Just How Durable Are Primers??

[jds holler]

So today I got home from work a little early, and felt like a little relaxing in the sun.

As I sat near the back porch, letting the sun activate the melanin in my swarthy multi- racial hide, I happened to notice a shiny object in the gravel near my feet. It was a small unfired primer. It has been out in the weather for at least months I believe. The open side was packed with mud. It probably fell out of the bottom of a trash bag that I took out to the garbage can.

Well, curiosity got the best of me, and I went in and seated it in an empty 38 case. When I dropped the hammer on it, ---


It went off. jd

 

[DirtySteve]

They need less TLC than most folks might think. I wish powder was like that..lol.

 

[mikecr]

I don't think modern powder is hygroscopic either. I imagine that it could be water washed, dried and used.

 

[jds holler]

They need less TLC than most folks might think. I wish powder was like that..lol.

I think that I can say that after five decades of shooting my own reloads, that I've never had a dud primer. jd

 

[Zero333]

I think that I can say that after five decades of shooting my own reloads, that I've never had a dud primer. jd

I've had 3 duds. All CCI BR-2's in cold weather. -15 to -25 f.
On the other hand, Federal primers in the deep freeze always went bang.

 

[DirtySteve]

I don't think modern powder is hygroscopic either. I imagine that it could be water washed, dried and used.

I believe you can spray them with WD40 and they will still fire...

 

[pirate ammo]

I believe you can spray them with WD40 and they will still fire...

this sounds like a challenge,I'm going to soak some overnight in diesel fuel and see what happens.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Oil or water wont kill em. Only way to kill em is remove the anvil

 

[Someoldguy]

this sounds like a challenge,I'm going to soak some overnight in diesel fuel and see what happens.

Another internet myth to dispel.

 

[Bc'z]

Oil or water wont kill em. Only way to kill em is remove the anvil

Or hit em with a hammer

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Or hit em with a hammer

Or simply roll over them with an office chair. I jump out of mine quite often

 

[PatMiles]

Or put a primed case in your AMP and press the start button, then go change your pants. Don't ask, they keep me around for the humor.

 

[Someoldguy]

Or simply roll over them with an office chair. I jump out of mine quite often

Is this for those whom have become bored with bubble wrap?

 

[Twoboxer]

IME they go bang in a case as long as they are allowed to dry, the anvil is in place, and the shape allows them to be seated. How well they go bang is not something I'll ever test.

 

[rogn]

If you do a search youll find that there have been many atempts to kill/deactivate primers and almost universally all systems have failed. Over the last 60 or so years Ive had a few failures to fire mostly randomly. I believe almost every failed primer did ignite when massaged with a 32oz ballpeen. The only consistent failures Ive seen have been with a lot of 10-15 YO Tula/Wolf LRMs. I think one of these also failed the hammer tet also. Shame because when they fired they produced some exceptional accuracy.
Its always interesting when someone has primed a case backwards sideways or lr in a lp case and are fretting about deactivation. The recipes that appear to deactivate are entertaining.

 

[ebb]

I was looking for primers about a year after Sandy Hook, none to be found. But some guy at the gun show was selling the stock from a gun and pawn shop that had issues with the ATF. I asked about the primers and he said $50, I told him I wasn't going to pay $50 for 1 box. He says all for $50, there is 2 boxes on the counter that looked a little beat up so I say OK. He gets a big bag and I get 17 boxes of small pistol primers. When I get home I start to look them over and there is moisture inside the boxes. I opened ever box took the sleeve off of the primer trays and put all the trays in 2 food dehydrators for an hour and a half. I put the boxes in and dried them also and repacked every thing. I loaded 6 38special cases and loaded the primed cases in my S&W all fired and in the night time I looked at the flame and all of them looked about the same. I have never had a miss fire with them yet.

 

[DirtySteve]

Or put a primed case in your AMP and press the start button, then go change your pants. Don't ask, they keep me around for the humor.

Yeah, using a propane torch to anneal will yield similar velocities...

 

[270WinDude]

Or simply roll over them with an office chair. I jump out of mine quite often

Sounds like the first time would have been fun...

OP, are you asking because you want to use the primer since they’re so expensive? Lol. I’d just make sure to sit a few more out there for consistency.

 

[dcali]

You can kill them with water but you’ve got to try. I soaked some in a pan of water for a couple months. I guarantee they would not work after that. The primer soup that resulted was surprising to me. I didn’t think they would come apart like that in water.

I have had duds, though. All of them were in the same tray. It was from an old (about 10 years) box and none of the other trays from that box had any failures. But this tray had about 5 that were either hang fires (click......bang) or just dead. I never did figure out why.

 

[TimS]

Depending on what you mean by durable. Mine only work one time, then I have to replace them.