Thread: Primer question

Silly question but got asked by a mate and had never thought about it , can you decap a live primer and reuse it? Cheers


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Yes. So long as you're slow and careful.

The firing pin pinches the impact sensitive explosive (aka primer compound) between the cup and the anvil to set it off. A decapping pin will just do the same from the other side, if you hit it too hard.

Iv deprimed probably 100s of live primers as above slowly but surely iv never reused them though

so don't do it with a lee loader I need to deprime some 303 brass so I can anneal it.

Originally Posted by blip

so don't do it with a lee loader I need to deprime some 303 brass so I can anneal it.

I happened upon a struck (dud) 303 primer in a case whilst annealing over a gas flame. Impressive bang and a convincing exit of primer. Character building stuff.

I doubt it. When seating the primer into the pocket, it requires a small amount of crush as the edges of the cup bottoms out on the base of the pocket and pushes the anvil up into the primer paste to set it up for ignition. If you de-primed it, it would push the anvil into the paste even further and it can dislodge paste etc. All in all, it would significantly change the ignition.

Ive decapped and reused 2-300 primers with no worries at all. Every single one has fired. Certainly de prime with caution as mentioned above.

Originally Posted by Kiwilad2021

Ive decapped and reused 2-300 primers with no worries at all. Every single one has fired. Certainly de prime with caution as mentioned above.

Spot on. Probably be more relevant now primers are more expensive than illegal drugs.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Spot on. Probably be more relevant now primers are more expensive than illegal drugs.

For sure. no way im throwing unfired primers in the bin these days lol

Originally Posted by Kiwilad2021

Ive decapped and reused 2-300 primers with no worries at all. Every single one has fired. Certainly de prime with caution as mentioned above.

Same! Take it slow be genteal. I have had no issues at all, way too much Scotch blood to throw them away.

I've deprimed heaps of cases over the years but someone once told me, "every time you do it, expect it to go bang", and I do. Luckily haven't shat my pants yet.......but theres still time

Originally Posted by Kiwilad2021

Ive decapped and reused 2-300 primers with no worries at all. Every single one has fired. Certainly de prime with caution as mentioned above.

I've done the same thing without any hassles, wore leather gloves & a leather apron I used to use for hay making plus of course safety specs. Never had a commercial one go off on me but like @zimmer a couple of milsurp ones go pop. I use a Lee decapping die for all my decapping & this seems to contain any aggro quite happily. The die & shell holder got a good wash out with hot water & a spray with CRC afterwards when the milsurp primers went off on me, being as they were likely corrosive primers.

I've deprimed my share of modern cases and up around a thousand of milsurp 30-06. The milsurp was exciting, about one in 10 would go off. Mainly due to having to hit them pretty hard to overcome the mil crimp.
Modern stuff, no issue. Just as already noted, gently does it. If you're primer pockets are getting a bit tired they come out real easy.

With the milsurp I used to wear a welding helmet and welding gloves, with the modern day stuff, safety glasses.

Re-using them, nah. But I know reloaders who do. Mind you, there may now be a good market for them on Tardme with the current shortage.

Another silly question...could you reduce the possibility of ignition by wetting the primer by filling the cases with water and giving them a good shake before depriming?

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

Another silly question...could you reduce the possibility of ignition by wetting the primer by filling the cases with water and giving them a good shake before depriming?

Not silly.
I've wet primers in cases and they've happily gone bang next morning although the odd one was a tad muted.
Same as this nonsense about handling them kills them. Primers are hardy little critters.