sargenv Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 So I was loading ammo for an upcoming match. I'm going to shoot my model 700 in MOR class for a local match like I did last year.. I ran out of my general stock of Federal Large rifle primers and I go to dip into my reserve stock. I open up the cabinet and.. wait a sec.. that feels kind of weird.. I take the 1k out and.. eww.. what the heck? What the h*!! is going on? ewww.. SOMETHING has eaten it's way through.. ouch.. 4000 shotshell primer containers and 1000 Federal large rifle primers.. and left a buncha crud in between (no doubt what Mike Rowe would call "Bug poo") the plastic trays.. yuck! Man, It is very possible I lost about $200 worth of primers in that cabinet.. so I cleaned out that cabinet and have to wait to be done with work (tech support from home) to remove that cabinet and chuck it outside.. of course this was the lower cabinet so I had to clear out the top one AND the bottom one.. I am NOT looking forward to removing the bottom cabinet.. I can only hope that's all they ate. Little tan brown bugs about a quarter of an inch long and very thin, but they don't look like anything I've ever seen.. eww! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Yeah, that's gross. But the primers aren't salvageable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 I don't know.. It seems like the carboard has been processed thru the bugs the crus is on all the primers.. I'd have to go through the Ugh! factor to process them and clean them.. I even thought about putting them thru my tumbler for oh about 5 seconds.. no sir I don't think so.. ewww. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Are these the famous California Primer Paper Eating bugs ??? Hopefully they are indigenous to the west coast only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLM Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Did it look like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 This is one of those threads where I normally say something about "Useless Without Pics" ....... but I bit my tongue for this go round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLM Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 (edited) It would help, wouldn't it Chris? I found that pic HERE almost at the bottom of the page. It's a relative of the Silverfish (which will eat anything). edited to fix link Edited April 9, 2008 by SLM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 (edited) Nope.. nothing like those.. like I said, they are about a quarter inch long by maybe a sixteenth wide.. the pupae stage looks like a tiny 1/8" x 1/16" are soft and squishy.. I salvaged 200 #209 primers (out of 4000), 400 Federal #210's, and maybe 600 Winchester Small Pistol Magnum primers out of the bunch. Just to be safe I put each of those into ziplocs and will try to use them up quickly. I took everything out of the cabinets where I discovered them and sprayed the section that had them with Raid. I'll be taking those cabinets out and disposing of them. Now I need to build a new cabinet.. I guess this is as good a time as any to re-think my storage system. Maybe now I'll encapsulate each K of primers in a ziploc.. nice easy way to keep bugs out.. I didn't even think about pics.. Edited April 9, 2008 by sargenv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
get2now Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Nope.. nothing like those.. like I said, they are about a quarter inch long by maybe a sixteenth wide.. the pupae stage looks like a tiny 1/8" x 1/16" are soft and squishy.. I salvaged 200 #209 primers (out of 4000), 400 Federal #210's, and maybe 600 Winchester Small Pistol Magnum primers out of the bunch. Just to be safe I put each of those into ziplocs and will try to use them up quickly. I took everything out of the cabinets where I discovered them and sprayed the section that had them with Raid. I'll be taking those cabinets out and disposing of them. Now I need to build a new cabinet.. I guess this is as good a time as any to re-think my storage system. Maybe now I'll encapsulate each K of primers in a ziploc.. nice easy way to keep bugs out..I didn't even think about pics.. Do a google search for termites. Hopefully its not though. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 From what I have heard about the hardiness or indestructibility of primers, I would probably put them in a mesh bag of some sort and wash the bug-d00 off of them. Lay them out in the sun or a warm, dry room for a while. Load em up and shoot. I swear, I have heard of folks doing everything they could think of to kill primers or live ammo (like soaking in WD40) and they always seem to work. Just a suggestion....may save you some primers FWIW dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann the Horrible Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 No!! Those primers are unsafe will blow your gun or not work- DO NOT USE THEM. Please sent them to PO Box 37 Colchester, Port Elizabeth 6175, South Africa for safe disposal. You might want to keep the bugs though. I do not require them. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 just be glad the bugs were not termites. lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Ho Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 To help with further deposits of bug-doo you need to leave a little tiny roll of toilet paper. Try some of the primers for practice ammo. I don't think bug-doo is corrosive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Ho Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 just be glad the bugs were not termites.lynn No S#!t. I saw a termite colony swarm through my parents house. They didn't infest the house, their main colony was underground and they happened to swarm up right under my parents sink. It was like a horror movie. tens if not hundreds of thousands of little critters coming out from under their sink crawling and flying all over the house. Fun times, let me tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 I don't think they are termintes though I will be inspecting the area when I get home today. I'll be pulling the cabinets out into the yard. I hit the area with a blast of raid last night and closed the cabinet.. They aren't eating on the wooden cabinet at all, just the paper. I'll think about what people have said.. mostly it's just an "eww" factor.. anyone that wants to sort through these things are welcome to them.. I'll see if I can post some pics later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Thanks ...... but no thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 i've had the termite infestation twice this past year. this type of termite (very small) would eat through the wood to get inside the house. then they would find oh say the sheet rock paper on the walls leaving the paint and sheet rock behind. the second attack came in the bathroom cabinet to get to some paper package stored there, leaving a brown mud pile behind. similar to the primer packages you lost. lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisStock Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Lynn, You've got subterranean termites and they will not go away without treatment. One of my gigs when I got out of the Army was working for Terminix. Most pest control companies offer a free inspection, and it might be a real eye opener for you. No one said you had to contract with whomever comes out My advice would be to get multiple free estimates/inspections as soon as possible unless you are renting the place and you hate the house owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Um, ok.. here is what the 2 bricks of Winchester primers looked like.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgary Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 eeeyyyuuuuwwww. Nope, never mind. Even "free", I don't think I need those primers ;-) B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Yah...big eeeeww factor. Trash time for everything (after liberal application of bug killing juice). Nuttin like that gonna go through my press or my guns... .....eeewwww...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adiksaputok Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Um, ok.. here is what the 2 bricks of Winchester primers looked like.. termite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herky Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I'm about as cheap as they come, but there isn't anything that would entice me to try and salvage that mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 (edited) hmm.. so if it's a termite.. and I saw the critters.. why did they not eat the wood cabinet and chose to only eat the paper on the primer boxes? Will see after I remove the cabinets... Here are what they look like... I pulled the cabinet back and there is NO evidence of any kind of desctruction outside the cabinet. I wonder if they were always in this one old box of Remington 57 primers and then just finally made their way out of that unit and slowly were eating their way to the other boxes.. mmmm something about that lovely Winchester and Federal cardboard.. I did manage to salvage some of the remington shotshell primers and almost all of the winchester small pistol magnum primers. Also was able to save about 1200 Federal Rifle primers before I gave up.. probably about 3 bricks of primers.. toast..er... turned into bug poop.. Edited April 9, 2008 by sargenv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
get2now Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 hmm.. so if it's a termite.. and I saw the critters.. why did they not eat the wood cabinet and chose to only eat the paper on the primer boxes?Will see after I remove the cabinets... Here are what they look like... I pulled the cabinet back and there is NO evidence of any kind of desctruction outside the cabinet. I wonder if they were always in this one old box of Remington 57 primers and then just finally made their way out of that unit and slowly were eating their way to the other boxes.. mmmm something about that lovely Winchester and Federal cardboard.. I did manage to salvage some of the remington shotshell primers and almost all of the winchester small pistol magnum primers. Also was able to save about 1200 Federal Rifle primers before I gave up.. probably about 3 bricks of primers.. toast..er... turned into bug poop.. What I'd say after looking at that great picture, is it's termites.... Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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