like butter.

I used to recommend that, as well, but I can't say that I will for 5.56 brass any more.

The case I popped my primer on, recently, was a case that I had previously used a chamfer/deburring tool to remove the crimp from.

I ended up buying the CH4D primer pocket swager, and had to run the whole batch of brass through it. The deburring tool just wasn't enough. (I think that batch was LC 11.)

[nemesiss45]

hmm, I just looked that one up, not even a bad price. I'll keep it on my mind if I run into problems just chamfering them.

[RC20]

Sounds like the advice my brother gave me about motorcycle applies here. Its not a matter of IF you will lay one down, its a mater of when!

Been there, done that 3 times over the years (cycle drops)

Might be a good idea to do it before you have a pop.

[Okcafe86]

I used the Lyman reaming tool. I have the Dillon super swage but it was setup for 30-06 and I was lazy.

[4runnerman]

I have to wonder if it was a bad primer only because I am sure everyone in here has had a primer oops. I have accidently put them in upside down,sideways, chrushed them putting them in. Missed reaming primer pocket and deformed them trying to crush them in. I can say- I have never had one go off yet. I am sure any one that has loaded for any length of time has done the same. But yet you hear so little of them going off. Just kinda makes you wonder if it is a bad primer, or a fluke or something.

[Palmetto-Pride]

.223 remington, LC brass, wsr primer, hornady hand primer.

I also have been loading some LC brass using the Hornady hand primer except I am using Fed205MAR primers. I haven't had one go off yet, but I do wonder about it every time I squeeze the hand tool I make sure its pointing away from my face. I have been removing the military crimp by using either a Lyman or RCBS crimper reamer mounted in a Hornady case prep trio power tool. The primers go in smooth some almost to smooth it seems like, but I have yet to have one back out when shooting them.

I also wanted to add that I noticed since I started using a sonic cleaner to clean the brass (which also cleans the primer pocket very well) the primers seem to go in a lot smoother. vs just tumbling with corn or walnut media.

[Slamfire]

I am glad to read that you were not injured. When a stack of primers goes off, the energy release is above expectations! This guy tried to force a federal primer on a Hornady LNL press and the primer went off!



If you don't know, that is a primer feeding tube stuck in the ceiling. I have found other posts where people have basically blown up progressive presses when a primer went off. I noticed that the new Lee priming tool is designed so the primers in reserve are at a different level than the primer being seated. There is no doubt this is to reduce the chance of the blast being propogated to the other primers.

The shooting community more or less denies the existence of sensitive primers, but conversely, everyone has had a dud (insensitive primer) primer at one time. Primers, percussion caps, etc , are not to be trusted.

If loose cartridges can go off in purses or court room evidence bags, that ought to tell you that primers are a bit squirrely.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow...232052308.html

By Eric Pfeiffer, Yahoo! News | The Sideshow – Tue, Jun 12, 2012

A Pennsylvania woman was shot in the leg while shopping at a local department store on Tuesday. But in a nearly unbelievable twist, no gun was involved. Apparently, the woman was carrying the bullet in her purse, when it mysteriously exploded.

"She did not have a gun in her purse or on her," Montoursville Deputy Police Chief Jason Bentley told the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. Bentley said the woman, whose name has not been released to the public, "was not aware" she was carrying two or three bullets inside her purse at the time of the accident.

The 56-year-old woman was taken to a local hospital and was eventually discharged. In fact, the woman initially declined medical treatment, only heading to the Williamsport Regional Medical Center after her son reportedly encouraged her to do so.

"Something must of hit the primer of one of the bullets," Bentley said. "The bullet stayed in the purse, but its casing put a hole in the purse and caused a minor leg wound."

Bullets exploding outside of a gun are a rare occurrence but are not entirely unprecedented. In March, a bullet being used as evidence in a court case exploded in a bag and shot 20 feet across a courtroom. No one was hurt in the incident. It was surmised that the bullet exploded after its tip bounced against another bullet tip in the same evidence bag, according to the Telegram & Gazette.