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je2140
Had my Lee hand priming tool set off with a tray of 60 large federal rifle primers today, when seating into a tight 308 pocket. Plastic tray and lid where shrapnel around the living room. a few small cuts on my hand but nothing band aids can't handle. Ears still ringing.

Glad I had on glasses, although I didn't get anything in the face. May drop back to only loading 10 primers in the tray at a time. A leather glove might also be in order.
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Comments

14 comments

Date Votes
  • bpost
    I am very glad you were not injured!

    That is THE reason I use the RCBS priming tool.
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  • guntech59
    I worry about that sometimes myself. Glad you didn't get any serious injuries.

    Was it military brass?
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  • sandwarrior
    I hate to say it but, the worst offender here is you and I picking up all that cheap milsurp brass and not reaming the crimped primer pockets correctly. I've got a ton of Winchester LE that isn't crimped and takes primers like nothing. I've also got a bunch of Federal and LC brass that I've run through the RCBS swager and the Lyman reamer and still doesn't want to let primers in there.

    FWIW, I had one let go a couple weeks ago myself. But, it just blew the one (or two) being loaded. In the immediate commotion that followed I let the hand primer system go on a hard centrifigal curve. It got put back together and still works okay now though.

    I've sworn off priming crimped cases for now.
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  • GONESHOOTING
    I think lee wants not more than 20 primers at a time[?]
    Glad you were not hurt.
    I have a couple of them and never had any problems[:)]
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  • Mobuck
    LEE does put a restriction on the number of primers in the tray unless using CCI.
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  • Rocky Raab
    Federal primers are more sensitive, thus easier to set off. They are made that way deliberately to enhance reliability. But the downside is that if several of them are close together and one goes off, they all will. Primers in a tray or in a tube are especially hazardous.

    That's is precisely why Lee warns about using certain primers in certain numbers.
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  • Bubba Jr.
    Whenever I get used brass and find that the primers were crimped in, I just toss them in the trash. I don't feel it's worth the effort to fool with them. But that's just me.[:)]
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  • jonk
    I wouldn't want ANY primers going off in my hand. Still, Lee says to use Winchester or CCI in their hand primer. Yes, I sometimes use other brands too, but limit it to how many. Glad no real damage was done.
    For tight primer pockets I use a ram prime for this reason.
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  • lksmith03
    all the lee instructions I have seen said "DO NOT USE FEDERAL PRIMERS"
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  • je2140
    Thanks for the ideas, I think will only have 10 primers in the tray at a time now.

    The brass has all had the primer pockets sized and had been reloaded at least 10 times.
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  • john w
    Are you sure you did not cock the primer in sideways as i had that happen once and from then on always looked at the primer before setting in the shell casing. I load the tray with 100 primers and hald it away from my face when priming. I never have used federal primers. Did it set off all the primers or just the ones in the chute?. I cant see it setting them all off but hell just one is enough to make you skid mark your pants i bet.
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  • sandwarrior
    quote:Originally posted by Bubba Jr.
    Whenever I get used brass and find that the primers were crimped in, I just toss them in the trash. I don't feel it's worth the effort to fool with them. But that's just me.[:)]


    I was talking to a guy that I shoot with up North over the winter and he says there is someone who cleans and does primer pockets for $.03 each. You pay shipping each way. I'll try to get the name for this post. He also sells cleaned and de-crimped brass for $.10 each. Not a bad deal I think.

    Edit: will post back if I get it.
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  • v35
    I complained to RCBS that my old buttons didn't reform circular crimps sufficiently. They sent me gratis some new buttons which I haven't tried yet.
    Probably if you forced a 1/4-3/8 dia ball bearing against the pocket the crimp would swage back into the case head but a proper radius at the base of the stem should take care of that.
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  • v35
    I read in Hatcher's Notebook about a man in an arsenal walking along carrying a bucket of primers and jiggling them as he went.
    The resulting explosion made him disappear.
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