Question: Risk of igniting ammo during clip reload?

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Geoknyda

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Hi I am new to firearms and will obviously be reloading clips and will eventually become familiar with the process.

However, I notice that clips are metal! Is there a risk that while reloading center-fire rounds, the primer could be scratched, igniting the powder in the cartridge!?

Please forgive me if this is a ridiculous question, but I am so new I am going to the range for the first time in my life this weekend.
I've done a lot of reading about how guns and ammo operate, but there is no substitute for asking experienced firearms owners.

FYI I am aware that the primer in center-fire cartridges are impact-based and require a lot more direct impact force than a little scratch from loading by hand into a clip... but is it so improbable that as long as I reload gently and carefully, everything should be okay? Is the primer recessed by like 1mm or 0.5mm from the cartridge base to prevent scratching when reloading?

Thanks again for all your help :)
 
Been like that for at least 100 years, so I'm going to say you're safe. Also why tube mags don't use pointy style rifle ammo, like 223
 
Thanks so much for your responses, CAM and ipscgraz.

Both of you bring a lot of logic in answering the question, and I appreciate that. I most certainly will not be loading with a hammer
(LOOOL) and although I like the movie, I will not be garnering gloves with scissors (HAHAHAAH!)
 
Think of it this way. There are millions of rimfire rifles out there that use detachable magazines. The priming compound of these cartridges is in the rim.

When loading the magazine, scratching the rim of the cartridge is inevitable. This never sets off the primer, it requires a blow of some intensity to cause
it to fire.

You are perfectly safe, OP to load your magazines. Scratching the primer will not set it off. :) Dave.
 
Thanks again everyone, I do appreciate the insight and perspectives! They have definitely abated my concerns about reloading the mags and I will have a really enjopyable time at the range this weekend!
 
A clip and a magazine are not the same thing, but loading either is quite safe. Other than throwing the ammo in a fire, there is not much you could do to set off the ammo, even if you tried. (Well, I suppose if you put a round in a vice and put a nail on the primer and smacked it with a hammer, it might go off.

If it did, the bang would be disappointingly small.
 
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There are pictures floating around where a young soldier was using a bullet to tap out a pin from a mount i believe.. dont go looking for them. And youtube has a video where a shotgun shell rolls off the table and goes off. So yes you absolutely CAN get them to go off.. but this is so incredibly rare.

That being said.. YOURE GOING TO BE FINE. You seem like you are safety conscious so I'm pretty confident you're not going to use a bullet as a hammer or punch. You WILL BE PERFECTLY SAFE LOADING MAGS. You'll get comfortable.

I recommend you find a mentor to help you through the learning curve.

Have fun and stay safe.
 
Brad243 said:
There are pictures floating around where a young soldier was using a bullet to tap out a pin from a mount i believe.. dont go looking for them. And youtube has a video where a shotgun shell rolls off the table and goes off. So yes you absolutely CAN get them to go off.. but this is so incredibly rare.

That being said.. YOURE GOING TO BE FINE. You seem like you are safety conscious so I'm pretty confident you're not going to use a bullet as a hammer or punch. You WILL BE PERFECTLY SAFE LOADING MAGS. You'll get comfortable.

I recommend you find a mentor to help you through the learning curve.

Have fun and stay safe.
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You can beat a bullet with a hammer and it won't go off , because the bullet contains nothing to go off.
 
Brad243 said:
There are pictures floating around where a young soldier was using a bullet to tap out a pin from a mount i believe.. dont go looking for them. And youtube has a video where a shotgun shell rolls off the table and goes off. So yes you absolutely CAN get them to go off.. but this is so incredibly rare.

That being said.. YOURE GOING TO BE FINE. You seem like you are safety conscious so I'm pretty confident you're not going to use a bullet as a hammer or punch. You WILL BE PERFECTLY SAFE LOADING MAGS. You'll get comfortable.

I recommend you find a mentor to help you through the learning curve.

Have fun and stay safe.
Click to expand...

I'll let the range know it's my first time and hopefully the range officer can stay close by while I take the first steps loading and shooting. I really do appreciate the help, everyone! This is a big step in my life and I am really happy to take it :)
 
Geoknyda said:
I'll let the range know it's my first time and hopefully the range officer can stay close by while I take the first steps loading and shooting. I really do appreciate the help, everyone! This is a big step in my life and I am really happy to take it :)
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If you fill up you own vehicle with fuel, the odds are much, much higher of a fire starting, than of a primer discharging while loading a magazine.
 
So the range visit went great! 250 rounds and not one malfunction. Loading the clip went smoothly :) The more I did it the easier it became.

Thanks for all your help :)
 
Glad to hear it went well, and hope you’ve had a chance to revisit the range a few times. I am sure everyone here would MUCH rather answer a few questions from a new shooter before hand, than stand in the next position to them on the firing line at the range, with those unanswered questions whirling around in their heads. Sadly a lot of new shooters are motivated by testosterone, to appear like they know more than they do. That’s how people get hurt, and they do with shocking frequency. Slide bites, scope eyes front sight divots in foreheads, right up to (God forbid) someone getting shot, either shooting themselves trying to draw from a holster, or shooting someone else while sweeping the firing line with a muzzle. If you aren’t 100% sure about something while at the range, get your finger away from the trigger, lay the gun down facing the back stop, and take a big step back, then ask someone for help. It may feel a bit odd, but everyone shooting nearby will appreciate you not taking a chance, and asking before you make a mistake. Enjoy shooting! It’s an awesome hobby, though you’re right, it can get expensive. When the ammo cost gets high enough for you, you’ll be asking about reloading...a whole new rabbit hole to go down. I’ve been shooting for 55 years, and still go 3 times a week; it hasn’t lost it’s fun or challenge
 
I suggest always using the right circlip pliers for the job, using some with fine points on a clip with big holes can cause tip breakage. E clips can be prized off with a suitable non marring brass drift or some such. Be careful not to have the clip go flying across room to be lost forever. Cartridges are a poor substitute for the right pliers. Hope this helps.
 
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