need you help on upside down primer

UniversalFrost · February 4, 2008, 11:57 PM

yes, upside down primer.

Here's my situation. I was loading a set of virgin .338 Lapua magnum Brass and was doing it one at a time on the press and decided to prime them with the primer arm on the press since i didn't have the RCBS APS strips loaded up for the bench mounted APS strip primer.

Anyway, I couldn't find my large primer tube (wife must have been cleaning again in my area) so I decided to load the primers one at a time by hand. I have gotten through about 10 pcs of brass when the wife poked here head through the door and started nagging me on when was I coming in the house. At that moment I had just inserted a primer into the cup and was on the downstroke/priming stroke of a case and it felt different. I immediately stopped paying attention to the "lovely" wife and inspected the primer.

Well it was in upside down with the anvil facing out. Now after a few choices words with the wife for bothering me I started to try and figure out how to get the primer out and salvage the brass. instinct tells me to take it as a loss and toss the brass, but I was wondering if any of you guys have ever had this happen before and managed to salvage the brass. Only thing I can think of is putting the case on the press with a decapping die (I have both rcbs and lee) and pushing the primer out, but I am afraid the primer will go off and the die might fail, of the primer would go off and the flash/primer pieces would fly downward.

Again, need ideas, or just simply tell me to toss the case and chalk it up as a loss.

JOE

Sevens · February 5, 2008, 12:24 AM

I'm too frugal to just call it a loss!

But for a better reason than simply "cheap", the fact is that there's no responsible way to toss that brass. Whether it goes to a recycler or a garbage truck, there's a live explosive device lodged in it.

I would go ahead and CAREFULLY and slowly decap it with the decapping die. Safety glasses, head turned, flammables away from the work area, maybe even a wet towel laid around everything. But you know what?

I really, really doubt it detonates. It'll just push out. Then you can re-prime the case properly, chamber that primed case and fire it off to detonate it and then chalk it up to experience!

I've heard where folks will fill it--FILL it with water and then seat a bullet over it. The water will displace the primer, a way of "pushing" it without actually using a decapping pin to do the pushing. That would work, but then you'll have a nice little splash to clean up. It'll be a mess.

Scott5 · February 5, 2008, 12:25 AM

Hi Universal,
The brass is not lost.

Just run it though the decapping operation again and get the good primer out.
You are not going to slam it out and the decapping pin is not a firing pin.
I've done it hundreds of time without any problem.

If you are warried about some noise then put on eye and ear protection, but you wont need it.

I hope this helps.

Happy shooting
Scott5

TexasSeaRay · February 5, 2008, 12:32 AM

Since the anvil is exposed, soak it with some WD40 and kill the primer. Let it sit for an hour or so, then decap it.

Jeff

UniversalFrost · February 5, 2008, 12:33 AM

I will give the deprimer a try in the afternoon, at $2.50 per case (these are actual Lapua brass) I really don't want to toss it.

I will make sure the cover the press with a few heavy rags that are wet just in case the primer detonates and sparks and/or chunks start flying. I will also soak it with some cutting oil I have on the bench.

Now if I still had my TA50 gear I would be set (kevlar, helmet, etc...)

I really should have the wife press the primer out with me standing at a safe distance so as to teach her a lesson for distracting me and

**Mal H** · February 5, 2008, 01:57 AM

I guess you better hope your wife doesn't read this forum! Especially since you're blaming her for your lack of concentration.

No need for all the paranoia concerning the primer. Although a little paranoia is a good thing, it seems to be overdone when it comes to depriming a live primer.

Wear eyes and ears, of course, and go slow. But, all the other precautions are simply overkill for a relatively non-hazardous operation. The anvil needs to rest on something (normally the primer cavity in the case) in order to make the primer compound go off as it is crushed and shocked by the firing pin. With the primer upside down, the anvil rests on nothing. In that case, I doubt you could operate the press fast enough to make it go off. Nonetheless, you should still go slow.

Crosshair · February 5, 2008, 04:32 AM

Agreed, eye and ear protection (As well as no wife present.

) is all you need for this operation. Anything more is overkill. Setting off the primer with no powder in the case is about as destructive as a firecracker. However I have never managed to set off a primer when removing them.

Just raise the ram slowly until you contact the primer and then gradually apply pressure until it comes out. Primers are impact sensitive, not pressure sensitive.

The Lovemaster · February 5, 2008, 08:17 AM

I agree, I've had to remove them a few times myself, and it's been smooth. I always ease the ram up nice and slow and the primer pops out.

nitesite9 · February 5, 2008, 10:12 AM

It will not go off when you run it back thru your sizing/decapping die.

I'm serious. It will not go off. You'll actually be surprised at how very little force it takes to hear it go 'plink' and out it pops.

UniversalFrost · February 5, 2008, 10:36 AM

Quote:

I guess you better hope your wife doesn't read this forum! Especially since you're blaming her for your lack of concentration.

Exactly!

It was going fine and I should have stopped when she poked her head into my room. Everything went fine after she left.

Just another reason to put a lock and a do not disturb sign on the door when I am reloading. Oh, found the large primer tubes today in a closet on the other side of the house. The wife cleaned up and stashed all my stuff from the bench in a box out of the way for her. Now I ask my self why did she do that? She couldn't tell a screwdriver from a wrench or a bullet from brass.

JOE

angeldeville · February 5, 2008, 10:51 AM

I have had to decap a couple myself, remember it's not a ticking time bomb, just a primer.... decap it gently, and as long as it's not damaged you can even re-use it.

Sevens · February 5, 2008, 11:04 AM

Because I have two kids under 10 in my house, powder and primers are secured. Sure, you teach the kids and you do your best, but it still makes sense IMO.

A box of primers left sitting out can get knocked off a table and dumped. Then picked up without telling anyone. When will you figure it out? When you run a live one over with the vacuum!

So the wife misplacing something or knocking something over? Not going to happen here. I do enough of THAT nonsense all by myself. I don't need help!

UniversalFrost · February 5, 2008, 11:41 AM

Also, I will give an after action report and the how-to's on this procedure (might even post pics) when it is all said and done, so that anyone that has the same predicament in the future will know how to solve this.

Also, I am gonna load up my APS strips with primers this evening and go back to the bench mounted APS strip primer (awsome "feel" and extreme repeatable accuracy for depth).

JOE

Sevens · February 5, 2008, 11:53 AM

I just don't "get it" with the strips. It's a part of the job to prime cases... now you have to prime strips so they can prime cases?!

I have a 20-year old Lee Safety Prime. Standard shell holders and this thing just lives to seat primers.

UniversalFrost · February 5, 2008, 12:10 PM

part of the "thing" with the strips is SAFETY. If one goes off no others will go off like most of the other priming setups.

For those LEE fanatics Mr. Lee himself praises the RCBS/CCI APS strips, but complains of the CCI/RCBS folks not allowing anyone else use the design (see the priming section of his 2nd edition).

Personally I got a real good deal on the bench mounted APS primer tool and the APS strip loader (paid 45 for both). I had used the normal tube style RCBS primer in the past and it has unmatched "feel" and sensitivity to allow better primer seating.

Until you have tried the bench mounted priming tools (RCBS) you don't know what you are missing.

Scorch · February 5, 2008, 01:31 PM

Quote:

part of the "thing" with the strips is SAFETY. If one goes off no others will go off like most of the other priming setups.

Wow, I will consider myself fortunate to have all my body parts intact after the 35 years I have spent reloading all those thousands or rounds without EVER being engulfed by flames while using my Lee Auto Prime.

UniversalFrost · February 5, 2008, 09:20 PM

ok the primer came out nice and easy when I put it in the depriming die. I did have it covered with nice heavy towel "just in case".

I then went and primed the case with a primer in the correct upright position.

Thanks for all the help guys and gals.

February 4, 2008, 11:57 PM	#1
UniversalFrost Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,300	need you help on upside down primer yes, upside down primer. Here's my situation. I was loading a set of virgin .338 Lapua magnum Brass and was doing it one at a time on the press and decided to prime them with the primer arm on the press since i didn't have the RCBS APS strips loaded up for the bench mounted APS strip primer. Anyway, I couldn't find my large primer tube (wife must have been cleaning again in my area) so I decided to load the primers one at a time by hand. I have gotten through about 10 pcs of brass when the wife poked here head through the door and started nagging me on when was I coming in the house. At that moment I had just inserted a primer into the cup and was on the downstroke/priming stroke of a case and it felt different. I immediately stopped paying attention to the "lovely" wife and inspected the primer. Well it was in upside down with the anvil facing out. Now after a few choices words with the wife for bothering me I started to try and figure out how to get the primer out and salvage the brass. instinct tells me to take it as a loss and toss the brass, but I was wondering if any of you guys have ever had this happen before and managed to salvage the brass. Only thing I can think of is putting the case on the press with a decapping die (I have both rcbs and lee) and pushing the primer out, but I am afraid the primer will go off and the die might fail, of the primer would go off and the flash/primer pieces would fly downward. Again, need ideas, or just simply tell me to toss the case and chalk it up as a loss. JOE __________________ Lifetime member VFW and NRA "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead) -Red Green

February 5, 2008, 12:24 AM	#2
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	I'm too frugal to just call it a loss! But for a better reason than simply "cheap", the fact is that there's no responsible way to toss that brass. Whether it goes to a recycler or a garbage truck, there's a live explosive device lodged in it. I would go ahead and CAREFULLY and slowly decap it with the decapping die. Safety glasses, head turned, flammables away from the work area, maybe even a wet towel laid around everything. But you know what? I really, really doubt it detonates. It'll just push out. Then you can re-prime the case properly, chamber that primed case and fire it off to detonate it and then chalk it up to experience! I've heard where folks will fill it--FILL it with water and then seat a bullet over it. The water will displace the primer, a way of "pushing" it without actually using a decapping pin to do the pushing. That would work, but then you'll have a nice little splash to clean up. It'll be a mess. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

February 5, 2008, 12:32 AM	#4
TexasSeaRay Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 810	Since the anvil is exposed, soak it with some WD40 and kill the primer. Let it sit for an hour or so, then decap it. Jeff __________________ If every single gun owner belonged to the NRA as well as their respective state rifle/gun association, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. So to those of you who are members of neither, thanks for nothing.

February 5, 2008, 12:33 AM	#5
UniversalFrost Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,300	I will give the deprimer a try in the afternoon, at $2.50 per case (these are actual Lapua brass) I really don't want to toss it. I will make sure the cover the press with a few heavy rags that are wet just in case the primer detonates and sparks and/or chunks start flying. I will also soak it with some cutting oil I have on the bench. Now if I still had my TA50 gear I would be set (kevlar, helmet, etc...) I really should have the wife press the primer out with me standing at a safe distance so as to teach her a lesson for distracting me and __________________ Lifetime member VFW and NRA "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead) -Red Green

February 5, 2008, 04:32 AM	#7
Crosshair Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2004 Location: Grand Forks, ND Posts: 5,333	Agreed, eye and ear protection (As well as no wife present.) is all you need for this operation. Anything more is overkill. Setting off the primer with no powder in the case is about as destructive as a firecracker. However I have never managed to set off a primer when removing them. Just raise the ram slowly until you contact the primer and then gradually apply pressure until it comes out. Primers are impact sensitive, not pressure sensitive. __________________ I don't carry a gun to go looking for trouble, I carry a gun in case trouble finds me.

February 5, 2008, 12:25 AM	#3
Scott5 Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2004 Posts: 134	Hi Universal, The brass is not lost. Just run it though the decapping operation again and get the good primer out. You are not going to slam it out and the decapping pin is not a firing pin. I've done it hundreds of time without any problem. If you are warried about some noise then put on eye and ear protection, but you wont need it. I hope this helps. Happy shooting Scott5

February 5, 2008, 01:57 AM	#6
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 16,950	I guess you better hope your wife doesn't read this forum! Especially since you're blaming her for your lack of concentration. No need for all the paranoia concerning the primer. Although a little paranoia is a good thing, it seems to be overdone when it comes to depriming a live primer. Wear eyes and ears, of course, and go slow. But, all the other precautions are simply overkill for a relatively non-hazardous operation. The anvil needs to rest on something (normally the primer cavity in the case) in order to make the primer compound go off as it is crushed and shocked by the firing pin. With the primer upside down, the anvil rests on nothing. In that case, I doubt you could operate the press fast enough to make it go off. Nonetheless, you should still go slow.

February 5, 2008, 08:17 AM	#8
The Lovemaster Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 416	I agree, I've had to remove them a few times myself, and it's been smooth. I always ease the ram up nice and slow and the primer pops out.

February 5, 2008, 10:12 AM	#9
nitesite9 Member Join Date: February 4, 2008 Location: Morgan County, Alabama Posts: 29	It will not go off when you run it back thru your sizing/decapping die. I'm serious. It will not go off. You'll actually be surprised at how very little force it takes to hear it go 'plink' and out it pops. __________________ Deputy Sheriff 1983-1985 Regular Army 1985-1993 E-7 NRA Member

February 5, 2008, 10:51 AM	#11
angeldeville Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2007 Posts: 192	I have had to decap a couple myself, remember it's not a ticking time bomb, just a primer.... decap it gently, and as long as it's not damaged you can even re-use it. __________________ That's the way John Wayne woulda done it.

February 5, 2008, 11:04 AM	#12
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	Because I have two kids under 10 in my house, powder and primers are secured. Sure, you teach the kids and you do your best, but it still makes sense IMO. A box of primers left sitting out can get knocked off a table and dumped. Then picked up without telling anyone. When will you figure it out? When you run a live one over with the vacuum! So the wife misplacing something or knocking something over? Not going to happen here. I do enough of THAT nonsense all by myself. I don't need help! __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

February 5, 2008, 11:41 AM	#13
UniversalFrost Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,300	Also, I will give an after action report and the how-to's on this procedure (might even post pics) when it is all said and done, so that anyone that has the same predicament in the future will know how to solve this. Also, I am gonna load up my APS strips with primers this evening and go back to the bench mounted APS strip primer (awsome "feel" and extreme repeatable accuracy for depth). JOE __________________ Lifetime member VFW and NRA "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead) -Red Green

February 5, 2008, 11:53 AM	#14
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	I just don't "get it" with the strips. It's a part of the job to prime cases... now you have to prime strips so they can prime cases?! I have a 20-year old Lee Safety Prime. Standard shell holders and this thing just lives to seat primers. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

February 5, 2008, 12:10 PM	#15
UniversalFrost Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,300	part of the "thing" with the strips is SAFETY. If one goes off no others will go off like most of the other priming setups. For those LEE fanatics Mr. Lee himself praises the RCBS/CCI APS strips, but complains of the CCI/RCBS folks not allowing anyone else use the design (see the priming section of his 2nd edition). Personally I got a real good deal on the bench mounted APS primer tool and the APS strip loader (paid 45 for both). I had used the normal tube style RCBS primer in the past and it has unmatched "feel" and sensitivity to allow better primer seating. Until you have tried the bench mounted priming tools (RCBS) you don't know what you are missing. __________________ Lifetime member VFW and NRA "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead) -Red Green

February 5, 2008, 09:20 PM	#17
UniversalFrost Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,300	ok the primer came out nice and easy when I put it in the depriming die. I did have it covered with nice heavy towel "just in case". I then went and primed the case with a primer in the correct upright position. Thanks for all the help guys and gals. __________________ Lifetime member VFW and NRA "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead) -Red Green