Reusing Primers ?

[giddyupgo55]

Here is what happened. Primed up 100 cases of 30-30 and used large rifle magum primers. Thought about reducing the load and just useing them for plinking, but I decapped all of them and used the correct ones. Now I have these primers that look like new, that I removed, and am wondering if I should reuse them. When I was younger I would use them because money was tight,not so now. Would you use them over ? :huh:

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[bballer182]

I'm sure there isn't a problem with doing that in a bolt gun. In a semi-auto I wouldn't do it. And then again what 100 primer? $3.49-$4.00?

haha you know you're a reloader when you're worried about throwing out 100 primers that set you back $4. lol
BTW i just did the same thing with my .458 SOCOM.

 

[civilian75]

I've done it, too, on a very much smaller scale than you. I the pressure I had to apply to seat the primers was lower on some. Based on that experience, I would not re-use them on auto-loaders. If they are very loose, they may come off and you may end up with propellant spilled inside you gun action. Don't ask me how I know that. Of course, the pockets also had to do with that.

Bolt or lever, yeah, I see no problem.

 

[Darkker]

Unless you have some odd-ball reduced load, or pistol powder loaded; you should have just used them.
There always CAN be exceptions to the rule, But I've never noticed any difference in my 223, 22-250, 243, 308, 30-06, 25-06, 270. The Mag primers never changes the velocity, just typically opens up the ES. On the '06 based cartridges, with ball powder it CAN lower the ES, IME.

The problem(potential) is that you have now seated the anvil. making them "active". Punching them out, and then RE-seating them; MAY have a potential to set them off. Especially if they are of the Basic type compound.

 

[Mark W.]

Toss them and learn the lesson.

 

[sheepdip]

toss them in a fire

 

[AMProducts]

I'm all about having consistency in my loads... So while putting the wrong primers into the machine is bad, I would have just reduced the load and shot them (btw, I have had some pressure spikes going from regular primers to mag primers). As it is, since you already decapped them... they're garbage, take the hit don't risk your life, gun or family member loading up ammo that will be of unknown quality.

 

[giddyupgo55]

I would toss them in the wood stove, but the boss would not see the humor in that, so out they go. Just goes to show, even after 30 plus years mistakes can happen. Next time I will put my glasses on.

 

[deadshot2]

I've reused primers many times. Only issue is really whether the priming compound was damaged while depriming.

When reinserted in the brass, sure some will be loose, but I guarantee that they won't be when the explosion occurs that ignites the powder. The cup will expand and be just as tight as the one that took "half a ton" of pressure to insert.

I would probably just take the suggestion for next time this happens to just reduce the load a small amount and shoot away. Sometimes that isn't even an issue though. I did the same trick once with some 9mm ammo. Loaded Magnum primers instead of SPP's. I shot the first 4-5 loads, checking carefully for pressure signs, and since there were none I just shot away until they were used up.

If the load wasn''t a "near max" load to begin with, chances are you didn't need to pull the rounds down in the first place.

In closing, this is a good lesson in "component management". Only one type of powder on the bench during a session. Ditto for bullet weights, only one open box at a time. Segregate primers so you don't inadvertently pick up the wrong batch. Create a "Load Sheet" listing every component to be used, post it on the wall or back of your bench, and ONLY those components are allowed on the bench until the complete run of ammo is finished.

 

[Greenbug]

So...... Nobody here has any safety concerns with decapping live primers???????:nuts:

If I weren't going to use them I would have chambered and fired them then decapped them. Re-using them would have never entered into my thought process because I would not have even considerd decapping them when they were live in the first place.

 

[jonn5335]

So...... Nobody here has any safety concerns with decapping live primers???????:nuts:

If I weren't going to use them I would have chambered and fired them then decapped them. Re-using them would have never entered into my thought process because I would not have even considerd decapping them when they were live in the first place.

I bought a 5 gal bucket full of 7mm and 338 at a yard sale it looked like it had been in a basement for 20 years covered in dust and cobwebs but it was all trimmed to spec and primed I was'nt going to reload with questionable primers so I deprimed that whole bucket wearing ear plugs and safety glasses and never had one go off

 

[RVTECH]

I deprimed that whole bucket wearing ear plugs and safety glasses and never had one go off

Done the same many times with the same results - no detonation - BUT I will admit to going a little lighter on the press handle when pushing them out. However I agree with previous posts in that I would have just continued to load the ammo. Interestingly I was reading an older reloading book a while back and the recommendation was if you lived in damp, cold or freezing climates you should ALWAYS use and develop your handloads using magnum primers.

 

[AMProducts]

I've had primers go off while depriming cases... it's sorta exciting, the number 1 safety tip: pour some water or preferably oil into your decapping bin, to prevent a chain detonation.

These days with most modern loading equipment, it's really not a question of if, but when you're going to have an explosion of one variety or another. If you run most progressive machines long enough, you will usually have primer tube explosions, and very rarely will you have a primer tube explosion set off the powder magazine (big fireball).

The real question is how do you mitigate when that explosion happens.

 

[giddyupgo55]

I've removed live primers many times. I always screw in my seating die a couple turns and put my glasses on. So far never had one go bang.

 

[deadshot2]

The real question is how do you mitigate when that explosion happens.

Call 911. That's what I pay taxes for. Then I call my Insurance Company. That's why I pay them.

What I find interesting is how much emphasis one puts on the fear of removing a primer that's enclosed in a die with a relief hole in the shell holder. All that excessive caution over a small drop of priming compound yet the same people think nothing of that 50,000 to 60,000 PSI Explosion that's occuring right next to their face. How many of those same people send their bolts out for non-destructive testing every year to make sure the bolt lugs aren't about to fail? Just wondering if they exercise the same amount of paranoia across the board or just with the little stuff.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Here's an interesting tidbit.. you can re-use fired primers in a real emergency

That's what I said.. with black powder and using the white heads off safety matches, between the cup and the metal striker surface, after removing the latter and using a punch to flatten the cup

 

[jonn5335]

Here's an interesting tidbit.. you can re-use fired primers in a real emergency

That's what I said.. with black powder and using the white heads off safety matches, between the cup and the metal striker surface, after removing the latter and using a punch to flatten the cup

Don't forget the red paper caps from your childhood running around with a revolver cap gun. After you smooth the cup back out 2 red paper caps under the anvil and your set. Disclaimer do not try this at home. :winkkiss:

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Don't forget the red paper caps from your childhood running around with a revolver cap gun. After you smooth the cup back out 2 red paper caps under the anvil and your set. Disclaimer do not try this at home. :winkkiss:

More good info.. man did I burn up a lot of those as a boy

 

[deadshot2]

More good info.. man did I burn up a lot of those as a boy

They were lots of fun when you took a whole roll and dropped a rock on it. Right up to the point where someone got a piece of the rock embedded in his @$$.

Of course you realize that those fun caps are probably banned by the child safety nuts. Makes me wonder how so many of us survived all the fun stuff back when we were kids.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Today many of us would be arrested as well