what to do?

[StrawHat]

IF the cartridge fires while seating the primer, what will happen? Not much! The powder will ignite and the bullet will pop out of the case. There is not chamber to contain the cartridge so little pressure will build up.

People have seen too many westerns where ammunition gets dumped in the campfire and bullets start flying. It does not happen that way.

Kevin

 

[rockquarry]

Like it isn't potentially more dangerous to create a "hang fire" situation???
I'm not telling anyone to do anything. As for myself I have no issues seating primers. I have no issues reseating primers in loaded cases and have done so in the past. And will continue to do so in the future.

What I will not do is pull the trigger 2/3/4 times trying to seat the primer deeper so it can go off. This is creating the perfect storm for hang fires/mis-fires.

In my post, I addressed your hangfire concern by stating "if it can be done safely".

Hand priming tools made of what others refer to as "pot metal " (I don't know exactly what that is) wear out and primers can't be fully seated. I learned my lesson on this with Lee Auto Prime tools. I found it best to buy a good quality hand priming tool made of steel and not have to deal with the high primer situation at all. It's still a good idea to always run an index fingertip across every primer after seating it. Takes but a fraction of a second to tell if a primer is fully seated.

 

[rockquarry]

IF the cartridge fires while seating the primer, what will happen? Not much! The powder will ignite and the bullet will pop out of the case. There is not chamber to contain the cartridge so little pressure will build up.

People have seen too many westerns where ammunition gets dumped in the campfire and bullets start flying. It does not happen that way.

Kevin

Again, if you really want to know what can happen if a primer detonates during the seating process, contact Lee Precision. They can tell you all about it.

 

[SMSgt]

I had a LEE hand primer that wore out and was seating primers above flush. The primers would drag when the cylinder rotated. Every single one of the rounds fired without issue. All of them! If you have a revolver with a marginal hammer spring, you might have an issue with not firing the primers.

I've also found a few primers that did not seat fully and simply reseated them. Not on loaded rounds though, but none popped during reseating.

 

[Miracle Man]

If you absolutely need an example of primer detonation during the seating process, contact Lee Precision. They probably have more documented information than anyone else.

Like I said in a previous post I absolutely have had a primer fire while reloading!!! I have no idea what did it? The primer didn't roll over, there was no foreign debris between primer and ram (that I found anyways). There was no dent or dimple on primer, nothing. The anvil was still intact. Again no idea what made it fire?

I was using a Lee single stage press with the holder on top of the press setup. I didn't apply any more pressure than normal. Just a light stroke of arm.

Yes it's probably one in a million. But how many eyes do you have? In my younger days, like I said I have nudged a couple in further here and there. But taking 50 chances? I'll pass.

Like you or somebody said just see if you can shoot them first. If you can't I'd pull em.

 

[rockquarry]

I had a LEE hand primer that wore out and was seating primers above flush. The primers would drag when the cylinder rotated. Every single one of the rounds fired without issue. All of them! If you have a revolver with a marginal hammer spring, you might have an issue with not firing the primers.

I've also found a few primers that did not seat fully and simply reseated them. Not on loaded rounds though, but none popped during reseating.

I used the Lee Auto Prime tools, several of the old original round tray models that eventually wore out and would no longer fully seat primers reliably.

Many claim they have used these tools for thirty or forty years and are still using them. I don't doubt their words. However, if you prime a lot with these tools, say 10,000 or more rounds per year, they're not going to last anywhere close to thirty or forty years, rare exceptions noted. Lubing contact points will probably increase their lifespan, though I doubt anyone really knows by how much.

 

[mikld]

I find it interesting that no one thinks twice about seating a primer in a empty case.

But do the same thing to a loaded round and it becomes dangerous.

Primers only mainly just make a loud noise. A loaded cartridge has powder and a bullet and if the primer fired while the cartridge is in a press, a bunch of shrapnel is produced. Potently harmful to the operator...

 

[Nevada Ed]

Primers only mainly just make a loud noise. A loaded cartridge has powder and a bullet and if the primer fired while the cartridge is in a press, a bunch of shrapnel is produced. Potently harmful to the operator...

I agree 100% with
when a primer is seated, it is a done deal, if any powder is added, along with a bullet to produce a round.
You have two options.

Fire the round if it will chamber or break it down.

Loading ammo is not that hard, if done correctly the 1st time.

Safety checks are a good thing and getting sloppy or not paying attention, causes problems.

If a round "Wabbles" when standing on a table, why ?
Fix the problem.

 

[cmj8591]

I've had two primers ignite while loading ammo. Once in a 30-30 that I was priming on an RCBS bench mounted seating tool and once with a 45acp on a Dillon 550. In both cases the force of the primer just went out through the case mouth and the only damage was my heart skipping a beat. If the same thing happened with a loaded round, the pressure would rupture the case and the bullet might bounce around a little bit. Depending on a lot of variables, the shrapnel could have enough energy to penetrate the skin. It would definitely have enough to do damage to an unprotected eye. I'm not going to say I've never done it, but it's a bit of a fools bet and is the lazy way around what you should really be doing to fix the problem. That is, pull the bullets and start over.

 

[Protocall_Design]

What mikld said is right. A primer in an empty case will just make a loud noise. A loaded round will not give the bullet much velocity or energy, but the case is a mini hand grenade. It does make shrapnel that can imbed deeply and make bad cuts. A lot of people have already said it's highly unlikey to detonate a round by reseating a primer on loaded ammo. That is true. It still could happen.

BUT if it does happen you could be badly injured. For those who choose to do it anyway, please wear earmuffs, safety glasses, a full face shield, a leather work apron, and some way to protect your neck. I'm not doing it, and don't think anyone else should.

 

[Miracle Man]

What mikld said is right. A primer in an empty case will just make a loud noise. A loaded round will not give the bullet much velocity or energy, but the case is a mini hand grenade. It does make shrapnel that can imbed deeply and make bad cuts. A lot of people have already said it's highly unlikey to detonate a round by reseating a primer on loaded ammo. That is true. It still could happen.

BUT if it does happen you could be badly injured. For those who choose to do it anyway, please wear earmuffs, safety glasses, a full face shield, a leather work apron, and some way to protect your neck. I'm not doing it, and don't think anyone else should.

Yep

It's one of those things that just falls into the "it's just not worth it category".

 

[MDF4]

Yep

It's one of those things that just falls into the "it's just not worth it category".

And that is exactly where I'm at. The return on investment is not worth the potential for a disastrous outcome.

 

[venomballistics]

And that is exactly where I'm at. The return on investment is not worth the potential for a disastrous outcome.

My solution, however, leaves you with a very nice rifle you didn't know you needed. and that's a far cry from a disastrous outcome.

 

[rockquarry]

Primers only mainly just make a loud noise. A loaded cartridge has powder and a bullet and if the primer fired while the cartridge is in a press, a bunch of shrapnel is produced. Potently harmful to the operator...

Let your finger, hand, face, etc. inadvertently get in the way of an open case when a primer detonates in a priming tool and confirm that "it only makes a loud noise". I'd rather not seen anyone hurt because of bad advice.

 

[MDF4]

My solution, however, leaves you with a very nice rifle you didn't know you needed. and that's a far cry from a disastrous outcome.

Venom, I am in complete agreement with your solution. In fact, I spent most of the afternoon searching for an LA rifle. Found a 23" Chiapa in 45/70 which would be a perfect saddle gun when riding around my dirt in Tx but not much luck in the 357. You sowed the seed and I don't give up. thanks Hal'

 

[StrawHat]

Marlin made a very good lever action in 357 Magnum. Much better than the Henry.

Other option is Ruger, the made a bolt action rifle for the cartridge.

Kevin

 

[mtgianni]

Contenders are your friend.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

OK, this thread seems to be going in circles and I feel like it's nothing but downhill from here.

The OP has gotten some good advice with different solutions and has already made his decision on what to do so we are done here...