DIY Primers

[Mark K]

Anyone ever try this for making primers?

https://sharpshooter-22lr-reloader.m...iming-compound

Seems better than fooling around with toy caps and such...

I've still got primers for now, but I've just ordered two packages of these.

This is the sort of thing that more and more vendors should be offering these days...

[whistlersmother]

Here: https://www.mdshooters.com/showthrea...23#post6182223

I believe the compound is corrosive.

[guzma393]

Sounds like the old H-48 formula, which is definitely corrosive. Here's a solid reference for DIY primers: http://aardvarkreloading.com/primers.html

Vendors most likely do not offer it due to a liability standpoint. Selling raw materials to make a fairly strong and sensitive "energetic" sounds like trouble. This should only be done in small quantities.

With all the naysayers aside, it's definitely possible to reload primers. It's just super tedious and inferior compared to store bought stuff.

[Archeryrob]

Never heard of this. Are you to use a flat punch and flatten the ding out of the old primer too?

[Mark K]

Originally Posted by guzma393

Sounds like the old H-48 formula, which is definitely corrosive.

OK, so quite-possibly corrosive. I don't have any experience with corrosive primers, or powders for that matter. Just a matter of cleaning the firearm -- particularly bore -- after shooting? Which not everyone does, but I certainly do... Or does it cause other insidious damage?

Originally Posted by guzma393

Here's a solid reference for DIY primers: http://aardvarkreloading.com/primers.html

That looks like a great resource that I'll have to study. Thank you.

Originally Posted by guzma393

With all the naysayers aside, it's definitely possible to reload primers. It's just super tedious and inferior compared to store bought stuff.

Well, yeah, but with store-bought primers basically unavailable, that changes everything...

Originally Posted by Archeryrob

Never heard of this. Are you to use a flat punch and flatten the ding out of the old primer too?

I'm not doing this -- yet -- but yes, that's the idea. And of course take out and replace the anvil. I figure I'd need to somehow ultrasonically clean the stuff too, small as it is. Tedious as hell, but good to have an emergency procedure in case I run out of "real" primers.

[guzma393]

Corrosive ammo means that the primer is corrosive (smokeless powder is non-corrosive, but black powder is corrosive) due to containing chlorate salts (in the case of H48, potassium chlorate). After firing, the residue is hydrophilic, building moisture and eventual rusting in the barrel/wherever the residue resides.

I pour hot water down the bore and gas system and scrub the bolt face and general areas with soap and water. I then spay everything down with CLP, wipe down the excess and let it air dry for 2-3 hours. The oily film stays behind and the gun is reassembled. It's a good practice to check 2-3 days after cleaning for any surface rust. Running the gun again will vaporize and seep out the rest of the CLP and is easily wiped off. Repeat this process for the next corrosive ammo firing.

[clsx]

You can also make potassium chlorate from electrolysis, as demonstrated here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itAnVJ2vpHQ

Thanks guzma393 for tipping me off that that chlorate salts are hydrophilic. I just saw the video linked above a day or two ago and it had been on my mind to find out whether or not it was corrosive.

[whistlersmother]

Right. Given enough necessity and time, bans do nothing. Gov would have to ban dirt.

[Mark K]

OK... then... this stuff would probably work in an emergency, however you define that. As long as the gun is cleaned promptly and thoroughly.

Without looking in detail at all the videos in http://aardvarkreloading.com/primers.html, what non-corrosive formula is do-able for the average person? Looks like EPS5, for one, isn't so much...

[guzma393]

Originally Posted by Mark K

OK... then... this stuff would probably work in an emergency, however you define that. As long as the gun is cleaned promptly and thoroughly.

Without looking in detail at all the videos in http://aardvarkreloading.com/primers.html, what non-corrosive formula is do-able for the average person? Looks like EPS5, for one, isn't so much...

Yeah, my only way of acquiring non-corrosive priming compound is crushing the rim of de-milled 22lr duds/22lr nail-gun blanks with a vice and extracting out a bit of the compound. Very tedious, but still something.