Annealing methods

[sako2]

Take the decapping stem out of the die and resize them. Leaving the primer in.

[Benchguy]

Originally Posted by sako2

Take the decapping stem out of the die and resize them. Leaving the primer in.

Ok! Easy enough

[math teacher]

Sako2 means remove the decapping "pin" so you don't deprime the case. The stem is needed to hold the expander nipple to expand the neck to the proper size.

[mehavey]

suggest the OP doesn't need to totally remove the deprimng pin.
Just raise the stem enough that the pin itself no longer reaches primer on full stroke.

That way the expander ball gets to do its job on the way back out of the case after full sizing.

[Benchguy]

Originally Posted by mehavey

suggest the OP doesn't need to totally remove the deprimng pin.
Just raise the stem enough that the pin itself no longer reaches primer on full stroke.

That way the expander ball gets to do its job on the way back out of the case after full sizing.

Just reading the replies and think I’ll raise the decapping pin, as mehavey suggests. The shoulders are about 4thousandths too long. Safety glasses on!

[math teacher]

That will work with RCBS and some other dies.

[Unclenick]

Depends on the die. If you get the expander too close to the die's neck, you can mangle a case mouth on its way in or get one stuck upon attempting withdrawal. On the other hand, get it close enough, but not too close, so that the expander engages the neck just before the neck is fully out of the die's neck, and you can often mitigate neck runout (though your decapping pin won't likely be low enough to work).

[Benchguy]

mehavey’s suggestion worked just fine. Thank you!

Just curious though, what would happen if I pushed the live primer out? Can they detonate?

[Metal god]

Yep but slow and careful usually works without issue

[Benchguy]

Originally Posted by Metal god

Yep but slow and careful usually works without issue

Thanks, Metal god!

[Unclenick]

People do it all the time, but slowly and carefully, as MG said. It is recommended that you wear eye and hearing protection while you do it, and, while not really necessary, I have a pair of welder's gloves with long cuffs that I often put on if I'm doing something that might make sparks.

The pressure of the decapping rod is on the primer anvil when you are doing this, so it tries to compress the priming compound between the anvil tip and the bottom of the primer cup. This is the same area of the priming mix that is smashed between the cup and anvil when hit by a firing pin, and the decapping pin pressure squeezes it a bit. Even though modern priming mixes are not brittle like the old Speer primers were, this has the potential to distort the primer pellet. So, while I have never heard anyone say they had a primer fail to fire after reinserting it into another case, it isn't done frequently enough for me to think I've seen a statistically significant sample. So, I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me otherwise tomorrow.

For that last reason, I would treat all decapped and recapped unfired primers as practice load components and not count on them having as much consistency or reliability as they would have the first time you primed a case with them. Mostly, you won't be able to tell a difference without designing an experiment to detect it, but I just wouldn't use those second-seating primers in my match loads or loads for an important hunt, etc. Overcautious? Maybe. But since I make range practice loads anyway, why not delegate the recycled primers to that duty, just in case I've spoiled one?

[Metal god]

Interesting, I never considered using deprimed live primers again . Mostly because of what I would assume would be a high failure rate and two I generally am not needing to deprime live primers in quantities that would need saving or reusing . I don’t know the number, but my guess is it would be less than 50 in all the years I’ve been Reloading . Not really a quantity I care enough about to try to reuse them .

[Unclenick]

Just take the decapping rod assembly out of the die and resize with the primer in place. Then return the decapping rod assembly to the die. Use a Q-tip to rub a little graphite powder on the inside of the case mouth and run it back up into the die just far enough to expand the case mouth back to correct size, but not far enough to push the primer out. Then withdraw it and load normally.

[jpx2rk]

I've "re-cycled" live primers w/o issue, but I usually use them in fouler loads. I keep them separated from the "new/unused" primers so I can use them up in foulers. Getting a squib in the varmint fields would not be all that grand of an event.

[Benchguy]

Hopefully they’re all still good. I’ve got all the shoulder bumps done and all trimmed to length without issues.

[RC20]

I actually tested what it takes to fire a primer from the side that is in the case (DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME!)

I geared up with heavy coat, gloves, face shield and ear protection.

I took a Nail as a fairly sharp substitute in place of a de-cap in and proceeded to what away.

It took a heavy hit with a hammer to get it to go bang.

I will de-cap a primer but as is noted above, eye and ear protection and slowly.

[Benchguy]

Thanks, RC20! These cases have been primed for close to 20 years. I should try firing one in my rifle to see if it still works. There’s around 100 cases like this and I’d hate to load them all and not know if they’re at 100%. Maybe I should just decap and cut my loss. Decisions! ������

[jetinteriorguy]

Personally I’d just decap them and toss the primers if they’ve been sitting as primed cases that long. Even at today’s prices you’re only talking roughly $8.00 worth of primers.

[Unclenick]

People have fired ammo a lot older than that. Powder deteriorates eventually, but standard lead styphnate and the older corrosive chlorate primers don't seem to if they are kept dry. Mercuric primers deteriorated, and DDNP can deteriorate in humidity. The Federal catalyst primers use nitrocellulose, so they should eventually do what smokeless powder does, and break down.

[Benchguy]

So the primed cases have also needed to have a shoulder bump of around 15-25thousandths to close the bolt comfortably. That’s about 2 thousandths off the chamber head space. I will see what mood I’m in when I get back down to the bench. I have plenty of new primers. Thanks again for the great conversations!

[totalloser]

Hot glass bead bath (bead blast media) in lead melter. Stand three, stand three more, pull the first three out and so on. I started using this process to take the "spring" out of MG OFB that refused to size to spec.

Cheap, easy, forgiving. Difficult to get a full anneal, but that can be a good thing. Depends on what you want. Also no open flame.

[jetinteriorguy]

Originally Posted by totalloser

Hot glass bead bath (bead blast media) in lead melter. Stand three, stand three more, pull the first three out and so on. I started using this process to take the "spring" out of MG OFB that refused to size to spec.

Cheap, easy, forgiving. Difficult to get a full anneal, but that can be a good thing. Depends on what you want. Also no open flame.

Interesting approach.

[totalloser]

Not mine. Found it on one of the AR forums years ago. Shared it here, but got flamed by the flame guys. XD

On the *first try* I got a batch of my springy open bolt brass sized to gauge. Which had been driving me nuts previously.

[mehavey]

Originally Posted by Total_L

Hot glass bead bath (bead blast media) in lead melter.

I see "hot glass beads" of all types for sale on the net.
What did you choose/recommend?

[Unclenick]

You can also melt lead. Just dip the case neck into graphite powder before putting it into the melt so you don't solder any molten metal to it. This is metallurgist Fred Barker's description:

(1) Lead Pot Method: heat lead to 725°-750°F; dip neck into powdered graphite and then holding body of case in fingertips into molten lead: when case body becomes too hot to hold slap case into wet towel; or

(2) Candle-flame method: Hold case body in fingertips, place case neck in flame and twirl case back & forth until case body is too hot to hold, then slap case into wet towel; wipe soot off neck & shoulder with dry paper towel or 0000 steel wool.

Fred Barker, Precision Shooting Magazine (RIP), July 1996, pp. 90-92