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I accidentally tumbled approximately 100 rounds of 30-30 brass that had new primers seated. I use corn cob media and the Dillon blue polishing compound in my tumbler. Should I kill the primers with oil, deprime and start over or should I just reload them and keep them separate so I know? I have them all set aside for now.
Hansj,
First off let me say that I expect that you will get a wide range of answers.
My guess is that most will be from those who got the bulk of their experience from the internet(read here:"I read online that").
Now, take what I write as nothing more than one guy's experience from 50 years of stuffing cartridges-that does not make it correct or right or anything else, just what I have observed.
There is a better than good chance that the primers will go bang every time.
If cost is NOT a factor and you MUST have absolutely reliable ammunition (not range or plinking stuff) I would punch out the primers and start over.
Now to get controversial. I doubt that oil will kill the primers in the short run, say a week or so. I tried to and never got a dead primer.
I simply gently deprime as usual-do put on safety glasses as you should be doing anyway when you reload.
I have deprimed literally hundreds of live primers without incident-I even re-use them in range ammo without problem.
Hope it helps.
Remember that the best lessons come from errors we make.
I don't remember much about the patients that did well but remember everything when a case went sour.
I bet you will not again make the tumbling with live primers mistake.
Gary
Hansj,
an addendum to the prior post- I forgot the obvious.
put one of the primed cartridges in the old 30-30 and point it in a safe direction and pull the trigger before you stuff it with powder and bullet-if nothing else but to prove that the primers still work and I did not make a fool of myself in the prior posting.
Do post what you do and the results if you could.
Gary
media can often clog the flash hole , super fine media can get into the primer , wont say that it wont fire but the flash hole mite be blocked , for the price of primers i'd consider it an in-expensive lesson and gently decap them , a universal decapping die would be wonderful for this just in case one does go off , it would then have some way to vent easier than in a tight fitting die with only the vent hole to vent , of course it goes without saying safety glasses are a must , if your ram has a slot facing you a small shield could also help prevent injury , some rams eject the primer to the side and some others down the ram ( those would be the best kind in this case but if you dont have one you dont have one )
hansj
Take what gary wrote and listen to what he has told you.
I have been doing this for 40 years and have done what you have done a couple of times.
They all went bang. If the primer hole is plugged the minute you pull the trigger and the primer ignites the hole will come clean. This may hamper your burn a bit but it will go bang.
The tiny amount of oil you got in, on or near that primer probably wont effect it at all.
You can definetly deprime the cases and use new primers that is up to you.
Have fun play safe and remember the lessons that you learn.
The last part of the above statement is the hard part to do.
Good Luck Ken.
I'm sure those will work for plinking.
Now look at your mistake. Why did it happen? How could this be prevented? Work safe, pay attention, have fun, and shoot alot.
Sorry for taking so long to get back to my own post.
Thanks Gary, and the rest of you as well.
I have not done anything with them yet, but I will probably (after trying one unloaded primed brass in the rifle) just reload them and take them to the range for plinking. I am still waiting for my new Lee crimping die to come in before I do anything but I may just go out to the reloading shed and load them up, all but the crimp, and then crimp them all at the same time (I use a Dillon 550).
As to how this happened. I recently inherited a HUGE amount of reloading/casting/shooting equipment[smilie=w: and as a result it was necessary for me to completely reorganize my reloading shed. The primed brass was mistakenly placed with the fired brass and it wasn't noticed until we (my sons and I work together doing almost all of this stuff) were sorting the cleaned brass for sizing/depriming. So, in short, the whole of my reloading life was turned upside down and this was the result. We will not make this same mistake again!
Oh, By the way, part of the inheritance (the dearly departed was not anyone I knew, he was a friend of a friend who knew I am a shooter/reloader) was the set of 30/30 dies (less the crimp) which I did not have. That is why 30/30 is a new reload for me.
Hans
Why are you tumbling primed brass? Not trying to bust your tail or nothing, just wondering. I tumble before priming. but that's just me. It just might clean out the primer pocket a bit.
Hansj,
Gary gave you the best advive and Kodiac1 reinforced it.
Yhey should all shoot good as the primer explosion will clear the flash hole rather quickly.
If you must ( or want to) deprime them and start over use a depriming die and remove the primers.
I have done some 30/40 krag ammo that was 40 or more years old and deprimed them live that way.
Didn't pop one primer. But have to be gentle and feel your way as you deprime.
Good luck
beekeeper
X2 on this. For those of us who primed with the first Lee Loader hearing protection is amust as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by fryboy
His post which was right above yours explained how it happened. Sometimes stuff happens and you just deal with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigOtto
Paul B.
"Oh, By the way, part of the inheritance (the dearly departed was not anyone I knew, he was a friend of a friend who knew I am a shooter/reloader) was the set of 30/30 dies (less the crimp) which I did not have. That is why 30/30 is a new reload for me."
I believe your seating die if properly adusted with crimp that brass. Every rifle or handgun seating die I own including several Dillons (550B) will crimp the cases. it's just a matter of proper adjustment of the die. Might take a small amount of trial and error to get it just right if you've never done it that way before but I do belive your seating die will crimp. I use a Rockchucker for my rifle ammo and the two sets of 30-30 dies I have will crimp the brass oto the bullets. Check it out an see for yourself.
Paul B.
Oh, before I forget, probably if you load that brass that was tumbled with the primers is loaded and shot, preferably as plinkers, I'm guessing you'll just experience erratic ignition. The only worry I might have is if one of those erratic ignitions only pushes the bullet into the barrel and the bullet does not exit. Probably won't happen but one never knows for sure. A stuck bullet in the barrel would cause a catastrophic failure for sure. It pays to be careful and primers are cheap. If they look OK after removing them, basically are the anvils still in plce, go ahead and use them for plinking or practice loads. They should be fine for that.
I've been handloading ammo for myself and as a custom business many years ago and have never tumbled primed brass, probably more to my good luck than anything else. FWIW, I once had to pull the bullets from over 600 rounds of milsurp WW2 30-06 brass, remove the primers and the primer crimp. I just went slow and easy removing the primers being as gentle as possible and not a one ever went bang. I used a regular sizing die to do the job but today I would invest in one of those universal decapping dies. Mine is by RCBS. Just remember, primers are cheap compared todamaged or blown up guns, not to mention body parts.
Paul B.
Do yourself a favor cycle the cases through the 30 30, punch out the primers and start over. It will be a one hour, three doller learning experience.
Shoot them up for range loads (not hunting rounds). Enjoy it while you do.