primer removal

[Gary D]

Just wondering, what's the best way to remove a live primer from a damaged casing. Not that I need to use it again, just want to safely dispose of the bad brass.

 

[Gatehouse]

If you can chamber it in your gun, do so, and pull the trigger. Wear ear pro and point in safe direction.

If you cannot chamber, drop it in a container of oil for a couple of weeks. Or soak with WD-40 for a few days.

Or chuck it in your bonfire (with ear pro on)

 

[Splatter]

Or with ear and eye protection, of course, crush it with a hammer or in a vice.

 

[bnichols]

Oil doesn't seem to work reliably for me. Bonfire may be best. Eye protection.

 

[Ganderite]

Can't you just pop it out in your press? That's what a decapping pin is for. Push, don't hit.

 

[Gatehouse]

Can't you just pop it out in your press? That's what a decapping pin is for. Push, don't hit.

That works too, but if the case is damaged, you may ned to se more force than you want with a live primer

 

[SandRoad]

This has been discussed before. If you don't want to just pop out a live primer, drop the cartridge in WATER overnight, then deprime.

Oil is not necessary and is very messy. Primer compounds are originally made from a water based slurry and water will soften it back up again making it safe.

 

[Gary D]

thanks for the replies

 

[x-Hare]

And after pushing them out with the decapper don't forget to reuse them.
I've never had a failure yet but then again I'm living right and have good Karma. LOL

 

[Smitty]

I simply pop it out with the press, catch the good though non-used primer & use it over again. It never fails me in all these yrs of reloading & others in our Club are doing the same. So never a failure as of to date.

 

[Cerdan]

Haha, same here x-Hare. I must've reused a dozen decapped primers, never had a problem.

 

[Ganderite]

If you were bound and determined to remove a live primer from a mangled case, here is another method. I have done it, but for different reasons.

Hold the case mouth with a pair of pliers and cook the case base with a butane torch. Watch where you aim the case. The primer will blast out with some velocity (I actually chronographed it once) and a blast will shoot out the case mouth.

 

[kombayotch]

Oil doesn't seem to work reliably for me. Bonfire may be best. Eye protection.

As a kid, I once put a primed 308 case I took down in an empty tuna can with some stove oil around it and lite it. The primer was fired through the side of the can. My .177 caliber BRNO pellet gun (500 fps) couldn't penetrate that can at point blank range...

 

[H4831]

X2. Been doing it for years. Never had a failure.

 

[curtmg]

Haha, same here x-Hare. I must've reused a dozen decapped primers, never had a problem.

There's 36 cents in your pocket, good work! Myself, I'm too paranoid to reuse anything the slightest bit suspect. I just dumped 25 rounds of powder and primers from my 300WM, so about 1700 Grains of powder and 25 primers. I had two misfires in the batch, didn't want to leave anything to chance.

 

[t-star]

if the case is mangled so bad you can't use it, you can always take a TUBING CUTTERor a hacksaw to it just ahead of the base, and then put the remains in your press and press it out as before

 

[liberal-hater]

As some have said, if you can run it through your sizer or decapping die, do it. If the case is mangled, what I always do is clamp the case in a vise, and with hearing protection on, use a hammer and a center punch to pop it. Then it's all safe to put in your scrap brass pail.

Don't think that water immersion for a day will kill it. I had some primed cases in a flood, they were wet for over a month. And after drying them out and popping them in the gun, 1/3 had a strong bang, 1/3 had a weak one.

 

[Cerdan]

There's 36 cents in your pocket, good work!

Thanks! My mama told me that's how people get rich.