This just happened to me. Scary reloading incident.

Slooshark1

Slooshark1

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I was using my kinetic bullet puller to pull some bullets from some .358 Norma Magnum cartridges that I wanted to change the powder charge in. I had removed about 5 bullets and was working on dismantling my 6th cartridge hammering on the concrete floor in my garage when the primer detonated and blew out of the primer pocket. I wasn't wearing safety glasses as I didn't really think that what I was doing could be hazardous. I had debris fly in my face but luckily not in my eyes. I cannot for the life of me understand how the 65 grains of powder in the case did not ignite. I've been using this bullet puller for 20 years and have never heard of this happening before. I'm afraid to use it anymore after that. I just thought I would share this experience and see if anyone else has ever experienced this before. I would really hate to lose my eyes 45 days before the deer hunt. Safety glasses from here on in.
 
Glad you werent hurt.

I saw a similar post on another forum a few weeks ago, not sure of the caliber. It was enough to convince me to buy a collet puller.

Its faster, quiet and no messing with separating the projectile from the powder.
 
1 in a million incident- same as you, I've dismantled thousands of 308 and never had a primer detonate- but, I wear glasses as a matter of course-
 
Were you hammering the concrete or a block of wood like you're supposed to? Not sure if that would be the cause ,but it saves breaking the hammer.......I stand a piece of birch firewood on end and use that........glad you didn't get hurt........Harold
 
mbogo3 said:
Were you hammering the concrete or a block of wood like you're supposed to? Not sure if that would be the cause ,but it saves breaking the hammer.......I stand a piece of birch firewood on end and use that........glad you didn't get hurt........Harold
Click to expand...

I've been using a concrete cinder block for 20 years + all it does is shroom the end- and you get a better strike force than wood
 
Wow - that is scarey - thanks for sharing - I'd suppose that the cup of the primer slid in deeper and made enough impact on the primer anvil to set it off.

Surface area of the whole primer is maybe ten times the area of the hole so it is easier to blow out the primer than blow in the hole - but that ignores the friction between the primer and the case as it pops out.

I wonder if it requires more than flame to start powder exploding. Black powder will explode when lit with a flame, but smokeless might require more of a little explosion to make it explode? Like dynamite requires a cap?

I really don't know - but I am sure glad that you paid a reasonable price for the lesson that you gave us about safety glasses!
 
I was hammering the concrete floor. I don't remember reading the instructions years ago but didn't think operating a hammer needed much explaining. I've never had it happen before. I guess with no bolt face to hold the primer against the flash hole, it just took the path of least resistance and propelled right out of the case. That hammer would have been like a grenade, had it detonated.
 
jon1985 said:
Glad you werent hurt.

I saw a similar post on another forum a few weeks ago, not sure of the caliber. It was enough to convince me to buy a collet puller.

Its faster, quiet and no messing with separating the projectile from the powder.
Click to expand...

It was a post by major malcontent "whew ! That was close !"
 
If it was hand load and primer is put in with too much pressure and primer will collapse putting anvil very close and could set it off with the kinetic energy!
 
Powder won't *kaboom* ignite without pressure, it's a propellant not an explosive.
I hate those pullers too, but I have one and use it with glasses.
 
Why are collet pullers not used more than hammers, considering how much other gear we reloaders collect? Lee hand loaders are often scorned, but hammer bullet pullers are a better idea? Sure, I know they have been used for years. I didn't used to use fall protection, seat belts, even eye pro at work.
 
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