This is my first time reloading Large Rifle Primers. Using Federals. Shot during powder charge tests. First round fired, next two didn’t! I then moved on to heavier powder charge and same damn thing. 2/6 cartridges fired. The ones that didn’t fire are severely caved in and obviously have a strike. Help!!
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This is my first time reloading Large Rifle Primers. Using Federals. Shot during powder charge tests. First round fired, next two didn’t! I then moved on to heavier powder charge and same damn thing. 2/6 cartridges fired. The ones that didn’t fire are severely caved in and obviously have a strike. Help!!
It’s either your cases are under size so they rattle around the chamber when struck instead of setting off or your primer isn’t seated all the way in the case so the firing pin energy goes into seating it instead of crushing it. Or you have a weak spring or some sort of dirt or interference. Or you don’t have powder in them.
missing powder would be my guess, how do you store your primers? Primer failure do to humidity could be another. is the bottom of the bullet sooty and black?
It looks that way to me. And many priming tools don’t seat the primer all the way down, especially when there’s a lot of resistance.
^^^^^ This^^^^^
Pull the bullet and see if there's powder in the case. I've had it happen a couple of times.
Pull the bullet and see if there's powder in the case. I've had it happen a couple of times.
The one on the left is a sign of high pressure... other two look like loose pocket issue or not seating them far enough in.
Get your self a collet built puller and pull the ones that did not fire apart and see if they have a charge of powder. But from the looks of it, I think the primers are lose in the cases, so they are floating. Do you have another manufacture of brass you can try?
Also, what is the information on the load you are trying to use?
Also, what is the information on the load you are trying to use?
Debris in flash hole
No powder
Primer not fully seated.
Fired primer / case, that looks fine, plenty of radius left on primer.
Getting an optical illusion from reflection of brass that makes primer look flatter than it is.
No powder
Primer not fully seated.
Fired primer / case, that looks fine, plenty of radius left on primer.
Getting an optical illusion from reflection of brass that makes primer look flatter than it is.
Possibly but not always.
Pistol calibers, more often than not primer will move bullet.
Rifle calibers, more often than not bullet stays put.
Looks like a headspace issue. How far are you bumping your shoulders?
Look for something wrong that happens 4 out of 6 times.
(like mostly wrong all the time).
Powder? Hope not.
Seating or loose primer? Maybe.
Headspace/bump? likely
(like mostly wrong all the time).
Powder? Hope not.
Seating or loose primer? Maybe.
Headspace/bump? likely
Regardless of any headspace or primer seating issues, those don't look like light primer strikes. Pull the bullets and see if there is powder.
I'm going with excessive head space as mentioned above. The flattened primer on the left is a giveaway.
I had this Happen yesterday
I’ll pull the bullet today then accept my shame.
Are you guys that seat a bullet w no powder charge using a progressive press? I have never seated a bullet without powder except on a dummy round!
Flattened primer?
Lotta radius on that primer, there is glare / reflection that gives illusion primer is flat.
I meant CDO, it is like OCD but letters are in proper order.
Oh yeah, need
to show humor intent.
If you didn’t get the CDO, you most probably aren’t OCD enough.
Oh yeah, need
to show humor intent.If you didn’t get the CDO, you most probably aren’t OCD enough.
No powder will do that as will not seating then CRUSHING the primer the correct amount to engage the anvil with the priming material. All modern priming tools are set up to add the appropriate amount of crush then stop.
Nope, Forster coax. I had never done it in my life until I did it twice last year, one per dasher and once per creed. I suspect when it had to have happened both times.
I usually only have one case on the table where I pour powder and then seat to avoid messing up like that but I remember loosing attention and having an over throw but still grabbing a second case and putting it in the table. Has to be when I pulled the ole switcharoo and put powder in one and seated the other just because I got lazy and didn’t follow my own “one case on the table at a time” rule. Now I follow it a little more closely again. Time builds complacency.
That said it was two rounds out of 2k last year and many thousands before that. Not 4 out of 6 lol
Look familiar?
I’m pretty religious about looking into EVERY case for powder since my last squib over a decade ago.
Shook the case, no powder rattling
Loaded it into the shame hammer, no powder
Verdict?
Had a few Wolf primers not go off? Cocked the bolt and tried again and the fired. I guess cups are hard, everything else worked in the gun, BR2's and 210M's work fine.
I've been reloading over 4 decades, l'm pretty good at checking cases, but last year I decided to reload some 38 Specials (haven't done it in a long time). I was careful to charge each case from a powder hopper into cases in a loading block so not to get a double charge. I re-checked the cases with a flashlight before seating the bullets and Son of a Bitch! I found a double charge.
I couldn't believe it. You need to check and re-check.
I couldn't believe it. You need to check and re-check.
Allows the room for the cartridge to move away from the firing pin and reduce the energy of the impact.
I have no idea. If you dent that primer enough, it's going to go "boom." You can set off a primer with a hammer and a nail on a workbench. (Don't try this at home.) Definitely plenty of "headspace" using this method.
That's a totally incorrect explanation.
Excessive headspace allows the whole cartridge to move forward, reducing the effective firing pin protrusion, which would lead to a shallower primer strike. Firing pin protrusion is mechanically limited to a specific distance. I'm chasing a struck primer but no ignition issue on a $17k shotgun right now and the first thing I did was measure firing pin protrusion. It's having the issue with factory premium ammo (WIN AA), so it's not the ammo. Shaping up to be a weak hammer spring since both pins have the same protrusion (80 thou) but only one barrel is misfiring. Manually cocking and releasing the hammers shows a difference in the pressure each hammer is exerting, so the spring seems like the most likely issue.
Excessive headspace allows the whole cartridge to move forward, reducing the effective firing pin protrusion, which would lead to a shallower primer strike. Firing pin protrusion is mechanically limited to a specific distance. I'm chasing a struck primer but no ignition issue on a $17k shotgun right now and the first thing I did was measure firing pin protrusion. It's having the issue with factory premium ammo (WIN AA), so it's not the ammo. Shaping up to be a weak hammer spring since both pins have the same protrusion (80 thou) but only one barrel is misfiring. Manually cocking and releasing the hammers shows a difference in the pressure each hammer is exerting, so the spring seems like the most likely issue.
View attachment 7524793
Look familiar?
I’m pretty religious about looking into EVERY case for powder since my last squib over a decade ago.
Shook the case, no powder rattling
Loaded it into the shame hammer, no powder
Verdict?
View attachment 7524794
View attachment 7524795
Well put some bread ear muffs on me too. I did it with a 308 round couple years ago. My dad asked, is there powder in it. Well I check each one, so I would be pretty damn surprised if there wasn't. I went home and was pretty damn surprised.
I’m really careful on that and that I missed one really pisses me off.
I blame it on the excitement of my new V3
I have been known to weigh after loading to verify.... not often, but sometimes I get worried.
Done it on 9mm and Shotgun. Luckily Shotgun everything just falls out after primer goes off
Done it on 9mm and Shotgun. Luckily Shotgun everything just falls out after primer goes off
On my rifle loads, I always shake them and listen for powder after seating. (If not a compressed load)
I load single stage and always look before I seat a bullet. The rate components are getting pushed out lately could be missing an anvil. Agreed case needs broken down. I would guess over sizing causing head space issue . Buddy of mine did this making 20Tac from 223 had 20-50 miss fires
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