Deactivating primers
- Thread starter cdoc42
- Start date
Jim Watson
New member
I put them in the trash a few at a time. I have not yet heard of a garbage volcano at the local landfill.
Probably better just to discard the primed cases instead of bulking loose Primers together.
Probably better just to discard the primed cases instead of bulking loose Primers together.
Yosemite Steve
New member
I remember getting into my dad's reloading stuff and taking some primers out on the sidewalk and hitting them with a hammer. Could be the very reason I have hearing loss. Good times
Seriously though, primer shrapnel stings. So did dad's belt!
Seriously though, primer shrapnel stings. So did dad's belt!Sorry ...no experience pulling rimfire bullets...not sure about a kinetic puller on rimfire.
I would grip the bullet with a pair of wire strippers , find a hole that is a near fit,
but what to hold the case with ???? I don't reload any rimfire rounds and have no shell holders ?
Just what are you pulling bullets from ? And why ?
Depriming live primers is easy....just go slow.
Gary
Cdoc42,
Gas cutting of steel takes pressures in the 10's of thousands of PSI, so the gas gutting damage from leaky primers is caused by pressure generated by a cartridge's powder charge. Even if primer gas were to leak around a loose primer pocket, the open flash hole will keep it from ever making very high pressure, much less, enough to do damage to the steel.
If you don't want to decap them delicately, just shoot them.
A cursory examination of primers shows they aren't all constructed identically. Federal has some pretty heavy sealant you don't see on others, for example. For this reason, I wouldn't automatically trust any one soaking and deactivating method to work on them all. It's better just to fire them and get on with life, IMHO.
Gas cutting of steel takes pressures in the 10's of thousands of PSI, so the gas gutting damage from leaky primers is caused by pressure generated by a cartridge's powder charge. Even if primer gas were to leak around a loose primer pocket, the open flash hole will keep it from ever making very high pressure, much less, enough to do damage to the steel.
If you don't want to decap them delicately, just shoot them.
A cursory examination of primers shows they aren't all constructed identically. Federal has some pretty heavy sealant you don't see on others, for example. For this reason, I wouldn't automatically trust any one soaking and deactivating method to work on them all. It's better just to fire them and get on with life, IMHO.
Thanks, Unclenick, sounds reasonable. I was looking for a method a bit more convenient as my reloading room is in the house on the same lower floor as our rec room, and discharging primers, altho not objectionable via my wife, might cause a fire as the only way I've done it is to fire them off with the rifle muzzle inside the trash can. Going outside is not a problem other than recently weather is 7 to 10 degrees, but neighbors might raise an eyebrow if they hear more than a few going off. Option 2 is to keep them all and fire them at the range when the weather is better but again I'd rather be testing my reloads there. Hence the reason for asking.
The other concern when firing primers indoors is that primer smoke has water-soluble lead salts in it, so you don't want to do that anywhere pets or small children or anyone else who puts their extremities in their mouths without washing them first might venture. What I have done in the past is use some fiberglass insulation leftover from insulating my garage ceiling. I have stuffed a cardboard box full of it, closed up the box and cut an oversize (like 2 inch) hole in it, stuck a rifle barrel into the hole and fired the primers. The fiberglass captures the lead-laden smoke. As a bonus, it muffles the sound.
First I want to thank all of you for your responses, I will opt for the universal decapper as mentioned by several of you. One of the reasons I can not pop off the primers in a firearm is that I have such a selection of assorted calibers I (as much as I wish I could) don't have firearms in many of the calibers.
The reason I asked about the way to do this, and rim fire cases also, is that I have a large number of heavily corroded rounds. Some even have holes thru the side wall of the cases. The integrity of the cases has more than likely been compromised and heaven only knows what would happen if I tried firing them from a firearm.
For many years I was known around the area where I live as being someone who collected a wide variety of cartridges. Many people who had them to get rid of would give me boxes or pails full of a variety of cartridges. Many folks who were cleaning out relatives houses, after they had passed on, simply had no idea what to do with these and I ended up with them. As I said some were corroded and I simply never had the time to do anything about them. Now that I have retired and I have some free time I have gone through my "collection" and separated out the ones that simply are not safe to fire and that need to be done away with.
Again going back to rim fire cases. I've had several hundred of them soaking in a pail of WD 40 for over three months. I believe that this will have allowed time for the WD 40 to seep into the cases and dampen the powder. I know that WD 40 will not "kill" powder but it does dampen it to the point that it is hard to set the powder afire. If I try and pull the bullets with a pair of pliers I "should be safe", the empty rim fire case could them be detonated by clamping the case and using a hammer to strike the rim. The problem is I'm not real happy with "should be safe" and I was hoping others with have better ideas. Again, the cases are so heavily corroded I do not want to try and fire them.
Sorry this is so long winded.
The reason I asked about the way to do this, and rim fire cases also, is that I have a large number of heavily corroded rounds. Some even have holes thru the side wall of the cases. The integrity of the cases has more than likely been compromised and heaven only knows what would happen if I tried firing them from a firearm.
For many years I was known around the area where I live as being someone who collected a wide variety of cartridges. Many people who had them to get rid of would give me boxes or pails full of a variety of cartridges. Many folks who were cleaning out relatives houses, after they had passed on, simply had no idea what to do with these and I ended up with them. As I said some were corroded and I simply never had the time to do anything about them. Now that I have retired and I have some free time I have gone through my "collection" and separated out the ones that simply are not safe to fire and that need to be done away with.
Again going back to rim fire cases. I've had several hundred of them soaking in a pail of WD 40 for over three months. I believe that this will have allowed time for the WD 40 to seep into the cases and dampen the powder. I know that WD 40 will not "kill" powder but it does dampen it to the point that it is hard to set the powder afire. If I try and pull the bullets with a pair of pliers I "should be safe", the empty rim fire case could them be detonated by clamping the case and using a hammer to strike the rim. The problem is I'm not real happy with "should be safe" and I was hoping others with have better ideas. Again, the cases are so heavily corroded I do not want to try and fire them.
Sorry this is so long winded.
As for rimfires-------- we always had fun as kids pulling the bullet out and setting the case down with a trail of powder out of it. Light the trail and when it burns to the primer--- POP! Case goes flying.
I'd just toss them in fire after you've removed bullet.
As many have stated--- universal decap die is the easiest way. I'm a tite wad- I reuse mine.
I'd just toss them in fire after you've removed bullet.
As many have stated--- universal decap die is the easiest way. I'm a tite wad- I reuse mine.
I collect the constant flow of dumped unfired ammo at my range and just toss the stuff into a box. Rimfire, there is no problem with that, I just bend it over and the bullet pops out. The powder is discarded and the brass goes in with the live ammo. Lead in the melt box. That's done with anything that I can tear down.
There are several possible solutions. First, contact your police or county sheriff by email, phone, comment section, however you need to do it, but it would be best if you can do it by email and print out the reply. Ask if they will accept it for disposal and if they will have an officer pick it up at your home or other spot that is not inside the police station. Dropping in on the police unannounced with a box of discard ammo is just a dumb thing to do. Carry it through the metal detector? Oy.
Contact your recycling center, ask about the ammo, contact the hazardous waste facility, contact your trash hauling company, just poke around, asking if anyone is willing to accept whatever bulk of ammunition you have. There are plenty of places, I know that it's done because we have an explosives disposal incinerator here in my town. It is used to burn and detonate even large quantities of old and non functional stuff that goes boom, and that includes a metric fartload of old ammunition that is retired, that can't go into military surplus or be pulled down for salvage.
You may have to wander a few miles to turn the stuff in, but there are places that will accept it and dispose of it. That, simply put, is the only safe and secure way to get rid of a bunch of junk ammo.
I had a bunch of old twenty gauge shotgun shells, old reloads. I just tore the crimps open and dumped the shot into a can, pulled the wads and dumped the powder, stuck the empty destroyed hulls in a bag. So someday I have some number eight shot, or a few pounds of high antimony lead.
There are several possible solutions. First, contact your police or county sheriff by email, phone, comment section, however you need to do it, but it would be best if you can do it by email and print out the reply. Ask if they will accept it for disposal and if they will have an officer pick it up at your home or other spot that is not inside the police station. Dropping in on the police unannounced with a box of discard ammo is just a dumb thing to do. Carry it through the metal detector? Oy.
Contact your recycling center, ask about the ammo, contact the hazardous waste facility, contact your trash hauling company, just poke around, asking if anyone is willing to accept whatever bulk of ammunition you have. There are plenty of places, I know that it's done because we have an explosives disposal incinerator here in my town. It is used to burn and detonate even large quantities of old and non functional stuff that goes boom, and that includes a metric fartload of old ammunition that is retired, that can't go into military surplus or be pulled down for salvage.
You may have to wander a few miles to turn the stuff in, but there are places that will accept it and dispose of it. That, simply put, is the only safe and secure way to get rid of a bunch of junk ammo.
I had a bunch of old twenty gauge shotgun shells, old reloads. I just tore the crimps open and dumped the shot into a can, pulled the wads and dumped the powder, stuck the empty destroyed hulls in a bag. So someday I have some number eight shot, or a few pounds of high antimony lead.