Has anyone ever had a primer go off when seating it?

Yes a couple months ago. I use a basic RCBS hand primer and as my cousin says "you have hands like hammers". I was trying to hard seat a particularly loose pocket, so I was thinking it could happen. It did shock me though. No big deal. I popped the old one out and stuffed a new one in. I don't point them at my face as a basic principle. Cheers
 
Funny the most terrifying was watching tv and using one of those lee primer hand tools. Bang!
In progressive loaders its, why did that happen.
There are those that have had it happen and those that it will eventually happen.
 
I am glad I ran into this thread.
Tinkering about this my issue for the entire winter.
Last summer I inherited a box of 100 brass, seized and primer installed. I have no more about these brass history, unfortunately.
About in Nov-Dec I decided to do reloading by myself, starting fresh from a scratch. Collected all the tools needed.
I loaded 5x5 cases with incremental powder (from these primed brass), seated the bullets with 0.003" pressfit. Ready to test for groups 300, but since December the weather was not cooperating at my place, so far.
To make my story short, I figure out, when pressing the bullets the press force was not even across the batch.
I would like to run a mandrel on remaining brass (primers installed) to get a 0.001" press fit, expecting the brass will spring back and I may end up about 0.0015" ish.
I am watching these primed brass for over two months now, almost every day.... to do it or not to do it?
 
roba said:
I had some go off years ago with the old manual lee loader when knocking the sized case out and on to the primer, startled you but that was all. In hindsight I believe ny case lube was poor and I was whacking the brass out too hard
Click to expand...
If the punch has a close tolerance with the case mouth and pressure can build up in the case, would it act like a compression fire starter to light off the primer?
 
I had one go off while I was using a Hornady hand primer with Federal primers. Sitting in the living room, talking to Mrs Cariboo, she was watching tv with the cat on her lap. About 6-7 years ago…. We are still looking for the cat.
 
In over 50 years of loading, I have never had this happen. I did have one primer that had been deprimed and got lost on the floor, go off when a heavy wooden box was accidentally dragged over it. That wakes a person up in a hurry. I have used hand priming tools for the past 45 years, and being able to feel the seating process, it should never happen.
 
bigHUN said:
I am glad I ran into this thread.
Tinkering about this my issue for the entire winter.
Last summer I inherited a box of 100 brass, seized and primer installed. I have no more about these brass history, unfortunately.
About in Nov-Dec I decided to do reloading by myself, starting fresh from a scratch. Collected all the tools needed.
I loaded 5x5 cases with incremental powder (from these primed brass), seated the bullets with 0.003" pressfit. Ready to test for groups 300, but since December the weather was not cooperating at my place, so far.
To make my story short, I figure out, when pressing the bullets the press force was not even across the batch.
I would like to run a mandrel on remaining brass (primers installed) to get a 0.001" press fit, expecting the brass will spring back and I may end up about 0.0015" ish.
I am watching these primed brass for over two months now, almost every day.... to do it or not to do it?
Click to expand...
I have resized the necks of some rifle ammo. I use Lee Collet dies, and when I get them I cut the de capping pins off. No problems. I have also pushed live primers out of the case as well. I just go very slowly. ( Federal primers ) I always wear safety glasses.
 
Once. I wasn't seating a primer. I still don't know how it happened. I was leaning forward to do something to my Dillon, I must have pressed forward on the lever and BANG!

It was a long time ago. If I recall, it set off a few more primers in the tube. It bulged but held together. Dillon sent me new parts, no charge, part of their no BS guarantee.
 
bigHUN said:
I would like to run a mandrel on remaining brass (primers installed) to get a 0.001" press fit, expecting the brass will spring back and I may end up about 0.0015" ish.
Click to expand...
nothing to worry about with what you want to do, folks have been running primed cases into a case mouth expander/flaring die for ages and I have never heard of any primers being pushed out of a case with the air compression pressure it causes.
 
It happened to me once, it was a lee loader and I was priming S&B brass for the 303 and it was a really tight primer pocket, after that I started tapping the primers in opposed to a single wack to seat them
 
wrangler4867 said:
Once. I wasn't seating a primer. I still don't know how it happened. I was leaning forward to do something to my Dillon, I must have pressed forward on the lever and BANG!

It was a long time ago. If I recall, it set off a few more primers in the tube. It bulged but held together. Dillon sent me new parts, no charge, part of their no BS guarantee.
Click to expand...
I have had 2 primers go off in my old Lee Loadmaster and 4 in my Dillon 650 (none in the 550), all single primers (Fed SP) except the last one in the 650, detonated an entire new stand...destroyed the tubes and primer follower and all the lights above us ( buddy was running my press loading some of his own). His eyes were big & glowing like the digital cartoon characters on TV now..."I think I pushed to hard"....do-ya think!!

I think that is why Dillon came out with the "750" model....the only change i can see was going to a 550 priming tool method into a 650 press
 
fingers284 said:
I have had 2 primers go off in my old Lee Loadmaster and 4 in my Dillon 650 (none in the 550), all single primers (Fed SP) except the last one in the 650, detonated an entire new stand...destroyed the tubes and primer follower and all the lights above us ( buddy was running my press loading some of his own). His eyes were big & glowing like the digital cartoon characters on TV now..."I think I pushed to hard"....do-ya think!!

I think that is why Dillon came out with the "750" model....the only change i can see was going to a 550 priming tool method into a 650 press
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure it was my 550 that erupted. I'm thinking there weren't many primers in the tube at the time or it would have been louder.
 
Not while priming, but I did once drop a newly-complete 9mm round on my rough concrete floor and it hit just right to set it off.
I've now put foam floor pads around my reloading area....
 
rideonjon said:
Has anyone ever had a primer go off when seating it?

i had one go off on Sunday while installing some Federal LRP into some .243 Win brass.

Luckily it was pointed away from my face,gave my wife a scare though.

Hornady hand primer with the appropriate large rifle primer rod.

First time out of probably 5000 rounds loaded.
Click to expand...
I've had one go off too - only happened once. Also Federal. Startled me, but luckily no injuries. Lots of guys find out the hard way why safety glasses are a good idea.

I'm glad to hear you weren't hurt.
 
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