Accidental primer detonation

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

Could you tell us what brass this happened with?

Doesn't really matter. Could be military brass with a crimp or something else but the thing is when you feel the abnormal resistance YOU STOP and don't force things. Find out why the primer is not seating and either make the needed mod to the case such as remove the crimp or reject the case and move on. Situations like this make a strong case for sorting brass and this still goes to operator error. It's not the primers fault the case wouldn't accept it and it's not the cases fault it's primer pocket had not been properly prepped for reloading or discarded as un-useable.

[M1A4ME]

The priming compound is between the cup and the anvil.  That's so the firing pin can smack the cup material the priming compound is "attached to" up into the anvil and set it off.

I have mashed the snot out of primes.  Sideways, angled and even had a few flip over and go in upside down.

I've pushed every one out of the primer pockets with a resizing die/deprimer.  Even the ones that are upside down have never gone off.  But I move the ram arm slowly to insure there is no impact.  Just steady pressure.

I've dropped them in the floor (wood and concrete) when trying to get those sorry huge Federal prime boxes to dump all the primers into the Lee hand priming tool tray.  None of them ever went off.  And, I stopped buying Federal primers due to those big ugly boxes.

When my M&P was being a butthead about failures to fire I decided to do some primer comparison.  I got some CCI and Tula (and mayber one or two others) primers and picked the anvil out of them, scraped the priming compound out of the cup and measured the thickness of the cup material in the area the firing pin strikes.  Didn't set any of them off "disassembling" them and scraping them clean of priming compound.

I would think there would have to be something "wrong" with a primer for it to go off when being seated in the usual/normal manner/method.

[bang bang]

Ok, I’ll be the sucker here.

I’ve detonated a 9mm primer twice. Once on my 1050 while cycling the press by hand very fast. An already primed case Somehow made it into the case feeder and was deprimed very quickly  by the Dillon de prime/resize due, and donated. I always wear eyes and ears when reloading, no damage, nothing just a loud pop. Even the depriming pin was fine.

2nd was on my automated Mark 7 with the original shuttle base priming system, again cycling very fast (2700 rounds per hour fast) during primer seating. Again just a loud pop, no damage, and I have to assume it was because there was some debris in the path that mimicked an impact on the anvil of the primer. It happened in the first several thousand rounds of using the system and has not happened since, now well over 150,,000 rounds beyond that point.

The friend to whom I sold my 1050 who uses it by hand said he lit one off in the priming station and it sent the entire primer stack through the ceiling embedding the plastic rod into the drywall of the ceiling and made a VERY loud noise.

An experienced employee of a prominent gun store in Mesa AZ that shall go nameless (cough...CZ...cough) shared a similar story.

So it happens, and the people to whom it happens are less likely to admit that they had it happen than someone is to admit that they’ve never had it happen. Kind a like sexually transmitted diseases I guess. Huh. Wear eyes and some type of ears whilst you reload. Learn from your mistakes.  Not saying I’m proud of it happening to me, but the backup strategies worked (eyes, ears, I had no secondary detonations because these press designs reduce that risk, the guy that did just had to fix his ceiling and explain some stuff to his wife).

There. I outed myself. Nanner nanner. Roast me.

C

this has been pointed out before in the dillon press and some others.

my LGS had a same occurrence too. 

dont know if anyone remember the re-introducted henry rifles where they loaded from the muzzle?  but iirc some CASS shooter had detonated the bullet tube by DROPPING rounds on top of each other.  Also, its sort of like if you have a 30-30 you dont want to put in POINTED Bullets, but flat points.

AGAIN THE IMPACT!

[Trippy]

2 days ago, somewhere in the middle of batching up 9mm using SPP's in my Lee Turret press. I have to take exception with those who would blame it on user error. Thousands of rounds of many different calibers, several types of primer pushers (hand held, and pivot) and NEVER had an ignition.....until this one. Surprised the daylights out of me. Took the pusher apart, inspected, looked at the primer, no dents or marks. Still have no idea what caused it. Not gonna worry about it either. Stuff happens. That's why we utilize other safety measures. It was a not so subtle reminder to me that these are not toys we're playing with here, but it wasn't my fault.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

2 days ago, somewhere in the middle of batching up 9mm using SPP's in my Lee Turret press. I have to take exception with those who would blame it on user error. Thousands of rounds of many different calibers, several types of primer pushers (hand held, and pivot) and NEVER had an ignition.....until this one. Surprised the daylights out of me. Took the pusher apart, inspected, looked at the primer, no dents or marks. Still have no idea what caused it. Not gonna worry about it either. Stuff happens. That's why we utilize other safety measures. It was a not so subtle reminder to me that these are not toys we're playing with here, but it wasn't my fault.

As has been pointed out it takes an impact to light a primer. Unless you can show a cause proving you caused no impact then you can't rightly blame the equipment. They just don't go off.

[Duke Nukem]

A while back I got a primer stuck in a piece of 9mm brass, I think it was a crimped pocket that I missed when sorting cases.  Rather than drop it in the trashcan I decided to give it a whack with a hammer (for safety  , not entertainment!).  I set it on an anvil and gave it a whack- nothing.  I pounded that brass and primer flat and it never did go off. 

Obviously primers can be set off with less force than I gave that one, but I've never had one go off accidentally.

[bang bang]

2 days ago, somewhere in the middle of batching up 9mm using SPP's in my Lee Turret press. I have to take exception with those who would blame it on user error. Thousands of rounds of many different calibers, several types of primer pushers (hand held, and pivot) and NEVER had an ignition.....until this one. Surprised the daylights out of me. Took the pusher apart, inspected, looked at the primer, no dents or marks. Still have no idea what caused it. Not gonna worry about it either. Stuff happens. That's why we utilize other safety measures. It was a not so subtle reminder to me that these are not toys we're playing with here, but it wasn't my fault.

it takes a USER to move the primers from the OEM container into the press/hand primer and so forth.  Once you take it out of the EOM container, its USER.


Moderator's Note: Now boys, play nice !! 

[Trippy]

I am not a user! I am a giver!

[mrcabinet]

I bought a Loadmaster a few years back. Gotta admit that I thought the primer blast shield was a joke, but put it on anyway. I had been using it about a year (fighting/tweaking/tuning it the whole time) when one day I had a LPP go off in it. First time in 30 years of reloading, and I admit it surprised the crap out of me. I inspected everything and it all looked fine. A week later another one lit up. Sold the Loadmaster and haven't had one go off since.

[Clint007]

Lol

More events out there after all.

I believe the comments that an “impact” is necessary and therefore user “error” is the major element.

Mine were all at fast cycle rate. So I guess...if you are pulling fast enough the word “impact” starts to become relevant.  Combine that fast cycle rate with an eloquently positioned bad-luck shaped piece of debris in the wrong place at the time.....

Can’t speak for the two other friends’ actual cycle rate.

[lewmed]

 I think in most cases where we see a primer tube or primer magazine detonate the cause is bad house keeping. Primer dust will accumulate around the primer feed on progressive and automated loading machines and friction impact or static can set it off. I use a cheap wood handle brush with natural bristles to keep the dust from accumulating.

[HollowDawg]

I'm in my mid sixties now. The only time I had a primer go off while reloading was when I was in my teens.

It was with my very first reloading setup. I don't' remember the details; but it was a Lee system that didn't use a press. Everything was done with special hand-held dies and hammers. I was holding the die in my hand (remember, there was no press involved) and seating a primer when the primer somehow went off.

It made a very loud "POP". My parents came rushing in to see what happened. I was still tightly gripping the die in my hand in shock wondering what I'd find when I opened my hand. It was very anti-climatic. Nothing more than a loud noise.

Lee stopped selling that handheld loading system many decades ago. I wonder why 

LOL! I started with a Lee hand loader also. Loaded what seemed like tons of .38 special and .45acp with them. Had a few accidental primer detonations. Scares the bejesus outta ya and after the shakes are over makes for some timid loading for awhile. Won't hurt ya but I'm sure it subtracted a few db of loss to my cummulative hearing loss. Deaf as a post now from "manly" shooting without hearing protection for the first 20 years(STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!) and a misspent youth thinking all the "good" music must be as close to the speaker towers at concerts as possible. Now I have one of those very expensive hearing aides called a wife. 

[dwhite]

LOL! I started with a Lee hand loader also. Loaded what seemed like tons of .38 special and .45acp with them. Had a few accidental primer detonations. Scares the bejesus outta ya and after the shakes are over makes for some timid loading for awhile. Won't hurt ya but I'm sure it subtracted a few db of loss to my cummulative hearing loss. Deaf as a post now from "manly" shooting without hearing protection for the first 20 years(STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!) and a misspent youth thinking all the "good" music must be as close to the speaker towers at concerts as possible. Now I have one of those very expensive hearing aides called a wife. 

Ah yes - the era of "real men" -- i.e. real deaf men. 

I still have some hearing; but I hear locusts screeching 24/7 now. Like you; lots of shooting/hunting without ear protection and lots of loud rock n roll. Good times though.