Primers,How dangerous?

[barney 66]

Hi,i have read a few posts on here about primers going off,about 2 years ago i bought some 12 gauge reloading gear off a pals Dad,decided not to bother reloading 12g and sold it all,in with the box of stuff was a robinsons mincemeat tub full of primers,all different colours,must be few hundred in there maybe more all loosely touching each other,i forgot anout this tub until i read these posts and have now took them out of my shed and left them in the garden,are these usable/safe/any use?if not how would i dispose of them,there free of charge to anyone that wants them if they are any use,

Any suggestions appreciated,

Thanks for looking Chris

[libs]

+ +

 

Have fun!

[barney 66]

Thanks,goggles and hammer it is then.

Edited August 29, 2010 by barney 66

[Andy H]

Ian from clay and game knows someone who was decapping a load of shotgun cartridges and the live primers were going into a jar from the loading press when one went off when it fell onto the rest (about 300) ,This one set off the rest that were touching each other and the resultant explosion blew out the rooms double glazing and gave the person a lot of shrapnel wounds from the primer bodies , So you should not store them loose but keep them in the original packaging also as you state they are all different colours which means that they will be mixed strength mild/med/strong/magnum primers so you cannot reliably tell what they are and to reload them could result in a overpressure loading, That is not what you want

[magman]

If you wish to make them safe soak them in oil

[barney 66]

Ian from clay and game knows someone who was decapping a load of shotgun cartridges and the live primers were going into a jar from the loading press when one went off when it fell onto the rest (about 300) ,This one set off the rest that were touching each other and the resultant explosion blew out the rooms double glazing and gave the person a lot of shrapnel wounds from the primer bodies , So you should not store them loose but keep them in the original packaging also as you state they are all different colours which means that they will be mixed strength mild/med/strong/magnum primers so you cannot reliably tell what they are and to reload them could result in a overpressure loading, That is not what you want

Thanks for the advice,i was never going to use them,just forgot they were there,i must admit to puttig a few in a piece of timber and shooting them with an air rifle,but i have to many for that hence the reason they are now in the garden and will start disposing of them tomorow.

[barney 66]

If you wish to make them safe soak them in oil

What will that do?if it works i'm up for that,will save me a lot of time,can i just skip them after?and how long do i soak them?

[bigstevouk]

Take them to a local gun shop or someone near you who reloads is the quickest and easiest ways....

[Floating Chamber]

If they are 'all different colours' some may have a black or red varnish over the flash holes. These may be Cheddite CX50, CX1000 or CX2000. If so, this varnish is WATER BASED. (This is how Cheddite can tell if the cases were subject to damp or water in transit or storage.) The others, Fiocchi, Martignoni, Winchester, may have a simple disc of paper, red or white, INSIDE the battery cup and visible from the flash hole. In all cases, the primers can be soaked in water to 'uncover' the flash hole. HOWEVER, as the priming compound was inserted 'wet', the compound, Lead styphnate/azide can dry out and the primer is 're-activated'. So, a following soaking in oil advised. DO NOT play about with a hammer and a nail. Do not throw them in a fire. If anything, GIVE them to a handloader to USE.

PM me; there's a newbie handloader in Telford who would welcome them!

Edited August 29, 2010 by Floating Chamber

[Vince Green]

To be honest in all my years of reloading I have never heard of a problem with primers. Years ago we used to buy them loose in tins.

[barney 66]

If they are 'all different colours' some may have a black or red varnish over the flash holes. These may be Cheddite CX50, CX1000 or CX2000. If so, this varnish is WATER BASED. (This is how Cheddite can tell if the cases were subject to damp or water in transit or storage.) The others, Fiocchi, Martignoni, Winchester, may have a simple disc of paper, red or white, INSIDE the battery cup and visible from the flash hole. In all cases, the primers can be soaked in water to 'uncover' the flash hole. HOWEVER, as the priming compound was inserted 'wet', the compound, Lead styphnate/azide can dry out and the primer is 're-activated'. So, a following soaking in oil advised. DO NOT play about with a hammer and a nail. Do not throw them in a fire. If anything, GIVE them to a handloader to USE.

PM me; there's a newbie handloader in Telford who would welcome them!

Pm sent

[Rem223]

To be honest in all my years of reloading I have never heard of a problem with primers. Years ago we used to buy them loose in tins.

I surprised that primers were sold loose in tins. Every loading manual I have read has stated that primers should always be stored in their original trays. Though I have seen very old tins of percussion caps so maybe they were sold that way once. I don't recall where I read it but there was an article about a lad carrying a metal bucket full of primers in a factory. One of the primers detonated and it caused the rest to go off. The only part they found of the boy was his foot. Primers are potentially very dangerous and storing them loose in a jar is a very bad practice.

A couple of articles about minor primer explosions.....

 

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/u.../page/1/fpart/1

 

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=52415

[kent]

As above bad idea to have them together in a jar! By the way oil, water watever is not quite so effective as you think at turning them inactive. I tried this with various substances and after some few days they would still fire. If i had a bit of oil on my fingures when i was preparing loads on the other hand it might have totally worked under the law of *** however soaking them did nothing

[seeker]

Most explosive things can be dangerous if mishandled .. but they didn't cause any problem when they sat quietly in the shed??

As said .. hammers, buckets, fire, airgun slugs come under the heading of mishandling.

I used to have an empty tin with a label for s/gun primers . And last week I saw a new tin of 150 Sel&Bel Neoxin L/ rifle primers ?

So it does & did happen.

I suppose a new owner should decant them into primer boxes and store sensibly

[Floating Chamber]

PM and contact number sent to barney 66.

 

Primers WERE sold 'loose' in tins and packets in the not so distant past.

 

Examples:

 

Eley Percussion Caps Type 1B. All brass. Sold in white cardboard trays. 1950/60s

 

Eley 'Surefire' Primers (same as above) but with a coppered steel anvil; in orange tins of 100. Two thin foam discs separating them from the metal. 1960s/ to present. (I was given a carton of 2500 last week!)

 

C.I.L Type 4B in crude tins of about 40. (After the Eley fireball in 1970s, when Eley products were suspended) Foam again. Imported from Canada.

 

Eley 'Surefire' Priming System. (Awful things!) In tins of 200, separated again by two thin foam discs. 1980s.

 

There are still large numbers of these about. Safe in the hands of those who respect them. Dangerous when handled by clowns.

 

FC

Edited August 30, 2010 by Floating Chamber