sifu128 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Hey guys, I am curious if anyone has set off a primer in the primer station by forcing one or by the primer being bad? I got my reloading equipment last night and will set it up this weekend so I can start WOOOT!! As for the safety aspect I was wondering how loud and just how dangerous it was if this were to happen? I am 99.9% sure I will wear safety goggles, but is that enough?? TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trodrig Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I haven't had a primer go off using my 650 yet. I've loaded several thousand rounds on it so far. However, I have read here that it can happen. I have had a primer get caught sideways in the primer magazine tube. I would imagine if had forced the handle under this condition I could've had the primer pop. In general, I'd advise taking your 99.9% chance of wearing safety glasses to 100%! I think that's just good practice anytime you're handling primers. Good luck, have fun, and be safe! Trodrig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wandering Man Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I've only loaded a couple of thousand rounds in .45ACP and .380. I have had several small pistol primers end up seated sideways in my .380s. I've never had one go pop. WM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmiller1 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 By all means, wear safety glasses anytime you are loading. I've loaded upwards of 75k rounds on my 650s & a couple of months ago, I popped my first primer. It was my fault. The primer wasn't seating smoothly so I smacked the handle down pretty hard, suddenly & bang! Scared me but didn't do anything else. I have crushed quite a few, especially back when I was using a lee loadmaster but have only had this one go off. Am I glad I wear the glasses? You bet! Your eyes will not grow back if you damage them. Sometimes things just happen. The primer has plenty of power to blow a fragment into your eye & damage the eye. Wear safety glasses! Have fun with the 650, they are great tools. I've loaded on a single stage, a loadmaster, a 550, & now the 650(of which I have two!) & by far, the smoothest operating, easiest to maintain, best for me loader is the 650. It does take a little time to get everything right, though. Be patient with it. That is how I got a second 650. A friend bought one, didn't take the time to make fine adjustments & then hated it. Sold it to me for a decent price & I had it making ammo the way I wanted it in about 15 minutes. I told him what I did & asked if he wanted it back but he turned down my offer. Oh well, more for me! MLM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I've loaded a couple thousand .40 in the last few days and had lots of primers go in sideways, or just slightly sideways ...... even had a few the seated ok, but I could feel the drag against the machine, and looked at it afterwards, and noticed there was a slight impression on one edge of the primer. And this is with both Federal and Winchester primers. So in short ..... yes I've had lots of primers not seat properly ..... and NO I've never had one go pop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifu128 Posted August 23, 2007 Author Share Posted August 23, 2007 Excellent!! I got my glasses and I can not wait until I get started this weekend. Guys, thanks for all of the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry White Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I have loaded a few 100 K on a 650 over 10 or so years and I have had a primer explosion. Keep the machine clean and in adjustment( really watch that the primer punch is screwed in tight). Do not force the machine, if it tries to lock down find out why before you force anything. When mine happned it set off the one going in the case, all the ones in the wheel and about 30 or so in the tube. It destroyed the wheel and the inner and outer primer tube and blew the plastic stick thur the sheetrock of the ceiling. Loud, smokie and stunning, you cant believe the mess it makes. Wear safety glasses and ear protection is not a bad idea. Dillon replaced all the damaged parts without problem. The 650 is a great machine and I still use mine for about 95% of my loading but you need to take of it and respect what can happen.---------Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerba Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I have not had one go off and I've crushed many. Friends have had them go off however. All the primers including the ones in the tube will go off, shooting the plastic primer thingy to the ceiling (that used to be brass, but I guess it was shooting through the ceiling so Dillon changed it to plastic). They said it was loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I've mangled my fair share of primers on my 650, but have yet to have any go off (knock on wood). And safety glasses are a MUST! Anytime I'm working with primers I wear my safety glasses. Better safe than blind. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerX1166 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I set one off in my first thousand rounds through my 650. Fortunately, it was only one that went off and not the whole tube. Was kinda loud but not as bad as I thought it would be since the family didn't hear it upstairs. Of course I was wearing safety glasses, which are a must. To echo what others have said, make sure the machine in adjusted and, if the thing won't go in under normal pressure, don't force it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Always wear safety glasses. Mangled many, never set one off and i load mostly with Federal (they are the most reliable brand). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroncoGlenn Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 It takes a quick and abrupt strike to set a primer off. Slowly crushing them with the loading press or pliers doesn't do it. If you have a habbit of quickly smacking the press handle back to the full aft stop, you are asking for trouble--especially if some debris should get on the primer seating rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifu128 Posted August 23, 2007 Author Share Posted August 23, 2007 I will definitely take my time when I am reloading. My wife will kill me if I blow up the office and have things shooting through the ceiling. You guys have been great and I really appreciate it. I do feel more comfortable now and I am sure I will feel even better once I run in to a few snags and see what to expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I've been reloading over 35 years on all kinds of presses with tube-fed priming systems, including the 650, and have never popped a primer. Smashed a few though. I'm thinking you have to be pretty heavy-handed and not pay a lot of attention to what's going on to have this happen, which is why I've smashed a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear23 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I had my primer tube go kaboom. Winchester primer did not drop out out of position into the blue tray. The primer remained in the disk, Primer got fed where a new one should drop...boom, entire tube 90+primers... dillon did replace. Now if I have any problem, i manually remove the primer from station 2 and do not rely on it dropping out if i have a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reneet Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I have loaded a few 100 K on a 650 over 10 or so years and I have had a primer explosion. Keep the machine clean and in adjustment( really watch that the primer punch is screwed in tight). Do not force the machine, if it tries to lock down find out why before you force anything. Wear safety glasses and ear protection is not a bad idea. +1 - It happened last Thurs evening while I was getting ready for TX Limited. That damn primer punch had come unscrewed and I didn't know it. After removing the shell plate and primer assembly several times without making it any better, I pushed just a bit too hard and set off only 2 primers. Really watch that the primer punch is screwed in tight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifu128 Posted August 25, 2007 Author Share Posted August 25, 2007 When your tube blew up how much damage did it do in your room? I am sure that must have scared the living s&*% out of you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisa006 Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 I have loaded about 70k of 40 on my 650. A year ago I pushed too hard on a primer and had it pop. Scared me!!!! I had Dillon overhaul the press this spring due to primer difficulties seating. I am sure it was me pushing to hard and will not do that again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bomadera Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 I've loaded for a long time and never had a primer go off. But then again, I don't push my luck either. If you encounter resistance do not force, but look and see what the problem is. A friend of mine used too much force and not only popped the primer he was loading but ignited the rest of the primers in the tube. It didn't blow up the entire room, all he had to replace was the primer tube. No one was hurt, although he did have a rise in his B/P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert41 Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Most of the time I prime my cases by hand as the second to last part of brass prep unless I'm certain all the brass is mine and already had all crimped primer pockets swaged. The ones I do by hand I retumble after they are primed so I don't get bits stuck in an empty primer pocket. It's not bad as I watch tv while priming with an RCBS hand primer. I haven't had one go off in my 550b or my hand primer yet, but if one does, I hope it's in the hand primer. I've had more wrong seatings in the hand primer than the 550b. Especially when loading small rifle or pistol primers. They overturn a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n2ipsc Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 ...curious if anyone has set off a primer in the primer station by ... the primer being bad? I've only ever popped one, and, to this day, it's a mystery to me. I was loading 223's on my 650, using Fed 205's. On one case, the primer seated with the usual and expected slight resistance and *BANG* After calming down the pooch and the spousal unit, I decapped the case, only to find no reason whatever for this having happened. Might have been a bit of debris - if it was, it was launched through the flash hole never to be seen again, or, simply an over-sensitive primer..? These were actually once-fired factory cases, so a residual crimp or the like didn't factor into the equation. Still stumped... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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