Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Pulling bullets and removing primers

I recently bought 13 really old boxes of factory 340 Weatherby ammo, about half of it just brass the other half loaded cartridges. Well I took two boxes out this afternoon to see how the old cartridges shot and out of two boxes I'd say about a third of them were hangfires, some real bad. I had originally just wanted them for the brass but thought that I might use what I had for spring black bear and just plinking but now I've decided to just pull the bullets and save em and dump the powder. So my question is what do you do w/ the primer do you just pop them out with the resizing die or can you just fire them off? I hope that's not too dumb of a question, just never been in this situation before. Appreciate any info. Thanks

I use a Lee de-capping die and carefully pop out the primers.I've never had a problem or one go off. Just be gentle and wear safety glasses.
rob

I would use a collet puller for the bullets and deprime normally.Rick.

I do exactly as Rick. I've deprimed thousands of live primers and never had one go off. If they do, the force is directed down through the shell holder and in most presses that is harmless should it occur.

My biggest concern would be the age hardening of the brass. I believe I would anneal all of it before I did any reloading. There are a number of good threads here on annealing if you don't know how. Do a search and they should guide you.

Even though I have removed primers without any problems on the press, I was still a little nervous doing it. My suggestion would be to pull the bullets and just fire the empty case to be on the safe side.

I'm not certain of what would happen if a primer did go off in the press, but I'm also not too excited to find out either.

"I'm not certain of what would happen if a primer did go off in the press, but I'm also not too excited to find out either."

In a magazine I read several years ago, the writer said he had a primer go off and it went through the shell holder, down the slot in the ram, and into his thigh, fairly deep.

I am always very leery of mishandling anything that can go boom.

If you do fire off the primers, you will be impressed by 1)the amount of flash they produce and 2) the amount of soot they leave in a barrel.

Pull the bullets with your bullet of choice,and deprime in a normal fashon.Be slow and gentle,and wear safty glasses.I have done a lot,it takes a hard blow to fire a primer.I would probable not deprime crimped miltary primers,but thats not what you have. Lightman

Plus one on the slow and gentle. I use a Lee Universal decapping die and have never had a problem. For bullet pulling I usually employ one of those inertia type pullers; no problems there either. The one and only primer I ever set off by accident was years ago with one of those Leeloaders that require you to hammer on it to prime/deprime, necksize and bullet seat. I wasn't paying attention to my hammering while seating a primer and it went off. But it was no big deal with no harm done. Just taught me to pay more attention to what I was doing.

Like several of the previous posters, I occasionally use a Lee decapping die to remove live primers. I have never had any problem with doing it that way. Just go slow and smooth.

Shoot the primers or soak in oil before de-priming.

I have a piece of primer anvil in my knee from some "experiments" when I was a kid. Best to avoid that kind of mishap.

Pull you bullets and deprime as usual. Have done thousands and have never had one pop yet. Either way I am careful when I deprime.