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In the 1970s, boxer primed 6mm cases were difficult to come by. We used to hydraulically de-cap Berdan cases and the Berdan '69 primers were cheap and available. I used to sit and watch the tele with a box of cases on my knee and re-prime them in the newly available Lee priming tool---which is still in use!
Once in a while, working automatically and concentrating on the box, one would go off. When this happens, it certainly gets your attention.
Using a press mounted priming tool I have crushed and flattened boxer primers which had not fed properly. In 40+ years of reloading, I have never had a boxer promer go off in these circumstances.
When I get a new set of dies, the first thing I do is to remove and discard the decapping rod. All my decapping is carried out on a small, dedicated press fitted with a Lee universal de-dapping die.
With some of the obsolete calibres that I load, to ensure that the round will feed I size after loading----every ammunition factory does this. I have always done this---- if one wnet off I would get a hole in the ceiling of the gun room----it has never happened: why would it?
Fred

redcat wrote:I have used a Lee universal de-capping die to carefully remove primers. They are not damaged in any way and can be used again.


Redcat

Same here
Don't move the press handle too fast and you'll be fine
Wear safety glasses just in case

One additional point.
If you re-use the primer, make sure the anvil hasn't been dislodged (the three legged thingy in the primer)

channel12 wrote:Or you could remove the decapping pin from the die and resize the cases. Quicker than trying to deprime live primers.

I did try this initially but the top part of the decaying pin is thicker and sits inside the mouth when the outside is having pressure applied to it to reshape. With that missing, it basically closed the mouth too much. I have discarded that case now as its closed up quite a bit.

Thanks for all of your input. All done. Slowly and carefully. No accidents and all successfully reused. However, even after knowing and having to do all this, I still forgot to re-rresize the next batch of 40 brass until I was about to put the bullet in which resulted in having to do it all over again!.

Hopefully it'll sink in next time/ :-)

Thanks again all.

You isn't thinking of taking up sky-diving is you ?

I asked the same question a few years ago and found decapping primed cases is fine, but you may as well have resized the brass with the primers in. I was really cautious the first time I did it, but after having resized dozens of cases, I couldn't find any concerns. Obviously wear safety glasses though.

Someone on here full-length resizes live rounds and IIRC has done thousands of rounds over decades and not had any issues. I wouldn't do this, but I think it proves a point with primed brass.

HALODIN wrote:I asked the same question a few years ago and found decapping primed cases is fine, but you may as well have resized the brass with the primers in. I was really cautious the first time I did it, but after having resized dozens of cases, I couldn't find any concerns. Obviously wear safety glasses though.

Someone on here full-length resizes live rounds and IIRC has done thousands of rounds over decades and not had any issues. I wouldn't do this, but I think it proves a point with primed brass.

You mean he takes factory ammo and resizes it ?

Yep.

HALODIN wrote:Yep.

why? if size is that important to him surely it would be far safer to just resize fired brass and reload from scratch? even one cartridge igniting in a die would be a disaster why take the chance ?