Well it happened - Primer bang!

While reloading on my Mec 20 ga 650 doing my quail and pheasant loads which I have loaded many 100s over the yrs a primer went off getting my attention. Lucky I had my reg glasses on. A small piece of ash did get under my glass but no harm. I thought and rethought what went wrong. I think the loader dropped a dbl primer. Once in a while I note resistance from a miss guided wad and rather to stop the drop, I finish the stroke and put the split hull in my throw away pile to cut and save pdr, shot and primer later when I get a pile with time doing nothing. I have been loading many yrs and NEVER had a primer go off. If you are a reloader, you know how the mind can wonder and in this case I plead guilty. Once in a while the primer drop fails and I place a primer to take place of the failed drop. I think I thought the drop failed and I placed a dbl primer and thought the resentence was a misguided wad. POW, and it happened.

To those reading this. If it happened to me after all the yrs of reloading it can happen to anyone.---I will try to keep a more steady mind and remember this day. Reloading
should not be a speed drill but a safe drill. Please always wear safety glasses and a fire extinguisher close by----

gL and keep safe

George@SJB

 

Had that happen and it really gets your attention, just don't flinch when you seat the next one.

 

Glad to hear you are OK
It could have been a very Unmerry Christmas. I still use my old four digit 800B and once in a while a primer doesn't come off the ram right side up and sits on the pedestal sideways where it starts to get gets crushed. LUCKILY, I have caught it before I completed the full stoke. It seems like I can watch it a hundred times and as soon as I take my eyes off of it the darn thing happens again.

I always hated the saying, but it could have been worse. I fellow member here could tell you of a primer going off and the definition of Sympathetic Detonation. I think he still might have a tiny piece or two in his hand.

 

I've loaded for 50 years and never had that happen. Glad that all is good

 

Thanks to all---Merry Christmas---

 

Glad you are Okay, be careful out there .... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

I've been reloading since 1975 and never had that happen. Perhaps, one could get a small piece of steel or shot between the primer and setting device and make it happen? I always wear safety glasses when I reload, better safe than sorry.

 

I've been reloading 60 yrs and NEVER had this happen---I have been going over my situation and
still can't figure out what happened---I think a dbl primer was the problem. One on top of the other and
I didn't notice and thought the resistance on the down stroke caused pressure on the primers and the one on
the bottom went off. I went out and reloaded 25 and everything was perfect. When the horse throws you
get back on---I'm not going to give up loading--It's part of my life.

SJB

 

You can have the same type of thing tossing loaded shells into a bucket. Had 2 hit base to base and 1 went off. Blew side out of shell and rained shot. Scared the S out of me. Very loud. NO mark on any other shell in bucket. Ended that practice needless to say. Be careful.

 

We, as reloaders, are constantly dealing with materials that burn, bang, fizz or explode depending on the situation at the time. With my 9000H I had the depriming punch (original) snap off, Resulted in a live primer being seated into a fired one. No bang, Lord only knows why not. I have since changed to a CRS die and inspect the removable tip every so often. I have had an errant shot end up in the primer station but that situation causes the primer to ride high and stops the rotation of the shell holder. Counting the days with Dad and Grandpa I have been stuffing primers into one case or another for 70 years with no detonation at the press..... I hope I am as vigilant now as I have been in the past... One might not get a second chance........ Larry

 

I had one go off in a Pacific 366. not a mark on the primer suface (I too had assumed a piece of shot/debris had gotten in there). i kept the shell to show the buddies and as a reminder. especially as I have moved to hydraulics and there is less feed back.

 

My wife was vacuuming around my reloader and set one off with vacuum.

 

George, I do rifle cartridges for a local company. Tuesday I had a large rifle primer go off ands it set off 100 primers that i had just dumped into the primer tube. They all went off at once and welded themselves to the primer tube. I wasn’t injured at all other than not being able to hear for a couple of hours. I had to quickly visit the restroom afterwards. . Then I used lots of spare parts to rebuild part of the Dillon Super 1050 I was using. Dillon makes a safe reloader. I can testify to that.

 

"had a large rifle primer go off ands it set off 100 primers that I had just dumped into the primer tube."

Yep, that'll do it

"A sympathetic detonation (SD, or SYDET), also called flash over, is a detonation, usually unintended, of an explosive charge by a nearby explosion."

 

We do use these products because they go "bang" and I suspect there are perhaps more instances of "it finally happened" than we are aware of. At a benchrest match years ago a lit cigarette was rolled by wind into the side of a plastic container of powder setting about 5' away........ ember burned through the plastic and much smoke and stink was produced but no bang as the powder was not ignited under pressure. Most of the powder was intact and useable. Did get everyone's attention though and also made folks much more careful . Things do happen. Larry

 

Spilled shot one time- thought I shop vac it all up. One pellet landed in the primer cup, went to set the next primer and the piece of shot was just like a firing pin. Scared the crap out of me when it went off. From now on if I spill shot I always check the primer cup.

 

I have never had this happen....yet....If i spill shot i try to always remember to check the primer cup

 

As you can see-----Things can happen
My Winchester post can make sense

Good luck to all

George@SJB

 

Happened once to me. Nearly scared me to death. I now wear safety glasses when I’m reloading.

 

I did it one. Piece of shot in the primer cup. Yes it did get my attention and wife's but no harm done.

 

Live primers can be very hard on vacuum cleaners. How do I know-trust me!

 

I had that happen yesterday, same machine! I haven't reloaded in years. Had it spread all over the bench by the time I got it out!
I was VERY careful when removing primers from ruined hulls!
Is there a replacement or upgrade for the primer feed assembly?

 

My #1 son just bought one of those super duper Dillon rifle/pistol reloaders. Only two primers have gone off so far but got his attention. He tells me he's getting better with that thing.

 

Since you asked the question right after you quoted my post I assume you are directing the question to me. I have two 800B's on the bench, one is a 4 digit number, and I still have the original feed systems on them. They feed fine for hundreds and hundreds of shells then one primer will not slide down the feed ramp. I don't think they need an upgrade. With the millions of 209's Fed and Win used to produce one or two out of a thousand that might have had a defect in the rim isn't that bad.

I just keep my eye on the bottom of the ramp to make sure there is a primer sitting there ready for the ram.

 

THANKS