Primer Handling?

T

TrxR

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What everyone's opinions on primer handling. Is it a an absolute no no to handle primer with your bare hands? If so is it because of the oils on your hands? What about using latex or nytrile style gloves?

Thanks
 
Use your bare fingers. You'd have to have some seriously oily fingers to kill the primer.
 
There have been many reports of primers soaked in dish soap and water still going off as well as those soaked in WD40 and other penetrating oils still going off. Modern primers seem to be very chemical resistant.
 
As I've read, it was mostly older primers that were susceptible to dying from oils and whatnot. New primers seem to be sealed somehow to protect them. I think this is why we have conflicting stories of people dunking primers in oils and some fail while other work normally.

I've handled my primers from day one, even dropped a few and dusted them off. Shot 99 so far, zero failures of any kind.
 
I usually wash my hands before I start and when I'm finished reloading. If I'm using a priming tool with a tray I dump the primers in and don't touch them. If I am only loading 5-20 rounds single stage I will pick up each primer with clean dry hands and prime. Never had a problem.
 
I had an issue about 45 years ago with some Alcan primers that I was handling with my fingers.
I do not handle them any more than I have to, but feel that the newer primers are much more
resistant to contamination than those back in the day.
Eagleye.
 
I wouldn't change the oil in my truck or eat a rack of BBQ moose ribs without washing my hands prior to handling primers, but thats about it. The old stories of oil in your skin deactivating primers is bunk with modern primers. Only been loading for about 20 years, so primers prior to that I can't comment on.
 
i put touched primers aside and load them for non critical stuff, like fireforming or load testing, never seen one fail, but if i were in the middle of something important and it did i would not be happy
 
A thread like this absolutely floors me!
By its very name, Canadian Gunnutz, one would think the members were gun and shooting hobbiests and thus would have a good knowledge of the sport.
Then we find a group on here who believe that touching a primer may render it innoperative!!!!!!!!
How far from the truth can any group of little sheep get?
 
H4831,
This has been the trend for the past year. Earlier this summer, I actually found a thread that basically told people you can't kill a moose with a .308. I am not really sure where we are going with this forum, but my perusing it has definitely dropped off signifcantly due to such opinions.
I have dropped primers on the floor and not picked them up for days, even weeks, until I swept the floor. Put them in a case and observed no detrimental effects.
I have even (GASP!!) scooped powder from the can into the palm of my hand to transfer it to the measure, and it still was able to throw a bullet hard enough and far enough to knock down 4 deer that year. Perhaps my stuff is just made better or I just don't give a sh!t so it is determined to work despite my slothful practices...
 
For pistol reloading I don't care about bare hands. For rifle reloading I've probably read too much on the internet and now I try not to touch them at all. The ones I do touch end up being used for fire forming, plinking, and fouling shots.

edited to correct grammatical error
 
Maybe we get threads like this because some people are newer to reloading and don't know the answer to everything already, so they ask here on a website, where they hope to encounter more experienced and knowledgeable people to help them with knowledge.

Since few of us were born with complete knowledge of everything already, I think it's reasonable to ask others for help when required. Experienced CGN members are usually happy to help, although some just want to ##### out new people, it seems.
 
And here i was going to start running around my loading room, waving my hands in the air while yelling "we are doomed". I am amazed at some of the advise that shows up here.
 
handle primers with your fingers,surething.i even put a pile of powder on the bench/table when reloading.pick it up with my fingers and trickle it onto scale.never had a FTF yet.
 
When I started reloading, some 45 years ago, I used a Lee Loader on the kitchen table. I carefully placed each one on the base with my bare hands. I remember reading somewhere, probably in a gun magazine or reloading manual, that handling them with bare fingers may cause them to fail, due to the oil contamination. Back then, we had only books and word of mouth to garner information like that. Often, it was too little, too late. These days, a simple post on a site such as this can get hordes of responses. I'll take today's methods of gaining knowledge, thank you.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. I learn things about reloading on here every day.
 
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