Primer packaging caution

[leadchucker]

Ever notice the CCI primer packaging? May be the same for other brands, IDK. The plastic tray is not taped or secured into the outer sleeve. If you aren't careful handling the package, it will slide open, spilling primers. That almost happened to me the other day when I bought primers at wallyworld. At my request, the clerk taped the packages so they wouldn't come open, but I wonder how often it does happen, primers all over the floor. I would consider that a bit dangerous.

That packaging seems a little cheesy, considering its explosive contents.

Just a small rant. Heads up!

 

[Hondo 60]

when I've purchased less than 1,000 at Gander Mt, they always tape the packages.

 

[Bovice]

A lot of primer brands are packaged exactly the same way. If you take a tray of 100 out, hold it with your thumb and forefinger on either end of the open sleeve.

I don't do the macarena while I'm holding a tray of primers.

 

[cfullgraf]

Primers at Wallyworld? Haven't seen any in m parts.

Taping the sleeves is a good thing to do. I have been doing it for decades but currently i buy primers by the 1000.

 

[Starter52]

+ 1 to Hondo. I'm pretty sure that taping is common practice where primers are sold.

 

[gamestalker]

Most shops will tape them without me having to ask. But either way, I always make sure they're secure before I leave the store. I've had one slide open on me before and what a mess, not to mention the danger involved.

 

[k4swb]

We used to keep small rubber bands in the store and if someone wanted less than a thousand we popped a rubber band around them.

Usually you won't ever spill but one box.

 

[ReloaderFred]

I buy all my primers by the case of 5,000, so any primers spilled will be on my bench. I try not to do that. Most of my primers are either Federal, which are a pain to open due to the built in slip lock, or Winchester.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[LennieT]

Interesting, Wolf primers come taped, both ends of each and every sleeve. I always considered it a pain to deal with and figured it was a "Russian" thing, labor being cheap or something. I always pictured some Russian lady sitting there with a tape dispenser tapping the sleeves. But I guess maybe there is a good reason for it.

One other thing about Wolf primers is that the tray is bigger than an RCBS primer flipper, so you have to be really carful not to drop a couple of primers over the side. CCI primer trays fit right in the flipper.

LennieT

 

[weeniewawa]

am I the only one who hates the tape on the Wolf primer boxes?

I only buy in full boxes since I have to get them by mail and don't want them taped

 

[GLOOB]

Two camps.

If you buy by the 100, then the CCI package is too loose.

If you buy by the 1000, then some of the other boxes are too tight. Tug, tug, tu- Spill!

And yes, I hate the tape on the russian primers. I'm in the second camp!

 

[GLOOB]

One other thing about Wolf primers is that the tray is bigger than an RCBS primer flipper, so you have to be really carful not to drop a couple of primers over the side. CCI primer trays fit right in the flipper.

Winchester (LPP, at least) primer trays are more or less exactly the same size as the russian trays (which are the same size small or large). I always figured CCI as the odd ones.

 

[kingmt]

I always hated the tape myself. When I bought them by 100 I always stopped them from tapeing them if I cought them in time. Tula & Wolf come that way.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I prefer them to be taped too.
Not trying to hijack your thread but another pet peave of mine about primer packaging is the way Remington and Federal do it, putting them sideways in the package. I like the way Winchester and CCI do it so I can just put the hand primer tray over it and flip it over and I'm done.

 

[J_McLeod]

Whenever I've bought them, the store has taped individual packs, but the Winchesters don't come taped and don't get taped when I buy a case. Just this afternoon one package fell of the top shelf where I keep them and I had small rifle primers everywhere.

 

[Mike 27]

I bought a few hundered when we were in the component shortage a few years ago. I got in the truck and my curios wife picked up a sleeve and slid it open upside down. I played hell finding them under her seat. There I was 25 below 0 in Alaska climbing under the seat trying to find about 20 primers. Not a good thought moving the seat or vacuuming the car out and boom...Learned my lesson on that one...

 

[GLOOB]

Ok, this is gonna sound real anal.

I buy primers in bulk. I take out the 100 ct boxes and stack 10-12 of them. I lay this stack on its side and wrap it with stretch plastic - the kind you get from Uline or the U-Haul stores. It's a roll of thin polyethylene stretch film on a cardboard handle. (The film I have is wide enough to wrap a stack of 12 boxes, easily). I tape down the free end (cuz once you cut off the box(es) on the ends, the rest will start to unravel without the tape). Then I use a sharp knife to slice off one box at a time, as I use them. Even the individual box will still have a strip of plastic around it holding it closed until you pop it off, so the Wolf/Tulammo tape is doubly annoying for me.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/klee27x/simb007.jpg

As if that's not anal, enough, I also flip every other box so that the thicker end where the cardboard doubles over doesn't make the stack uneven.

 

[medalguy]

Gloob, be very careful with the stretch film. That will build up a pretty good static charge which is bad juju for primers.

 

[GLOOB]

I wonder that a static discharge could even set off a primer. Each little dot of priming compound is secured in its own faraday cage. If you had a static discharge to a primer, the spark would probably hit the anvil or the cup and do nothing. Even though the "current" could theoretically travel from there to the priming compound, the current produced by a static discharge is trivial. And this trivial current would only flow to the priming compound if the primer was insulated, in which case it's highly unlikely that it could carry/accept enough charge to produce a spark in the first place. If it was in contact with something large enough to induce a spark, the current would just travel through the faraday cage (cup) to the other object, avoiding the priming compound altogether. And it's the open spark that poses the danger, not the trivial amount of current, anyway. Course, there's always a chance, I suppose.

 

[BADUNAME37]

....I tape down the free end (cuz once you cut off the box(es) on the ends, the rest will start to unravel without the tape). Then I use a sharp knife to slice off one box at a time, as I use them. Even the individual box will still have a strip of plastic around it holding it closed until you pop it off......

Excellent idea, GLOOB!
I like that!

 

[Viper225]

I do not recall the last time I bought 100 primers. Probably in the early to mid 1970's. My local store tapes his Open Box of primers so they do not spill. I normally load 1000 rounds at a time, then swap to a different caliber, and load another 1000. I rotate between 38, 40, and 45 this way. If I do smaller quantities of handgun ammo it will be 500 at a time. A single box of bullets.

My pet peave is Federal's huge boxes. 1000 Federals take almost the same space of 5000 of other brands.

Have a Very Merry Christmas

Bob

 

[floydster]

Maybe if people are having such a hard time with opening a simple box of primers, they should rethink about reloading

 

[fguffey]

I agree, then there is the big Federal box, that one just locked reloaders up, it was too large for the Lee flip tray, again, on that one I believe Federal used the Big Tray to give Lee something to complain about. There was a time when reloaders complained about the primer collection devise used on presses, not me, the primers that fell heavy side down had a small chance of embedding into my rubber/neoprene soles, it added a good sound and added mileage/distance to the shoe before recapping, and added traction on ice.

Not something I can help but when I see the Chevy Chase commercial in the board room I am reminded of the embedded primers, he stands, then walks, he is wearing golf shoes on a tile floor, good sound.

F. Guffey

 

[Deavis]

Tape on the trays is annoying and unnecessary. Just pick them up and be careful, or buy them in the box they were intended to be sold in, i.e. a 1000 block brick.

not to mention the danger involved.

What danger? That you'd have to stoop down and pick them up? They aren't going to explode from being dropped, stepped on, or kicked. You'd have to try REALLLLLLLLY hard to get one to go off in most circumstances. They crush nicely under your heel without anything spectacular happening. I've picked out plenty from my shoes and somehow my feet are still attached.

 

[RustyFN]

am I the only one who hates the tape on the Wolf primer boxes?

No I don't like them to be taped either.