Skip to main content
Thank you for your patience as we work through our high volume of requests. If you need assistance with 2FA, please provide the correct phone number in your ticket request so we can assist quicker.
Help Center Community Shop

reloading questions

Comments

11 comments

  • dgac
    What happens if you touch your primers? Hang Fires and duds? or nothing most of the time?


    dgac
    0
  • dcs shooters
    Nothing as long as your hands are dry and free of any oil.
    0
  • perry shooter
    If you use case lube to size and then touch the case and then pick up a primer to install in the primer punch you will get misfires

    When I first started loading it was for rifles I lubed the cases then sized them then picked up the primer to put on the primer punch this was on a single station press that sized on the up-stroke and installed primer on the same down-stroke first 20 rounds had 4 DUDS[xx(][:(] I started loading on a star reloading machine in 1972 and This machine has an auto primer feed Your hands never touch a primer. I have loaded over 300,000 rounds of 45ACP with this machine and have NEVER had even one dud. [^][:p][:D] For those who understand no explanation is needed and for those who don't understand no explanation is possible.
    0
  • mbsams
    Prior to handling primers, wash your hands!
    0
  • jonk
    The only handling of primers I do is if one or two won't flip rightside up in my primer tray.

    Never had an issue. Yes, I've had the occasional dud primer but out of tens of thousands that's gonna happen now and then anyhow.
    0
  • Malcolm7
    In order to avoid this issue completely, get a Lee Auto Prime. it is well worth the $20.00 investment.
    0
  • JustC
    yep, lee autoprime
    0
  • sandwarrior
    I use a Lee hand primer. I don't end up touching many primers that way.
    0
  • ern98
    I've been using the Lee for over twenty years and can count the number of reloaded dud primers on one hand. Lee +++
    0
  • amamnn
    Somewhere in the stacks of back issues of all the gun rags I take and have taken, there are a few very interesting articles about primers. These articles were written by people who actually experimented with primers to find out the truth if possible, and not just repeat old wive's tales.

    The relevant one as far as this thread is concerned was written by someone who tried to foul primers. He tried various things smeared, stuck, poured over and pressed onto the face of a great number of primers. What he found was that there did not seem to be any big difference in the primers' function or effect on the load until he actually slathered or poured insane amounts of oils and other contaminants on them.

    While it's certainly a good idea to wash your hands before you go to the loading bench, we might also mention that it's a good idea to wash them when you're done. Those primers have lead in them........

    We might more profitably spend time worrying over how uniform our primer seating is...
    0
  • glabray
    Last week while I was prepping a few hundred .45-70 cases, I accidentally got some lube inside a few cases that were already primed. I grabbed an old Trapdoor carbine and went out back with the primed but contaminated cases and popped each one. I was astounded at the difference in sound they made from one case to another. About two thirds of them gave the expected sharp crack you would expect from firing just a primer. Most of the other third gave a much lower sound level. One did not fire at all.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity

Didn’t find what you’re looking for?