New reloader needs help RIGHT NOW...

[gunrat]

hey, folks,

I just bought and set up my Lee Deluxe Turret Press Kit, got my dies adjusted, consulted Lee's reloading manual, and thought I would press up my first ten test rounds of .40 S&W.

Well, thankfully nothing dangerous happened, but something happened to my doohickey that primes the case on my Safety Prime, and the primer cup sheared off. I pulled the ram back down, and found the live primer on my case holder. I have that live primer, as well as nine remaining live primers still in my safety prime tray.

So, how do I SAFELY dispose of this live, loose primer, and how do I safely return the other primers to the original packaging??

Hopefully this will be as over my head as i will get in my reloading career, but at least my OAL and crimp look good!

Thanks for your help!!!

[gunrat]

After a quick Google, I need to emphasize I am not at all interested in any potentially unsafe disposal techniques!! I just don't want to take a chance that one loose primer now may be damaged...

[East_TN_Patriot]

As long as the primer itself is not damaged, you can just put it back in the package. Primers will only go off if struck very hard by a hard object, so you don't need to worry about just dumping them out of the Safety Prime and putting them back in the package. If you do need to dispose of that one, I would just drop it in the trash. Again, it's not prone to detonating, and even if it did, it's not even as big of a bang as a firecracker. If you're really really worried about it, just drop some oil onto the open side of the primer and that will deactivate the primer. And if you are really really really worried about it, drop some oil on it and then wrap it loosely in a paper towel so that nothing will strike it in the garbage.

Edited May 19, 2011 by East_TN_Patriot

[gunrat]

Killer, thanks! I think I'll use some tweezers and handle them from the sides... Wish me luck...and thanks for the quick reply!

[East_TN_Patriot]

Really, don't worry about it. They aren't that delicate. Remember that you are ramming them into the case when you load the rounds, carrying them in a firearm, they are subjected to all sorts of forces during firing, and they only go off when a firing pin hits them (and a firing pin won't do it if it doesn't strike the primer hard enough). I regularly drop them, watch them bounce across my garage floor, pick them up and toss them back in the primer tray.

[Caster]

It is important not to handle them too much, if any, but it's not a detonator for a photon torpedo, it's just a primer. I used to superglue one to people's dead blow hammer in a machine shop I used to work at. When they'd whack a part to seat it in the vise........

Tweezers is fine, or just wash AND dry your hands really well, and don't rub them around. If I drop one I'll pick it up. No biggie.

Good for you though, there's NO SUCH THING as being too safe.

[R_Bert]

just set it aside until you replace the primer insertion cup. Then, insert it into a otherwise empty case and fire the primer off, or decap it. Decapping should break the seal in the primer, and you can inert it with a drop of oil and dispose in the garbage.

For the rest of them, just pick them up and put them back in the box.

take a deep breath. You'll be fine. It is really pretty hard to get one to go off on the press. Wear safety glasses & ear plugs if you wish.

[Caster]

j. It is really pretty hard to get one to go off on the press. Wear safety glasses & ear plugs if you wish.

That's true. I had to deprime some live primed cases a while back and I purposefully tried to pop one. Tilted my head back guided the case in and shoved it home pretty good. Nope. It can, could and has happened. But not likely.

[dlm37015]

first thing imo is get rid of the saftey prime get a hand primer lee makes the best one imo as far as depriming a live primer just go slow and wear gloves and glasses you should be wearing glasses every time you are loading

[dlm37015]

btw i burn my live primers that i mash or mess up in a burn barrel

[gunrat]

Mission accomplished. All fingers and eyeballs present...

[gregintenn]

first thing imo is get rid of the saftey prime get a hand primer lee makes the best one imo as far as depriming a live primer just go slow and wear gloves and glasses you should be wearing glasses every time you are loading

Here's some really good advice from a man who knows. The hand primer is inexpensive yet invaluable tool.

[Jonnin]

The press primer tool should not have sheared off though, I use mine all the time. All I can think of that it could catch on under normal circumstances would be the shell holder, if that slipped out of the groove, for example prime in, shell holder slips, try to raise the ram and it wrings the head off??

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Mission accomplished. All fingers and eyeballs present...

I'm thumb-fingered and never had anything go bang or boom.

Maybe am over-cautious, but full face shields don't cost much and are not uncomfortable to wear for an hour or two. Usually only wear it when actually loading. Safety glasses for just messing with components or loading primer tubes. Seems one would have to mess up pretty bad to light a primer while loading a primer tube, but who knows?

I also keep a fire extinguisher a few feet away from the reloading bench. If it was a really bad day, maybe it would be hard to get to a fire extinguisher sitting right by the reloading press.

[Sheepdog]

Small pistol primers fit in the barrels of BB guns...

For seating them into cases, though, I prefer the RCBS APS hand primer.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[bajabuc]

If you drop or scatter some primers, make sure you get them all picked up. My ex turned her Kerby Vacuum into a nifty bomb when I missed one in the carpet! Dust and air plus spark equals BOOM

[Guest nicemac]

If you do need to dispose of that one, I would just drop it in the trash. Again, it's not prone to detonating, and even if it did, it's not even as big of a bang as a firecracker. If you're really really worried about it, just drop some oil onto the open side of the primer and that will deactivate the primer. And if you are really really really worried about it, drop some oil on it and then wrap it loosely in a paper towel so that nothing will strike it in the garbage.

If I were going to put one in the trash for some reason, I would definitely oil it down first to minimize the risk of a trash can detonation. While true the explosion is small, if there were other flammable items in your trash (there usually is in mine) it could start a fire… A gas soaked rag or paper towel in the trash would ignite easily with such an explosion. If not in your trash can, in a garbage truck or at the dump…

[gunrat]

Thanks for the advice, everyone--trying to avoid the dreaded kaboom...

[xd shooter]

gunrat,

If you would like a Lee hand prime shoot me a PM. I don't use mine anymore, I use a bench mounted RCBS. I will let it go cheap.

[Garufa]

When you finally reload 100 rounds out of one pack of primers...you've graduated!

[Guest TCNTN]

I also am just starting to reload and had one get upside down in my RCBS hand primer. Didn't know at the time that oil would neutralize the primer. I pulled the anvil out and then slowly punched the primer out with the sizing die. It worked fine. It was brand new brass and I couldn't make myself throw it away. Glad it turned out ok.

[Jonnin]

I also am just starting to reload and had one get upside down in my RCBS hand primer. Didn't know at the time that oil would neutralize the primer. I pulled the anvil out and then slowly punched the primer out with the sizing die. It worked fine. It was brand new brass and I couldn't make myself throw it away. Glad it turned out ok.

Don't trust this. Oils CAN kill a primer, and probably will (murphy's law) if you try to fire the round at the range. If, however, you poured oil on it to kill it before being rough with it, the same rule (murphys law) says that the primer will go off. Nothing wrong with knocking out a live primer if you have to and are careful (safety goggles, etc, away from your powder and primers, etc..), just dont think that a drop of oil is sufficient.

[BigK]

Over the course of reloading my first 500 or so rounds, I smashed up half a dozen or more primers that somehow got sideways in my hand primer. I mean I smashed them up good too. Some were completely collapsed in on themselves. Luckily, none went boom. I didn't realize they were hard to insert due to being sideways, b/c some brass has a lip around the primer pocket that causes me to have to squeeze the hand primer firmly to get past. Each time, I deprimed them with my press to salvage the brass. I was being careful when I did it, but I didn't exactly go in slow motion, though.

I try to be as careful as possible (no more smoking in the garage even when I'm not reloading, safety glasses, gloves while priming cases, etc.). Also, I respect the potential danger of the process, but they are just small pistol primers. My cousin and I smashed a bunch of rifle primers one at a time on a concrete block with a hammer when were kids. We had a blast (hee hee), but they were like firecrackers without the messy shredded paper. Nobody got hurt, but I acknowledge the high degree of stupidity involved. In fact, I'd beat my kids' a$$e$, if I caught them doing that. But, you you do dumb stuff as a kid that sometimes turns out to lower your inhibitions even when you know better later.

[Guest The91Bravo]

First, I have to compliment everyone about their candor in this matter. It is refreshing to see someone who is safety conscious.

And I remember sweating bullets (get -it Bullets ha ha) when I first reloaded... I just knew I was going to blow something up.. But I am still here with all my orbs and digits.. and have moved up to a Dillon.. The Lee Anniversary I got years ago still is my go to backup press and I can always count on it.

Good luck, you have just embarked on a truly therapeutic part of shooting.

Steve