reusing primers

good new years all you fellow shooters! just got off the phone with one of my fellow shooter buddys  that just told me he removed primers from some bad 38 cal shells because the cases where deformed. I have been reloading for about 60 years now and when i would make a bad load that i didnt want to shoot i whould pull the head reuse the powder and if the case was no good, put oil down the case and bring it to my range and put it with the dud round container. he said i was waisting good primers, just put the case in the resizing die push the primer out and reuse it. wouldnt the depriming pin push against the anvel and make the primer go off? if hes right i have waisted a lot of good primers over the years! your thoughts? Thanks and happy new year to all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_aoU3Sk50c&t=197s

this video from Brownells discusses that concept

please note, i have no experience with this

thanks, seems like they hege there bets, saying you can do it BUT.

I’ve done it. Just take it slow, wear safety glasses and hearing protection, and use your hand to catch the primer if the press doesn’t catch primers. They don’t go off very often, but they can. With the price of primers, it is becoming more advantageous.

Wobbley wrote:I’ve done it.  Just take it slow, wear safety glasses and hearing protection, and use your hand to catch the primer if the press doesn’t catch primers.  They don’t go off very often, but they can.  With the price of primers, it is becoming more advantageous.

+1 

I have done and every time the common sense voice in my head says it is not worth it. I mark the bottom of the case of the shells I use the recycled primer and never had a Fail but it is scary and not do that with primers or powder in the area.

Very few primers go off by crushing or depriming. They usually need a good spanking to fire.

I’ve saved many from pinched, crushed or misloaded shells.

Like Ashley said, but keep your hand away from the press.

I took a NRA reloading class and the instructor demonstrated removing live primers and I've done it many times since without issue. I make sure to wear ear and eye protection and do it when my wife isn't home just in case

I have done it more than once. Just make sure you don't dislodge the anvil.  Putting oil in the case will not kill the primer.  They are coated with a lacquer to make them impervious to oil, etc.  Acetone might do it.

SingleActionAndrew wrote:when my wife isn't home just in case

The interesting "I would like to stay married" variable enters the discussion. I know it well.

hotshot9 wrote:good new years all you fellow shooters! just got off the phone with one of my fellow shooter buddys  that just told me he removed primers from some bad 38 cal shells because the cases where deformed. I have been reloading for about 60 years now and when i would make a bad load that i didnt want to shoot i whould pull the head reuse the powder and if the case was no good, put oil down the case and bring it to my range and put it with the dud round container. he said i was waisting good primers, just put the case in the resizing die push the primer out and reuse it. wouldnt the depriming pin push against the anvel and make the primer go off? if hes right i have waisted a lot of good primers over the years! your thoughts? Thanks and happy new year to all!

I've done it a couple dozen times over the last 48 years of reloading, so yes it can be done. 
BUT, VERY VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY is the phrase of the day. I've never had one go off on me, but unless I'm short of that type of primer, I'll just chamber the primed shell & make a permanent dud out of it.
Al

I must admit that over the many decades that I've been reloading, I've probably done it at least hundreds of times without a mishap. One thing that I found that can present a problem is, once in a great while, the removed primer gets stuck in my Dillon primer feed tubes, although I don't keep those tubes as clean as I probably should.

Also , DO NOT REMOVE the primer if it is seated backwards. The Decapping die will serve as a firing pin and that could set off a terrible chain reaction and potentially ruin your day.

BE Mike wrote:I must admit that over the many decades that I've been reloading, I've probably done it at least hundreds of times without a mishap. One thing that I found that can present a problem is, once in a great while, the removed primer gets stuck in my Dillon primer feed tubes, although I don't keep those tubes as clean as I probably should.

I never put recycled primers back into a primer tube but seat them manually on a single stage press.

I have removed and reused hundreds, if not thousands, of live primers, both correctly seated and reversed. A correctly seated primer presents more hazard than a reversed one since the anvil is being pushed against the priming compound which is supported by the primer cup and it's friction against the case. A reversed primer has an unsupported anvil and priming compound.

In either case, as long as you take extra care seating the decapping pin against the primer then apply gradual pressure, you have a higher chance detonating a primer during seating than recapping a live one.

NukeMMC wrote:I have removed and reused hundreds, if not thousands, of live primers, both correctly seated and reversed.  A correctly seated primer presents more hazard than a reversed one since the anvil is being pushed against the priming compound which is supported by the primer cup and it's friction against the case.  A reversed primer has an unsupported anvil and priming compound.

In either case, as long as you take extra care seating the decapping pin against the primer then apply gradual pressure, you have a higher chance detonating a primer during seating than recapping a live one.

+1 to the above.  I prime online and use Dillon's Auto Primer Feelers for both Large and Small primers.  Every so often I have reversed primers.  And every so often I have a need to disassemble various live rounds (i.e. range pick ups).  I have dedicated Lee single stage press equipped with Lee Universal De-Capping die, so it is just a matter of changing Shell Holders.  As long as process is done slowly and without impacts, both correctly and reversed seated primers can be removed.  There are more chances to damage correctly seated primer (anvil separation from the cap), then damaging reversely seated one, especially taking to account that reversely seated primer "wants to get out".  Only if primer pocket it too tight and/or excessive pressure was applied during seating, indent from de-capping pin can render reverse primer to be unusable.


john bickar

SingleActionAndrew wrote:when my wife isn't home just in case

The interesting "I would like to stay married" variable enters the discussion. I know it well.

Yeah........ Well trained husband versus well trained wife!  Takes about 25 years to get things balanced, and by the 50 mark it is smooth sailing. 
John / Andrew, be patient, guys!

AP

Thank you for accepting my invite. I’ve been reloading less than a year I saw it on YouTube that you can pull life primers, so I tried it on eight Live primers and had no issues and yes, I went very very slow