removing an unused primer.

Tricksport

Well-Known Member
I have some home loads that I was given with the loading gear I bought. The problem I have is that they will not cycle in my rifle. So My question is, can I decap the primer safely if it has not been used? So that I can resize the casing.


Thanks
 
There are a couple of ways to do it safely. Safest is to remove bullet and powder, then put the rounds in the rifle and fire off the primers. It's not safe to attempt to reuse them, so firing them removes the problem of having to dispose of them as they can go in the general waste.

Alternatively, you can soak them for a few days in oil, before running them through the de-capper. You will need to thoroughly clean the cases before you attempt to reload them though, else the oil might well pool at the bottom of the cartridge and cause misfires when you reload them.

You can punch them out without firing them or neutralising them, but you need to do it gently and make sure you dispose of them safely.

Firing them is the easiest (and the most fun!)
 
Pull the bullets, dump the powder and decap them. No oil necessary. Go slow.

Now.
The Admonition.
NEVER ATTEMPT TO SHOOT SOMEONE ELSE'S RELOADS IN YOUR RIFLE!!!!
It is an unsafe and foolish practice...~Muir
 
I have some home loads that I was given with the loading gear I bought. The problem I have is that they will not cycle in my rifle. So My question is, can I decap the primer safely if it has not been used? So that I can resize the casing.


Thanks
hi tricksport, i brought 100 rws once fired cases from norman clarkes and found that about 20 of the cases wouldent fit in the rifle. even after resizing they still wouldent fit so ended up binning them. i have some with live primers and resize these as normal without the primers going off. regards biker1
 
Thank you all for the advice.


Muir: The only reason that I have used the loads that came with the kit is because they are loaded to the minimum starting load in the manual and as that is where I would be starting from to work up a load didn't see a problem. I am new to home loading and would welcome any advice/tips from more experienced loaders.


Thanks again

Earl
 
There are a couple of ways to do it safely. Safest is to remove bullet and powder, then put the rounds in the rifle and fire off the primers. It's not safe to attempt to reuse them, so firing them removes the problem of having to dispose of them as they can go in the general waste.

Alternatively, you can soak them for a few days in oil, before running them through the de-capper. You will need to thoroughly clean the cases before you attempt to reload them though, else the oil might well pool at the bottom of the cartridge and cause misfires when you reload them.

You can punch them out without firing them or neutralising them, but you need to do it gently and make sure you dispose of them safely.

Firing them is the easiest (and the most fun!)

Top advice and nice clear response - Nice one Matt! :)
 
Remove the bullet and powder from the cartridge, then remove the decapping pin from the die.Now resize the cartridge as normal, job done.

This suggestion of soaking in oil before de-priming does not always/rarely works as most moderm primers are sealed in a varnish/shellac type substance to prevent drawing damp from the air.
 
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Thank you all for the advice.


Muir: The only reason that I have used the loads that came with the kit is because they are loaded to the minimum starting load in the manual and as that is where I would be starting from to work up a load didn't see a problem. I am new to home loading and would welcome any advice/tips from more experienced loaders.


Thanks again

Earl
The safe thing to do is dispose of the powder, if the original powder had become contaminated with a faster burning one this is exceptionally dangerous and a risk not to take. In respect of the primers just deprime in the normal way, use eye protection and leather work gloves as a precaution.
I had to unload around 50 rounds as the headspace was slightly too long, my Blaser rifle would chamber but not fire them. By way of experiment I re-used a primer into an empty case and it worked ok so I re-used the others, although others say not to do this. I will no doubt be enlightened why so please do not follow my example unless you just want to dispose of them by firing in an empty case
 
I have decapped primers and reused them no problem. as long as you know what is in the rounds your taking apart.
 
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I just run them through resizing. Never had one go off yet

At this point Tricksport is talking of handloads that won't fit, so if this is a serious contribution then it won't work. You can't even partially resize the cases of assembled ammunition.

Think about it. Even if the decapping rod is removed from a FLR die before trying to resize 'over-size' reloads, the die will attempt to reduce the neck to sub-calibre dimensions.The outside neck diameter is reduced at this stage, then (if fitted) at the back-stroke the expander ball flares the inside neck diameter out to give enough bullet grip.

You can't do that if there's a bullet already in place, without making an absolute balls up. In which case the whole job is a waste of time.

As for recovery, Tricksport really only wants to squeeze the cases down a bit. There's no need to decap - no danger from removing live primers - no fancy deactivation techniques - no issues of oil contamination either. Just pull them, resize them a bit more with the decapping die backed up in the FLR die to flare the neck back, and then reassemble them.
 
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Thank you all for the advice.


Muir: The only reason that I have used the loads that came with the kit is because they are loaded to the minimum starting load in the manual and as that is where I would be starting from to work up a load didn't see a problem. I am new to home loading and would welcome any advice/tips from more experienced loaders.


Thanks again

Earl

Earl,
No matter what the load is reported to be, it is still a bad practice to attempt so shoot reloads made for someone else's rifle in your gun. The obvious thing is that they wouldn't chamber. What if the guy had, as another suggested, used the wrong powder? or had cases that hadn't been trimmed and would have impinged on the leade? Nothing deliberate, but a mistake that could have led you to pay the price. Strange reloads are a disaster in the making. Just pull the bullets and dump the powder; saves grief and eyesight.~Muir
 
If I'm taking the live primers out I put the press handle in the front of my shoulder and my hand on the press and ease the handle up very slow and steady.

If I'm resizing the brass with the primer in I make sure the decapping pin is pulled back and resize as normal.
 
Earl,
No matter what the load is reported to be, it is still a bad practice to attempt so shoot reloads made for someone else's rifle in your gun. The obvious thing is that they wouldn't chamber. What if the guy had, as another suggested, used the wrong powder? or had cases that hadn't been trimmed and would have impinged on the leade? Nothing deliberate, but a mistake that could have led you to pay the price. Strange reloads are a disaster in the making. Just pull the bullets and dump the powder; saves grief and eyesight.~Muir

To the original poster - this is the only advice you should take from this thread - what I was going to write until I read Muir's contribution.
 
Try firing a case with just a primer at night, watch the flames and hear the loud bang :)

Soaking in oil doesn't always kill modern primers, firing them off might seem wasteful.

De capping several 100 in a press doesn't prove its a safe practise, its yours eyes and body at risk :love:
 
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Thank you all for your advice. I will dump the powder and fire off the primers as this seems the safest way.
 
You said originally they would not cycle - do you think removing powder/head will make a difference?
I had a similar problem with some of my earlier reloads for my Blaser - it transpired that my headspace on the shoulder was too long, all bar one cartridge cycled and fired once I had removed the bullet & powder so I reckon this is worth trying.
 
Thank you all for the advice.


Muir: The only reason that I have used the loads that came with the kit is because they are loaded to the minimum starting load in the manual and as that is where I would be starting from to work up a load didn't see a problem. I am new to home loading and would welcome any advice/tips from more experienced loaders.


Thanks again

Earl

How can you be sure of that?
 
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