Any suggestions? Gun locked up.

[Alpo]

I found a dropped primer. Small. That means it's either a Small Rifle or a Small Pistol (since, unlike Large, there is no difference in the height). Since I don't know what it is, the intelligent thing to do is get rid of it. Throwing away small explosive items, however, is not really nice.

Stick primer in 38 special case. Put primed 38 case in revolver. Put on ear muffs. Point gun at floor. Fire gun. Hmmm. That one was loud, even through the muffs. Musta been a rifle primer.

Uh-oh. Cylinder will not turn. Cylinder will not come out. Apparently primer backed out.

Suggestions on how to open S&W HE without harming it? All that comes to mind is gentle tapping on the R/H side of the cylinder with a rubber mallet, while holding the ejector latch forward.

Note to self: Next time use a rifle.

 

[Jellybean]

This happens every time you fire it. The only difference is the pressure of the fired cartridge pushes the primer back in place.

Take a pencil or other small rod, put it in the barrel and push the case down to reseat the primer.

 

[tomhenry]

They used to make plastic bullets that you practice fired, using only a primer, no powder, in the case.

But before you used the case, you had to drill out the primer hole, otherwise the primer would back out and lock up the cylinder.

Now we tell you, right?

I would think that a hammer is too aggressive. Just keep trying to rock it with your hands.

 

[Spotteddog]

What Jelly and Tom said.
The worst thing you can do, is to muscle the cylinder past line up with the charge port the cartridge is in. If you have, you'll need to time it enough to allow the front of the port to be accessible from along side the frame using the recoil shield as the back stop.

 

[Alpo]

Originally posted by Jellybean:
This happens every time you fire it. The only difference is the pressure of the fired cartridge pushes the primer back in place.

Take a pencil or other small rod, put it in the barrel and push the case down to reseat the primer.

That not only was a heck of a simple suggestion, but it worked.

I knew they backed out, both when firing live and when firing blanks, but I had popped pistol primers before with no ill effect. As I said, this one was quite loud, and I suspect it was a rifle primer, which would be why it had the "oomph" to back out.

But I'm still gonna use a rifle, next time.

Thanks.

 

[44forever]

Next time, spray the open end of the primer with WD-40 and pitch it in the garbage. The WD-40 will neutralize the priming compound.

 

[kleinkaliber]

Sure is a bad feeling when a gun locks up. Glad it was a simple fix!

 

[kennyb]

keep a mallet and wooden rod in your range bag..should one reload a dry round (no powder)the live primer may back out locking the cylinder or the primer may partially discharge the bullet into the throat which can also lock it...just run the rod down,tap a few times and she will open.....no need to ask me how i know this

 

[dovekiller]

Any kind of oil will kill a primer. Even the natural skin oil from a finger.

Fooling around with those things is just asking for trouble. They were meant for a specific purpose. Keep it that way.

Remain sober.

 

[rburg]

Some comments: First, you shouldn't fire a primer indoors, especially in your living areas. Primers (except the lead free ones) work off a substance called Lead Staphnate. Indoor ranges don't get the airborne lead pollution from the bullets or powder, they get it from the priming compounds in use. It was worse in the past, when they used mercury compounds.

As for the suggestion that oil will kill primers, sometimes it will and sometimes it won't. If you want to run a test, soak a few in the most hated of substances, WD40. Then prime and test fire some cases. I think you'll be shocked.

 

[tomhenry]

Originally posted by rburg:
As for the suggestion that oil will kill primers, sometimes it will and sometimes it won't.

Correct. I never could kill a primer with oil.

 

[Alpo]

Which was why I was killing them with a firing pin. Could be a tad noisy, but it always works.

 

[Jellybean]

Sweepers will do it too.

Glad you got the problem fixed Alpo.

 

[Dashriprock]

As for the suggestion that oil will kill primers, sometimes it will and sometimes it won't.

True, that. Den Grennell has a whole section in "ABCs of Reloading" with a failsafe way to deactivate primers in response to this very point.

Next time, set it on the sidewalk and whack it with a hammer! Heh.

 

[Spotteddog]

Bet you could get some help from some 8-10 YOA boys in the neighborhood for that project!

 

[Andy Griffith]

"My pappy just used to spit in the back of it and give is a good whallop!" - No Time For Sargents!

Seriously though, I second what Jellybean said.

 

[rodcraft]

it's more fun to leave it in the carpet for the wife to find with the vacuum cleaner.

 

[Goldstar225]

Once upon a time, 3 1/2 decades ago I took a .30-06 round to school. During shop I was messing around with it. I pulled the bullet and dumped the powder which we promptly lit with a cigarette. Another boy got curious about the primed case. We clamped it in a vise and he took a nail and hammer, striking the primer. The primer backed out of the case, all the way down the nail, at high velocity. Bloodied the tips of his thumb and forefinger pretty good.

 

[bamabiker]

Originally posted by Goldstar225:
Once upon a time, 3 1/2 decades ago I took a .30-06 round to school. During shop I was messing around with it. I pulled the bullet and dumped the powder which we promptly lit with a cigarette. Another boy got curious about the primed case. We clamped it in a vise and he took a nail and hammer, striking the primer. The primer backed out of the case, all the way down the nail, at high velocity. Bloodied the tips of his thumb and forefinger pretty good.

Don't ask how but I know exactly how his fingers felt.