Hi Re-loaders ! I need some advice i am making some craft antlers i want to use rifle casings with the primers still in the casing with out defacing the primer or making the primer look used . i would like to keep the primer looking unused . So how do i deactivate the primer from in side the casing.Any ideas or am i just outta luck? Thanks guys for you time and ideas !
Question ??? To Re-loaders.
- Thread starter BAMBI2011
- Start date
I would suggest trying one first. There have been some threads about this on here before and some have aid that newer primers will not deactivate with oil. Try taking a freshly primed casing and soaking it, then take that still empty case and put it in your gun and fire it. If it doesnt go bang you have your answer. If it does its good to know. And no a primer going off is not terribley loud, put a rag over the muzzle and you will barely hear a thing.
Canadian_Zuk
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Pickering, Ontario
oil is definately not a reliable way to deactivate primers. I've tried cooking oil, wd-40, ATF and a few gun cleaning oils. ALL of my "deactivated" primers went bang. I even had one I soaked in water, that did not ignite. a few days later I was able to set it off once it dried out.
Oil will NOT reliably deactivate a primer permanently. Most are designed to still go off once they dry out. My thoughts are the only true way to ensure safe deactivation is to set it off.
Try safety glasses and a BBQ lighter or something. Possibly put under a tin can to prevent it from going too far when it ignites. As in set it open side up with a can over it, lift can just enough to get BBQ lighter under the can and ignite the primer.
If you just pulled bullets out of factory loadings you can probably do this in the case putting a little bit of powder back in and laying it on it's side. Give it a shake so the powder is even on the side of the case to act as a fuse. More than likely it'll blow the primer out of the case and send things flying but you should be able to tap it back into the primer pocket with hammer. Containment is likely recommended.
If you're a safety Sally...well...you know
Try safety glasses and a BBQ lighter or something. Possibly put under a tin can to prevent it from going too far when it ignites. As in set it open side up with a can over it, lift can just enough to get BBQ lighter under the can and ignite the primer.
If you just pulled bullets out of factory loadings you can probably do this in the case putting a little bit of powder back in and laying it on it's side. Give it a shake so the powder is even on the side of the case to act as a fuse. More than likely it'll blow the primer out of the case and send things flying but you should be able to tap it back into the primer pocket with hammer. Containment is likely recommended.
If you're a safety Sally...well...you know
You could take some fired primers, pop the anvil out and lay them on a flat piece of steel. Then use a flat drift punch to drive the pin strike divot back flush so it looks new. There was thread on Cast Boolits where guys were doing this to reuse spent primers.
- Location
- Edmonton, Alberta
I can't think of any way to do this safely..
Putting the casings in a toaster oven that you don't care about might work, but I don't think it would be safe.
Putting the casings in a toaster oven that you don't care about might work, but I don't think it would be safe.
take some primers and get a jewelers screw driver or pointed punch and try to pick out the anvil. you could also use pliers to try to remove the anvil.
once it's out, there are 2 ways to remove the powder.
1. pile some gun powder on top, then make a 2-3" trail and lite it on fire.
2. scratch it out with a pin, or pointed punch, etc.
put the anvil back into the primer and seat.
once it's out, there are 2 ways to remove the powder.
1. pile some gun powder on top, then make a 2-3" trail and lite it on fire.
2. scratch it out with a pin, or pointed punch, etc.
put the anvil back into the primer and seat.
You guys are paranoid about safety!
For heavens sakes we're not talking about exploding hand grenades, we are talking about a little primer and we are a group of shooters and reloaders, not a grade one class discussing this in school.
A fully loaded 30-06, or similar round, sitting on a flat surfaced stove until heat fires it off, is close to being harmless. In this case the bullet will fly up, leaving the case sitting on the stove, but the bullet won't have enough power to penetrate one ply of cardboard, at feet above it.
I have never placed just a primed cartridge on a stove like this, but I am convinced one would hear a pop, and the primer would be intact in the case.
As a point of interest, a 22 long rifle rimfire does more damage and makes a louder noise, when fired from sitting on a stove, than does a 30-06. This is due to the faster powder in the 22 and the case being so light that it ruptures and close up, one could get hit with a piece of the sharp case.
The waste basket by my loading bench collects bits of scrap paper and old rags, etc, along with spent primers and quite often some live primers find their way into the waste. We usually burn the refuse in our fireplace, which has glass doors. My wife has told me, "There were some pops in the waste from your loading room." I have sat by the fireplace and seen dozens of primers explode. There is not enough force from them going off to even blow refuge around, in the fireplace.
You want an undamaged fired off primer in a case? stand your primed case on a flat metal surface, like in a flat flat bottomed frying pan, in your oven and turn on the heat. You super safe guys could leave the oven door open and to be really super safe, don't stand in front of the open door.
For heavens sakes we're not talking about exploding hand grenades, we are talking about a little primer and we are a group of shooters and reloaders, not a grade one class discussing this in school.
A fully loaded 30-06, or similar round, sitting on a flat surfaced stove until heat fires it off, is close to being harmless. In this case the bullet will fly up, leaving the case sitting on the stove, but the bullet won't have enough power to penetrate one ply of cardboard, at feet above it.
I have never placed just a primed cartridge on a stove like this, but I am convinced one would hear a pop, and the primer would be intact in the case.
As a point of interest, a 22 long rifle rimfire does more damage and makes a louder noise, when fired from sitting on a stove, than does a 30-06. This is due to the faster powder in the 22 and the case being so light that it ruptures and close up, one could get hit with a piece of the sharp case.
The waste basket by my loading bench collects bits of scrap paper and old rags, etc, along with spent primers and quite often some live primers find their way into the waste. We usually burn the refuse in our fireplace, which has glass doors. My wife has told me, "There were some pops in the waste from your loading room." I have sat by the fireplace and seen dozens of primers explode. There is not enough force from them going off to even blow refuge around, in the fireplace.
You want an undamaged fired off primer in a case? stand your primed case on a flat metal surface, like in a flat flat bottomed frying pan, in your oven and turn on the heat. You super safe guys could leave the oven door open and to be really super safe, don't stand in front of the open door.
the primer WILL shoot out of the case. i've done it several times.
303 brit on a concrete slab and a torch to it the case lifted.
45 acp on a plank of wood filled with gun power, the primer left a 1/8" deep indent.
but when you light just the primer alone it's just a quick poof.
but i do agree there are to many "safety" nazi's around. then again, safe then sorry.
BAMBI2011,
I too wanted an empty brass (head) with an inactive, unfired primer in place to use as a unique screw nut on a set of home-made revolver grips. Heating the primer with a small torch will set off the primer for sure. In my case, I happened to have some live primers that were removed from primed brass. Some of these primers lost their anvils during the decapping operation. It was one of these I used. Don't kid yourself. Setting off a live primer with a torch will make a loud bang. I agree with H4831 that setting off a live cartridge in a fire or stove is undramatic but setting off a live primer on its own is a whole different animal. I held the primer in a pair of pliers while heating it but when it went off it was expelled from the pliers with force and ended up in never, never land. A torch will do the job but find a way to secure the primer so you don't lose it. I believe if you prime a piece of brass in the regular way, the primer will be expelled upon ignition when heated. You might try to almost completely drill out the primer hole in a brass then set the primer. (You won't want to re-use any brass that you heated the head on anyway) Wear hearing protection and safety glasses of course. For me, I settled for using a fired primer and punched out the firing pin indentation with a punch on a flat surface - carefully done, looks like new.
I too wanted an empty brass (head) with an inactive, unfired primer in place to use as a unique screw nut on a set of home-made revolver grips. Heating the primer with a small torch will set off the primer for sure. In my case, I happened to have some live primers that were removed from primed brass. Some of these primers lost their anvils during the decapping operation. It was one of these I used. Don't kid yourself. Setting off a live primer with a torch will make a loud bang. I agree with H4831 that setting off a live cartridge in a fire or stove is undramatic but setting off a live primer on its own is a whole different animal. I held the primer in a pair of pliers while heating it but when it went off it was expelled from the pliers with force and ended up in never, never land. A torch will do the job but find a way to secure the primer so you don't lose it. I believe if you prime a piece of brass in the regular way, the primer will be expelled upon ignition when heated. You might try to almost completely drill out the primer hole in a brass then set the primer. (You won't want to re-use any brass that you heated the head on anyway) Wear hearing protection and safety glasses of course. For me, I settled for using a fired primer and punched out the firing pin indentation with a punch on a flat surface - carefully done, looks like new.
This is the best way that I know of. I've done it myself. Safe and easy. Then "reprime" case with it the same way you would using a live primer.
I've made mistakes with primers. They have more power than one with no experience would realize.
They will propel a .177 pellet to 1050 fps. I chronied one, so I know this personaly.
