What Could Go Wrong: Primer Detonation

I was driving through the Memphis area on the way home to Louisiana last week when I received a rather frantic call from my hunting and shooting buddy in Monroe. He said he'd had an accident while reloading, and would I take him to the hospital....of course I couldn't but he found another friend to take him. When I asked him a few days ago why he hadn't call 911, he said that all things considered, he didn't think his condition warranted it. When I spoke with him later that day I learned that while priming cases a primer had detonated, and in turn exploded 44 more primers which were in the plastic dish. He was using a Hornady unit:

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The explosion blew his right thumb off, and he could see the bone sticking out. His hands were burnt, but otherwise he was OK. The docs at the ER re-attached his thumb but said he probably would not have any kind of thumbnail when all was said an done. Here are a couple of pics:

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He knows he was very fortunate....it could have been a whole lot worse! He was not wearing safety glasses.

I've been a serious reloader for over 30 years, and while generally aware of some potential risks, have been very fortunate...so far. I've used a lot of different priming tools over the years, but for the last several I've been using one of these "one at a time" tools from 21st Century Shooting. It's slow, but it works well for me.

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I'm posting just as a reminder of what can go wrong when we least expect it.

George

Sorry to hear about that, its a pretty serious injury.

Any idea how it happened? Was it possible he had a primer only halfway on the ram when he started seating it?

Ive found primers dont always feed onto the ram with the Lee tool I have. It requires checking each one before putting a shell in the holder.

Oh, dear God!

Thanks for the prescient warning and I pray that he fully recovers.

[emoji1431][emoji1431]


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This is why I won’t hand prime, and won’t consider a press without substantial shielding. I’ve had 100 detonate in me on a Lee loadmaster, and that’s changed how I approach reloading permanently.


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Sorry to hear that about your friend. Like you said, could have been much worse.

I’ve used the Lee, and currently the RCBS version of the hand pruning tool, for calibers not loaded on the Dillon. I’ve had primers fail to correctly feed and get jammed. My rule is never force anything and always wear safety glasses when reloading.

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Originally Posted by jeep45238

This is why I won’t hand prime, and won’t consider a press without substantial shielding. I’ve had 100 detonate in me on a Lee loadmaster, and that’s changed how I approach reloading permanently.


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I use a lee classic turret. What changes did you make?

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If my memory serves me right the primers swing away from the plunger on that press. On the load master it’s all fixed and can daisychain easily - which is why they sell a blast sheild for the damn thing.

Anyway, I moved to presses with shielded primer tubes, so if there is an explosion it is directed up and to the ceiling and I don’t take anything.

I recommend priming in the upstroke of the handle if you’re dealing with large primer (45 mostly), so if you catch a small primer piece of brass you don’t force a large primer in it and blow things up.


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When minute pieces of priming compound breaks off from primers, these pieces can form a dust in the area--in this case the priming tool tray itself. This dust has all the explosive traits as the priming material from which it came. Perhaps there was dust accumulation. Perhaps it was a factor.

I wear eye pro during all phases of reloading. Every time. I don't much like the idea of the primer magazine on my RL-550 going "boom". It's way to close to my face and looks like it would vent up if detonated.

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Originally Posted by Wyoming Shooter

I wear eye pro during all phases of reloading. Every time. I don't much like the idea of the primer magazine on my RL-550 going "boom". It's way to close to my face and looks like it would vent up if detonated.

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In the Dillons the primer magazine is very well isolated from the primer that is fed to the case, and when you excert pressure on it there is good shielding and you can feel the resistance on the upstroke of the lever. I've had a couple of primers detonate while reloading on my RL 550 (...in over a zillions rounds reloaded, all my fault) and I barely noticed it.