Is it safe?

[22collector]

I was recently given some brass, a few cases have live primers in them. These primers are likely 40 years old. Can I remove these with a depriming die, or is there better, safer way?

 

[42769vette]

it can be done but personally i would put them in a gun and pop them off if the sized cases fit on your gun. if them dont take out your depriming rod and full length resize so they do fit in your gun. personally im just uncomfortable putting any pressure on a primer that is live. but i know there are folks that deprime live primers so it might just be a personal thing

 

[Doug]

it can be done but personally i would put them in a gun and pop them off if the sized cases fit on your gun. if them dont take out your depriming rod and full length resize so they do fit in your gun. personally im just uncomfortable putting any pressure on a primer that is live. but i know there are folks that deprime live primers so it might just be a personal thing

This is good advice. I would be afraid to try to deprime live primers.

 

[Leo]

I would also pop them off in a pistol, esp since there are only a few. I was given about a dozen boxes of primed .38 nickle plated brass from a widow. Judging by the boxes, they had to be from the 1960's but were stored clean and dry. I started popping them and they all sounded like they were ok, so I quit wasting them and tried just adding my favorite powder and target bullet. They all shot fine, just like new primers would have. I think primer decay has been a lot less of a problem since they quit making corrosive primers around WWII. Good Luck

 

[Clay]

I think primer decay has been a lot less of a problem since they quit making corrosive primers around WWII. Good Luck

wait a sec, one of the main reasons for using corrosive primers was the longevity of the round staying good when stored for long periods.

 

[gunman41mag]

wait a sec, one of the main reasons for using corrosive primers was the longevity of the round staying good when stored for long periods.

CLAY is correct, corrosive primers will last longer

 

[JetGirl]

I reload using a single stage press. I've de-capped live primers more than a few times for various reasons. Slow and cautious...never been a problem.

 

[sloughfoot]

i have read this post more than once. I can't figure out the problem. Live primer? Just load it and shoot it. Don't want to load it and shoot it? Just pop the primer and then reload it.

 

[shibumiseeker]

It's not a grenade. A single primer going off makes a noise. Wear your eye pro and ear pro and decap away. Slow and steady and you shouldn't have a problem, and even if one does go off it's not going to hurt you, the force of the primer is up and down.

 

[Leo]

Thanks for clearing up the my assumption Clay and Gunman, I guess that stored correctly, primers have a pretty long shelf life. I know that I have shot a lot of ammo in the 40 - 50 year old range and it pretty much all still works.

 

[Brownie]

Worst case scenario just soak the inside of case with wd40 or something similar. Let sit over night anddecap slow and steady. Oil will kill the priming compound.

 

[JetGirl]

I just have to ask...
Why are a lot of people afraid of de-capping a seated primer?
What is it that is perceived to be so "unsafe"? Just curious...

 

[shibumiseeker]

Worst case scenario just soak the inside of case with wd40 or something similar. Let sit over night anddecap slow and steady. Oil will kill the priming compound.

Actually it won't. It may make the compound less sensitive, but oil will not kill it. Now, with older chlorate priming compounds, water MAY kill it, but it still depends on the integrity of the sealant used in the priming cup. Water won't do a darn thing to modern priming compounds.


And before the inevitable argument results, yes, I have tested both extensively and posted about it here and elsewhere, as have a number of people.

 

[red_zr24x4]

I reload using a single stage press. I've de-capped live primers more than a few times for various reasons. Slow and cautious...never been a problem.

I just have to ask...
Why are a lot of people afraid of de-capping a seated primer?
What is it that is perceived to be so "unsafe"? Just curious...

I'm with you on this one. I've been reloading since about '94 and I can not count how many live primers I've punched out and never had one go off.
Slow and steady pressure.

 

[45fan]

I have deprimed live primers before, and probably will in the future. The only issue I have ever seen with it was when a buddy did this, and didnt collect the live primers as they came out. A few months later he was casting bullets, and I swept up the sprues from the floor, and one or two of the primers made it to his lead pot. Stupid mistake on my part, but at least we were wearing safety glasses when they went off.

 

[FutureButterBar]

Actually it won't. It may make the compound less sensitive, but neither oil will not kill it. Now, with older chlorate priming compounds, water MAY kill it, but it still depends on the integrity of the sealant used in the priming cup. Water won't do a darn thing to modern priming compounds.


And before the inevitable argument results, yes, I have tested both extensively and posted about it here and elsewhere, as have a number of people.

true. for the most part, rounds are water resistant. they are also oil resistant. what do you think your firearm sits in? oil and moisture from the air.
i have also tested this, not as extensively, but i have been in the water with firearms. the rounds still work

 

[Ash]

Years ago I tried the WD-40 method in a number (40?) of live primed Berden 7.92x57mm Turkish cases. Cases sat over two days with a bit of the WD-40 in the case head. If I remember correctly, all of about 8 of the primers "popped" when ran through an old Mauser. (These were corrosive primed surplus, if it matters any.)

 

[Brownie]

Actually it won't. It may make the compound less sensitive, but oil will not kill it. Now, with older chlorate priming compounds, water MAY kill it, but it still depends on the integrity of the sealant used in the priming cup. Water won't do a darn thing to modern priming compounds.


And before the inevitable argument results, yes, I have tested both extensively and posted about it here and elsewhere, as have a number of people.

Not saying your wrong as I have honestly not tested it. However I've seen somewhere that RCBS referenced wd40 would neutralize priming compound not to mention heard it from veteran reloaders. So ill have to stand corrected! However I would like to see your test results and methods employed. If your putting the primed cases in a firearm and pulling the trigger and getting them to go pop is one thing. If you are soaking them and running them through a decapping die and getting them to pop is another. The latter is the posted question I believe. Now that that is said I soaked a few primers in my early days of handloading to decap them.(without incident btw) . Honestly now I use the same technique jet girl mentioned slow easy and re usable primers..

 

[bigedp51]

97% of all errors are human errors and only 3% are mechanical failures.

I have also used my press to "slowly and carefully" remove live primers and I have been loading for over 40 years. My question is after 40 years has any dissimilar metal corrosion occured between the primer and the case.

In other words are these 40 year old primers gripping even tighter than normal. If they are tighter in the primer pocket do the warnings in the reloading manuals mean something.

Just asking because my sphincter muscles are always tighter when I use the press to remove them. (No brown stains have occured so far)

 

[shibumiseeker]

Not saying your wrong as I have honestly not tested it. However I've seen somewhere that RCBS referenced wd40 would neutralize priming compound not to mention heard it from veteran reloaders. So ill have to stand corrected! However I would like to see your test results and methods employed. If your putting the primed cases in a firearm and pulling the trigger and getting them to go pop is one thing. If you are soaking them and running them through a decapping die and getting them to pop is another. The latter is the posted question I believe. Now that that is said I soaked a few primers in my early days of handloading to decap them.(without incident btw) . Honestly now I use the same technique jet girl mentioned slow easy and re usable primers..

I've never been able to get a primer to pop by decapping it, and I've tried to make it happen.

I posted about the last test I did here:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...9-anyone_blow_up_their_dillon_reloader-3.html