Priming Kaboom — Primer Flash Sets Off Multiple Primers in Tray

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REELDOC

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Be careful out there............ Even with my RCBS handheld I only put 10 primers in the tray at a time.

"The blast also blew my glasses off my face and they landed about six feet away. Be careful folks and wear your eye protection! EDITOR: Guys — This is yet more compelling evidence why handloaders should always wear eye protection!"

Priming Kaboom — Primer Flash Sets Off Multiple Primers in Tray « Daily Bulletin

Here is an important safety reminder for readers who employ hand priming tools with trays of multiple primers. In this instance a primer detonated while being seating in a pistol cartridge case. This caused a flash-over which instantly ignited multiple other primers in the tray.
bulletin.accurateshooter.com bulletin.accurateshooter.com
 
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Yup that’s why my hand primer was sold years ago. I had one go boom in the press and that was an eye opener. I can’t imagine how loud that would be.
 
Redding T7 press with priming system for the win. I still wear eyes and ears while seating the primers despite the primer magazine being isolated and covered with a steel pipe

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I've had this happen with federal primers and using a Lee progressive press with the primer feeder.
It caused a chain reaction up the feeder and sounded like maybe a .38 being fired in he room. Quite a bit of shrapnel but no real injuries.
 
Goofyfoot2001 said:
Wish I hadn't seen this. I love my hand primer. I usually do a few hundred cases at time watching the tele.
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I do the same.

I hand prime all my cases, but I do not use the primer tray. I pick up a primer, put it in the tool and prime the case. Yeah, it’s tedious and takes a while, but I believe it’s realtively safe. I’ve had primers detonate in the priming tool a couple of times…had the primer tray been attached, I’d of likely had a mess.
 
Interesting, since I have personally crushed primers sideways into primer pockets multiple times without incident. I haven't been fond of on press priming because I don't have the feel for seating the primer and especially if one doesn't want to go in the pocket. I used to hand prime until I got a Lee bench prime. I like it, but I can't recommend it, because I had to tweak mine to work correctly. Needs a bit more engineering and I hate the new triangular trays. Mine works great now, but it's modified.
 
I've done priming using the safety-prime on my Lee turret press. At least with that, the seating operation is far removed from the rest of the primers, so not likely to start a chain reaction.

Lee warns about using Federal primers. They are more sensitive, and that is the reason why the Federal primer boxes are so much larger than any other brand - to mitigate the possibility of what is called sympathetic detonation.
 
NKD said:
Buddy just blew up most of the tube in his 650. Loading .38 Super Comp I believe. Tube completely blown open.
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Done that with Remington small rifle primers in 223. Dillon made me whole again. I have loaded 150k in my Dillon before that. And yes, it will wake you up.IMG_20201105_184515.jpg
 
I wonder if static electricity can have anything to do with it. Lots a warnings about static electricity with muzzle loaders and not leaving a charge in a ML'r.
 
Starkherz199 said:
Done that with Remington small rifle primers in 223. Dillon made me whole again. I have loaded 150k in my Dillon before that. And yes, it will wake you up.View attachment 364924
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On the Dillon, there is an aluminum tube inside a steel tube. That looks like the aluminum tube that split open. I've heard the steel tube is supposed to contain the explosion.
 
Toprudder said:
On the Dillon, there is an aluminum tube inside a steel tube. That looks like the aluminum tube that split open. I've heard the steel tube is supposed to contain the explosion.
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Same with Redding. I always want to put something on top of the steel tube to save my ceiling from getting peppered with expelled primers, but I haven't figured out what would be appropriate. Seems like some kind of steel deflector that directs things away, then over, then down to a catch can. The deflector would need to have some amount of space to allow gasses to vent off while still catching anything solid projected out. It's a whole lot of engineering for a problem that may never occur too.
 
I recently had a primer pop in the 550. That’s the only time it’s happened, I’ve been reloading since’99. The spent primer got pierced during extraction and stuck on the pin, It popped when I tried to seat the two primers. It was contained & wasn’t loud.
 
Curmudgeon said:
And that's why I don't trust the hand primers but rather on the press since a single detonation is nowhere close to the rest of the primers
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The RCBS hand primer has a gate that closes and a good half inch of separation between the priming channel/shell holder and the primer tray to prevent this type of thing or at least mitigate it. That Hornady photo looks like the tray is right next to the primer channel.

I always wear eye pro no matter what, however. Accidents can happen. But I have found that I’ve got more “feel” over the primer and how it’s seating in the case with a hand primer versus a press primer but maybe that’s just my imagination.

lrVyeQD.jpg
 
georgel said:
Interesting, since I have personally crushed primers sideways into primer pockets multiple times without incident. I haven't been fond of on press priming because I don't have the feel for seating the primer and especially if one doesn't want to go in the pocket. I used to hand prime until I got a Lee bench prime. I like it, but I can't recommend it, because I had to tweak mine to work correctly. Needs a bit more engineering and I hate the new triangular trays. Mine works great now, but it's modified.
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Are you sure you have the right size primer tube in the machine. I put the wrong on in and had the same problem.
 
I set one off on a lee pro?? I got hasty and pressed the handle wayy to hard/fast because i was frustrated with how difficult it wad to seat. Ever since..........if it feels too tight i take it easy. I have taken the outside to hand prime.
 
Dang, you guys have taken the pleasure out of priming cases :(. But I thank you for it 👍. Just ordered two pair of safety glasses with reading correction on Amazon, and one will reside on top of my reloading toolbox.
 
I always wear safety glasses when reloading. Stuff happens. Have had one primer go off on me when priming some 9mm brass. Yup! It wakes you up quickly.
 
pinebay2 said:
Are you sure you have the right size primer tube in the machine. I put the wrong on in and had the same problem.
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Yes, I had the right size primer giude installed. I had to remove the little rubber bumper ring to get full travel of the handle. Which I now see is a "fix" on their site. I also had to smooth the junction where the two halves of the primer guide come together. Primers would sometimes hang. The primer trays are still annoying when using small primers, because the lock doesn't hold the primers back during loading. I just hold the tray closed until installed. I did notice the other day that the bench primer does have a detonation shield that comes up during priming.

Overall, I'm happy with it now. Well, except for the trays. I'm going to call about those.
 
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I've had them squished sideways into a pocket or flat against an old primer and no kaboom. Am I wrong to think that being in a hurry is a factor in all these detonation anecdotes?
 
Catfish said:
I've had them squished sideways into a pocket or flat against an old primer and no kaboom. Am I wrong to think that being in a hurry is a factor in all these detonation anecdotes?
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Not in my case. I was doing what I've always done. I do not hurry the priming of a case. It totally caught me by surprise.
 
I keep 2 pair of safety glasses on hooks beside my 550. One for me always and a spare for if a friends happens to be over.
 
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