Reloading primer kaboom

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socal s&w

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I have followed some of this thread on another forum and thought that perhaps it should at least be displayed here to inform this forum.

This link is of the last page of the thread, but probably the most informative.

Reloading Kaboom Yesterday - Please Learn From This - Page 9 - Calguns.net

You might wish to take heed, or not, I'm simply passing this information on. You decide.

Please moderators, if this is not something that should be done, please allow me a mistake and let me know not to do this again.
 
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Calliope said:
Two things in reloading I refuse to do.
Seat a bullet without seeing the powder charge and use primer tubes.
Click to expand...

+2.

I use a discontinued Lee Auto Prime 2 press mounted priming system. You still have 100 primers in contact with each other, but if you use canned air to clean it each time before using, the possibility of multiple ignition is next to nothing and no more that of hand priming systems.
 
Just the justification I need to buy one of these!

Dillon-Web-Cat_0027_zpsfa15398b.jpg


Seriously, over the past few years I have read and seen evidence of seemingly every mishap possible when reloading. It reminds me to ask God that I be kept safe every time I step up to the press.

This hobby comes with risks. We are dabbling in things explosive.

Thanks for the reminder.
 
I'm not always sure that the people who have accidents adequately explain or even investigate why they occurred. There is always some pics of injury and damaged flesh, but usually the reason for the occurrence is some theory that never seems quite right to me. Static electricity discharge... seems a bit of a reach to me.

The only times that my old RL1050 would fire a primer, it was always run down to a CCI brass blazer case in 45acp with smaller primer pockets that had somehow gotten in with the good stuff. It took a long time to isolate it to that. My brother had gotten a large quanitity of brass that he wanted to reload and he just brought it over and dumped it into a 5 gallon barrel without separating it. At that time I didn't know that CCI brass blazer had the smaller pockets but I found out.
 
Some folks ARE IN TOO MUCH OF A HURRY,

and _ _ _ _ HAPPENS!

Instant Gratification and Reloading can cause you ISSUES, Big ones too.
 
I had a primer go off when seating a 223 case. It was an american case and not a military case. It would not go in and I had to remove the case from the shell holder. I dropped the case with the primer only about half way in. It hit the concrete floor and went off. The case took off and stuck in the heating duct in my room. I almost wet myself.:eek: I now use a rubber rug in my reloading area.
 
I've used tubes for a very long time and have never had a primer go off. I've even crushed a few in a Lee Auto Prime 2 and they didn't go off. I do know that a Kirby vacuum will set them off though.

From what I'd read, and that I can remember, the only things that are supposed to set them off are impact and fire/excessive heat and I wouldn't think a "spark" would be enough to do it, especially if they were coated or had a foil cover. I'll have to look it up. Too bad this wasn't posted back in the spring, it sounds like a good test.
 
i have been lucky, ive crushed primers in sideways and upside down with my rcbs hand primer, havent had one go off yet.(thank you)
then you gotta decap the little fellas with live damaged primers, if you want the brass
how about reseating high primers in loaded ammo? you pay your money and you take your chances
does everybody use eye protection?
 
Yes, I always use OSHA approved safety goggles over my reading glasses when handling primers. I use the RCBS automatic priming tool and load several tubes at a time. I've never had a problem and never heard of anyone who did. With all the safety warnings on products today (bought a step ladder recently?) I would think by now there would be warnings on these products if there was a problem.
 
I read the link and one thing came to mind... Static electric sparks don't imply heat//fire/burn. Every walk across a carpet and touch a light switch and get that static spark - often up to a full inch? Did you get a burn? No. I knew a man who was struck by lightening but no heat burn. I work with high voltage tubes a lot and have been bitten many times but no burn. The article implies that all static electric sparks make searing heat. That is usually not the case. It takes current (ampers) to make the heat. Voltage alone won't do it - that's how stun-guns work.

While static can set off explosive things, it is usually by some other means other than heat. If there were enough static, there could be the "flame" element resulting in ignition, like how a spark plug works. Even blasting caps can go off with a small electrical charge but, again, it wasn't the "heat factor".

The cause of the mishap remains unknown but, much of the dialog didn't come across as convincing to me.
 
" I almost wet myself. I now use a rubber rug in my reloading area."

Is the rug for bouncing ammo or catching pee?:p (Sorry, couldn't resist..;))
 
Years ago I bought an anti-static rug (from an electronics supply) to go on the floor under my reloading bench. Living in dry Arizona means static discharge issues all year. I've never felt a static spark when reloading. The rug has a grid of wires through it and it rests on the concrete slab. It was a cheap and very effective solution.
 
Man, what's it like.....

R865 said:
Years ago I bought an anti-static rug (from an electronics supply) to go on the floor under my reloading bench. Living in dry Arizona means static discharge issues all year. I've never felt a static spark when reloading. The rug has a grid of wires through it and it rests on the concrete slab. It was a cheap and very effective solution.
Click to expand...

Man, what's it like on a cold, clear day???
 
I have reloaded tens of thousands of rounds of all many different cartridges. I have seated primers upside down, sideways, forced them through crimped pockets, decapped live primers through crimped pockets and used Lee trays and Dillon drop tubes. I never had a primer go off during the loading process. I managed to break two Lee Autoprimes and fracture the crank of one Dillon RL550B when I was going through the phase of crush fit primers in my revolvers. Any primer in good condition can suffer horrible abuse and still fire with near certain reliability. It seems making one go off unintentionally takes quite a bit of effort.

Dave Sinko
 
my reloading area shares some space with my electronics death chamber.
I switch out the o scope and bench power for presses and the like ... what remains a constant is the ground line
 
Last year I was reloading nines on my dillon 1050. Coffee cup on the bench, Winston the cat sleeping on a few rags on the end of the bench.
As quiet and as calm as it gets.

I had just filled the empty primer tube and my first stroke of the press set off the entire tube. VERY loud and very smoky. Poor cat didn't come downstairs or sit on the bench again for a VERY long time.

Worst deal......NO idea exactly why the tube went off.
 
David Sinko said:
I have reloaded tens of thousands of rounds of all many different cartridges. I have seated primers upside down, sideways, forced them through crimped pockets, decapped live primers through crimped pockets and used Lee trays and Dillon drop tubes. I never had a primer go off during the loading process. Dave Sinko
Click to expand...

Me either. And I've done some really dumb things in my days.
 
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