primer seating pressure

[rr2030]

Have a batch of FC .308 brass slated to be tossed after this loading. When seating the primers on this batch many seated with little to no pressure. Primers are CCI BR-2. The questions is should I shoot em and toss em or pop the primers and reuse them in other good cases.

 

[M-61]

If the primers are seated and staying there I would shoot them. I don't know how many a 'batch' is but I would have stopped when I felt no pressure. Always good for fouling rounds if you are concerned but then I've had some 'fouling rounds' that grouped just fine. But I'm not looking to see how many reloads I can get out the brass to start with. Also what I shoot is really easy on brass. (222REM for example that I've lost the count on a while ago) 30BR seems long lasting also.

 

[rr2030]

49 in this batch and I did not notice the easy seaters until partway through.

 

[Uncle Ed]

Cartridge cases are expendable items but a etched bolt face is not expendable, and the damage can make you cry.

I have had brand new factory loaded once fired Federal .223/5.56 cases with over sized primer pockets. The brass was softer and the flash hole web was thinner on these cases.

Simple test. I use a Lee depriming tool and if the primer moves with just finger pressure the case goes in the scrap brass bucket.

Below, the person who posted this photo said he didn't worry about loose primer pockets. And said he would replace the AR15 bolt when it got bad enough. And he was reloading Federal cases.......yikes!!!!

 

[Mikemontminy]

Have a batch of FC .308 brass slated to be tossed after this loading. When seating the primers on this batch many seated with little to no pressure. Primers are CCI BR-2. The questions is should I shoot em and toss em or pop the primers and reuse them in other good cases.

I found this tool. It’s a primer pocket checker with one side being a go gauge and the other a no go gauge. If the no go side starts fitting into the primer pocket it’s time to toss the brass. Can be found at Brownells.

 

[jpx2rk]

Doesn't really take a case with several reloads on it to create problems. A friend of mine had bought a 1000 rd box of brand name FC 223 loaded ammo, got about 1/3 to 1/2 way thru the box and a round went bad on him with head/web separation. Scared the crap out of him, minor cuts to the face from the brass, and a destroyed bolt on his relatively new Tikka. Ammo company just wanted a sample of 25 or 50 rds, sent him a check for the # of rounds he sent per their request. Won't return his phone calls or emails now.

 

[CaptainMal]

Just did a batch of once-fired Federal 308's. After seating the first primer I had to stop and use the gauge shown above by Mikemontminy. They all were fine and tight as from the gauge. Been using those gauges for years and never had a leaky pocket if it passed the gauge, no matter how easy the primers seated.

 

[243winxb]

Mine was from loading the wrong primer . Federal 200.

Put a primer on the bench. Try to push a case on to the primer, to seat it. If it seats, pocket is to loose.

 

[rr2030]

I'm leaning toward depriving them all and reusing the primers in better cases.

 

[PatMiles]

I'm leaning toward depriving them all and reusing the primers in better cases.

You will probably discover the the OD of the deprimed primers is smaller than the OD of a fresh primer. Try a couple and see how they feel being seated in the better cases.

 

[Bc'z]

I have 20 federal cases the primers slid in effortlessly. They were loaded factory rounds my lil brother used to sight in and fire form.
I loaded and shot them once and didn't have any issues, but I'm sceptical of loading the brass for second reload.
I did notice original factory primers had sealant. Wonder if federal knew about the loose pockets?

 

[Twicepop]

I'm leaning toward depriving them all and reusing the primers in better cases.

Be extremely careful removing live primers, better idea is to chamber them without powder and bullet and snap them in the gun they were intended for. I had an incident last summer with trying to remove live primers just to salvage some old split neck G.I. ammo/ brass for the scrap bucket. I was using a Wilson de-capping base and punch, and had done about 12-13 30-06 FA 29 head stamp with incident, when the next one "detonated" at arms length. It was the loudest noise I've ever heard, along with a huge fireball at arms length. I stood there for a few seconds thinking WTF just happened, and then I realized what had happened. My ears were RINGING, my left hand was blackened, my wife came running into the house and yelled down the stair well, what the hell are you doing and are you OK. I went upstairs and told her I think I'm alright, but couldn't hear much of anything at the time. I washed up, and then noticed my stomach was stinging, I pulled up my T-shirt and around my belly button it looked like I been shot with a very small shotgun (that several weeks to totally heal up). My already bad hearing has been diminished by about 25% from this, my work bench has a permanent silver dollar sized burn mark, and the Wilson primer punch had its tip burnt off and welded into the flash hole of the cartridge case. Primers are nothing to get careless with, even 88 year old primers.

 

[JMayo]

I just deprimed 60+....rock chunker ...nothing to it. Went slow because im gonna reuse the primers ....

 

[Uncle Ed]

I was using a Wilson de-capping base and punch, and had done about 12-13 30-06 FA 29 head stamp with incident, when the next one "detonated" at arms length.

Use a universal decapping die with live primers and pull gently on the press handle. The die body is wide open and will contain pressure and vent it downward. And the hole in the shell holder will vent pressure and the primer. Never use a simple deprimming tool with a punch and hammer to remove a live primer.

Below a Lyman decapping die cutaway and I have never had a live primer go off.

 

[Bc'z]

@3.5 cents a piece, the risk dose not out way the reward to try n save primers

 

[Uncle Ed]

@3.5 cents a piece, the risk dose not out way the reward to try n save primers

I'm 68 years old and have been reloading for over 47 years and never had burnt or missing fingers or shrapnel in my chest from removing live primers with a decapping die. The first couple of times I removed a live primer I put a small rug over the die as body armor.

Its not the cost of the primer, its primer OCD and ending up with a odd amount of primers. And finding out all you have left is another brand of magnum primers. Besides who wants to dirty up a rifle and clean the barrel for just firing a few primers.

But hopefully we have learned about Newtons third law and to not remove primers with a hammer and punch.

I learned about this when I was in 5th grade and put a pistol bullet in a knot hole in a fence and then hit it with a rock. I was not hurt hitting the bullet with a rock until dad came outside and beat my back side.

 

[Bc'z]

I'm 68 years old and have been reloading for over 47 years and never had burnt or missing fingers or shrapnel in my chest from removing live primers with a decapping die. The first couple of times I removed a live primer I put a small rug over the die as body armor.

Its not the cost of the primer, its primer OCD and ending up with a odd amount of primers. And finding out all you have left is another brand of magnum primers. Besides who wants to dirty up a rifle and clean the barrel for just firing a few primers.

But hopefully we have learned about Newtons third law and to not remove primers with a hammer and punch.

I learned about this when I was in 5th grade and put a pistol bullet in a knot hole in a fence and then hit it with a rock. I was not hurt hitting the bullet with a rock until dad came outside and beat my back side.

I recall a post back in March I believe, where a fella damn near blew his thumb off seating primers.
I'm not knocking your reloading experience,
I'm just saying is it really worth it for a half box of primers.
Newtons law what can go wrong, can and will go wrong.
Be safe in whatever you choose to do.
Me, I'm gonna soak this brass in a bucket of water and toss the whole batch.

 

[rr2030]

Im going to go fast and take a lot of chances, proceed with reckless abandon and deprime the cases with the normal sizing die after I adjust the decaper as far down as it will go. I will wrap my head in aluminum foil, wear safety glasses, gloves and hearing protection.

 

[243winxb]

Bomb suit lol.

Water will not kill primers. They fire after drying.

A slow push, using a die works well to remove primers. They worked fine in other rounds.

The Lee classic loader, will set off primers, if over done with the hammer.

A bunch of primer in a progressive press can be very dangerous. When 1 goes , they may all kaboom.

Federal primers have Nitroglycerin in them, others dont. Primer compound is going to change in the next 5 years.

 

[Ccrider]

I would not trust reusing them once removed. They would have to seat slightly differently.

I have removed them using a Lee universal deprimer with the pin filed down to work on Lapua cases. Never really thought about one going off.

I somehow annealed a case that had a live primer. Interesting but not fatal.