Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Had a dud

Was shooting at distance today when I got the audible "click". Waited a little bit, and ejected the shell. There was a visible dent in the primer, but it didn't go bang.CCI 200 primer, lapua brass. I have shot several thousand of them the last few years. Can't remember a dud in the past. Anyone else get duds with these primers? Not particularly worried about it, just wondering.

Of course, if anybody shoots often enough as we all do duds are to be expected. Now begins 10 pages of Campfire rhetoric on the why's, wherefores, and personal experiences therein.

Gnoahh: And the 10 pages of "personal experiences" is/will be, a good thing!
Right!
Atse: I have been handloading since I taught myself to do so 60+ years ago when I was 12.
I have probably reloaded Rifle 100,000 cartridges (I am often a high volume Varmint Hunter!) and I have never had a "failure to ignite" centerfire cartridge!
I use mostly Federal primers with a few Remingtons thrown in.
Next time you go to the range try that cartridge again - then take it home and carefully disassemble it to see if you can detect and semi-burnt indications of primer or powder or if in fact something was forgotten (powder?).
Its rare anymore when I hear of one of my friends/Hunting partners having a handload fail to fire/ignite.
In my experience good quality centerfire Rifle primers are VERY reliable.
Maybe it was just a "one of" light firing pin strikes?
Be careful and I hope you figure this one out.
Maybe even try that same cartridge in question in another Rifle of the same caliber to see if it ignites?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

And the condemnation of certain brands and the branding of those who use them as unfit to own firearms, as well as the elevation of other brands to the highest pedestals and those who use them to god-like status.

Not here on the Fire...

You gotta be kidding...

DF

I've had a couple of FTF's over the years and over many, many thousands of rounds loaded. Ain't no thing. Whether the odd dud gets through at the primer manufacturing facility or I got a bit of case lube on the primer, either way a 0.002-0.003% failure rate is pretty good.

atse,

The primer pockets on Lapua brass are sometimes deeper than other brass. Some primer tools may not seat the primer all the way down, resulting in a misfire.


Lefty

Kind of my thoughts. Unless it would have been on a coyote. Then I would have been border line suicidal. Would have kicked and fumed all the way to the truck.

I don't use a priming tool. I individually seat each one on the press. Upon examination of the cartridge before I threw it down the hill( last time on these brass) the primer was flush just like all the others. The pockets are a tad deeper than other brass.

You handle each primer with your fingers?

I have only had a few. I have picked up more than a few live rounds off the ground at the range that were FTF with a firing pin dent in the primer. I usually pull the bullets on these and most of the time I found the round devoid of powder.

I have had two significant issues with FTF's over the years. Both were cleared up by disassembling the bolt, cleaning it of filings, and reassembling. Both were inexpensive new rifles.

Yes

Seems like the primer would give it just enough oomph to get the bullet stuck in the barrel.

No, but that's my biggest fear when loading SD ammo, I know damn well they ALL have powder, even hand run them through the various weapons for funstion, the damn primer is the only 'what if' !

Back from my days shooting artillery, You did not have a dud, a dud is when the artillery warhead does not explode. What you had was a FTF or failure to fire. I've had both when firing the M20 75 mm Recoiless Rifle.

........Sigh.......Ya gotta send the scope back to Leupold......

I never had a hand load not fire the primer. I used to load about 300 rounds a week for me and my buddy.. I once had a box of federal 20 ga 3 in mag failed, 15 to fire

Never had a primer not pop. Had a few that folded under pressure.

I always had problems reading primers.

And I dealt with my first primer 60 years ago.

Hold into the bowl.