The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Hi folks,

Had a small scare the other day whilst reloading that might be a helpful reminder to people to keep safe and follow your procedures not being sloppy. Primer popped when being seated and flashed over into try causing other primers to detonate.

This happened using a Hornady Hand Primer

My set-up post incident



Close-up of hand primer – not sure where rest of pieces are.



Close-up of “flashed” primers (Note empty but undented cups)



And this is the resulting cuts to hand – fortunately they seem superficial. Blast also blew my glasses off my face and they landed ~6 feet away.



Fortunately I was wearing latex gloves so some protection.

Be careful folks and wear your eye protection.

(Just in case people are interested, didn’t notice anything different from usual. Cases were PPU factory on ~4th firing. Primers were Federal Large Pistol. Cases had been sonic cleaned and primer pockets checked prior to priming and I’d primed ~50 that session. This process has served me fine for ~3 years of loading)

Best wishes,

Scrummy

Along with hand, ear, face, eye protection I also wear bicycle clips when priming.

I have had the odd one go off when seating in cases with improperly removed military crimps but fortunately never had multiple primers let go.

Lot to be said for a single primer tool. My preference is now to prime on the press having hand primed for years.

Please to hear you are OK though.

Ouch, good to hear you are OK. I wear safety glasses for everything as they are my bi-focals as well and I have had a few things bounce off them. Grinding yesterday was a good example.

the hornady hand primer is a good tool and well made. occasionally , it can let 2 primers into the chute so you have to be careful and keep a close eye on procedures. Federal primers are known to be soft and ppu brass is known to be hard, maybe the 2 primer situation happened and you crushed one primer against the next. Glad you are ok. Are you going to get the tool repaired?

Probably get an RCBS one with a gate that closes off the tray

That WAS unfortunate. I've never had one go off in 30 + years.
I was once worried that I was pushing my luck popping out live primers on the Lee single stage press - removing incorrectly inserted small pistol primers from .223 cases. I had a few hundred to remove from pulled cases. It went without incident.

Ouch I bet that hurt glad you are OK. Certainly made me re think my priming set up.

As you say folks, a slightly sobering lesson.

Best wishes,

Scrummy

Happened to me too with the Lee hand primer many years ago. Federal primers are softer but the cause was most likely two going into the recessed seating area.

Lesson learned after almighty bang and ringing ears! One primer went up my nose!

Now I'm much more cautious and wear safety specs. I don't fill the tray up with many and feel my way with each case.

Never had it happen with Boxer primers, but, in the 1970s, we used a lot of berdan 69s and it was a fairly ragular event to have one go off.
usually happened when you were watching tally and priming at the same time!
Fred