Thread: firing a round with a poorly seated primer

when i was reloading 357 i noticed a couple of finished rounds had primers that were seated a little unevenly. once i noticed it after a few rounds i went back and checked all the cases and re seated the uncharged cases to make sure the rest were good to go. so now i have a few rounds that wobble alitte on a flat surface

I know i cant seat a primer deeper with a charge and bullet in it.
I also dont have a bullet puller. what should i do with these rounds? are they safe to shoot?

you guys ever shoot these rounds?
thanks

if they will clear why not

I set a box aside with creased or poorly seated primers, shoot 'em first.

I can't say for your gun, so long as the primer doesn't interfere with turning the cylinder. If it does, you could get an accidental and out of time discharge which would destroy the gun.

With rifles, especially auto loaders, pressure from the bolt can touch off a poorly seated primer, causing a slam-fire. I believe this is one reason that mil spec ammo has crimped primers.

Good call on not re-seating them loaded. I know a guy who did that and the round exploded in the press, putting quite a bit of shrapnel into his hand and fingers. He was actually holding the round as he did it, duh.

I'm a coward. I'd either knock the bullets and powder out and start over, or toss them. You can safely fire an empty case with a primer in it to make it safe to push the primer back out. If you do, make sure nothing is fouling the primer pocket after you get the primer out.

thanks gunner

im using a ruger gp 100 as my launchpad

im going to get a puller and pull em apart i think

great info

Originally Posted by Lloyd Braun

thanks gunner

im using a ruger gp 100 as my launchpad

im going to get a puller and pull em apart i think

great info

Welcome. I don't know anything about the clearances on your gun so I can't say. A puller is a cheap tool you'll need sooner or later anyway.

Be sure you're getting your primer pockets clean. RCBS makes a cheap manual double ended (small and large rifle/pistol) brush for that and they also make an expensive motorized one. I chuck the cheap one in a cordless drill, LOL.

Lloyd, as you know reloads have a bad name. It's only because people aren't meticulous and/or knowledgeable. Reloads are better than factory if you're willing to get them there.

im new to it but have friends who re load. is cleaning the primer pocket essential ? ive been using the lee double sided cleaner for that but im not cleaning every pocket on every piece of brass right now. my buddy said its not hugely important in handgun reloads

Originally Posted by Lloyd Braun

im new to it but have friends who re load. is cleaning the primer pocket essential ? ive been using the lee double sided cleaner for that but im not cleaning every pocket on every piece of brass right now. my buddy said its not hugely important in handgun reloads

I clean only the ones that look suspect. It's possible to get carbon in there. I also do a visual for tumbling media in the pocket or flash hole. Also, a tumbler doesn't do a good job on primer pockets for some reason.

After tumbling and rinsing, I blow my pockets out with compressed air, and then turn the cases around and blow them out from the inside. I can't say that's a best practice - it's just what I do.

The little Lee tool takes 2 seconds to use. It gets the pockets as clean as they need to be for most reloading. If you are shooting benchrest or long range it may be better to use a more precise tool.

Originally Posted by Gunner3456

Welcome. I don't know anything about the clearances on your gun so I can't say. A puller is a cheap tool you'll need sooner or later anyway.

And I will add, get a collet puller and a 35 cal collet. Avoid the inertial pullers.

Originally Posted by onearmedswordsman

And I will add, get a collet puller and a 35 cal collet. Avoid the inertial pullers.

does that scratch your bullets?

I'm of the school that you can't reuse bullets. The cases are crimped and that upsets the lead core. Pulling or knocking cracks the lead at the crimp and you can't see it. It effectively stretches to bullet "just enough." It's microscopic but I believe the weakening is there.

For the few bullets I pull, the cost factor just isn't an issue. My life may depend on that round.

That's just my $.02, and I'm not really wanting to tell anyone else what to do.

Originally Posted by Gunner3456

Lloyd, as you know reloads have a bad name. It's only because people aren't meticulous and/or knowledgeable. Reloads are better than factory if you're willing to get them there.

The ONLY reason that some people feel bad about reloads are only because of bad reloading practices. I'm VERY meticulous and clean EVERY primer pocket and it sounds like to me that wasn't done to the ammo with the poorly seated primers. I have met some men that feel the same as you but if you have read my " Visitor Messages " page you can see that they now feel differently. I also feel that the key to buying good reloads is to simply ask the person that has reloaded the ammo the process that they go through. Also I also run my ammo through a case gage both before and after reloading. That's my 2 cents.

Your hand, your face and your gun worth more then a few hundred batch of bad ammos. If I am in your position I will put those ammos away till I can get my hand on a bullet puller. Some members here in this board must have one to let you borrow. Please think of this way.... if you not sure it safe to fired dont shoot it. You may injure yourself and the guy shooting next to you.

Originally Posted by Benny503

Your hand, your face and your gun worth more then a few hundred batch of bad ammos. If I am in your position I will put those ammos away till I can get my hand on a bullet puller. Some members here in this board must have one to let you borrow. Please think of this way.... if you not sure it safe to fired dont shoot it. You may injure yourself and the guy shooting next to you.

I some what agree...IMHO... I don't feel that the ammo would blow up your gun from a poorly seated primer. You could still get a pretty good powder burn from a primer blow out. But on the same note. If the person that reloaded this ammo can't seat a primer properly who's to say that they didn't double charge one of the rounds. Myself... I would take them all a part and reuse the brass or shelve them and forget them.

Originally Posted by BGW

I some what agree...IMHO... I don't feel that the ammo would blow up your gun from a poorly seated primer. -snip-

It can blow up a revolver and cause a slam-fire in an autoloader.

Cases are typically loose in a revolver and can rub the case head as the cylinder turns. If there's anything for the primer to catch on as the cylinder turns, it can pop and set off the round. Usually the cylinder is out of time (bullet not lined up with barrel) and the gun will probably break, endangering your hands, face, neck, eyes...

Why anyone would take any risk at all with a 20 cent reload is beyond me.

Originally Posted by BGW

I some what agree...IMHO... I don't feel that the ammo would blow up your gun from a poorly seated primer. You could still get a pretty good powder burn from a primer blow out.

If a loaded cartridge, contained in a revolver cylinder, with no where for the bullet to go, and no where for the primer to go is expected to only produce a burn, we're dreaming. It will rapidly build pressure until it blows that gun to smithereens.

It will also very possibly set off the rounds next to it in the cylinder. I don't know what caused the gun below to blow, but it set off three rounds. I'm glad I wasn't holding it.

Stay safe.

(Oops, it set off two rounds, and ejected a third spent round as can be seen. It broke three chambers.)

Originally Posted by Gunner3456

It can blow up a revolver and cause a slam-fire in an autoloader.

Cases are typically loose in a revolver and can rub the case head as the cylinder turns. If there's anything for the primer to catch on as the cylinder turns, it can pop and set off the round. Usually the cylinder is out of time (bullet not lined up with barrel) and the gun will probably break, endangering your hands, face, neck, eyes...

Why anyone would take any risk at all with a 20 cent reload is beyond me.

Good to know...THANK YOU... I've never dealt with a poorly seated primer in a LOADED round. Because I wouldn't of loaded it to begin with. But I have had a primer blow out in a bolt action rifle from some reloads in the late 70's that I had got from someone. That started me into reloading. But I believe it happened because of an over charge.

Originally Posted by Gunner3456

If a loaded cartridge, contained in a revolver cylinder, with no where for the bullet to go, and no where for the primer to go is expected to only produce a burn, we're dreaming. It will rapidly build pressure until it blows that gun to smithereens.

It will also very possibly set off the rounds next to it in the cylinder. I don't know what caused the gun below to blow, but it set off three rounds. I'm glad I wasn't holding it.

Stay safe.

WOW... Amazing... Again... Thank you very much.

Tears for that COLT ANACONDA ;-( ;-( RIP