I'm talking about reloads that don't go bang? Do you pull the bullet, then deprime, reprime and put the powder back in or just leave the bullet at the range? Reason why I ask is because I had two that the primers didn't ignite and now they are sitting in a bucket in my garage. I don't know if it was even a good idea to pick them up and transport them home. I just couldn't bring myself to leaving two perfectly good bullets, brass and powder.
What do you do with bullets that don't fire?
- Thread starter Ultraman550
- Start date
The primer itself produces enough expansive gasses to force the bullet out of the brass and into the rifling and makes a decent 'bang' on its own. He'd know if he forgot to charge it with powder - hopefully not the hard way.
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If I had two in a same lot it would really bother me. I have had primers years old, still go bang. So, if I had two, I'd want to know what happened. I would pull the bullet, dump the powder and check them. I have seen rounds immersed in water not go bang, but it takes a while - especially factory loads. Military loads can handle immersion, I know mine have.
Years ago, I worked at an indoor range and we did an experiment. We doused some loads with wd -40 put them in a zip lock and left them. After a few weeks we were not getting ignition. Lesson learned. There is a reason why primers don't go bang. Bad lot, maybe. Exposure to cleaning fluids or water more likely.
Years ago, I worked at an indoor range and we did an experiment. We doused some loads with wd -40 put them in a zip lock and left them. After a few weeks we were not getting ignition. Lesson learned. There is a reason why primers don't go bang. Bad lot, maybe. Exposure to cleaning fluids or water more likely.
I use a RBCS bullet puller. When one doesn't go bang I want to know why. Inspection may show the primer not seated correctly. There may have been a problem with the case not being filled with powder.
Are you talking about the hammer looking thing that you put the round in and BANG against the ground??? I have a serious issue with doing that to a round that had a struck primer that didn't fire...
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I think Mega is talking about the RCBS puller with collets which I have as well. I was just wondering if those rounds are considered "live" but I guess not right? One of them is a 9mm and the other is a .223. I just read horror stories that there is still enough pressure to rupture the case and send shrapnel into your face if the primer were to ignite for some reason or another out of the barrel.
If they didn't go off at the range they're unlikely to now, go ahead and pull them. I've had this happen a couple of times. Found I had forgot powder.
I've found this to be untrue. As stated above I've had a couple of "no-bang" reloads and found they had no powder in them. Whoops! (Note to self: only load when the kids are not around, no interruptions) Bullet measured at ogive was still seated same spot, hadn't moved the projectile at all with just the primer. Was running 0.002" neck tension in a 308 AR. Inside of case and base of bullet were black, primer definitely fired. Smaller cases may be different.
I've found this to be untrue. As stated above I've had a couple of "no-bang" reloads and found they had no powder in them. Whoops! (Note to self: only load when the kids are not around, no interruptions) Bullet measured at ogive was still seated same spot, hadn't moved the projectile at all with just the primer. Was running 0.002" neck tension in a 308 AR. Inside of case and base of bullet were black, primer definitely fired. Smaller cases may be different.
1. A cartridge that didn't go off after you hit it a couple times with the striker is totally safe to pull down.
2. The Kinetic bullet puller is not going to "touch one off". However, a collet puller is a superior tool.
3. If you have a dud (or duds), you need to find out why so you can correct the problem, which is almost certainly, YOUR fault.
4. The primer in an uncharged cartridge *CAN* pop the bullet out of the case and into the throat. It's happened to me (once). This is serious fucking business, here. When it happened to me I was shooting casually at the range with my partner. I closed the bolt to put one into battery and all I heard was a click. No indication whatsoever the primer touched off (I was wearing earplugs). I extracted/ejected a spent case and thought to myself "Oh, I must have simply not ejected my last case", so I attempted to chamber another round, which fucking luckily wouldn't chamber due to the bullet stuck in the throat of my rifle. I shudder thinking back to this because of how much worse that could have turned out, if the bullet had gone ~3/8" forward into the barrel.
2. The Kinetic bullet puller is not going to "touch one off". However, a collet puller is a superior tool.
3. If you have a dud (or duds), you need to find out why so you can correct the problem, which is almost certainly, YOUR fault.
4. The primer in an uncharged cartridge *CAN* pop the bullet out of the case and into the throat. It's happened to me (once). This is serious fucking business, here. When it happened to me I was shooting casually at the range with my partner. I closed the bolt to put one into battery and all I heard was a click. No indication whatsoever the primer touched off (I was wearing earplugs). I extracted/ejected a spent case and thought to myself "Oh, I must have simply not ejected my last case", so I attempted to chamber another round, which fucking luckily wouldn't chamber due to the bullet stuck in the throat of my rifle. I shudder thinking back to this because of how much worse that could have turned out, if the bullet had gone ~3/8" forward into the barrel.
Disagree.
I use the hornady collet puller, and adjust it so it grabs the bullet strong enough to pull it, but not so hard it leaves marks.
I've fired a lot of my pulls, and they shoot just fine.
So I pulled them and inside each case it looks as if the primer went off because there was black soot that came out but it also looks like the powder either burned or got burned? In one of the cases the powder was in a clump? Could I have gotten oil into the case and caused this? I used H335.
Oil, cleaning solution, water, residue from tumbling media - any contaminant could cause that. My bras either sits for days in my air conditioned home or an oven at 220 for 30 minutes before it sees primer or powder.
Apparently you've never used a collet type puller. I just toss the duds (usually old Wolf Primer in the case) into a coffee container on the back of my bench when I sort the brass I brought back from the range. When I get a container full, I just pull the bullets, flush the powder, and toss the brass in the "to be reloaded bin".
I have even deprimed brass with good primers for one reason or another and have yet to have a primer detonate while doing so. I use a universal depriming die in my Rock Chucker and just slowly press out the primer. I might give a second thought to ever using one of the Lee "Punch" type de-priming tools that requires a hammer, though.
Sir, not sure we understand each other. I have used a collet puller a great deal. Mine is an old one and it grips the bullet (projectile) tightly and mars it enough that I doubt much accuracy would result from firing it. The case and powder are fine. I have no concerns about primers detonating. I think the OP expressed that. I would have a concern if I had a container full of duds. I mostly pulled from loads that do not meet accuracy or pressure standards. I doubt that I have had over 5 duds in tens of thousands of rounds or even more than that over the 40 plus years of reloading.
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And I have fired more than just a few of my "collet pulled" bullets with no loss of accuracy. As long as you don't actually "Bend" the bullet, those little collet marks have little effect on a bullet. Check out the picture of what actually takes place when a bullet is in flight.
Note how the "air" is deflected away from the side of the bullet. The meplat and bullet base are the major factors in bullet flight as well as concentricity.
I bury it in the dirt and move on... relics of my UXO experience. I have heard stories of people who had a light primer strike / slow fire and then threw it in their range box, only to have it go off while driving home. I know, I am skeptical too as well, but I have only had it happen once so no big deal.
