Would you use these primers?

B

Bavarianbrit

Well-Known Member
I have a litre tetra pak that I use as a container for my decapped primers which is now half full, I have a lee de capping die on a hollowed out wooden block which holds a good 50 odd of them then I move them over to the tetra pak. Well I needed to check the tetra for live ones before disposal of and found 5 perfect unfired primers plus these 4x. Always curious off I went to the workshop ear muffs and safety glasses on and laid one on the vices anvil and big hammered it.
It worked very loudly "well blow me down" I had them all written off as unusable.
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personally ….. No. I would load every round into the chamber wondering if it was gonna go bang when I needed it too. On the other hand though I also don’t want you shooting at me and depending on it not to go bang!
 
These questions remind me of the fly angler with the Sage rod and the Abel reel asking if a ages old old spool of whar the Americans call "tippet" and we call "cast" he's found in the grass behind an fishing hut will be OK for their once in a lifetime trip to fish Alaska.

They have spent hundreds on the means of delivery yet want to save pennies on the absolutely weakest yet most critical link in that chain of delivery by using something that's had a few years exposed to the bright sunlight changing temperatures of the past seasons.

Primers can and do deteriorate if stored badly. That they may go "bang" doesn't mean that they still perform in terms of the heat of the flame and the duration of the flame. Life is too short and primers (and "tippet" or "cast") too cheap to just use something still in A1 condition.

The worst case is not a missed chance because the bullet velocity is low as the powder hasn't fully ignited. The worst case is a partially ignited charge and a stuck bullet up the barrel. To save what? Four primers and so 50p at most?

Plus of course different makes of primer will affect powder burn rate and the long said advice was if changing any component of your load to reduce by 5% and work back up. I wouldn't want to inadvertently use, say, magnum primers with certain powders.
 
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Of course not. I will only use them with cream of wheat for fireforming a case from one calibre into another. I was just surprised how after such corrosion they would still have any brisance in the explosive. I assume WW1 ammo found in a trench might still go bang.
 
Not at all surprised they went bang. Fire forming seems an excellent use. Better than disposal as waste. Even after soaking in oil, there is no guarantee they are not active.
 
Be careful, many moons ago (60 yrs ish) a mate did just what you did with a hilti gun blank as far as I know he still has a bit of brass case stuck in his abdomen.
 
Thompson Contender using 5.6x50R cases cut back to make .357 Rem Maximums I will fire the load of cream of wheat into the air with a light load of H4227 in the countryside near my home where we have hunting rights.
 
Bavarianbrit said:
Thompson Contender using 5.6x50R cases cut back to make .357 Rem Maximums I will fire the load of cream of wheat into the air with a light load of H4227 in the countryside near my home where we have hunting rights.
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I remember buying and cutting back .357 Maximum cases to make ammunition for the late Clifford Owen's Smith & Wesson .38/44. This isn't the Outdoorsman N Frame or the Heavy Duty N Frame of the same calibre designation but the old break open single action that was used for target shootimng with a parallel bored cylinder where the case length was full length of the cylinder and the bullet was a wadcutter. Of Walter Winans and Ira Paine's era. Banned of course by the Tory John Major and the legislation piloted by Michael Howard and the Widdecombe women that so many now want to eulogise.

en.wikipedia.org

Smith & Wesson Model 3 - Wikipedia

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enfieldspares said:
Banned of course by the Tory John Major and the legislation piloted by Michael Howard and the Widdecombe women that so many now want to eulogise.

en.wikipedia.org

Smith & Wesson Model 3 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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Put another record on.
You constantly remind us that a Conservative government passed legislation to outlaw handguns. We know. We also know that the public outrage at murders using handguns was such that the legislation, right or wrong, was going to be passed whoever was in power. It happened, we still have the ability to lawfully own and use rifles, shotguns and airguns. Let's be grateful for that and enjoy doing so. Your constant whining won't change anything.
 
20-250 said:
Put another record on.
You constantly remind us that a Conservative government passed legislation to outlaw handguns. We know. We also know that the public outrage at murders using handguns was such that the legislation, right or wrong, was going to be passed whoever was in power. It happened, we still have the ability to lawfully own and use rifles, shotguns and airguns. Let's be grateful for that and enjoy doing so. Your constant whining won't change anything.
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Did you ever have to give up your pistols to the police? The amount of time spent tabulating to write up what you had and hand them over, dies, loaded cartridges, reamers, pistol smithing tools etc, some SD posters lost their livelihoods.
If you are too young then do a stag trip to Poland or Prague to see what you are missing.
Just saying, but then I emigrated.
 
Bavarianbrit said:
Did you ever have to give up your pistols to the police? The amount of time spent tabulating to write up what you had and hand them over, dies, loaded cartridges, reamers...
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I surrendered plenty of stuff but sold my pistols before the ban. Which alters nothing stated in my earlier post.
 
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