Reusing Primers?

[jambau]

So a friend gave me about 200 rounds of reloaded ammo from an arsenal his grand father left to him. I'm not about to shoot them through my gun but they have new Lapua cases which I want. Has anyone ever popped live primers? Can they be reused? I thought I'd use them in a subsonic load or something.

 

[RampedRaptor]

Depriming live primers is no big deal. Pull the bullet, dump the powder and deprime as usual. Don't slam the press handle as your depriming and you won't have any trouble and even if you did slam it I doubt anything would happen.

I wouldn't reuse the primers but that's just me. I'm sure they will work fine but for 6 dollars I would just use new.

 

[Srgt. Hulka]

Removing live primers is no big deal. Like Raptor said, take your time and wear safety glasses. Can you resize without removing the primers? If not, you're talking about $6 worth of primers. Replace them.

 

[wxl]

So a friend gave me about 200 rounds of reloaded ammo from an arsenal his grand father left to him. I'm not about to shoot them through my gun but they have new Lapua cases which I want. Has anyone ever popped live primers? Can they be reused? I thought I'd use them in a subsonic load or something.

Yes they can be reused but alternative is to leave them in the Lapua brass and resize without the deprime assembly and load your recipe.

 

[GhengisAhn175]

I see a stuck case thread popping up

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

So why don't you guys use them after de-priming?
I've never had an issue myself in 60 + years of reloading. Then again maybe I'm just lucky, as I see no difference on a rifle target.
Pistol is different as my groups are in-fact better. Learned that indirectly from a guy named John Giles. He has built a 1911 or three in his day. If you talk to him ask if he is still using concrete to hold his 45acp barrel.

 

[918v]

Because the act of seating primers into a new primer pocket, especially Lapua, will reduce its diameter and seat the anvil. Reusing these primers in fired cases will result in loose primers.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Because the act of seating primers into a new primer pocket, especially Lapua, will reduce its diameter and seat the anvil. Reusing these primers in fired cases will result in loose primers.

I've never had an issue using pushed out primers, guess I an just that lucky. Tell me how you re-seating the anvil by just pushing them out?

 

[Citius7]

I've reused Primers after popping them out. Fit felt the same the second time and no measurable shift in POI or velocity. No issues whatsoever. The only good thing to do with a live primer is to shoot it! Even if it's been fitted in once or twice.

 

[918v]

I've never had an issue using pushed out primers, guess I an just that lucky. Tell me how you re-seating the anvil by just pushing them out?

When you seat the primer the first time you are seating the anvil. When you push the primer out you are further seating the anvil. When you reseat this primer you may or may not contact the bottom of the primer pocket depending on the individual primer pocket as they all vary.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

When you seat the primer the first time you are seating the anvil. When you push the primer out you are further seating the anvil. When you reseat this primer you may or may not contact the bottom of the primer pocket depending on the individual primer pocket as they all vary.

You are only seating the cup during installation as the anvil is with in the cup, an below the firing rim. The anvil holds the harden mixture tightly to the cup face, do to the anvil being larger then the inside of the cup. When you push a primer out that is un-fired the removal force is transferred to anvil, then the mix, then to the cup. This is why some bench rest shooters re-seat every anvil in all their primers to remove that variable from the load.

 

[918v]

And then the anvil is deeper within the primer cup, with the priming mix maybe even squished out of the way, and the anvil now bearing against the primer cup. When you reseat this primer the anvil may or may not touch the bottom of the primer pocket which is necessary for reliable ignition.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Sorry it does not work that way in the real world. For you to move the mix while de-priming it would have to be wet again.

 

[Killshot44]

It's a fact that the depriming pin pushes on the interior of the primer (not the cup) when decapping but it has also been proven that, when done correctly, the primer IS reusable. (Once, in the same brand of case of course)

OP could just pull the bullets and resize the case with the primer left in and the decapping pin removed. It won't pop.

 

[samnev]

I've been reusing de-primed primers for 30 years. As the others have said I've never noticed loose primers or any change in group size or poi when using them.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I've popped them out in the past and reseated them with little issue. Just go slowly. Personally, two sleeves of fresh primers aren't all that expensive and I'd probably do the 200 count batch with fresh primers and not wonder about things, but that's just me.

Chris

 

[jambau]

Thanks for all the input. This would have been easier if Gramps would have put labels on his reloads. Probably could have just shot them.

 

[07yzryder]

I won't reuse them in my match loads but I'll run them in my sighters or fouling loads.