Jar of Primers,, these for reloading primers

[2152hq]

I was gifted a box of a half dozen small jars, each containing different size primers. Each jar unceremoniously torn from under a shelf it appears,,and I know,,not a real smart way to store and handle primers!

This one has #209B primers in it as noted on the small piece of lable torn from the CCI original box in with the primers.

These were used to reload/refill the shotshell batterycap primer.

You didn't deprime the shotshell case and replace the entire piece, but instead, removed the spend primer itself along with the internal anvil. Then replaced the anvil and reprimed with one of these #209B primers.

I can only remember one person that ever reloaded with these and that was a friends father when I was growing up. He was always tinkering and reloading in his garage shop and had a special small tool set up (home made) to do the deprimeing/reprime on the reuseable battery cap.

I'll forego useing these for their intended purpose. But since there's quite a few there, maybe a muzzle loader percussion nipple to hold them might be a project worth doing to make use of them.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Well you learn something new every day, never even heard of 209B's. You are right about not a smart way to store them, primer's are an explosive and you have the eqivelant of a hand grenade there if they were to detonate, be carefull!

 

[Skip Sackett]

This is how Berdan primers work ONLY the anvil is part of the case for regular cartridges.

 

[Freischütz]

We had some of these back in the early 1960's. There a separate tool for reseating the anvils. You also needed a small decapping pin that just pushed the anvil and primer cup out. There was also a special seater for just seating the primer cups.

It was fun to fool with, but the reloaded shells sometimes wouldn't fire. I never knew why. I was careful to always use the little tool. It supposedly centered the anvil and set it to the correct depth. The 209Bs were fresh from Gander Mountain.

 

[Sheldon]

That little glass jar is like a small grenade if it were to go off!!! I'de separate the primers into smaller lots or better yet put them into modern primer packaging so they are less likely to go off.

 

[sourdough44]

If all else fails, soak them in oil & toss them.

 

[2152hq]

I'll use 'em up. No need to toss away 1000's of good primers. All 6 or 7jars full will get used.
This particular jar is the only one with the 209B primers and they are going to get used up on a M/Ldr (.58 Musket)as soon as I make up a conversion nipple for them. The rest are LR, LP and SP primers.

I load alot of BP and BP sub cartridge loads and these assorted brand primers are fine for those loads. They'll go quick.

This was a very common storage method back in the 50's and 60's. Not well thought through obviously,, but commonly seen in home & garage shop reloading settings.

The hazzards are obvious, the need to be careful also clear.
Repacking onto small cardboard trays in a single layer is a simple solution for storage. Even then, careful handling is needed. That's a given when dealing with primers.

 

[moxie]

Back in the '50s Mechanix Illustrated or another similar magazine had an article about nailing jar caps to the underside of shelving, trusses, etc. Every guy in the country that had a hammer and some nails did this. The idea was to load the jar with nuts, bolts or whatever (primers??) and screw it into the cap. Everything was very tidy, saving a lot of space, and the glass jar permitted easy location of "stuff." Great system until the first time the jar comes loose from the threads, that weren't designed to hold 3 pounds of bolts. Big mess.

 

[txredmule]

Be very careful, primers in a glass jar can develop a static charge with enough energy to detonate all the primers at once. Find a different way to store them.

 

[Steve C]

Be very careful, primers in a glass jar can develop a static charge with enough energy to detonate all the primers at once. Find a different way to store them.

Good advice. I've read about a couple fatalities from primers stored in glass jars over the years and who knows how many people where just injured and didn't make the news.

 

[Big Cholla]

I was given a Winchester Model 12 in 16ga. on my 16th birthday in 1955. In order to shoot it as much as I desired I bought a used shotshell reloading system. With some help from my High School Rifle Team Coach I learned to reload 16 ga. shells. The only primers I could get were the 209Bs. I quickly learned how to decap and reprime the shotshell primer cups. I used that system until I went to college. When I got out of college MEC was out with their shotshell reloading tools and I switched never to use No. 209B primers again. Thank goodness! ..... And I don't remember any much of a failure to fire problem. A lot of Nevada Quail and Chuckars fell to that 16 ga. ..... Big Cholla

 

[NE450No2]

If you do not have empty standard primer packaging, then I would transfer those primers very gently into paper cups.

Paper, not plastic. [Think Static Electricity]

 

[CookE]

YOU NEED TO GET RID OF THEM NOW...............YOU HAVE A BOMB AREADY MADE. MY OPINION, THERE IS NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS THAN WHAT YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW. I AM TALKING FROM A BAD EXPERENCE. I BLEW UP A PRIMER TUBE FOR MY DILLON RL1000 WITH ABOUT 75 PRIMERS IN IT. AT THAT TIME, DILLON USED A BRASS ROD WITH A NUT ON THE END FOR WEIGHT TO PUSH THE PRIMERS DOWN. I HAD A STUCK PRIMER AND I HIT THE PRIMER SLIDE WITH A SCREWDRIVER WHICH IN TURN SET OFF 1 PRIMER WHICH IN TURN SET OFF ALL THE REST. THAT ROD GOT BLOWN THROUGH THE ROOF OF MY WORKSHOP LIKE A ROCKET. ON THE WAY UP, IT TOOK OUT 2 EIGHT FOOT LIGHTS ALONG WITH IT............GET RID OF THEM.
POUR OIL IN ALL THE JARS AND LET THEM SIT FOR ABOUT 3 DAYS AND THEN BURY THEM.........THIS IS FOR YOUR SAFETY. NOT WANTING TO THROW THEM AWAY BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL GOOD????
JUST THINK ABOUT THE COST OF THE ER OR WORSE YET YOUR FUNERAL..............AGAIN, THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION...............
GOOD LUCK..............CookE

 

[TSQUARED]

Re-using the shotshell battery primer cup and anvil and only replacing the primer cup is a real pain in the butt. I doubt that even Chinese labor would make the job competitive with purchasing the entire primer assembly. At current prices the difference between Win and Rem rifle vs shotshell primes is $10 per 1000 and you can obtain Fiocchi shotshell primers for ca the same price as rifle or pistol primers.

 

[cjw3]

In Hatcher's Notebook, the author relates the story of a man at an ammunition factory carrying a bucketful of primers. He was apparently jostling them as he walked because the sound was interesting....more than he bargained for, unfortunately, since they detonated and he was killed.

As for the reloading of shotshell primers, I once saw a little kit that was built to do just that. I used to hang around a gun shop when I was a teenager (I know there's no one else here that did that) and this inventor dropped one of these kits off with the shop owner to try out. He said he didn't have time so he got me to fool around with it. The idea was to remove the primer and anvil, re-use the anvil and replace the primer with whatever size fit; don't remember what. I made up a few and loaded some shotshells with them; they did fine. (Substituting components in loading shotgun shells is not recommended, but that's what I did). Anyway, I carried the kit back and told the GS guy that it worked, but was tedious. I didn't hear any more about it and never saw one of the kits after that.

This seems like one of those things that was thought of by several different people over the years, but tended to wind up being a solution that was looking for a problem.

 

[Chuck Jones]

What a bunch of worrywarts, just think of the great lawsuit you'll have if they blow. You can sue the primer manufacturers, the jar makers, Nicola Tesla and Ben Franklin for static electricity, the Sumerian Civilization of 3000 B.C. (they invented glass), a whole host of people!

You'll be a gozillionaire!

/c

 

[fredj338]

You NEVER STORE PRIMERS this way. The person that did that is a reloading moron. Sorry, that sounds harsh, but that is beyond safe, as bad as smoking or drinking while reloading. If you get one to ignite, that glass jar is a small grenade. Be very, very careful when handlign & pouring them out.

 

[H Richard]

If you want, I will dig through my trash can and pull our quite a few Winchester 209, and other primer plastic trays & boxes so you can safely store those primers. Just PM me if you want me to. I haven't cleaned out my (big) trash can for nearly a year in my reloading room.

 

[tlay]

Heck, I reload after drinking a 12 pk. and smoke a pack while loading primers from a plastic jar. I now have to take more time in the morning to put on my prostetic arm and sometimes to burns to my face cause me some problems but I can still reload. Seriously THINK! Glass and plastic conduct static, enough to set off your primers.

 

[midminnesota]

Heck, I reload after drinking a 12 pk. and smoke a pack while loading primers from a plastic jar. I now have to take more time in the morning to put on my prostetic arm and sometimes to burns to my face cause me some problems but I can still reload. Seriously THINK! Glass and plastic conduct static, enough to set off your primers.

That there was funny, I don't care who you are!!! That might make him rethink that and get some of the used containers from one of the prior posts. Thanks for the laugh