Primer problems

General Ripper

General Ripper

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Westbank, BC
So I was loading some more 223 with my Dillon 650 press. The primers
sometimes need to be jiggled into the pocket so I was working the lever back
and forth a bit. Now I have crushed primers, put them in sideways,
upsidedown and popped the case right out of the shell plate with no serious
results. Well suddenly there was a loud BANG. I froze. All my parts were
still there, no bullet had been launched but there was glass all over the
bench and the indicator rod in the primer magazine was gone. The primer I
was trying to get into the case had detonated causing a chain reaction and
igniting all 100 in the magazine, launching the indicating rod into the
light fixture. I'm done reloading till I get a new primer tube. I had to
drive the aluminum tube out with a hammer. Guess that's why there is a
steel outer tube.

primer-tube.jpg


John
 
Man, glad you're OK. Are your ears still ringing?

Funnily enough, just yesterday, I was reading Richard Lee's strong opposition to tube-shaped primer-feeders. He describes how dangerous a primer chain-reaction can be...
 
Ya a bit. I just stood there looking at the press trying to figure out what happened. I knew the one primer went off but it took a minute to figure the whole bunch went too. Safety glasses were on!

John
 
Not only is Richard Lee opposed to primer tubes but Ed Matunas (author/editor of many reloading manuals) wrote the best thing to do was to hacksaw off the primer tube at the base of your press. I prefer to prime off the press with my Hornady hand held priming tool. My eyes and ears are too valuable.
 
I found it too hard to get the right feel when priming on my Dillon 550. I had a few primers go off but nothing near as bad as your experience. I phoned Dillon and asked what the problem could be, they told me to stop using Fedaral match primers. I went back to seating primers on a single stage press with a Lee auto prime and have not had a problem since.
 
What's the point of a dillon 550 if you prime by hand?

I've had my dillon with it's primer tubes for 15-16 years now. I've had one primer go off at the press after many 10s of 1000s. And it was my fault for being rammy.

I fail to understand how pushing a primer in with one brand of press can cause more primers to go off than pushing primers in with another brand of press.
 
I've probably put more than 20,000 federal small pistol primers into 38 special(no ka-boom) in my dillon 650. I wonder if ripper had some primer pocket crimp on his .223, shell plate and index ball-spring working properly, and clean priming punch. Every question has an answer.
 
joe-nwt said:
What's the point of a dillon 550 if you prime by hand?

I've had my dillon with it's primer tubes for 15-16 years now. I've had one primer go off at the press after many 10s of 1000s. And it was my fault for being rammy.

I fail to understand how pushing a primer in with one brand of press can cause more primers to go off than pushing primers in with another brand of press.
Click to expand...

different press's feed different ways , I know on my lee loadmaster the primers are side by side in the trough rather than one on top of each other in a tube . When some thing expolodes dose it not take the path least of resistence ? if primers are side by side the explosion should go from the anvil and out and give it less chance of setting the others off , In a tube where they are ontop of each other when one go's anvil side up as least path of resistance ,there is a good chance you will set off more .
Just my thought of the matter
 
Well I talked with Dillon this morning. The guy was very casual about it and said he would put a whole new primer system in the mail...free. I will be a little more careful with the setup for my 223. Never had an issue with my 1,000's of .40 pistol rounds. Also I think I will not fill the primer magazine. I don't load fast anyway. Not to get into what is a better or worse system....I have what I have and will make it work. All chalked up to experience.

John
 
joe-nwt said:
What's the point of a dillon 550 if you prime by hand?

I've had my dillon with it's primer tubes for 15-16 years now. I've had one primer go off at the press after many 10s of 1000s. And it was my fault for being rammy.

I fail to understand how pushing a primer in with one brand of press can cause more primers to go off than pushing primers in with another brand of press.
Click to expand...

I get a better feel when priming on the down stroke of the press rather than the up stoke. The other point is my 550 has been collecting dust for 5 years because it does not throw Varget powder accurately enough for my match ammo. Maybe I am being a bit anal about it but a .5 gr spread doesn't cut it at 1000 yards.
 
maynard said:
I get a better feel when priming on the down stroke of the press rather than the up stoke. The other point is my 550 has been collecting dust for 5 years because it does not throw Varget powder accurately enough for my match ammo. Maybe I am being a bit anal about it but a .5 gr spread doesn't cut it at 1000 yards.
Click to expand...

Well in your first post it sounded like you were still using the dillon but priming elsewhere. I don't use my dillon for rifle either. Not because I'm worried about accuracy at 1000 yards, (not into that yet) but I like building each round individually on a single stage, just cuz.:)
 
joe-nwt said:
Well in your first post it sounded like you were still using the dillon but priming elsewhere. I don't use my dillon for rifle either. Not because I'm worried about accuracy at 1000 yards, (not into that yet) but I like building each round individually on a single stage, just cuz.:)
Click to expand...

Yep, did that for a while using the Dillon as a single stage. I thought the Dillon was throwing powder OK. I would throw the charge a little under then weigh then and trickle up to what I wanted. Like I said about .5 gr spread.
Then one day I took out my old Hornady powder measure and found it was more consistant. It throws charges either right on the money (60% of the time) or .1 gr under.
So I am back to a single stage Redding Big Boss press, a Hornady powder measure and an RCBS digital scale. I have 1500 cases to get ready so it is going to take a while:eek:
 
Federal Primers

maynard said:
I found it too hard to get the right feel when priming on my Dillon 550. I had a few primers go off but nothing near as bad as your experience. I phoned Dillon and asked what the problem could be, they told me to stop using Fedaral match primers. I went back to seating primers on a single stage press with a Lee auto prime and have not had a problem since.
Click to expand...

I read the instructions on my Lee Auto-Prime a while back and was surprised to see the following quote "DO NOT USE FEDERAL PRIMERS IN A LEE AUTO-PRIME". This surprised me so I sent an email to Federal asking for their comments. Their only reply was "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion"

I've seated 100,000 + primers over the years, at least half of them were Federal without a problem. Because of the various warnings I have switch exclusively to CCI unless I can't get the CCI's I need. Too bad as Federals have worked well for me.
 
Ya ....I did. I think I'll move that light from over the press for next time. I don't know how many use this press but most people put a weight on the follow rod that sets off the low primer warning. Typically a 45 case. Well I did. Man that case went through that flourescent light like nothing.

John
 
General Ripper said:
Ya ....I did. I think I'll move that light from over the press for next time. I don't know how many use this press but most people put a weight on the follow rod that sets off the low primer warning. Typically a 45 case. Well I did. Man that case went through that flourescent light like nothing.

John
Click to expand...

Holy crap!! I use a .45-70 case filled with shot. Better tell the wife to sit on a piece of steel while she is s(crap)booking upstairs!!!
 
General Ripper said:
Talked to a friend today and he suggested that primer dust could have caused the multiple detonation. Should be blown out regularly? Possible?

John
Click to expand...

I kind of agree with your buddy. Make sure that all the primer dust and power around your shell plate is cleaned up after each reloading session. I have a little air compressor in my reloading room and I blow off my 650 everytime. Then I vacuum it off the bench/floor with a dust buster....not my wife's central vac. You'd be amazed at how that stuff burns. Just for kicks one time I emptied the vac on our driveway and threw a match at it.
 
gunster said:
I read the instructions on my Lee Auto-Prime a while back and was surprised to see the following quote "DO NOT USE FEDERAL PRIMERS IN A LEE AUTO-PRIME". This surprised me so I sent an email to Federal asking for their comments. Their only reply was "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion"

I've seated 100,000 + primers over the years, at least half of them were Federal without a problem. Because of the various warnings I have switch exclusively to CCI unless I can't get the CCI's I need. Too bad as Federals have worked well for me.
Click to expand...

Could just be internet lore but I remember reading that years ago, LEE and Federal got into a pissing match about something. In the end LEE now puts a warning about using Federal primers on all their products.
I have never had a problem with Federal 210M or 205M primers when using my LEE auto prime.
 
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