Proud Primer - what would you do?

[berettaprofessor]

If it's loaded (i.e. powder and bullet), break it down and pop it out. If it's not (just seated primer), then press it on in.

 

[Otto]

I know what I’d do, and already did; press it in with the Lee Ram Prime.

Like the fellow said passing the 12th floor, after jumping off a 20 story building, "SO FAR SO GOOD".

 

[dh1633pm]

When I was in the Air Force, the Captain I worked for had to do an accident investigation at Gunter AFS. Gunter annex now. The accident was a Security Policeman who was clearing his 38 S&W after his duty day. He dropped one of his rounds and it missed the rubber Matt that sat under the discharge or clearing barrel. It went off. He got a small piece of brass in his leg. I got to type up the report.

strange things sometimes happen.

 

[deadeye dick]

This comes up every once in a while, and usually turns into an argument between the guys worried about discharging a live round in the press vs. guys who rarely if ever pop a cap while priming.

I'm in the latter camp by a mile, figuring - based on long history - that my odds of setting off a round while reseating a primer are worse than the odds of me getting struck by lightning, eaten by a shark, and winning the lottery.

Do i understand that you reset the primer in a fully assembled round. to me that is a no=no Pull the bullet dump the powder than reset the primer.

 

[CMV]

I too just use the hand prime to get it rest of way there.

 

[Rule3]

@Rule3 - I know what I’d do, and already did; press it in with the Lee Ram Prime. As the original post mentioned, I was just curious what others do.

As this is THR, the standard of safe operating practices would be to break the round down. The correct answer is, never try to resat a primer of a loaded round, even though some on the internet say so, The risk is not worth it.

 

[mdi]

I was priming some 357 brass w/magnum primers and thought about this post. I would really hate a loaded round go off 24" from my face. Even just sitting in my bench priming tool. I know the bullet probably not shoot out, but there would be shrapnel from a case charged with a hot load of Universal...

 

[Walkalong]

I think most of this has been covered, but here goes.

Number one, check the priming process, those are not nearly close to being seated even flush, much less below flush which is what we want.

Number two, only you can decide if the risk is worth it. The odds are very low it will go off, and in a shell holder only in a priming tool it has no chamber, so pressure won't build like in a gun, and it would likely just scare you real good, making a nice popwith burning powder getting all over, but who knows. Feeling froggy today?

I never recommend it, just because I like to err on the side of caution.

If we are watching what is happening when we set up to load, we should catch that very early and it should not be a big batch. Is it worth it for a couple of rounds?

 

[Misplacedtexan]

Are you cleaning the pockets?

 

[cfullgraf]

High primers is one reason I prime off the press. I have a chance to inspect the primers before loading the cases.

 

[Spare Parts]

Proud primer? Pay better attention when seating the primer in the first place. Pull the bullet and reseat the primer. One in a million to go off might be the first one.

This. Pull the projectile, reseat primer. Dump/reload the powder first if squeamish. Hearing protection advised.

Did this less than a week ago. Mistakes happen - it's always good to verify the first case of a batch.

 

[Legionnaire]

I use a K&M hand primer. I'd just try to reseat it. If I got resistance, then I'd break it down including removing the primer, and check the primer pocket and the primer itself. Might be the anvil came loose and got sideways.

 

[Swampman]

There is a reason that no reputable reloading manual has ever advised trying to re-seat a primer on a live round.

 

[Varminterror]

Ever dropped a loaded round? Odds of OOBD are ridiculously higher when dropping a loaded round than when seating a primer. Don’t slam the ram and you will not impart enough energy to do anything to any primer.

Shooting it is likely also fine, it’s just very likely to misfire as the FP seats the primer, and then your odds of a misfire when re-striking a dented primer with the anvil already compressed into the compound takes a lot of energy out of the system.

So for me, I’d have pressed it already. Not comfortable? Open a thick book and lean it against the press as a blast shield. A cartridge going off out of a chamber is basically an M-80. In the slim-to-near-zero chance it detonates - BECAUSE YOU SLAMMED THE RAM AND DESERVED IT - the consequence is soiled shorts, and a bit of a mess to sweep up.

 

[Rule3]

There is a reason that no reputable reloading manual has ever advised trying to re-seat a primer on a live round.
View attachment 1045876


View attachment 1045877

Except for the Internet experts who know "better"

 

[BW460]

Crap, I didn't note that you had already seated the bullet. Definitely pull the bullet and dump the powder. THEN, try to re-seat the primer. I've had enough trouble with this issue that I now check my brass with a primer gage before reloading.

 

[webrx]

for the 2 minutes it takes to pull the bullet, why take a chance? Sure, you can press it in, but, what if.

I would err on the side of caution, pull the bullet, dump the powder, and reseat it. If it goes off, then you are only dealing with a primer popping (which will likely scare the crap outta ya), and while an unchambered round going off with a bullet in it is not as dangerous as one in a firearm, you only get so many body parts.

I would pull it and set the primer and pay more attention going forward. you can resize the case by removing the priming stem from your sizing die and then reload the round if all goes right.

d

 

[buck460XVR]

Just curious how others handle this situation. Primer sitting a little proud, loaded 9mm

IMHO, it depends on how many you have like that.

What I see is not a primer that is just a "little" proud. My first solution would be to figure out why I'm getting such high primers and how they are getting past me in my reloading process. Then, depending on how many there are, I would move on. If just a few, I personally would reseat. I seat primers hard and deep with my hand primer and have never had one go off. I wouldn't be afraid at all to seat a few proud primers flush at least so they would cycle. I doubt very much of primers as proud as those shown in the pic would fire, even after a coupla firing pin strikes. If there was lot of them, I would resort to pulling the bullets, dumping the powder and starting over after reseating the primers. If there were only one or two, or if after pulling 100 or so, I'd keep one or two, and would keep them the way they are and put them on the bench in front of me to remind me to never make this mistake again.

 

[edwardware]

Seat it.

I'd probably wear my safety squints, but the worst case consequence of the primer going off (exceedingly unlikely) would be very underwhelming save for the loud bang.

 

[Jim Watson]

Contrary to Internet Wisdom, I would (Have!) hand seated it and moved on.
My SDB did not have the oomph to seat LP primers in .45 ACP reliably, I touched up a good many until I splurged on a 1050.

 

[Rule3]

Seat it.

I'd probably wear my safety squints, but the worst case consequence of the primer going off (exceedingly unlikely) would be very underwhelming save for the loud bang.

???

So the cartridge case is in the shell holder, the primer ignites so where does the bullet go??

 

[edwardware]

So the cartridge case is in the shell holder, the primer ignites so where does the bullet go??

It exits the case mouth, but so slowly you could catch it in your hand without injury. Such is the effect of pressure on combustion.

Prove it to yourself. Drop a 9mm in your next brush fire. First just a primed case so you'll appreciate how loud the primer is, then a loaded round. The bullet will travel a few feet and stop in the grass or ashes.

Powder requires pressure to combust efficiently. With no barrel to build pressure, very very little velocity is generated.

 

[deadeye dick]

It exits the case mouth, but so slowly you could catch it in your hand without injury. Such is the effect of pressure on combustion.

Prove it to yourself. Drop a 9mm in your next brush fire. First just a primed case so you'll appreciate how loud the primer is, then a loaded round. The bullet will travel a few feet and stop in the grass or ashes.

Powder requires pressure to combust efficiently. With no barrel to build pressure, very very little velocity is generated.

I disagree. When i was young and dumb---- Nov 1961, just got out of the U.S.Army and wanted to make a keepsake out of a M1 Garand cartridge. Had brought home a bunch of blanks, the ones with the red cardboard wad. Put it loosly in a vise and using a nail set held with a pair of pliers wacked it. Dopy me forgot to pop the wad and dump the powder. POW! case split and a piece of brass wound up in my left index finger knuckle so i could see the bone. six stitches. that was 58 years ago and still see the scar

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

I would have no qualms about seating it on the press or with a hand primer.
In reality, since we are talking about a single 9mm round, I would set it aside and forget about it, probably forever.

 

[Varminterror]

There is a reason that no reputable reloading manual has ever advised trying to re-seat a primer on a live round.

I don’t recall any reloading manual describing ANY form of troubleshooting in any substantial detail, proud primers or otherwise. So this excuse is a cop out.