Decapping Live Primers

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  • Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    Up to now, when mashing a shell casing with a misaligned bullet, I've jut discarded the damaged casing with the live primer.

    But with the (non-)availability of primers these days, I'm wondering if that's necessary. I've seen guidance that live primers can be "carefully" removed.

    You-all agree? What does "carefully" mean? Just not slamming the ram up? And wearing eye protection, and not peering down the casing?

    I notice that the pin on the decapping die would contact the center of the anvil.

    Or is it better just to trash the damaged casing with primer?
     

    GunBum

    Active Member
    Feb 21, 2018
    751
    SW Missouri
    How often are you screwing them up that makes this worthwhile?

    Maybe fix that, and don’t worry about harvesting live primers.
     

    Traveler

    Lighten up Francis
    Jan 18, 2013
    8,227
    AA County
    I just go the safe route, and fire the primer in a firearm. Then, and only then, I deprime it. It's not worth the eye injury to cut corners.
     

    gwfrench

    Active Member
    Aug 21, 2014
    199
    Frederick, MD
    Just used the RCBS decapping die to de-prime about 20 LC 7.62 brass from pulled rounds. The brass were from 1,000 pulled brass I bought a year or two ago. The brass were damaged during the pulling operation. Just do it moderately slowly, they all came out clean. Of course, I'm not re-using the expelled primers. Just wanted the brass nice and safe for recycling.
     

    Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    OK, understand not to think about re-using live primers even if removed. Makes sense; the anvil would probably be damaged in the best case.

    I'm not even going to bother removing them. Just empty the powder, soak the damaged case with primer in oil, then discard.

    Thanks.

    (Doesn't happen often -- maybe once every 300 rounds.)
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I’ve done it. Put on eyes and ears and be careful and slow. I’ve only done it like half a dozen times. I re-used them. Marked the 9mm I put them in to to make sure I knew which ones they were. All fired fine.

    Not something I’d normally do. But I was curious and F-ed up a string of a few rounds.

    Now I just take them to the range with me an drop them in the dud can. Though I think I’ve only done it twice since.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,734
    Socialist State of Maryland
    I just decapped 200 rounds from a caliber I don't use anymore. If you use a hand press with a Lee universal decapper, you will have no problem. You can feel how tight or not, the primer is in the pocket. I have never had one go off and I have been removing them this way for probably as long as I have been reloading. Now, if the primer is in upside down, I scrap the case.

    I don't reuse the primers in cases I am using for matches, just practice. I don't know that it makes a difference but just in case, I don't want to loose any points from a flaky primer. Back in the '60's and '70's we had to be really careful with primers as you were single loading and you used a rolling pad to lube your case. (there were no carbide dies around then) At that time, I remember having primer failures from time to time. Since I started loading with a Dillon machine, I can't remember the last time a primer failed to ignite.
     

    PowPow

    Where's the beef?
    Nov 22, 2012
    4,712
    Howard County
    I put on my eyes and ears while decapping live primers. Never had one go off in that process. I do re-use the primers. The re-used ones have always (thus far) gone boom.
     

    Flametamer

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 6, 2014
    796
    Frederick County
    I have reused decapped primers for quite a while. I decap with a Frankford Arsenal hand decapper, so i can feel exactly what I'm doing. Have not yet had a primer go bang during the process, and they all have gone bang when i wanted them to do so. Also, i have yet to break a decapping pin whole working by hand, and i have had more than my share of Berdan primed brass.

    I find it relaxing to sit on the deck and deprime and sort my spent brass, watching the critters play. Can do several hundred an hour, depending on how many breaks i take for a sip....
     

    My Toy

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 31, 2008
    1,194
    Westminster
    I put on my eyes and ears while decapping live primers. Never had one go off in that process. I do re-use the primers. The re-used ones have always (thus far) gone boom.

    I've done the same thing a few times in 35 years and didn't have a problem.
    Key words: a few times. Would never make a regular practice of it; mostly just had to satisfy my curiosity that it would work with the thought that in the future may be necessary depending on the situation.
     

    Cochise

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 5, 2008
    1,383
    Rockville
    reloading / decapping

    I have decapped live primers for pistol and mostly shotshells. I have used the decapped live primers as well.
    The real issue for me is you need to know which primers they are as different brands give different pressure.
    For light plinking loads or shotshell target loads this probably isn't an issue but I wouldn't do it with anything that could be high pressure
     

    Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    Funny... For the first few posts of this thread, everyone was saying "for God's sake don't de-cap and re-use live primers."

    Now everyone is saying "sure!" :-)

    I still don't think it's worth it, for the few mangled casings I come up with...
     

    Harrys

    Short Round
    Jul 12, 2014
    3,362
    SOMD
    Funny... For the first few posts of this thread, everyone was saying "for God's sake don't de-cap and re-use live primers."

    Now everyone is saying "sure!" :-)

    I still don't think it's worth it, for the few mangled casings I come up with...

    Yup when you do de-cap them you damage the seal over the primer which can cause a shell not to fire. and now you may have a round cooking off slowly.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I have reused decapped primers for quite a while. I decap with a Frankford Arsenal hand decapper, so i can feel exactly what I'm doing. Have not yet had a primer go bang during the process, and they all have gone bang when i wanted them to do so. Also, i have yet to break a decapping pin whole working by hand, and i have had more than my share of Berdan primed brass.

    I find it relaxing to sit on the deck and deprime and sort my spent brass, watching the critters play. Can do several hundred an hour, depending on how many breaks i take for a sip....

    That’s what I’ve used when I’ve decapped live primers.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Yup when you do de-cap them you damage the seal over the primer which can cause a shell not to fire. and now you may have a round cooking off slowly.

    Can damage. The paper seal sits below the rim of the primer.
     

    ras_oscar

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 23, 2014
    1,666
    I have had the need to decap one or two live primers. I generally place the empty, primed case in a firearm and pull the trigger, then treat it as any other range brass.

    To get a sense of reality, try pressing your finger against the firing pin of a revolver and pulling the trigger. I did it once to get over my initial fear of primers going bang if I dropped them. Hurts like a sonfoabitch but gives you more perspective. I still respect primers, i just don't fear them. It takes quite a bit of force to set one off.
     

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