Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles How do you decap live primers?

huntsman,

I tried the recycled primers purely in the interests of science, since I normally have over 50,000 new primers on hand.

Perhaps I have too much curiosity or skepticism, since I often run shooting experiments to see if what "everybody knows" is actually true. At least half the time it isn't.

RememberBaker,

The deliberately "contaminated" primers still went bang because almost all primers have been sealed against oil and moisture for quite a while now. The warning that we should always wash our hands to avoid getting the slightest trace of skin-oil or case-lube on primers has been BS for a long time.

But one of the reasons so many things we "know" about handloading aren't true is they were true at one time. It's the same with lots of other stuff. The idea that "searing" meat keeps juices inside started in the 1850's, with a then well-known cooking writer, was proven false long before 1900. Yet we still hear the claim frequently today, even from some people who should know better.

I do it as others say, just deprime as you would anything else, though I do ensure I have the proper PPE.

That thing on your wrist is overkill.

Fire them.

Just throwing in 2 cents more in favor of carefully depriming live primers. Can't say how many I've done but recently sold 195 pieces of 6mm brass of which 96 had already been primed with Federal 210's. Didn't want to do the haz-mat thing so deprimed all of them before shipping. I know I've deprimed a bunch before that as well and never tried to kill the primers first.

IMO the main thing is just don't whack the primer with the decapping pin. Ease the case in until you feel the pin contact the primer and then gently push it out. I have a Lee universal decapper die which gets used for that since you can easily feel the pin contact the primer. Plus it has uses for other chores when I want to decap but not size.

Was tempted to recycle those 96 Federal 210's from the 6mm brass but it didn't seem worth the effort, so I scattered them in a rug I knew someone would be vacuuming soon.....

Well, it still is "true" for those that "know" that it is so, no matter what evidence there might be to the contrary. There are many people who are so gifted as to have understanding beyond reality.

A vacuum won't even set them off. Intentionally tried that once. They just make a click and get sucked up like any other debris.

They do add quite an ambiance if placed under the log rack of a fireplace. Once the coals drop down they start poppin off pretty good.

I appreciate the extra padding around the important parts.

But; WHAT, NO GLOVES?

I thought you was a loony, not a scientist....

I will as I know you will keep the snide remarks coming.

Hmmmm........I sure hope you did not vacuum up any ......say...flour, sawdust, sugar, gunpowder or other flammable dust along with those primers.

The dust containment vessel on our vacuum is about one gallon capacity. It would make for one hell of a bang if a dust explosion were to happen.

POOF!!!

Now I understand the "Steelhead" moniker.

Chances are higher with a spark from a static shock doing the same. Like I said, they don't detonate in a vac.

In my 50+ years of reloading I have never had a live primer detonate when I was depriming. I just went slow.

Nope. I have set them off several times over the years and it isn't a big deal at all as long as no powder is present.

I've deprimed 50 BMG live primers after soaking some in water and some in Kroil for about 3 weeks, none went off during the depriming, so I built a fire in a steel container and tossed them in a few at a time and all but a couple went bang. I suspect the few that did not go bang went flying from the others going bang.
Ronnie

Pure carelessness there altogether inadequate.

Seriously I can't believe some people here even get in their cars to go to work. Amazing.

Funny you would say that. Many, many years ago my loading bench was a piece of 2x12 clamped to a desk in a spare room which was carpeted. My wife had a lost primer go off in the vacuum cleaner. She was NOT impressed.