Anyone blow up their Dillon reloader?

[mhs]

This is a common misperception.

Neither water, nor oil will deactivate a primer. Primers are pretty hard to kill short of detonating them.

I read that water will deactivate them until they dry.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I read that water will deactivate them until they dry.

It desensitizes them until dry, but they still can detonate.

 

[HICKMAN]

in other news... I reloaded some more .40 ammo for my glocks using my dillon SDB and Federal primers... and lived.

Tonight I will temp fate again, loading 500 rounds for Friday Night Steel and Saturdays USPSA match in Warsaw.

 

[GSPBirdDog]

This is a common misperception.

Neither water, nor oil will deactivate a primer. Primers are pretty hard to kill short of detonating them.

Well....I guess i don't need to worry about storing them in a dry area then like all manufacturers recommend.....Learn something new everyday........

 

[shibumiseeker]

Well....I guess i don't need to worry about storing them in a dry area then like all manufacturers recommend.....Learn something new everyday........

The characteristics of the priming compound changes over time, and that change is accelerated by moisture, heat, and oxygen, but that change is measured in decades and affects the compounds used to alter the flame front more than the primary explosive. The metal parts are also subject to corrosion, but again that is measured in decades.

 

[shibumiseeker]

http://glarp.atk.com/2008/msds/Primers.pdf

Above is the MSDS on CCI cartridge primers.

It notes that scrap primers should be stored under water with a wetting agent (detergent) until ready for disposal, then disposal should be incineration.

Being the empiricist I am, several years ago when I too first heard that primers were hard to kill, I tried to kill some. I loaded up a bunch of empty cases and tortured them. An hour's worth of soaking in water and they still went bang just fine. It took about 3 days of soaking in water before they wouldn't go bang in the gun on the first hit, though some would go bang after repeated hits. When they dried out they went bang just fine. I also tried WD40 and machine oil. None deactivated them (though it did weaken them). Just for giggles, I took some non loaded primers, soaked them for a week in water, then put them on the anvil and hit them with a drilling hammer. They all popped nicely.

 

[modelflyer2003]

Maybe I will stick to handpriming and CCI primers. I have and RCBS Universal hand primer. One good kaboom and my wife would try to pull the plug on reloading.

 

[GSPBirdDog]

http://glarp.atk.com/2008/msds/Primers.pdf

Above is the MSDS on CCI cartridge primers.

It notes that scrap primers should be stored under water with a wetting agent (detergent) until ready for disposal, then disposal should be incineration.

Being the empiricist I am, several years ago when I too first heard that primers were hard to kill, I tried to kill some. I loaded up a bunch of empty cases and tortured them. An hour's worth of soaking in water and they still went bang just fine. It took about 3 days of soaking in water before they wouldn't go bang in the gun on the first hit, though some would go bang after repeated hits. When they dried out they went bang just fine. I also tried WD40 and machine oil. None deactivated them (though it did weaken them). Just for giggles, I took some non loaded primers, soaked them for a week in water, then put them on the anvil and hit them with a drilling hammer. They all popped nicely.

Well..I guess you proved to me that i no longer need to worry about handling primers with my fingers! That always annoyed me anyways! Thanks for the info

 

[linkpimp]

NO... I can say that in all the years and the thousands of round I've reloaded that I’ve have never ever even come close to doing this??

I even use Match primers on all of my wild cat loads (they will show any signs of pressure before any other primer do)..

 

[shibumiseeker]

Being the empiricist I am, and since it had been many years since I did my primer test, and having the perfect opportunity:

Saturday afternoon I was shooting my reloads in my G20 10mm with the Lone Wolf barrel in it when I had a failure to feed. In fact, this failure to feed crumpled the brass a little. The LWB is very tight, I've been polishing it every time I have a FTF and it's gotten more infrequent but still happens, even when I use it as my drop gauge while reloading.

So, it wouldn't chamber in the LWB but would in the stock barrel. So I pulled the bullet and dumped the powder and then sprayed enough RemOil into the case to cover the bottom and let it sit there. Until just now. I loaded it into the chamber of my G20 and pointed it downrange, pulled the trigger (eyes and ears protected of course!) and there was a mild "pop" and smoke from the barrel. Just for laughs I primed the case again with a fresh primer (Winchester LPP like the one I just popped) and repeated. A slightly louder pop, not as much smoke.


There ya are, just like my experience when I did my primer torture test many moons ago. 4 days soaking in oil

 

[kolob10]

I've had a 550 and 650 Dillon for many years without any issues. I don't believe I've even broke a part yet. They do have a no BS warranty though. A few years ago, while in Phoenix, I drove up to Scotsdale and visited the Dillon shop. Nice people and a great product. They even have presses set up in the showroom that you can try.

 

[jimbojr]

Well Friday after work I went to make some 9mm subsonic with my Dillon 1050 and just after refilling the primer filler kabooooooom. A primer detonated just after pulling the arm and all of the primers in the tube detonated and if it was not for the steel shroud the aluminum tube would have split into pieces. The rod for the low primer sensor is gone to outer space and i am missing a case. I have ordered the damaged and missing pieces from Dillon.

After talking to a buddy of mine he had the same experience and when he spoke to Dillon they immediately asked if he was using Federal primers. He was. I was also using Federal primers that I picked up years ago.

Anyone else have that problem?

Chuck

p.s. My dog is pretty squeamish to go to the basement with me after that. Scared him pretty bad.

Nope, not with a Hornady.

 

[chuckp]

Nope, not with a Hornady.

Jimbojr. I did not ask that now did I?

Thanks all to answered my question. I got the parts replaced. Now I am using Winchester primers and they feed much better. I can tell a difference in the feel of the press. Life is better now that my hearing has improved.

Chuck