Thread: Safest Method Of Discharging Unknown Primers?

Caliber 22 Hornet - Small rifle Primer
Whilst sorting my brass (aquired through TradeMe and the Forum) I have uncovered about 50 or 60 live rounds of unknown DNA, so I've pulled the projectiles.
Variations include:
- Cartridge overall length - seating depth
- Case length, both too long and too short!
- Three different types of powder (that's going in the garden!)
- Eight different type of projectile (which I'll sort to match other stock on hand)
- Three different types of primer, including pistol primers, so I was told by one seller

I intend getting rid of the primers, but I understand it is unsafe to press them out, like you do with a fired primer.

My question is what is the safest way to discharge the primer, before going on to de-priming and FL re-sizing?

Options I'm think are:
- Chamber the primed, but empty case, then pull the trigger. My concerns are, will doing this 50 - 60 time pit or damage the breech or barrel rifling?
- or, put a piece of hardwood in the vice, drill a tight hole through, drop the primed case in the hole and whack the primer with a sharp pin or nail punch (wearing eye protection, groves and ear muffs)

What's the best method?

hi my too cents if you are worried about a discharge just drop them in water and empty them out dry them and start from scratch,size and deprime as you normally would,on a side note i gave deprime many primed cases by had never had a problem so far all the best

Press them out. Almost guarantee not a single one will go off. But in case they do, do it slowly, wear safety glasses and ear muffs.
I deprime live primers just as quickly and with as much worry as spent primers.

Many times have I decapped /deprimed cases with live primers. Only one that went off was decapped with a lee universal whackamole type. With a press I've never had it happen, but it pays to lower the pin and wear ear muffs they're loud

I have pressed out live primers with no issue.

Originally Posted by bluecod1967

hi my too cents if you are worried about a discharge just drop them in water and empty them out dry them and start from scratch,size and deprime as you normally would,on a side note i gave deprime many primed cases by had never had a problem so far all the best

Water won't deactivate modern primers. They're surprisingly hard to kill.

Originally Posted by Makros

Water won't deactivate modern primers. They're surprisingly hard to kill.

Any oil/hydrocarbon will render them deader than a dead thing ( but clean your cases thoroughly after or the deading process will be ongoing!)

But if you think about it, if one goes off all it does is blow out of the case. I dont bother killing them anymore although I would re omend safety glasses

Run the cases through your die and push them out. Wear safety gear, just in case. I've done hundreds without a single mishap. Most I keep asisde for reuse in fouling loads and evcery one has ignited.

I tried to kill a bunch of primers that were in similar handloads of unknown parentage, pulled the pills, dumped the powder and pressed the primers out. Soaked a couple in water, a couple in crc and a couple in oil. They all went off, I chucked on earmuffs and safety glasses and gave them a light tap with a hammer on a block of steel. Set off a couple of unmolested ones for a comparison, no difference in volume or pop... Conclusion is if you want to be rid of them the only safe and sure way to deactivate them is in the time honored fashion, setting them off. Even if you soak them and it does desensitize them, no guarantees that they won't dry out and get some of their mojo back. To be fair they aren't that violent even setting them off with a tap from a hammer on steel. You just end up with a flattened cup with the deformed anvil left in it.

The way I'd do it in your case is just press the primers out, collect them one at a time to minimise the numbers in the press if you do get a pop and into a primer tray before doing the next. Wear earmuffs/earplugs and safety glasses as the minimum, and you won't have any issues.

You can do two things - you can size the cases and press them out like normal - (absolutely no problem doing that, I do it all the time. Hundreds of them. (I have primers that have been pressed out of cartridges and then reloaded three times over...) then throw them in the ocean,
or
You can just fire them off. You do that in the comfort of your own home by putting the muzzle of your rifle inside the neck of a 2 litre plastic coke bottle. First drink the coke. Then shoot them off into the empty plastic bottle. All you get is a dull pop that noone will notice.

Press them out per above. If really concerned correct way to kill them deader than a dodo is with a spray of CRC or WD40 down the neck..as Dillon states to do with a primer magazine tube for the Dillon Press prrimer feed system if you get jammed primers in the tube - this so you can return to Dillon for a warranty claim. Diesel or Kero would do the same. Clean the brass well with Isopropyl alcohol, soapy water or some such after.

But in 17 years of pressing them out I've never had one go off. And if they were mine I'd stick some powder and a projectile back in and shoot them

Yea just press them out. Dunno what your thinking trying to knock them out with a lee loader by whacking them. I have removed them with a lee loader tho. Just put the decapping rod in a drill press and remove them that way basically pressing them out...

why didnt you simply fire the rounds in your rifle?

As he said, the contents are completely unknown. There is risk associated with firing them off- an overload with a fast pistol powder wouldn't be great..

Originally Posted by No.3

I tried to kill a bunch of primers that were in similar handloads of unknown parentage, pulled the pills, dumped the powder and pressed the primers out. Soaked a couple in water, a couple in crc and a couple in oil. They all went off, I chucked on earmuffs and safety glasses and gave them a light tap with a hammer on a block of steel. Set off a couple of unmolested ones for a comparison, no difference in volume or pop... Conclusion is if you want to be rid of them the only safe and sure way to deactivate them is in the time honored fashion, setting them off. Even if you soak them and it does desensitize them, no guarantees that they won't dry out and get some of their mojo back. To be fair they aren't that violent even setting them off with a tap from a hammer on steel. You just end up with a flattened cup with the deformed anvil left in it.

The way I'd do it in your case is just press the primers out, collect them one at a time to minimise the numbers in the press if you do get a pop and into a primer tray before doing the next. Wear earmuffs/earplugs and safety glasses as the minimum, and you won't have any issues.

I haven’t come across a primer that would survive few drop of acetone….