Knocking out live primers?
- Thread starter RSG2
- Start date
There will be no problem punching out the primers from the cases without doing anything. Just go smooth and easy. I have even punched out a few in my day from the cup side when they got turned upside down by mistake in my younger days. Easy smooth push is not like the snap they receive from a firing pin under pressure.
I do suggest wearing eye and hearing protection, just in case /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
But yeah, we all have had reasons to pop out primers, including when they somehow got seated upside down. A slow, smooth approach is the key.
But yeah, we all have had reasons to pop out primers, including when they somehow got seated upside down. A slow, smooth approach is the key.
Lavoy Oates
New member
That is how I do it but do go slow and if you do anything wear eye and face protection.
If the primer gets turned upsidedown, I always put a drop of oil on it and let it sit for few minutes before I push it out. Doing that pretty much takes away any chance of the primer going off. I have heard of a few that have had primers go off while they have been punching them out....
-MP
-MP
Mike, you might want to conduct a few tests.
A lot of people have doen so & found the old "oil will deactivate a primer" saying to no longer be true. Seems that somewhere along the way, the companies started doing something that seals the compund a lot better. People have soaked them in WD-40, penetrating oil, water, for several days and then found that they fired just fine.
I don't do anything to them. I just assume that they'll go off if impacted too abruptly and treat them gently. Never had one go off yet. I turn them over, use them to prime a case, and have never had one of those fail to go off, eiether.
A lot of people have doen so & found the old "oil will deactivate a primer" saying to no longer be true. Seems that somewhere along the way, the companies started doing something that seals the compund a lot better. People have soaked them in WD-40, penetrating oil, water, for several days and then found that they fired just fine.
I don't do anything to them. I just assume that they'll go off if impacted too abruptly and treat them gently. Never had one go off yet. I turn them over, use them to prime a case, and have never had one of those fail to go off, eiether.
Ya know, I happen to have some primed 30-06 brass boxed up. I had some loaded up, decided on a different load & pulled the bullets & powder.
I think I'll do a test of my own. Say 5 cases of each thing I try. They've been sitting around, primed but unloaded, in an ammo box for a year or more. So I can use 5 as is, 5 with WD-40, 5 with water, 5 with Dillon Case Lube, 5 with motor oil, 5 with Kroil, and 5 with Break-Free penetrating oil. Soak them for 4 or 5 days and then see how many go bang.
I think I'll do a test of my own. Say 5 cases of each thing I try. They've been sitting around, primed but unloaded, in an ammo box for a year or more. So I can use 5 as is, 5 with WD-40, 5 with water, 5 with Dillon Case Lube, 5 with motor oil, 5 with Kroil, and 5 with Break-Free penetrating oil. Soak them for 4 or 5 days and then see how many go bang.
I have removed as many as two hundred primers at one setting on some brass I obtained from somewhere. I punched out all the unfired primers without a problem. Just use some common sense, go easy, wear safety glasses and ear plugs 
just in case.
I also would remove any flammable materials from around the area and keep a fire extinguisher around for added safety. Maybe wear a flame retardent suit, someone nearby to call 911 or better yet a ladder truck outside along with a pumper truck and a full detachment armed with those big A$$ axes ready to chop down your front door to come in and save your butt just in case something was to go wrong. Not to mention having the medivac chopper parked in your back yard chatting with the bomb unit and search and rescue crew holding back the corpse sniffing dogs /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
But what could go wrong, I still have all my fingers, well the ones that count anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
just in case. I also would remove any flammable materials from around the area and keep a fire extinguisher around for added safety. Maybe wear a flame retardent suit, someone nearby to call 911 or better yet a ladder truck outside along with a pumper truck and a full detachment armed with those big A$$ axes ready to chop down your front door to come in and save your butt just in case something was to go wrong. Not to mention having the medivac chopper parked in your back yard chatting with the bomb unit and search and rescue crew holding back the corpse sniffing dogs /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
But what could go wrong, I still have all my fingers, well the ones that count anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
DaisyCutter
New member
DC's dumb idea. I've never reloaded so I don't know if this is possible.
Why not just cycle the cases through through your gun while deactivating the primers by pulling the trigger?
Why not just cycle the cases through through your gun while deactivating the primers by pulling the trigger?
Cal Sibley
New member
I used to get very nervous when this situation would arise. Over the years I've become
calmer about it. You can press them back out with the priming arms of your press, just do it fairly gently. I no longer have the priming arm on my presses so I have to be a bit more venturesome now a days. I use a punch and mallet to remove primers dead and alive. It might be a bit riskier, but so far so good. However, I honestly wouldn't recommend it with live primers. Best wishes.
Cal - Montreal
calmer about it. You can press them back out with the priming arms of your press, just do it fairly gently. I no longer have the priming arm on my presses so I have to be a bit more venturesome now a days. I use a punch and mallet to remove primers dead and alive. It might be a bit riskier, but so far so good. However, I honestly wouldn't recommend it with live primers. Best wishes.
Cal - Montreal
You guys may think it's not that big of a deal to do. I am trying to remember the name of a IBS bench rest shooter that tapped out a primer that was backwards. He is well known.
He was using a punch and a base die in his hand. He took a little trip to the hospital for his efforts. I have used my regular press and resizing die to knock them out slowly. But I would hate to have one go off on me.
Them things are pretty powerful for their size....
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif -MP
He was using a punch and a base die in his hand. He took a little trip to the hospital for his efforts. I have used my regular press and resizing die to knock them out slowly. But I would hate to have one go off on me.
Them things are pretty powerful for their size....
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif -MP
OK, experiment underway. I have 5 cases each:
Untreated
Liquid wrench
WD-40
Rem Oil (spray)
Dillon Case Lube
Water
Alcohol
Kroil
Each batch of 5 cases were treated, then placed mouth up inside a plastic ammo box. The box is now closed, which should help reduce any evaporation.
Now I only need to decide how long to leave them beofre trying to shoot them. I'm thinking 24 hours. Several days may do it for most of these things, and based on what we've always been told I'd expect one day to be enough. Whatcha think?
Untreated
Liquid wrench
WD-40
Rem Oil (spray)
Dillon Case Lube
Water
Alcohol
Kroil
Each batch of 5 cases were treated, then placed mouth up inside a plastic ammo box. The box is now closed, which should help reduce any evaporation.
Now I only need to decide how long to leave them beofre trying to shoot them. I'm thinking 24 hours. Several days may do it for most of these things, and based on what we've always been told I'd expect one day to be enough. Whatcha think?
This is a great experiement there Stu!! Like I always say, you have to check it yourself to get the real truth in your own mind. If I were to give this a try would check one round of each in 24 hour periods If they still fire after 5 days, you have your answer and then some! Keep us advised for reference!!
I thought about doing that, pop one of each every day at noon and see what happens.
Just for grins, you might want to try more than one kind of primer too. Last time I read about such a test, some of them were easier to kill than others. Main thing I took from it, was that nothing was really reliable at killing all primers all the time. I can't remember any of the details though.
- DAA
- DAA