Is it safe to remove live primers?
- Thread starter TheCreeper
- Start date
Sky is falling hand waving FUD is not becoming of this site. No high speed impact, no bang is not entirely accurate in all contexts but it's the truth in this context. Your post is literally spreading FUD. It's not just the crush, the crush has to be of sufficient speed to generate a great deal of friction within the priming compound.
So why don’t you two experts contact any of the primer manufacturers and ask them if it is safe to press out live primers? Then post their response on this site. I’ll be waiting and waiting and…
Even at today’s inflated prices I just don’t see the sense in taking a chance. I stand by my earlier comment. Ever hear of a primer going off while being seated? I have and it was ugly, the entire tray went off. If I had the photo of the burns and holes where primers had to be surgically removed this discussion would be over and that was while seating them properly.
Dave.
Edit, Take a look at this. Very similar to the injuries I saw.
What Could Go Wrong? Primer Detonation
I was driving through the Memphis area on the way home to Louisiana last week when I received a rather frantic call from my hunting and shooting buddy in Monroe. He said he'd had an accident while reloading, and would I take him to the hospital....of course I couldn't but he found another friend...
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brokeasajoke
Silver $$ Contributor
I slowly removed some yesterday. Never had one go off going in or coming out. Now to be fair I don't load near as most on this site I'd say.
NorCalMikie
Gold $$ Contributor
Don't remember how many I have "PUSHED out" set aside then re seated in another case, pulled the trigger, then heard it go BANG with no issues. Even had a few get crushed when cocked sideways in the primer pocket and STILL no problems.
Must be doing something wrong??
Must be doing something wrong??
Murray Brook
Silver $$ Contributor
I have deprimed a good deal of live primers with my Lee depriming die and still do. Going slowly I never had a problem. BUT- then came a time I needed a shoulder bump measurement on my 30/378 Weatherby and the only way to get an accurate # is to deprime a fired case. I chose three cases from my ammo box and began to remove the primers. This case is so big that it fits no standard decapping die so I had to use my Lee decapping rod. Done the first case all went well. Picked up the 2nd case and by mistake it was a case with a live primer. I held the case in my left hand , inserted the rod and gave a slight tap as to remove the primer. It went off. The primer exited the primer pocket, went through my 3rd finger and fractured my little finger. There was blood everywhere. I ender up in the ER at our local hospital . I'm posting this not to say that depriming live primers is dangerous when done with a die and safety glasses are used, but always respect the power of a primer. I know I will. JME
Jager
Gold $$ Contributor
There probably isn't a one of us who don't do some things that are unwise. I routinely drop-start my chainsaws. I ride my motorcycles too fast. And I have a penchant for heading off into remote wilderness areas all by myself. I'm sure there are a few other things you could add to that list.
Being human, we rationalize whatever it is we do... because we've done it for a very long time.
Things work. Until the day they don't.
Rifles make really nice de-priming tools.
Being human, we rationalize whatever it is we do... because we've done it for a very long time.
Things work. Until the day they don't.
Rifles make really nice de-priming tools.
I believe it is safe and I also use a Lee Universal Decapping Die. Go slow and easy works for me, this is so not to damage the primer so you can reuse it.
NorCalMikie
Gold $$ Contributor
There's your KEY WORD right there. I PUSH and never TAP!!
This thread reminds me of an issue I had with my M1A.
Fired maybe 25 or 30 rounds, had one round get damaged as it went into the chamber. Set that single round aside and finished off another 20 round mag.
Picked up that "single round", dropped it into the chamber and pulled the op rod to close the bolt. Bolt slammed shut and BANG!! Learned real fast not to free close the bolt on a single round WITHOUT it being fed from the mag. The floating firing pin WILL fire a round without being fed from the mag.
Slow and steady if you single feed. 
ALL the "experts" jumped in saying "the rifle is junk, you're gunna shoot your eye out and don't shoot it again until it gets inspected/fixed by a GOOD gunsmith or it will kill you"!! (???)
Funny that no one caught the part about the single round NOT being fed from the mag? (Well DUH??)Kinda like "PRESSING" out a live primer verses "PUNCHING" one out.
If you don't feel safe "pushing" out a live primer, don't do it. Easy as that. Problem solved.
Funny that no one mentions the EXPLOSION right next to your face when you fire a round from your rifle.
Have not done as many as other guys. I wear safety glasses and put a heavy cloth over the press. Never had one go off. The hole that the primers drop thru in the press is filled with black particles. If a primer went off these particles will be blown out with some force. Protect your eyes you are issued one set.
Have punched out many hundreds. Mounted a piece of lexan as a shield, for all loading.
Never had a primer fire when being deprimed, but did have one new primer fire during priming.
So, priming, or depriming live primers: I NOW ALWAYS WEAR HEARING PROTECTION, TOO. (Huh?)
Never had a primer fire when being deprimed, but did have one new primer fire during priming.
So, priming, or depriming live primers: I NOW ALWAYS WEAR HEARING PROTECTION, TOO. (Huh?)
Primer Flash Test Photos
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Shooter13
Gold $$ Contributor
Well, I disagree a little bit with this statement. I reuse these primer in Fouler rounds when shooting strings, I will have them separate in a different container.
This is where I am at on this. It takes almost no pressure to pop out live primers. I don't have a dedicated decapping die but I usually have some die bigger that will not touch the case when I push the primer out. I reuse those primers for foulers or plinking loads. I've never had one fail to go off.
Shooter13
Gold $$ Contributor
The last instance I had where I had to deprime was "something" happened to the case mouth that it was flared and had to be turned, a 21st Century lathe works best without primers in so I deprime them.
Because he was annealing the cases. I use the sound test for my 44 mag cases. Most will have a dull sound when you stir them around in the case. Some will have a clearer sound like a tiny bell. Those ones need to be annealed or they may split/crack in your revolver. Ask me how I know....
On an aside, I'm thankful my hearing isn't so bad yet that I can still hear these things. The sound difference is kind of like new coinage vs. old coins, or when I was a kid, Canadian coins vs US coins.
I have deprimed hundreds upon hundreds of cases, reusing the powder if I loaded it, or dumping it if I'm reclaiming ammo for components. Not one of the primers has not gone off in its subsequent use.
47WillysGuy
Gold $$ Contributor
Oh my gosh no! Totally unsafe! Don’t ever do it. Where’s common sense at? Lord love a duck!
Ive done it numerous times de-priming factory and hand loaded ammo that was given to me, that I would never trust to shoot. Pulled bullets, de-primed and the brass goes in the brass barrel. Even crimped primers are no problem. I wear safety glasses and ear muffs just in case, never had one go off. going slow is the trick, and i use a lee universal de-capper die, I would not use my fx die, just in case. I tried putting oil in the case, water, but they still would go off putting them back in the case, so in my experience there pretty hard to kill.
I think that pushing them out is not really that different than seating them, the anvil is pushing toward the cup in both cases.
To answer the OP's question, it might not be 100% safe but you either have to pop them in the firearm or push them out.
I think that pushing them out is not really that different than seating them, the anvil is pushing toward the cup in both cases.
To answer the OP's question, it might not be 100% safe but you either have to pop them in the firearm or push them out.
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