What can happen when you attempt to reseat a primer on a loaded round... - Page 2

sparkyv · May 7, 2018, 06:55 PM

A "friend of mine" recently successfully seated a primer on a loaded round. While the video is not showing setting off a round while seating a primer, it demonstrates what can happen if it goes off while attempting to seat the primer on a live round. This video was an eye-opener for me and I won't, I mean my friend won't be doing that again! Ever.

mikld · May 7, 2018, 10:53 PM

All ya gotta do is look at how primers work. The priming compound needs to be "sharply" crushed between the cup and the anvil. Slow pushing on the primer won'y do it...

hdwhit · May 8, 2018, 12:42 AM

Quote:

ed308 wrote:
What can happen when you attempt to reseat a primer on a loaded round...
Saw this on another forum. Don't think I'll be reseating any high primers on my 650 after watching this video...

The one time (in 40+ years) that I was present when someone ignited a primer on a case that was in reloading die by trying to hacksaw the head off a loaded cartridge. There was a loud noise, a flash and the bullet traveled somewhere between 6 and 12 inches across the reloading bench.

That was it.

It was a 30 Carbine round loaded at the maximum with a 110 grain bullet and 15 grains with IMR-4227.

This should compare with a 357 round loaded with a comparable amount of IMR-4227 and launched out of a short (less than 1 inch) barrel, but it fell woefully short.

Since that experience, I have not hesitated to reseat primers that might be out-of-spec on loaded rounds - in the rare occasion when it was necessary. Just have respect for the fact it is a loaded round and make sure all of your movements are fluid as well as dynamic.

jetinteriorguy · May 8, 2018, 05:08 AM

I have been loading for over 30 years and have had primers pop twice while loading in my progressive. I had never seen nor heard of a .38 sp with a crimped primer pocket until then. Two of the cases that I'd picked up had crimped primers and I didn't catch it when depriming because I had never heard of it and didn't expect it. So apparently when trying to seat them it caused the primers to pop. I'll tell you what, that really gets your attention when it happens. Now I even inspect .38 brass for crimped pockets but have yet to see another.

jaguarxk120 · May 8, 2018, 07:33 AM

Pure setup just so someone can post on youtube!
I wonder how hard he had to smack that primer with the modified seating punch turned into a firing pin?
And the way those round went off, I wonder how much EC blank powder he used?

The only time I've had primers go off is with a whack a mole, and that thing went into the trash after two primers went off.

ed308 · May 8, 2018, 08:04 AM

What press?

jaguarxk120 · May 8, 2018, 02:10 PM

The dufus is using a firing device NOT a press!!

He made some sort of spring loaded firing pin to set those rounds off. I don't doubt
There were powder changes so the results are more impressive.

When things go wrong and he winds up in the emergency room his actions
make all handloaders look bad!

Don Fischer · May 8, 2018, 03:49 PM

Seating a live primer in a loaded round? joke? It might be alright one in ten million time's and go wrong once! I have never s I recall attempted that. I recall one time I was seating some primer's in unloaded case's with the original Lee hand die set. put the case in the die, dropped in the rod to set the primer with then tried tapping it in. Boom! Of course it could have been a whole lot worse, could have been a loaded round! Sometime's fate is not worth tempting!

F. Guffey · May 8, 2018, 03:52 PM

And then we had a reloader that was pulling bullets with an inertia hammer. He came close to bloing his thing off, his hammer handle. The problem was made worst because he was pulling bullets in a crowd.

There were claims he was using a shell holder; it was believed the shell holder allowed the case to move enough for the shell holder to cover the primer. And that is only possible to do with small diameter cases.

There was a chance he had a high primer' the primer could have seated whole pounding the concrete driveway. There was a remote chance the case was stood up after seating the bullet and while standing powder could have trickled down between the primer and case head. If the primer seated with no room in front of it there is a chance the primer could have busted.

I can only guess there is a moral to this story, do not try to seat primers on a loaded round.

F. Guffey

F. Guffey · May 9, 2018, 08:43 AM

And then there was the writer, author, shooter and reloader that went to the firing range with his ammo packed in baggies, I have always said carrying your ammo in baggies was a bad habit.

Anyhow, he dropped a bag, the rim on one case hit the primer of another case. The primer pushed itself out of the case and up. The primer cut an artery, needlessly to say the shooter/writer almost bled to death.

F. Guffey

reddog81 · May 9, 2018, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F. Guffey

And then there was the writer, author, shooter and reloader that went to the firing range with his ammo packed in baggies, I have always said carrying your ammo in baggies was a bad habit.

Anyhow, he dropped a bag, the rim on one case hit the primer of another case. The primer pushed itself out of the case and up. The primer cut an artery, needlessly to say the shooter/writer almost bled to death.

F. Guffey

Plenty of ammo manufacturers package loose rounds in cardboard boxes and ammo boxes. Are you telling me that those loose rounds rattling their way across the US in the back of semi trucks are somehow safer than loose rounds in a ziploc bag?

Regarding the video - I'd be way more interested in a video showing what it takes to set off a loose round while actually seating a primer. Anyone with half a brain would realize that a loaded round that detonates outside a chamber can be hazardous. The more interesting question would address if its possible to take a normal case (no crimped primer, no other deformities) and make the primer go off while seating it. I've loaded close to 15,000 rounds on a Hornaday LNL and a couple thousand using a Lee handheld primer and never once had a primer go off.

F. Guffey · May 9, 2018, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Are you telling me that those loose rounds rattling their way across the US in the back of semi trucks are somehow safer than loose rounds in a ziploc bag?

I am typing slower: I said carrying your ammo in plastic baggies is a bad habit. There is a story about a UPS driver that blew his thing off, I believe it was called 'a tail gate' with a box of Federal primers.

I was told it is impossible to bust a primer with the rim of another case, Lee in his book tested primers, he described the primers launching themselves from the primer pockets at close to 700 feet per second. So? If you should drop your ammo and your ammo is loosely packed grab your crotch and if you are not wearing safety glasses it is too late.

F. Guffey

higgite · May 9, 2018, 09:53 AM

I think the moral of this video story is never try to reseat the primer of a loaded round with a firing pin unless said round is chambered in a firearm.

Reloadron · May 9, 2018, 01:19 PM

Higgite:

Quote:

I think the moral of this video story is never try to reseat the primer of a loaded round with a firing pin unless said round is chambered in a firearm.

That would be a good message.

While doing normal primer seating the odds are against a primer detonating but it only takes once to have a really bad day. In Mr. Guffy's post #35 the odds of what happened happening were tremendous but...

Some guys are comfortable reseating a primer in a loaded round and some are not. I would be in the latter group. While the odds are against anything really bad happening I can see no reason to tempt fate. I would prefer not to have my friends read about me because I lost an argument with a primer.

I wonder how hot a cartridge can get before the bang. Here, hold my beer while I get a skillet from my wife....

Ron

Bimus · May 9, 2018, 04:54 PM

I hope the maker of the video stays away from large rifle cases and black powder.

May 7, 2018, 06:55 PM	#26
sparkyv Senior Member Join Date: May 2, 2015 Location: Deepinnaheartta,Texas Posts: 318	A "friend of mine" recently successfully seated a primer on a loaded round. While the video is not showing setting off a round while seating a primer, it demonstrates what can happen if it goes off while attempting to seat the primer on a live round. This video was an eye-opener for me and I won't, I mean my friend won't be doing that again! Ever. __________________ μολὼν λαβέ NRA Life Member Last edited by sparkyv; May 8, 2018 at 06:11 AM.

May 7, 2018, 10:53 PM	#27
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	All ya gotta do is look at how primers work. The priming compound needs to be "sharply" crushed between the cup and the anvil. Slow pushing on the primer won'y do it... __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

May 8, 2018, 05:08 AM	#29
jetinteriorguy Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2013 Posts: 3,173	I have been loading for over 30 years and have had primers pop twice while loading in my progressive. I had never seen nor heard of a .38 sp with a crimped primer pocket until then. Two of the cases that I'd picked up had crimped primers and I didn't catch it when depriming because I had never heard of it and didn't expect it. So apparently when trying to seat them it caused the primers to pop. I'll tell you what, that really gets your attention when it happens. Now I even inspect .38 brass for crimped pockets but have yet to see another.

May 8, 2018, 07:33 AM	#30
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,619	Pure setup just so someone can post on youtube! I wonder how hard he had to smack that primer with the modified seating punch turned into a firing pin? And the way those round went off, I wonder how much EC blank powder he used? The only time I've had primers go off is with a whack a mole, and that thing went into the trash after two primers went off.

May 8, 2018, 08:04 AM	#31
ed308 Senior Member Join Date: November 5, 2016 Location: DFW, TX Posts: 1,147	What press?

May 8, 2018, 02:10 PM	#32
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,619	The dufus is using a firing device NOT a press!! He made some sort of spring loaded firing pin to set those rounds off. I don't doubt There were powder changes so the results are more impressive. When things go wrong and he winds up in the emergency room his actions make all handloaders look bad!

May 8, 2018, 03:49 PM	#33
Don Fischer Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2017 Posts: 1,868	Seating a live primer in a loaded round? joke? It might be alright one in ten million time's and go wrong once! I have never s I recall attempted that. I recall one time I was seating some primer's in unloaded case's with the original Lee hand die set. put the case in the die, dropped in the rod to set the primer with then tried tapping it in. Boom! Of course it could have been a whole lot worse, could have been a loaded round! Sometime's fate is not worth tempting!

May 8, 2018, 03:52 PM	#34
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	And then we had a reloader that was pulling bullets with an inertia hammer. He came close to bloing his thing off, his hammer handle. The problem was made worst because he was pulling bullets in a crowd. There were claims he was using a shell holder; it was believed the shell holder allowed the case to move enough for the shell holder to cover the primer. And that is only possible to do with small diameter cases. There was a chance he had a high primer' the primer could have seated whole pounding the concrete driveway. There was a remote chance the case was stood up after seating the bullet and while standing powder could have trickled down between the primer and case head. If the primer seated with no room in front of it there is a chance the primer could have busted. I can only guess there is a moral to this story, do not try to seat primers on a loaded round. F. Guffey

May 9, 2018, 08:43 AM	#35
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	And then there was the writer, author, shooter and reloader that went to the firing range with his ammo packed in baggies, I have always said carrying your ammo in baggies was a bad habit. Anyhow, he dropped a bag, the rim on one case hit the primer of another case. The primer pushed itself out of the case and up. The primer cut an artery, needlessly to say the shooter/writer almost bled to death. F. Guffey

May 9, 2018, 09:53 AM	#38
higgite Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 2010 Posts: 1,025	I think the moral of this video story is never try to reseat the primer of a loaded round with a firing pin unless said round is chambered in a firearm.

May 9, 2018, 04:54 PM	#40
Bimus Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2018 Location: Farmington NM Posts: 122	I hope the maker of the video stays away from large rifle cases and black powder.