What Could Go Wrong? Primer Detonation

[jepp2]

I use the Lee Auto Prime Ergo Prime for all my priming needs. It has a metal barrier that comes up when you start to seat a primer. So if the primer being seated goes off, it keeps the rest of the primers from going off (theoretically). Other hand priming units with a tray attached have a similar protective barrier.

A few years ago, sometime between when I used the first tray from a carton, and I went to pull another tray out to use, I found this. I have no idea what initiated the primers, but it certainly shows the value of keeping primers in their original shipping containers.

 

[nicholst55]

When I do use a tool like the Lee, I never put more than 20 primers in the tray at a time. Now, I think I just started restricting that to one (1) primer at a time. IMHO, any brand of primer tool is susceptible to primer detonation, and priming is doubtless the single most dangerous procedure that we perform during loading. Always wear the appropriate PPE!

 

[Twicepop]

I had an "incident" last summer with a primer detonation. To start the story from it's beginning about 30-35 years ago I purchased an ammo can full of old 30-06 military ammo, some of it going back as far as 1909. This past summer I re-discovered them and opened the box to see what I had. The necks on many of the cases had split and me being the cheap-skate that I am, tried to salvage the brass for the scrap value of it. The bullets I could pull out with my fingers, and I dumped the powder and had knocked out about a dozen primers with no problems. Then while attempting to punch the next primer out a huge fire-ball and the loudest noise I've ever heard happened at arms length. I stood there dazed for a few seconds then my wife stuck her head in the basement stairwell and yelled "what the hell are you doing, and are you OK", I told her "I think so" and went upstairs. My left hand was blackened, my hearing was like I had my head under water and my stomach started to hurt. I pulled my T-shirt out of my pants and it was full of little holes, my stomach looked like I'd been shot with a tiny shotgun. My work bench has a permanent burn mark on it, I was using a Wilson de-priming punch and the tip of it is permanently welded into the case/flash hole I was de-priming. I never would have done this except for the fact I've live de-primed about 1000 cases before that, with no incidents. The case I was de-priming was head stamped FA 29, an 88 year old primer with enough force left in it to do that.

 

[mousegunner]

I've deprimed loose primers from .223 Win brass that slid out with no effort but others I had to push a little harder. I could tell when seating that they went in with hardly any effort so I set them aside. I didn't want to use them as practice rounds on my AR because I didn't want to be digging out primers from the trigger group. Maybe I'll just fire them and into the recycle box before one detonates on me.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I use the Lee Auto Prime Ergo Prime for all my priming needs. It has a metal barrier that comes up when you start to seat a primer. So if the primer being seated goes off, it keeps the rest of the primers from going off (theoretically). Other hand priming units with a tray attached have a similar protective barrier.

A few years ago, sometime between when I used the first tray from a carton, and I went to pull another tray out to use, I found this. I have no idea what initiated the primers, but it certainly shows the value of keeping primers in their original shipping containers.

View attachment 1036214

Im sure that hornady tool isolates the other primers too it just dont matter theyre all going off right in your face

 

[dcali]

I think I’ll stick to my single load hand tool. I’ve heard of multiple incidents where Dillon’s steel shielded tube went off without injury. The rest kind of scare me, honestly. Especially anything using an unshielded tube that stacks primers (as opposed to lining them up side by side).

 

[C.E.Smith043]

I was told years ago when I started reloading that you should never touch primers because the oil from your skin would cause a misfire. Nowadays I see lots of people touching them apparently without consequences.
I’ve used the Lee hand priming tool however switched to using my Dillion press. It works well and does a good job of seating the primer. I’ve heard of primers detonation but, as any has mentioned, was with Federal primers. Probably should rethink my procedures. I do wear safety glasses though.
Sorry for your friend. Glad he’s not seriously injured.

I just by some cheap latex or nitrile gloves and use them to handle the primers

 

[rijndael]

FWIW: My Dillon priming tube stayed in the steel sleeve. It was wedged against the steel outer shell. The plastic rod that provides downward pressure on the primer stack was launched pretty far. I know people like to put a bullet on top of that black rod, to provide a bit of weight, but that could become yet another projectile if the event of a detonation.

 

[jepp2]

Im sure that hornady tool isolates the other primers too it just dont matter theyre all going off right in your face

Don't think it does. All the other primers in the tray are right up against the shell holder. You can see on the RCBS similar model the extent they had to go to, to provide a barrier.

 

[Metal God]

I used that Hornady hand priming tool for years and IMHO it's junk !!! . I constantly had problems ( never detonations ) but hang ups or flipped primers and over the years it got worse and worse . To the point I started feeling unsafe using it .

This was becoming the avg 10%+ failure rate

The problem I had was some primers just seated harder then other and if a primer flipped sideways it did not feel any different to me to seat ( I have big gorilla hands though ) Anyways I switched to the RCBS universal priming tool and love it . Although this thread has given me pause on using the hand priming tools now .

I friend who reloads learned a lesson the other day when he dropped a cigarette in a bowl of about 500 primers... I have told him time and time again but he leaves plastic bowls of loose powder on his bench etc.. luckily it didn't burn the house down...
He really shouldn't be reloading , I have told him that also , he has had alot of problems with his reloads...Plus he won't listen to anything you tell him..

I would not even shoot with someone like that . It's one thing to put your self at risk but not to care enough to put others at risk . I think I'll just leave it there

 

[Rsadams]

I would not even shoot with someone like that . It's one thing to put your self at risk but not to care enough to put others at risk . I think I'll just leave it there

I honestly don't after seeing him put one squib after another last year because he forgot to put powder in his pistol loads...6 total in a row out of a Ziploc bag of 100... The things I said we're not even the worst I have seen , not even close... The final straw was one day he wanted to go to the range and I was trying to get out of it and said I don't have any .223 loaded right now , he said it's ok I have a bunch ready to go.. I asked him what powder and charge and he said I don't remember...lol. No thanks..

Like I said I have tryed many many times to sit down and help him but since I am younger than him ( iam 50 ) he won't listen or says I'm not into it like you trying to make it perfect I just want to shoot... I have seen plastic open top bowls of powder on his bench and when I asked him what it was he said I dumped some old tac and h332 out into it... I told him to take it out and dump it in the yard or flare it off , when I came back a month later it was still there , I asked him if that was the same mixed powder and he said yes , I just picked up walked out front dumped it and lit it off.. once again telling him how dangerous this is because right next to it was the same looking bowl with good powder he dumped out of his thrower to load something else instead of putting it back in the marked container.... It's not like he doesn't understand the danger of leaving open bowls of powder around he is a retired fireman...

 

[brokeasajoke]

Normally I use a K&M non gauge priming tool but it was becoming tedious for higher volumes for my ARs and pistols. I purchased an RCBS universal with the safety gate to hold a 100 at a time. Are these tools with the safety gate/seperators still susceptible to entire tray detonation? Priming is something I don't let my kids do in the reloading process. I wear safety glasses and keep the tool pointed away from me when seating.

 

[4xforfun]

I USED to use the Lee Auto Prime, but the Precision Shooting scare of the mid 90's forced me to buy the RCBS hand tool pictured in JEPP2's post.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Normally I use a K&M non gauge priming tool but it was becoming tedious for higher volumes for my ARs and pistols. I purchased an RCBS universal with the safety gate to hold a 100 at a time. Are these tools with the safety gate/seperators still susceptible to entire tray detonation? Priming is something I don't let my kids do in the reloading process. I wear safety glasses and keep the tool pointed away from me when seating.

Yes the whole tray will go off im sure. Disclaimer: only one ive ever seen go off is the lee one in question from the 90’s and seen the pics of this thread. Dont take any chances that a piece of loosely fit sheet metal will keep the other 99 primers isolated. Only way to be sure is use a single load priming tool to keep your digits and face intact.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Yes the whole tray will go off im sure. Disclaimer: only one ive ever seen go off is the lee one in question from the 90’s and seen the pics of this thread. Dont take any chances that a piece of loosely fit sheet metal will keep the other 99 primers isolated. Only way to be sure is use a single load priming tool to keep your digits and face intact.

So it' nothing more than a sales gimmick? And I don't mean that in a smart butt kind of way. My reason for being here is to learn since there is little I can share.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Squeeze that lever and look at it close (empty of course)- do you trust it to seal off the other primers? I dont but some may

 

[Metal God]

I need to stop reading this thread , you guys are freaking me out . I never thought for a second the whole primer tray could/would go off if one happened to detonate while seating . It would seem like a pretty rare thing though right ????? Or we’d here of it happening a lot more .

I need to here a few feel good stories . Has anyone a primer go off using a hand primer and it NOT set off the whole tray ? Please tell me there are more of those then the other .

 

[Eric Leonard]

I was annealing some 6.5x47 brass one day and must have missed one when sizing and decapping the brass,,I was in the basement and it stuck the case in a floor joist above my head and the primer was 2 inches deep in my calf muscle,,it didnt hurt bad goin in but it was rough diggin out with eyebrow tweezers..

 

[Flouncer]

Any handheld priming tool that holds more than one primer should be outlawed and destroyed.

I don't understand this comment and I have to give you the benefit of the doubt. But how in hell is this going to let off a whole tray ?

 

[dkhunt14]

I don't understand this comment and I have to give you the benefit of the doubt. But how in hell is this going to let off a whole tray ?

Primers have a very violent flash. When one fired it goes to tray and light the others. I set 15 offline time and it wasnt purdy. Anvils embedded everywhere. Matt