Primer Detonation While Using Hornady Hand Priming Tool

[RVTECH]

On another forum a guy claims to have had a primer detonation while seating a primer with a Hornady tool and it set off several more in the tray and blew the tool apart, scratched his hand and blew his glasses off his face.

I suspect its possible but not too probable. I was skeptical at first but then considered the possibility of a double stacked primer but you would feel the resistance and most likely stop to see whats going on however he mentioned there was no resistance and the primer was seating normally. Thoughts on this?

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[ma96782]

bubblegum happens.

Did he also mention anything about changing his underwear?

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On the more serious side.

I have one of those hand primer tools from LEE. The instructions also warned about certain BRANDS of primers and what the maximum recommended capacity was.

Aloha, Mark

 

[OldTengu]

I think it's probably bullschit.

 

[deadeye]

Wonder if something was either in the flash hole (media) or dropped out onto anvil of tool and then was under primer while seating and set off when compressed. Seems odd though that it would set off multiple other primers in the tray, would think flash would go out the brass and away from them.

 

[RVTECH]

Seems odd though that it would set off multiple other primers in the tray, would think flash would go out the brass and away from them.

That was my thought as well considering the OP said the primer was seating normally.

 

[Rem700..300]

It does happen and the results look similar. I was finding plastic in the garage for days. Once I realized I had all my fingers and eyes it was pretty humorous and a learning experience. Just a burn on a finger and a blood blister from the pinch. I had a box of 100 of large primers mixed in with my small primers and made the mistake of not reading each box before I put them in the tray. Or some wrong combo. The first one didn't go in all the way and I squeezed too hard I guess. I was a Newby at this.
I now read each box and have a lightly calibrated hand.
Learning experience!!

 

[TTSX]

As likely as the staged backwards round in the Glock someone posted. There is definitely more to the story, dude was probably drinking or wants attention. That said, you should wear safety glasses when reloading just in case. What are you afraid of, looking like a nerd?

 

[RVTECH]

I had a box of 100 of large primers mixed in with my small primers and made the mistake of not reading each box before I put them in the tray.

So are you thinking maybe a small primer got crunched into a large primer pocket?

 

[Used To Hunt]

That said, you should wear safety glasses when reloading just in case. What are you afraid of, looking like a nerd?

I was showing a friend how to reload and he looked at me funny when I handed him a pair of safety glasses. But like AVE say's "Double rubber with you mother on speed dial"

 

[Rem700..300]

In my case which isn't the one in the first post, the primer I set off wasn't going in the hole easily so I gave it a little extra squeeze which is a bad thing.(hopefully that comment doesn't derail this thread) I don't remember the exact combo. I just remember the 1 box being different from the other 9 sitting on the shelf.. And yes I did have safety classes on.

 

[RVTECH]

In my case which isn't the one in the first post,

Yea, the one I posted about was a guy in London, UK!

However - I have occasionally experienced very tight primer pockets (specifically with S & B brass) and have had to apply extra pressure to seat them and have sometimes slightly flattened them on seating.

I am not going to do this anymore and will 'cull' out those pieces of brass when I come across them!

 

[fstdraw]

Seems like if this was a true story, Berdan primers would be the culprit. Those suckers fit tight!

 

[Graingodguy]

Just like the guy who got swallowed by the fish

 

[gmerkt]

No doubt it has happened. For one reason or another, not always the same reason. This is why some manufacturers of these things put certain design features into them. Like that inconvenient safety gate on the RCBS. And Lee completely redesiging theirs to incorporate new safety features. I've never owned or used the Hornady tool. I looked at the pictures in the owner's manual online, looks like they don't have the feature to isolate the reservoir of primers from the one being pressed ito place.

I've never popped a primer in any handloading procedure. But I can tell you it is possible to stack two primers in the new, safety redesigned Lee tool. My personal feeling about the Lee is, the older design was, in some ways, safer to use because it was harder to screw it up. The new one is more fiddly and introduces more chances of error. But Lee had to do the redesign to show they were on top of things, weren't being negligent when they were informed of detonations. The new design very likely does greatly reduce the chance of chain detonation where one primer going off causes a bunch more to do so. The little elevator in the new Lee tool provides that separation.

 

[RVTECH]

My personal feeling about the Lee is, the older design was, in some ways, safer to use because it was harder to screw it up.

No experience with the new style as I am still using my 'old' model. While its fairly easy to stack two primers in the 'old' one, it is pretty easy to avoid it as well by just making sure you keep the primers at the rear of the tray by shaking them to the back.

 

[gmerkt]

No experience with the new style as I am still using my 'old' model. While its fairly easy to stack two primers in the 'old' one, it is pretty easy to avoid it as well by just making sure you keep the primers at the rear of the tray by shaking them to the back.

For a while there, used old style Lee (round tray model) hand priming tools were bringing a strong premium on ebay. From die-hards who didn't want to change but had broken their old ones. I preferred the old style. I still have a couple. I liked to keep one set up for small, and one set up for large primers.

This is a strange thing. I bought a couple of the newer, "safer" Lee tools. And I forced myself to use them, knowing that the old style would eventually not be an option. So for a while I just used the new design (square trays) without thinking. Even though I still had two of the style I at one time preferred.

Then somewhere along the line, I bought one of the Lee Auto Bench Prime tools, which I prefer over the hand-held version. Due to my own physical problems of use. The Bench version basically works the same way in terms of primer isolation as the "new" (square tray) hand held model. Trays and primer lift whatsits are the same parts.

For a number of years, I had one of the RCBS hand priming tools. I bought it because there were some shell holders that Lee didn't make for their line. So I used the RCBS when I absolutely had to, but I didn't care much for it. When I stopped loading some of those odd cartridges, I let the RCBS go.

Oh yes, the Lee priming tools all broke while in use, every one of them. I'd send the remains back to Lee, they'd send me another one as a warranty replacement. There's another good reason for having two of each kind.

 

[Crazyeye24]

Maybe used a small primer rod instead of a large one.