Primer Contamination

[ftrrookie]

I splurged and bought a 21st century priming tool. There has been many reviews and opinions written about this tool on this forum so all I'll say about it is WOW!! Amazing piece of craftsmanship.

When I started reloading back in the 70's I was told not to touch the primers with your bare hands if at all possible for fear of contaminating them with the oil from your fingers. So, with this in mind, for my first session with my new priming tool I used a pair of duck billed tweezers to load the primer. It worked great but I got to wondering how other ppl did it. So what's your favorite technique for getting the primer onto the tool? And if you use your fingers have you had any misfires that could have been caused by primer contamination?

 

[fdshuster]

Jay: I've been handling primers with my clean, dry fingers since 1960 and have never had a mis-fire that was caused by anything other than a proven defective primer, and even those are rare.

Primers are a lot more durable than many give them credit for. How else to explain primers that have been sitting in storage of one kind or another, for 20, 30, etc. years, load 'em and they fire 100%.

I've been using the pictured manual RCBS bench mount priming tool for almost 25 years now, (bought it new when they first became available), plus an RCBS Ram primer. Both require that primers be handled.

 

[Hombre0321]

Jay, No problem handling with your fingers at all. I have a technique that I have been using for years in practice that helps with recoil control and to help the shooter stay in the gun, or have good follow through, that uses blank primers.

When I first started this practice technique I ordered 2,000 empty primer cups from from Federal. Will last year I ran out of those empty cups, No one would sell me just the empty cups today and I thought no problem I will just kill a few primers with oil and have a new supply.

I sprayed a dozen primers with WD40 thinking I had this problem solved. Everyone of them went bang just as well as the untreated primers did. I then soaked a dozen primer in WD 40 for three days, once again they worked just fine and went bang like all of the rest. Since then I have tried soaking them in more than one witch's brew all with no luck with killing them. I finally came up with a way the works I soak them in WD40 and 409 cleaning fluid with a little alcohol added as well for a week. This softens the primer compound and makes it easy to get the anvil out of the primer if you are real carefull. I wear welding gloves and do this with the primers and my hands in a 5 gallon bucket of water.

You sure don't have to worry about the oil on your fingers...

RS

 

[dkhunt14]

I always wash my hands to get rid of any oil or sizing lube before handling primers. I try to just touch the sides when I handle them. I never had a misfire in a match. Hombre is probably right, it would probably take a lot to deaden the primers. Matt

 

[CatShooter]

I splurged and bought a 21st century priming tool. There has been many reviews and opinions written about this tool on this forum so all I'll say about it is WOW!! Amazing piece of craftsmanship.

When I started reloading back in the 70's I was told not to touch the primers with your bare hands if at all possible for fear of contaminating them with the oil from your fingers. So, with this in mind, for my first session with my new priming tool I used a pair of duck billed tweezers to load the primer. It worked great but I got to wondering how other ppl did it. So what's your favorite technique for getting the primer onto the tool? And if you use your fingers have you had any misfires that could have been caused by primer contamination?

That is a myth. I think it is handloading myth #783

Read this by someone that set out to kill primers, and had a very hard time doing it.

http://www.predatormastersforums.com/killprimers.shtml

It is an eyeopener.

 

[ftrrookie]

I touch primers with my hands. Loading ammunition while wearing gloves might give the wrong impression to a casual observer.

LOL where do you load ammunition that you would have "casual observers"

Thanks for the replies. That's one less thing to worry about

 

[amlevin]

"When I started reloading back in the 70's I was told not to touch the primers with your bare hands if at all possible for fear of contaminating them with the oil from your fingers."

Just wash your hands before handling them. I'm beginning to think that everyone suffering from an OCD has taken up hand loading 8)

 

[SmokinJoe]

I have used large tweezers to handle primers into my priming tool for many years. Got started doing that because i didn't want to handle the primers with my sweatty hands at BR matches here in the sunny south. Later, I started using coated bullets and used the tweezers to handle them while seating so I wouldn't get those same sweatty fingers on the bullets, nor get coating material on my fingers. It all became a habit, so I'm still doing it and can do those operations about as quickly as when not using the tweezers. It's all a matter of personal preference. Will say that if you handle primers with your fingers, you should wash your hands afterward. There are some nasty chemicals used in primers.

 

[bigedp51]

I've been using the pictured manual RCBS bench mount priming tool for almost 25 years now, (bought it new when they first became available), plus an RCBS Ram primer. Both require that primers be handled.

fdshuster

The RCBS priming tool you have pictured came out more than 25 years ago, they came to the "Capital City" long before they got to "Steel City". I had my RCBS bench mount priming tool in the late 1970s and because I was a Penn State fan I also had a T-shirt that said "Shit on Pitt".

“If God isn't a Penn State fan, then why are the clouds white and the sky blue?”.

Did I tell you my youngest son went to Penn State.

FTRrookie

Wash your hands and don't pick your nose when handing the primers and you will be just fine.

(but CatShooter buggers up primers all the time)

Sorry the Devil made me do it! ;D

 

[fdshuster]

Ed: Could have been the late 70's when I bought it--- times goes by fast now. Wore out the cam & RCBS sent a new replacement. I really like it (and the ram primer) because you can "feel" the primer being seated.

I seem to remember that they also offered a similar tool that was fed with the tubes filled with primers. Haven't seen either lately, only the primer seater that is fed with the pre-loaded primer strips.

 

[bigedp51]

Ed: Could have been the late 70's when I bought it--- times goes by fast now. Wore out the cam & RCBS sent a new replacement. I really like it (and the ram primer) because you can "feel" the primer being seated.

I seem to remember that they also offered a similar tool that was fed with the tubes filled with primers. Haven't seen either lately, only the primer seater that is fed with the pre-loaded primer strips.

I keep moly grease on the cam, the only problem I have is the priming rods become peened where they contact the cam if not kept lubed.

 

[M-61]

I have a CH bench mounted priming tool I bought in he 60's(?). The cam wore out last year. (no replacement part available) Replaced it with an RCBS mounted priming tool.
However much priming it takes to wear a cam lobe out is how many primers I have touched with my fingers.

 

[fdshuster]

Ed: That's just it: I've always kept G.I. Lubriplate on the cam and stem contact surfaces. Maybe the original was not hardened (?). The replacement looks as new along with the 2 original seater stems and I've been using it for many more years than the original lasted. RCBS replaced it free of charge, so not complaining.

 

[CatShooter]

However much priming it takes to wear a cam lobe out is how many primers I have touched with my fingers.

Oh God... you are gonna die from Styphonate poisoning!!