Could it be from the anvil being a bit loose and mashing the primer compound?
No a primer is not a propellant, but when pulling bullets it sits in a case filled with propellant. The propellant is the real danger, once it ignites you have a fire in your loading area.
Not withstanding a proud primer, how is this any different from slamming the rifle bolt home or seating primers on an Auto- prime or Forster bench primer? I understand there is lesson to be learned here concerning proud primers (Some impact bullet pullers even address this caution in their instructions). But just the nature of what we are doing with them should demand that we pay attention to the smallest detail and adhere to the tools instruction sheet to the letter. There is a learning curve to their use, and it took me quite a while to develop a technique that required minimum hits. A block of hardwood, holding the tool with a loose grip, hitting the block squarely with the head (like driving a nail) with moderate force. I stop after each blow to inspect. Now I will add checking for proud primer to the list. FWIW, my tool is labeled Midway bought in 2004 and looks EXACTLY like Franfort Arsenals and a couple others all blue plastic with a hexagonal aluminum bar between the head and handle. It has not seen concrete or steel and looks brand new after hundreds of pulls.
Collet pullers don't work well on lead, unless there's a lot of bearing surface exposed.
Agree completely, but I switched to collets for the opposite reason - when faced with pulling bullets from close to 100 .223 rounds and an equal number of .17 Remingtons that I was given. Not trusting the loading expertise of the person who gave them to me, I chose to salvage the brass and bullets where possible. Since 'inertia' means just exactly that, pounding out those little 25 and 50-grain bullets is an exercise in frustration not to be repeated. I do still use inertia for cast bullets since the lead seems to 'slip' out of the case easier than copper-jacketed anyway.
That would be my best guess also loose anvil, I have removed live primers from many cases and have had a few loose anvils show up in the catcher
Are you talking about seating primers?
It was a comment on primer detonation, not neccesarily pulling bullets. I well know what he's talking about. Those old things used to scare the wife quite often...as well as myself!
The Lee loader was my first reload outfit back in mid 60's. Never had any incidents- just couldn't figure out why the cases would start getting hard to chamber so fast. I upgraded to a Rockchucker with my first paycheck after graduation. It's been a long learning process. I am surprised they still make them.
Smooth your feathers. My comment was not meant as an attack but to reflect that I had used several versions and calibers of those loaders with the accompanying occasional discharge of primers. Started in '68 with .303 British and added as my centerfires expanded until I had a place of my own to actually set up a press.
