Priming hand tool explosion

[boomtube]

Federal's priming compound is more sensitive than others. That makes them more reliable but also more susceptable to improper handling. That includes seating them high so an auto's bolt can cause a slam-fire or clumsy efforts to seat the primers may set one off. Neither of those are the fault of the primers, handled/used correctly they're great. ??

I've used all brands of primers, including thousands of Federals, in my Lee Auto Primes for well over twenty years without problems. But I also stop and find out why any aren't seating as they should, rather than just leaning on the handle harder.

Clumsy, thoughtless people can injure themselves with a spoon but that's not the spoon's fault.

 

[J E Custom]

I have heard of this before and I stopped using a hand priming tool with more than one
primer in it when CCI recomended not using it.

Some primers have a softer cup and this is more likely to happen with those primers. Some
primer manufactures will caution against the use of hand priming. (Like CCI).

Primers are the most delicate component used and must be handled with care.

You have to assume that if it can happen it will (Murphy's Law) so all priming should
be done with the utmost caution.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Fitch]

I suppose I'm just contrary, or the only troll under the bridge, or an irrascable old curmudgeon, or the only person on the planet that primes using his reloading press, but I've always primed my brass on the reloading press. I use a Redding BOSS press for rifle ammo. I have noooooooooo problem knowing when I have a loose primer pocket when using it. I can feel exactly what is going on. The design of the priming arm only allows one primer at a time, there is no magazine full of primers, it always looks like the safest way to do it to me, and I've never had a primer go off while priming on the press in thousands and thousands of primers of all kinds.

I've tried hand priming tools that a friend has and was frankly not whelmed.

Quite frankly I can't see any downside to using the primer arm built into my Redding press for the ammo I load on it.

Handgun ammo gets primed on the Dillon 550 using the magazine fed automatic priming feature. I would have more trouble feeling loose primer pockets because of all the processes taking place on each stroke on that progressive press, but I don't load handgun ammo so primer pockets get loose.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Fitch

 

[spiaailtli]

CCI is not one of the primers that are at issue. In fact the claim is only CCI and Winchester primers are safe. See this link:

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/PP2165.pdf

 

[spiaailtli]

Also to correct more misinformation see this link for cup thinkness on all manufactures primers.

Primers And Pressure

 

[Chas1]

Primers and Pressures. Interesting and a good read. Thanks for posting.

 

[Natty Bumpo]

I always wear safety glasses when priming. I guess because when I started reloading the manual said to do so. Sometimes wondered if it wasn't overkill. I guess it's not.

I use an RCBS hand priming tool. I'll load it with anywhere from 10-30 primers when I'm priming. Haven't had any troubles yet.

 

[Festus]

I've used Lee Autoprimes for about four decades without incident. I always wear eye protection as they have not yet figured out how to replace an eye. Reading this thread has me wondering about something which has not yet been mentioned...static electricity. The priming tray is plastic or something similar and the primers are metal. You shake the tray to get all the primers facing anvil side up. I wonder if this action can cause a static charge and then when two primers make contact a spark might result.

Just wundrin', since I dunno.

Festus

 

[Chas1]

Festus, I remember reading here on LRH about static electricity/primers. I going to see if I can find that post , it was a while back.

 

[burnley]

Static is my thoughts if not then it's got to be down to feeding double, wrong way up or other obstuction. All of the latter would give different presure. I think not putting too many primers in the tray in one go and wearing eye protection, loading with care and attention to work area and equipment at all times manages these risks effectively. However people get killed in accidents putting thier socks on!

 

[Chopaka81]

There is a warning that comes with the Lee AutoPrime. It says never to be used with Federal primers. It list all of the other brands that it can be safely used with. I would be interested in knowing if it was a federal primer. I've also seen warning about never using Federal primers in any autoloading rifle. Must be something going on with them.

RE: Federal Primers
I was wondering the same thing. I had a fellow e-board member at my gun club blow-up the priming tool on his Dillon progressive press using Federal Primers. This is a well known "issue" amongst IPSC shooters.
It would be interesting to hear from the original poster regarding which primers were used.

 

[La podna]

On the advice of a good friend who had this happen, I changed over to a ramprime and do one at a time. Takes a short time to set up and seats the primer the same every time. I have no issues yet and it been 3000+ rounds. Good shootin!

 

[Elfego Baca]

My only primer explosion was when using a Dillon 550B. No ill effects to either me or the machine. I have had many ocassions when i had priming difficulties only to realize that the primer was going in sideways. It happened to me yesterday when loading 30 carbine ammo.

elfego

 

[Sandwarrior]

I had one issue with my Lee Autoprime...as noted in frustration, the "Tim Taylor, more power' method didn't work. So, I bought an RCBS hand primer as I liked hand priming so much better than running them through my Rockchucker. Incident #2 was a Wolf primer blowing up in a crimped 5.56 case being reloaded. Once again my fault. I was trying to 'feel' if the primer was going to go easy or not. Toward the last of that primer being seated it went off. Neither my RCBS primer pocket Swager nor my Lyman primer pocket reamer are opening up the crimped pockets enough. So, I sorted out all the crimped pockets (using the RCBS mandrel as a gauge). Until I get something that will reliably open up those pockets I'm not going to waste my time reloading them yet.

I did what I always do and that is to point the case mouth away from my face. My finger stung pretty good for a while but no other damage than that. I have typically loaded up to the full 100 primers in my tray at a time. I clean the tray after each cartridge change with alcohol. Which is usually about 100. I also keep shaking the primers in the tray to a minimum. It stays tilted toward the hand press. The plastic they come in today is made to reduce static electricity. So is the tray. I've handled blasting caps and explosives before and seen far worse ways of carrying/storing that than I've seen with bullet primers.

I think the best thing to do is expect that it can happen and have your safety gear on and the case pointed away from you.