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Thread: What Could Go Wrong: Primer Detonation

  1. #11
    Site Supporter Irelander's Avatar
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    Yikes! I use the Lee hand primer and every time I squeeze it gives me the willies! I'm now looking into the auto primer system for my T-7 press. The primer tube is away from where the primers are seated in the cases. Sounds like a good system to me and away from my hands.
    Jesus paid a debt he did not owe,
    Because I owed a debt I could not pay.

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Mirolynmonbro View Post
    I use a lee classic turret. What changes did you make?

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    Wowers. I've primed thousands of cases using the RCBS version of that tool.

    I'm using the Lee Classic Turret press as well, with the on press priming system. I'm less concerned about a daisy chain explosion, as the primer is fed into the system at the top of the stroke, but not seated into the case until the bottom of the stroke. It's generally when you try to put the primer in the case that The Bad Thing happens. I'm able to look and see the primer is sitting in the little up in the right orientation, and if were to pop it's isolated from the primer magazine.
    I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.

  3. #13
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    I've had no primer detonations in my RL-550. That won't stop me from wearing my eye pro, every single time.

  4. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Wyoming Shooter View Post
    I've had no primer detonations in my RL-550. That won't stop me from wearing my eye pro, every single time.
    Yeah bud. I'm also rethinking using a hand priming tool. Having a hundred primers basically sitting on top of your hand can apparently lead to some serious injuries. I guess you can mitigate that by putting 10 primers at a time in the hopper but that would be a real pain in the ass.
    I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.

  5. #15
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    I showed this to my wife. That, combined with an acquaintance injuring himself recently, makes her question my continuing to reload.

    It saves money is not a convincing argument compared to losing digits, or dexterity in them.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post
    I showed this to my wife. That, combined with an acquaintance injuring himself recently, makes her question my continuing to reload.

    It saves money is not a convincing argument compared to losing digits, or dexterity in them.
    There's a lot of ways a person could lose a finger without getting near a reloading press. A friend of mine lost one in a carpentry accident (chopsaw without safeties). My grandfather lost his in a logging accident (crushed). Being a shadetree mechanic, I could see a number of opportunities there. Even in mountain biking, a gnarly accident could severely damage a digit.

    Like many things in life, taking reasonable precautions and using good tools will go a long way toward protecting yourself. Back to the subject at hand (no pun intended), I've long stayed away from these priming tools due to the potential risk, now realized. Even on my press, I don't use a primer magazine, but load primers manually into the priming mechanism. It's a turret press, so it doesn't slow me down much (still manage upwards of 200rnd/hour for handgun).

    Chris

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post
    I showed this to my wife. That, combined with an acquaintance injuring himself recently, makes her question my continuing to reload.
    Show that to your wife and tell her you need a Dillon 1050.

  8. #18
    Member Crazy Dane's Avatar
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    In the book, Modern Reloading by Richard Lee. he talks about primer detonation and how certain brands are more prone to blow up than others. I know federal was on that list and I think Winchester was too. I know CCI was on his "safe" list. Personally, I think I'm somewhere north of 18,000 rounds of reloads. All I have ever used is CCI primers and I have never had a kaboom. Knock on wood! For those that have had the unfortunate event of a detonation, what brand of primers did it happen with? I'm glad injuries were not worse and being a FF/medic, that would definitely be a 911 worthy call. WE have good drugs and aren't afraid to use them.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by FES313 View Post
    In the book, Modern Reloading by Richard Lee. he talks about primer detonation and how certain brands are more prone to blow up than others. I know federal was on that list and I think Winchester was too. I know CCI was on his "safe" list. Personally, I think I'm somewhere north of 18,000 rounds of reloads. All I have ever used is CCI primers and I have never had a kaboom. Knock on wood! For those that have had the unfortunate event of a detonation, what brand of primers did it happen with? I'm glad injuries were not worse and being a FF/medic, that would definitely be a 911 worthy call. WE have good drugs and aren't afraid to use them.
    IME, you have to make a mistake to get a primer detonation while reloading, like pressing hard on a primer with some large metal debris that acts as a firing pin.
    Never had a detonation just pushing HARD (not recommended) to seat a primer of any brand, with a properly mantained press. Keep an eye on cleanliness of all parts, and anything that "feels" or "sounds" not right.

    I've even decapped live primers many times (not recommended) with normal dies on the RL550, with no detonations.

    You could have defective primers that are oversensitive, but that would be a VERY unusual occurence, and impossible to avoid.
    Last edited by TiroFijo; 02-13-2018 at 01:07 PM.

  10. #20
    Hillbilly Elitist Malamute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TiroFijo View Post
    IME, you have to make a mistake to get a primer detonation while reloading, like pressing hard on a primer with some large metal debris that acts as a firing pin.
    Never had a detonation just pushing HARD (not recommended) to seat a primer of any brand, with a properly mantained press. Keep an eye on cleanliness of all parts, and anything that "feels" or "sounds" not right.

    I've even decapped live primers many times (not recommended) with normal dies on the RL550, with no detonations.

    You could have defective primers that are oversensitive, but that would be a VERY unusual occurrence, and impossible to avoid.
    I think another aspect to consider is that for a primer to allow any fire backwards into a primer magazine on a hand tool, it would have to be sideways, otherwise all the fire would be out the mouth of the case.

    I have had some primers tip when feeding and start seating sideways with both the single stage RCBS press primer feed and on Lee hand priming tools, or not get completely onto the ram on the Lee tool and either tip or crush on the edge of the primer pocket when starting to seat it. This is where paying attention to every step is emphasized. Watching TV or anything else distracting while using a priming tool and assuming the tools will perform perfectly without any attention can be a problem.

    We dont have details of how this happened in the OP, but having had odd things happen when priming gives some indication what could have happened. Watching every single one is the method I prefer.

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