New experience priming

[ncageneral]

Earlier this evening I figured I'd prime the last of the prepped brass I had laying around for the AR 15, I use a RCBS Turret press for this. This batch gets Win SR primers , while priming I had one pop off . Quite un nerving to say the least. I didnt notice any undue resistance or difficulty , it does produce a nice white hot flame out of the neck of the case. If one wasn't bad enough the Win primers gave an encore performance. I had 2 of them go off during priming. I finished the rest of the priming operation with my eyes closed while seating the primer. Any one else have a similar experience? I've been loading for 40 years and never experienced this with a press priming set up.

 

[5spd]

Never had a primer go off in 50 some odd years of reloading. One thing I do is wear safety glasses priming just in case thoiugh

 

[338 dude]

I have not been loading as long as you guys maybe 7or 8 years but I’ve never had that happen either

 

[joshb]

40 years of reloading and never popped a primer. Be careful!

 

[chkunz]

Never in 50 years, there is something significantly different in what you are experiencing. Something this significant is not subtle, look and your will find it.

 

[JohnKielly]

Shouldn't guess, but one might opine that you're seating sensitive primers a mite too deep.

 

[Bill K]

Reloading since 1955, never popped a primer. I would check the face of your primer tool and see if something is pushing it in to the point that is acts like a firing pin and setting some off.

 

[jds holler]

I've popped a few back when I was a kid with the Lee (pound em together) Loaders I used back then. Don't think I've ever done it with my press mounted primer system. jd

 

[Tommie]

Never - until a few months ago.

Trying to seat primers in Hornady 17 Hornet brass was a MAJOR issue. Despite reaming and chamfering the primer pockets, many of the primers needed enough seating force to make me very uncomfortable. Sure enough...POP! It’s a startling and extremely sobering event.

 

[fyrewall]

Did the brass have primer crimps that were swaged out - take a second look at force needed to seat. Look at as many as possible under 10X magnification looking for anvil irregularities. I have a small Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplett magnifier that sees frequent use in my ammo loading.

Just a wild idea - would it be possible to stuff 2 anvils into a primer? - manufacturing screw up.

 

[Zero333]

I've had new brass with very tight primer pockets. Didn't like using so much force to sit them, so I used Sellier & Bellot primers instead cause they fit much easier.

 

[Willie]

Never happened to me YET, but I've never used anything but a hand primer. My favorite is the K&M with the dial indicator.

For really tight pockets on new brass, I use Winchester primers to fireform brass, then switch to Federal or CCI.
Uniforming will set depth, but not inside pocket diameter.

 

[cheek9075]

Had one go off with LC brass that had been load multiple times. Had my hand on the case using lee priming tool with cci primers. Lucky I guess, it didnt set off any other primers in the tray and left black marks on my fingers, stung for a bit..

Never knew why it happened

 

[kiwijohn]

I had one go off in a Dillon 1050, primer cup was punched out but the rim wall of the primer stayed there. When the next primer was presented .... bang. Small pistol primer.
Also had one go off in an RCBS green machine on 38 spl, cant remember cause I think it was grit or grime under the the cup.
Both were quite exciting experiences.
Gone to single stage presses and off station priming, dont shoot high volumes of pistol rounds anymore.

 

[NV_Dmax]

Not in 25 years has that happened. I used to load a 6.5x55swede in Lapua cases that the pockets were so tight I deformed the primers and broke the Lee hand priming tool lever.

 

[Sniper338]

Ive had primer pockets so tight it flattened the primer trying to seat em. Havent had a pop off yet. I use hand primer tools, rcbs with the tray for years, and the fancy get up I got now for the last several years.

 

[edwardware]

I finished the rest of the priming operation with my eyes closed while seating the primer.

Safety Squints: ENGAGED
Carefulling: ON

I've never succeeded in setting one off seating, and I've tried. Glad you're ok

 

[JimSC]

knock on wood but I have not popped one since my Lee hammer loader days. These days I use the RCBS bench tool with the Holland Perfect primer modification. The primer tube is about 2 inches back from the case when actually seating so there is no chain reaction is possible if the one being seated pops

 

[M-61]

never experienced this with a press priming set up.

Been reloading since 1963 and never had a primer go off with ANY way or tool I used to prime.

 

[wkdickinson]

If you are seating primers with a press, you can exert an awful lot of pressure on them. If you need to seat them with a press, you likely have a problem with your brass (not removing the crimp as noted above?). I have been hand loading for at least 40 years and have never had a primer go off. But I only use a hand priming tool, an old version of the Lee AutoPrime. So I seriously doubt that I could ever put enough pressure on one to ignite it.