Would appreciate helpful hints for how to prevent/protect from primer detonation

[wanttolearn]

Hi, first let me state that i'm not trying to speak ill of Dillon or any other company, just trying to learn......

 

i just heard that a good friend of mine suffered some injuries from a primer detonation...i guess many primers ignited/exploaded.

 

Thankfully i believe nothing too serious happened to his face etc.

 

I did a brief internet search and surprisingly there are many such descriptions.... some mention Federal Primers might be a consideration, some suggest an ill fitting .45 case/primer pocket relationship and some mention a dirty or an ill timed machine (Dillon 650, I believe). 

 

I was wondering as there are multiple possible causes that might result in a primer detonation, is there perhaps a way of optimizing the machine to prevent this or perhaps is there a way or device one could add or modify to shield the blast away from the user?  This of course in addition to proper eye protection, long sleeves, good ventilation etc.

 

Thanks

Edited May 12, 2019 by wanttolearn

[DKnoch]

Hi, first let me state that i'm not trying to speak ill of Dillon or any other company, just trying to learn......
 
i just heard that a good friend of mine suffered some injuries from a primer detonation...i guess many primers ignited/exploaded.
 
Thankfully i believe nothing too serious happened to his face etc.
 
I did a brief internet search and some mention Federal Primers might be a consideration, some suggest an ill fitting .45 case/primer pocket relationship and some mention a dirty or an ill timed machine (Dillon 650, I believe). 
 
I was wondering, if there are multiple possible causes that might result in a primer detonation, is there perhaps a way of optimizing the machine to prevent this or perhaps is there a way or device one could add or modify to shield the blast away from the user? 
 
Thanks

Guessing you’re speaking of the Bruce Gray picture? I haven’t experienced it or known anyone who has, but I’ve heard people talk about primers detonating


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[Hi-Power Jack]

There are cases where the primers in the primer tube (100 primers) explode 

usually because of static electricity and someone mentioned dropping the

rod into the tube on top of the primers and that set them off.

 

Everybody I've read about reports that the measuring rod in the primer tube

goes up and hits the ceiling pretty hard, and that's about it.

 

 

[teros135]

That's why the primer magazine is armored.  For safety, just in case.  The best way to protect yourself is to follow standard safety procedures. 

[Guy Neill]

One thing is to never (ever) force things if something jams up.

 

A smooth rhythm - no jerky starts and stops, such as trying to go really fast.

 

Anything that applies more than usual force to the primer(s) needs to be avoided.

 

 

[wanttolearn]

i understand and appreciate the aforementioned information...yet i wonder if one might not be able to do more to modify or improve the device so as to further minimize either the occurrence itself of the potential for damage and injury.

[SteelCityShooter]

The Dillon 650 (and probably the other Dillon presses) has the primer feed tube off-set from the primer seating station so if a primer detonates while being seated it won't set off the others.  I guess something could cause a primer in the feed tube to detonate and set off the others but that would take quite a hard hit.   In 20,000+ rounds through my 650 I've never had a primer go off while loading.

[Jollymon32]

I am over 50k rounds loaded, no primer detonations.  Slow and steady, don’t force anything.  

[Flatland Shooter]

4 hours ago, wanttolearn said:

i understand and appreciate the aforementioned information...yet i wonder if one might not be able to do more to modify or improve the device so as to further minimize either the occurrence itself of the potential for damage and injury.

 

The Dillon press as designed is very safe.  To modify the device may results in unexpected consequences.  Best left well enough alone.

 

Always wear safety glasses while reloading.  I''ve run my 550 for over 32 years without a single incident of primers going off, but I still will not reload without eye protection.

Edited May 13, 2019 by Flatland Shooter

[ChuckS]

One tip I have seen is to clean the primer tube to remove stray primer residue. Should help resist propagation of a detonation. I push a Q-tip wetted with isopropyl with the primer chase rod.

[Hi-Power Jack]

And, watch for static cling ( electricity).     

[Nevadazielmeister]

11 hours ago, SteelCityShooter said:

The Dillon 650 (and probably the other Dillon presses) has the primer feed tube off-set from the primer seating station so if a primer detonates while being seated it won't set off the others.  I guess something could cause a primer in the feed tube to detonate and set off the others but that would take quite a hard hit.   In 20,000+ rounds through my 650 I've never had a primer go off while loading.

 

I had a primer detonate in my Dillon XL650. I was trying to get a primer in and used a bit too much force and "POP". It scared me but there was nothing but the shell of that one primer and some powder residue. I cleaned everything up and continued onward. Lesson learned. 

 

Dillon has thought of all of this and more. Don't "improve" the design since the design works very well as is. 

[GregJ]

Get cans of canned air, and use them frequently.  Besides blowing away excess powder, brass shavings, etc, it blows away any residue primer compound in the slide track that could result from smeared primer, etc.   From what I have read, primer residue is one of the culprits leading to primer stack going off.  

[RiggerJJ]

11 hours ago, ChuckS said:

One tip I have seen is to clean the primer tube to remove stray primer residue. Should help resist propagation of a detonation. I push a Q-tip wetted with isopropyl with the primer chase rod.

 

This is the best advise to minimize primer dets. Don't use fed primers either.

 

Other than that, don't reload at all. It's one of those things that can happen no matter how many precautions you take.

[muncie21]

I clean my primer tube and feeder tube every 5-10K rounds.  From the 'yellow' on the swabs I push through, there must be a decent amount of residue in these tubes. 

[rodell]

I once set off the primers in the tube - totally my fault. Other than my pride, the priming tube was toast and the measuring rod was stuck in the ceiling. I keep it hanging next to the press now so it is front and center. Never had one since.

[wanttolearn]

thanks everyone....appreciate the helpful hints.

while perhaps unusual, it seems that this occurrence is unfortunately not unheard of.

 

need to learn more

[MikeyScuba]

I use a piece of paper towel soaked in brake clean pushed through with the measuring road on the tubes and main tube.

[AdamM]

Definitely Federal primers. One of my friends did it on his 650 TWICE! Other than craping in his pants and needing a new primer tube, nothing serious happened. I use Winchester primers and have crushed in a few almost sideways in over 100k rounds and never an explosion...

[BrianATL]

Don't crunch Federal primers I have set off 2    on a 650

[The Donald]

One thing most important NEVER, NEVER, touch your press or handle primers without safety glasses on!!!!! That way if something goes wrong your eyes are protected!

[ChemistShooter]

Number One: Keep everything SQUEAKY CLEAN. After EVERY reloading run, I take a Walgreens isopropyl alcohol wipe and run it through all the primer loading tubes and primer magazine tube with the primer following rod. First time I did this, it came out yellow, which is lead styphnate, which is the priming compound, which is explosive. So I had explosive dust in there, which is a Really Bad Thing. So now I clean them after every run with the wipes. Takes a staggering five minutes.

 

If it means anything, I use CCI SPP primers and have crunched them every which-way, sideways, upside-down, at an angle, and they've never gone off. (Then Dillon sent me a thing called the primer alignment tool (IIRC) and that actually stopped the mis-feeds. Even high primers are rare now.) 30+ thousand rounds loaded and never a bang.

 

The FIRST priority in avoiding accidents as always, is proper maintenance.