Primers Blowing Up In The Machine!

[Matt Cheely]

Well, I'm chucking out the 9mm rounds on my 550. I'm about 270 rounds in as I push up on the handle to seat the primer.

BOOM!

I see a small explosion erupt from the #1 station, and my ears start ringing. Damn, that was interesting. Pulled out the case, turns out it's a crimped case that's gotten into my bunch of my previously loaded / fired / cleaned cases. Somehow the shell plate twisted just a little as the loader "tried" to seat the primer in the crimped case. This allowed the side to get squished real good, and it went off almost like a rimfire.

Let's just say that I now have a pair of safety goggles sitting right next to the loader now.

Ever had it happen to you??

[shred]

Didn't we just have a poll on this?

Oh yeah, here it is.. for the 650, mostly: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...topic=22850&hl=

[Matt Cheely]

I am weak in the internet-fu. Anyhoo, wanted to tell my great debacle.

[Jake Di Vita]

I've not only blown one...but a whole tube of primers. THAT sure as hell got the blood pumping.

[Zak Smith]

I've blew a few individual primers, and I've blown the whole priming system.

[short_round]

Didn't we just have a poll on this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The other poll didn't have a place for people who have not had one blow up though ... (I hope I just didn't jinx myself)

[George]

Never blown one, but then I don't use range pick brass, ever. Controlling the quality of the primer pockets goes a long way toward not having this problem. Not operating the press in a non-smooth manner helps too. After you use a progressive for a few years, you develop a good feel for this. I have been using one for almost two decades.

--

Regards,

[BritinUSA]

I have had a couple that have thrown themselves (lemming-like) into my vacuum cleaner.. I thought I'd blown a fuse until I realised what it was.

[TriggerT]

Never had it happen in the last 13 years I have had my 550, knock on wood. I have crushed a few primmers, but I guess I am lucky since none of them ever went off.

[Sterling White]

Not a single one in my 550, knock on wood, over the course of 9 years.

[Merlin Orr]

Not.....yet.

[folsoml]

I have had a couple that have thrown themselves (lemming-like) into my vacuum cleaner.. I thought I'd blown a fuse until I realised what it was.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My Lee Pro 1000 and I have not had one in the reloader, but have had one in the vacuum.

[GuildSF4]

I've been lucky so far...

[Crusher]

1050 needed a "blow up kit" from dillon when the primer tube lit up (loose shellplate allowed one to get sideways in the pocket) so I ordered 2.

Just recently I forgot to replace the locator pin (on the primer station no less) and a casing was 1/2 in and half out. The half out part is what did it, KAPOW.

Wear glasses, drink only "soft drinks", NEVER RUSH.

[Garrett]

I've had one go, but it was on a single-stage press, where you fed primers one at a time. Never had a primer light off in my 650 or SDB.

[John Heiter]

Just out of curiosity, would everyone list what sort of primers were in the tube when they went off?

Thanks,

John

[Sam38]

Just out of curiosity, would everyone list what sort of primers were in the tube when they went off? 

Thanks,

John

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've done it twice (once with the whole primer system going resulting in a dent in the ceiling and amost a sudden bowel evacuation into my shorts ) and both of them were Winchester small rifle primers.

Regards,

Sam Spiteri

[shred]

I had one pop on a 650 for no discernable reason. Federal, I think it was, but easily could have been Winchester too. Dillon sent me a new priming system even though I said it was only one in the seating station.

Always wear eye protection when reloading.

[George]

Interesting note. I use a 550 and have crushed many a primer over the years, but have never popped one. I use a mixture of WW SR, WW Magnum Pistol and Federall 100 SP primers.

One thing I don't do is hit the primer stroke hard and fast. Slow and steady is the key. For me they crush, not pop!

--

Regards,

[Matt Cheely]

Interesting note. I use a 550 and have crushed many a primer over the years, but have never popped one. I use a mixture of WW SR, WW Magnum Pistol and Federall 100 SP primers.

One thing I don't do is hit the primer stroke hard and fast. Slow and steady is the key. For me they crush, not pop!

--

Regards,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what I've also done. I don't smack it, just a good press on the lever. I've crushed quite a few primers in bad pockets, but the little twist I got seemed to do the trick. Luckly no damage to me or the machine.

[gm iprod]

I was using a borrowed Lee 1000 early in my shooting / reloading days. Felt a primer go a little crooked, decided I would just lean in a little. WOW that was loud!

Ruined the primer system completely. Took three days to get the parts and fix it.

Blown a primer in a RL550, uncleaned cases, because I was in a hurry, loading too fast, because I was in a hurry. WOW, just as loud in a Dillon!!. No damage, just cleaned the debris from the primer up, dropped the case in the bin and got on with it.

Be safe, go carefully and go BLUE.

[Crusher]

So far the poll results have yeilded 42% of us have had some sort of "incedent". Maybe we should take up base jumping as a hobby it seems to be "safer".

[Hey QuicksDraw!]

Always wear those glasses folks!

[kevin c]

Interesting note. I use a 550 and have crushed many a primer over the years, but have never popped one. I use a mixture of WW SR, WW Magnum Pistol and Federall 100 SP primers.

One thing I don't do is hit the primer stroke hard and fast. Slow and steady is the key. For me they crush, not pop!

--

Regards,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I haven't had any primers go off in my SDB, and I've crushed at least a couple dozen. But I also do the slow and steady seating push. There have been times when I've caught, just by feel, that the primer wasn't seating right, and stopped right there. When I pull the case, the primer is sometimes only 1/4 of the way seated.

I still make a point of wearing safety glasses when I load, though I haven't been able to put up with the discomfort of also wearing hearing protection in case the whole tube goes...

[reneet]

I've never set off any primers in my 13+ years of loading. Started off with Square Deal, switched to Dillon 550 and now loading on a Dillon 650 (since 1996 I think).

However, many years ago (Circa~ 1993) ... I was loading primer tubes for Kay Clark who unbeknownst to me was having primer system problems on her Dillon 1000. Post explosion scene - Dumbfounded look on my face, raining glass from the flourescent tubes above the loader, the aluminum follower with brass topper that were weighting the primers looked like a funnel cake. I asked Kay if she was as surprised as I was. She said no since she was hammering on the primer system in an effort to fix it.

LESSON LEARNED: ALWAYS WEAR YOUR EYE PROTECTION even if you are only in the vicinity!