Spent primers . . .

Prof Young · December 19, 2015, 01:54 AM

It occurred to me today that if I'd kept all the spent primers I've "harvested" over the years I'd have pounds and pounds of them. Has anyone ever tired to sell them as scrap or do any other useful thing with them?

Live well, be safe
Prof Young

ka9fax · December 19, 2015, 03:18 AM

I keep all my spent primers in a jar. Don't know what I'll ever do with them, but I got em.

tangolima · December 19, 2015, 04:44 AM

They can be sold as brass. I don't like the priming compound residue, so I seal them in plastic bag and dump it in trash immediately after decapping.

-TL

Tony Z · December 19, 2015, 08:03 AM

Many decades ago, when I first started reloading, reading through a Dean Grenell edition of "ABC's of Reloading", Dean showed his coffee can of spent primers and mused about what to do with them.

So....I started keeping mine. Was easy to accumulate the first coffee can as I was shooting a lot of trap and shotgun primers are large! Haven't shot trap for years and the second coffee can is taking decades to complete.

I look at this two ways: the first is look at all the reloading I've done and boy, was it worth it to spend all this money on all of this equipment. The second is look at all the reloading I've done and was it worth it to spend all this money on all this equipment! Yes, it was!

Jim243 · December 19, 2015, 08:14 AM

You may get less money for the spent primers because they will be needed to be treated differently by a smelter than you would for pure brass cases.

I just trash them, if you really shoot a lot, it might be worth it to keep them separate and then sell them, just not worth the bother for me since I don't sell my cases for their brass content but just reuse them till they are no longer usable.

To each their own.
Stay safe.
Jim

parttime · December 19, 2015, 08:16 AM

I save all my bad brass and spent primers then cash them in at the recycling plant when I make a trip there.

springer99 · December 19, 2015, 08:53 AM

Yep, just throw them in with your bad brass and take them to the re-cycle center. No need to keep them separate. In my area, cartridge brass is worth a bit less than cast brass, but cases and primers are treated alike.

hartcreek · December 19, 2015, 09:45 AM

I keep my spent primers and load 12 gage shot shells with them. The load works well for shooting tree limbs from power lines of for shooting small varmits since the spent primers keyhole. You also do not have to worry about the shot traveling very far so the loads work well for in close shots.

wogpotter · December 19, 2015, 10:20 AM

Back in the dim & distant days back on the other side of the pond you had to turn them in to account for fired rounds so you could buy more components on your FAC. (permit)

You were permitted by round count to posses & to buy if you reloaded (which was the minority) it was the only way to confirm your round count(s) For example you could possess 550 but buy 500 otherwise (big beginner's mistake) you had to run out to buy more,

I think the cops used to weigh them to get a head count.

condor bravo · December 19, 2015, 10:28 AM

Sweep them up immediately and throw them out to avoid being accused of tracking them into the house.

DaleA · December 19, 2015, 01:30 PM

Quote:

-you had to turn them in to account for fired rounds

Wow!

I bet the guys in California haven't even thought of this one...hey, let's not give them any ideas, okay?

mikld · December 19, 2015, 01:32 PM

I've got a 4 gallon pail on the floor near my press that's 1/2 full of spent primers, rimfire cases and junk cases/brass. My local recycler takes them all as brass (ferget which number designation, but not pure but "clean") and no need to sort out to be "special handled". Smelters handle tons of brass at a time, melting in huge crucibles so even a handful of live primers won't be noticed popping in the tons of the other brass being processed...

December 19, 2015, 01:54 AM	#1
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,404	Spent primers . . . It occurred to me today that if I'd kept all the spent primers I've "harvested" over the years I'd have pounds and pounds of them. Has anyone ever tired to sell them as scrap or do any other useful thing with them? Live well, be safe Prof Young

December 19, 2015, 08:14 AM	#5
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	You may get less money for the spent primers because they will be needed to be treated differently by a smelter than you would for pure brass cases. I just trash them, if you really shoot a lot, it might be worth it to keep them separate and then sell them, just not worth the bother for me since I don't sell my cases for their brass content but just reuse them till they are no longer usable. To each their own. Stay safe. Jim __________________ Si vis pacem, para bellum

December 19, 2015, 08:16 AM	#6
parttime Member Join Date: August 25, 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 82	I save all my bad brass and spent primers then cash them in at the recycling plant when I make a trip there. __________________ The wants of the many DO NOT outweigh my needs.

December 19, 2015, 10:20 AM	#9
wogpotter Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Posts: 4,811	Back in the dim & distant days back on the other side of the pond you had to turn them in to account for fired rounds so you could buy more components on your FAC. (permit) You were permitted by round count to posses & to buy if you reloaded (which was the minority) it was the only way to confirm your round count(s) For example you could possess 550 but buy 500 otherwise (big beginner's mistake) you had to run out to buy more, I think the cops used to weigh them to get a head count. __________________ Allan Quatermain: “Automatic rifles. Who in God's name has automatic rifles”? Elderly Hunter: “That's dashed unsporting. Probably Belgium.”

December 19, 2015, 10:28 AM	#10
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	Sweep them up immediately and throw them out to avoid being accused of tracking them into the house. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with??

December 19, 2015, 03:18 AM	#2
ka9fax Member Join Date: August 19, 2015 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 79	I keep all my spent primers in a jar. Don't know what I'll ever do with them, but I got em.

December 19, 2015, 04:44 AM	#3
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,816	They can be sold as brass. I don't like the priming compound residue, so I seal them in plastic bag and dump it in trash immediately after decapping. -TL

December 19, 2015, 08:03 AM	#4
Tony Z Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2013 Location: North Central Pennsyltucky Posts: 749	Many decades ago, when I first started reloading, reading through a Dean Grenell edition of "ABC's of Reloading", Dean showed his coffee can of spent primers and mused about what to do with them. So....I started keeping mine. Was easy to accumulate the first coffee can as I was shooting a lot of trap and shotgun primers are large! Haven't shot trap for years and the second coffee can is taking decades to complete. I look at this two ways: the first is look at all the reloading I've done and boy, was it worth it to spend all this money on all of this equipment. The second is look at all the reloading I've done and was it worth it to spend all this money on all this equipment! Yes, it was!

December 19, 2015, 08:53 AM	#7
springer99 Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 2008 Posts: 355	Yep, just throw them in with your bad brass and take them to the re-cycle center. No need to keep them separate. In my area, cartridge brass is worth a bit less than cast brass, but cases and primers are treated alike.

December 19, 2015, 09:45 AM	#8
hartcreek Junior member Join Date: April 22, 2014 Location: Washington Posts: 1,549	I keep my spent primers and load 12 gage shot shells with them. The load works well for shooting tree limbs from power lines of for shooting small varmits since the spent primers keyhole. You also do not have to worry about the shot traveling very far so the loads work well for in close shots.

December 19, 2015, 01:32 PM	#12
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	I've got a 4 gallon pail on the floor near my press that's 1/2 full of spent primers, rimfire cases and junk cases/brass. My local recycler takes them all as brass (ferget which number designation, but not pure but "clean") and no need to sort out to be "special handled". Smelters handle tons of brass at a time, melting in huge crucibles so even a handful of live primers won't be noticed popping in the tons of the other brass being processed... __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...