Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

.50 cal cartdrige question

ginmaster
I picked up a live .50 tracer round toady and noted that it has three crimps(for a lack of a better description) holding the primer in place. Are all .50 cal.'s primers crimped in this fashion? It is head stamped LC(Lake City) 43(1943) and has a red tip designating it a tracer. TIA[8D]

Stay Alert! Stay Alive. Good luck out there.
0

Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • I.Shute
    I think the crimp is there just as an added safety.

    When the crimp is removed the new primer doesn't need a crimp to hold it in. They fit nice and snug.

    All the military ammo I've seen are crimped. None of the newly made commercial stuff I've run in to is crimped
    0
  • Laredo Lefty
    Military ammo has staked primers to eliminate primers backing out during firing. They cannot afford to have this happen during combat.

    I have reloaded thousands of rounds of once fired Lake City brass in both 5.56mm and 7.62mm. The primer pockets have to be swaged or reamed to remove the crimp so a new primer can be placed in the primer pocket.

    If too much metal is removed, the new primer may not have enough contact surface with the primer pocket and can back out during firing.

    I had a primer back out of reload on one occassion. In this instance the primer fell into the lower on my AR and got stuck under the disconnector causing the gun to go full auto until the mag emptied. This is scary when its not expected.

    When swaging military brass, be careful not to remove too much material from the primer pocket.

    There are basically 2 types of military crimps, the 3 point like on your .50 tracer round and the circular crimp found on Lake City 5.56 and 7.62 ammo.









    Joe
    "Never let school interfere with your education"
    0
  • Iconoclast
    ginmaster, they are called "staked primer crimps" and this is pretty much standard on the .50 BMG rounds of the WW2 era.

    "There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain)
    0
  • ginmaster
    Thanks for the info. peoples.[8D]

    Stay Alert! Stay Alive. Good luck out there.
    0
  • IAMACLONE_2
    Just picked up or should we say had 1,000 50bmg & 500 tracers delivired today.

    My are reloads, with 2001 LC headstamps, no crimps on either the ball or tracers.

    Walte
    0
  • Laredo Lefty
    Walte...... Much of the .50 ammo these days is dis-assembled, then re-assembled by "Talon" for resale to the public, so they dont crimp the primers.

    Talon has a contract with the govt to de-mil ammo for sale. Because of govt policy the ammo must be torn down, then re-assembled with new powder for public consumption.

    With the war in Iraq going, Iam surprised there is such a surplus of .50 ammo that they can tear it down and re-sell it, but Iam glad there is as I need it for my .50cal.



    Joe
    "Never let school interfere with your education"
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity