To Kill a Primer ...
Moderators: Bullseye, Moderators
To Kill a Primer ...
another saga... as I explore my (in)abilities to make every Reload precise,
I have a small collection of ... uh... "lessons learned"...
I finally decided to get one of those Hammer-looking Bullet-Puller gizmos.
and it came in a recent order... since it LOOKS-like a hammer,
but is made of plastic I was rather gentle with it...
but after my shoulder was getting tired... I began to strike a bit
harder... (a couple old magazines on the carpet was my anvil).
It appears that each strike, if firm enough, will use some of I.Newtons inertia
law to move the bullet about half-a-milli-meter... then some blow
will finally finish the removal... that's cool.
Now I have my bullets back, none the worse for wear with the
powder and case... BUT to do anything with the brass (trim...resize)
is not so simple with that little primer still in place.
Something tells me to not get my decapper-pin and hammer !!
So, here's my question of the week...
What are some of the most sure ways of "killing a primer" ??
- a few drops of water in the case and let it sit over night ?
- a few drops of powder-solvent and let it sit... ?
- maybe even some GunOil ?
suggestions, ideas, experience...
(if you have lost your fingers and cannot type
to share your experience, we'll understand... )
-- toy
http://www.MidWayUSA.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=215517
I have a small collection of ... uh... "lessons learned"...
I finally decided to get one of those Hammer-looking Bullet-Puller gizmos.
and it came in a recent order... since it LOOKS-like a hammer,
but is made of plastic I was rather gentle with it...
but after my shoulder was getting tired... I began to strike a bit
harder... (a couple old magazines on the carpet was my anvil).
It appears that each strike, if firm enough, will use some of I.Newtons inertia
law to move the bullet about half-a-milli-meter... then some blow
will finally finish the removal... that's cool.
Now I have my bullets back, none the worse for wear with the
powder and case... BUT to do anything with the brass (trim...resize)
is not so simple with that little primer still in place.
Something tells me to not get my decapper-pin and hammer !!
So, here's my question of the week...
What are some of the most sure ways of "killing a primer" ??
- a few drops of water in the case and let it sit over night ?
- a few drops of powder-solvent and let it sit... ?
- maybe even some GunOil ?
suggestions, ideas, experience...
(if you have lost your fingers and cannot type
to share your experience, we'll understand... )
-- toy
http://www.MidWayUSA.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=215517
- bearandoldman
- Ye Loquacious Olde Pharte
- Posts: 4194
- Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:30 am
- Location: Mid Michigan
Very simple Tex, even us old guys can figure that out. #1 put them in gun #2 pull trigger #3 primer gone. us old guys really like the old simple methods. After that you can decap the case and do just aabout naything you want within reason with it. 

You have great day and shoot straight and may the Good Lord smile on you.


O-man: that was certainly "on the list" of considerations,
but, sometimes the neighbors get nervous... and since one
parks a car with pretty letters and numbers painted on it
with Xmas-lights on top... she may not see the humor in
the mistakes of my hobby...
Python: on rare occasion, I've de-capped a live primer, but it
was my own over-sight... and just considered myself "lucky"
that the little "anvil"(?) did not pinch the primer against the "cup"
(whatever those leetle parts are called ).
so... what commonly available "solution" will react with the primer-material
to render it useless...
-- toy

but, sometimes the neighbors get nervous... and since one
parks a car with pretty letters and numbers painted on it
with Xmas-lights on top... she may not see the humor in
the mistakes of my hobby...
Python: on rare occasion, I've de-capped a live primer, but it
was my own over-sight... and just considered myself "lucky"
that the little "anvil"(?) did not pinch the primer against the "cup"
(whatever those leetle parts are called ).
so... what commonly available "solution" will react with the primer-material
to render it useless...
-- toy

- bearandoldman
- Ye Loquacious Olde Pharte
- Posts: 4194
- Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:30 am
- Location: Mid Michigan
Tex, you show a lot of intelligence there my friend. I suppose the guy with the flashy car also wears shiny black shoes or boots and blue pants and shirt and out there probably a white cowboy hat. Them guys have been known to be narrow minded of anything that might sound like a gunshot.
As far as decapping, I have done it with shot shells but usually hold my breath and close my eyes but have never had on go bang yet, never tried it with pistol primers and probably. Got this old doing things kind of stupid, no sense pushing my luck as I do plan on getting a lot older yet.
Never entered Python, but if it was apple or cherry I might be tempted.
As far as decapping, I have done it with shot shells but usually hold my breath and close my eyes but have never had on go bang yet, never tried it with pistol primers and probably. Got this old doing things kind of stupid, no sense pushing my luck as I do plan on getting a lot older yet.
Never entered Python, but if it was apple or cherry I might be tempted.

You have great day and shoot straight and may the Good Lord smile on you.


O-man: I guess we'd be in different "events", as I prefer Chocolate-Pie and
Peacan-Pie (or as you Northerners call it: PeeCan Pie )
The assortment of cartridges to UNdo: .380, 9mm, .45, .30-30 & .308
(I got the big-ones done, as the product-package allowed two little
pieces of two of the three "collets" to escape and try to get back home)
but I had one-size that I could begin with...
recently, I was using the "Lee Loader Kit" (the minimalist equipment)
and detonated a primer during seating (the kit is neat, but not perfect).
At the time, the primer is well encased in the steel kit-components,
but did blow some black-powder onto the inside of my left hand
and somehow also strategically placed a large brown stain in the
seat of my pants
... call me 'Primer Shy'
http://www.LeePrecision.com/html/catalo ... oader.html
Peacan-Pie (or as you Northerners call it: PeeCan Pie )
The assortment of cartridges to UNdo: .380, 9mm, .45, .30-30 & .308
(I got the big-ones done, as the product-package allowed two little
pieces of two of the three "collets" to escape and try to get back home)
but I had one-size that I could begin with...
recently, I was using the "Lee Loader Kit" (the minimalist equipment)
and detonated a primer during seating (the kit is neat, but not perfect).
At the time, the primer is well encased in the steel kit-components,
but did blow some black-powder onto the inside of my left hand
and somehow also strategically placed a large brown stain in the
seat of my pants

http://www.LeePrecision.com/html/catalo ... oader.html
- bearandoldman
- Ye Loquacious Olde Pharte
- Posts: 4194
- Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:30 am
- Location: Mid Michigan
Oooh, a primer going off in one of them units would make for stained underwear.
As far as pies go, you just reminded me that I have not baked one of them in ages and I do make a good or even excellent Pihcaahn pie for a damn Yankee. Think that is the Texas pronunciation, still have a daughter on Houston
I use the basic simple Lee Challenger press, on of of those Lee hand priming tools to set primer Lee Challenger powder measure and 4 die set. Alos have a good balance scale and one of those little Frankford Arsenal electronic scales to check as I load.
As far as pies go, you just reminded me that I have not baked one of them in ages and I do make a good or even excellent Pihcaahn pie for a damn Yankee. Think that is the Texas pronunciation, still have a daughter on Houston
I use the basic simple Lee Challenger press, on of of those Lee hand priming tools to set primer Lee Challenger powder measure and 4 die set. Alos have a good balance scale and one of those little Frankford Arsenal electronic scales to check as I load.
You have great day and shoot straight and may the Good Lord smile on you.


Lee makes pretty strong warnings about using only CCI and Winchester primers in the Pro 1000 because of the feed tray design. Not sure if that goes to their other stuff.
I've decapped a number of cases with primers by running them through my Lee press as if they had been fired. No problems yet.
I seem to get better results with the bullet puller by hitting the end of a 4x4 or 2x4 held in a vise. Works pretty well and you get to beat away any frustrations.
I've decapped a number of cases with primers by running them through my Lee press as if they had been fired. No problems yet.
I seem to get better results with the bullet puller by hitting the end of a 4x4 or 2x4 held in a vise. Works pretty well and you get to beat away any frustrations.
- bearandoldman
- Ye Loquacious Olde Pharte
- Posts: 4194
- Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:30 am
- Location: Mid Michigan
Gotcha, just could not get the phonetic spelling right. I can make a better Pecan Pie than most of them Southern Belles can, not bad for a Yankee eh? The only thing is most of them look better than me.SKnight wrote:It's pecan. Say "pickon" fairly quickly and you'll be close.
Frickin yankees always trying to hold down a clearly superior group of people......
You have great day and shoot straight and may the Good Lord smile on you.

