• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Large Rifle Primer Failure

SkiB4

SkiB4

Private
Minuteman
Dec 8, 2019
6
6
image.jpg

This is my first time reloading Large Rifle Primers. Using Federals. Shot during powder charge tests. First round fired, next two didn’t! I then moved on to heavier powder charge and same damn thing. 2/6 cartridges fired. The ones that didn’t fire are severely caved in and obviously have a strike. Help!!
 
It’s either your cases are under size so they rattle around the chamber when struck instead of setting off or your primer isn’t seated all the way in the case so the firing pin energy goes into seating it instead of crushing it. Or you have a weak spring or some sort of dirt or interference. Or you don’t have powder in them.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: Slab74, Changed, supercorndogs and 4 others
It looks that way to me. And many priming tools don’t seat the primer all the way down, especially when there’s a lot of resistance.
 
The one on the left is a sign of high pressure... other two look like loose pocket issue or not seating them far enough in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gambleone and 43north
Get your self a collet built puller and pull the ones that did not fire apart and see if they have a charge of powder. But from the looks of it, I think the primers are lose in the cases, so they are floating. Do you have another manufacture of brass you can try?

Also, what is the information on the load you are trying to use?
 
Debris in flash hole
No powder
Primer not fully seated.

Fired primer / case, that looks fine, plenty of radius left on primer.
Getting an optical illusion from reflection of brass that makes primer look flatter than it is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gambleone and Holliday
I've had one empty round leave the bullet intact after the primer was struck.
 
Look for something wrong that happens 4 out of 6 times.
(like mostly wrong all the time).
Powder? Hope not.
Seating or loose primer? Maybe.
Headspace/bump? likely
 
SkiB4 said:
This is my first time reloading Large Rifle Primers. Using Federals. Shot during powder charge tests. First round fired, next two didn’t! I then moved on to heavier powder charge and same damn thing. 2/6 cartridges fired. The ones that didn’t fire are severely caved in and obviously have a strike. Help!!
Click to expand...

Regardless of any headspace or primer seating issues, those don't look like light primer strikes. Pull the bullets and see if there is powder.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gunnn
Had it happen a few times to me over the years. Missing the charge. As other have said, pull the bullets. If you want to know right away, shake them. If its a compressed load and you cannot hear it, weigh them. If they’re missing the charge it will be off by 40+ grains.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gunnn
Are you guys that seat a bullet w no powder charge using a progressive press? I have never seated a bullet without powder except on a dummy round!
 
  • Like
Reactions: lancetkenyon and mrhunterken
BCX said:
Are you guys that seat a bullet w no powder charge using a progressive press? I have never seated a bullet without powder except on a dummy round!
Click to expand...
Those who have, those who will and those who will again.
More CDO you are, less likely to happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: slowworm and 6.5SH
No powder will do that as will not seating then CRUSHING the primer the correct amount to engage the anvil with the priming material. All modern priming tools are set up to add the appropriate amount of crush then stop.
 
BCX said:
Are you guys that seat a bullet w no powder charge using a progressive press? I have never seated a bullet without powder except on a dummy round!
Click to expand...
Nope, Forster coax. I had never done it in my life until I did it twice last year, one per dasher and once per creed. I suspect when it had to have happened both times.

I usually only have one case on the table where I pour powder and then seat to avoid messing up like that but I remember loosing attention and having an over throw but still grabbing a second case and putting it in the table. Has to be when I pulled the ole switcharoo and put powder in one and seated the other just because I got lazy and didn’t follow my own “one case on the table at a time” rule. Now I follow it a little more closely again. Time builds complacency.

That said it was two rounds out of 2k last year and many thousands before that. Not 4 out of 6 lol
 
Had a few Wolf primers not go off? Cocked the bolt and tried again and the fired. I guess cups are hard, everything else worked in the gun, BR2's and 210M's work fine.
 
FCS said:
Those who have, those who will and those who will again.
More CDO you are, less likely to happen.
Click to expand...

Nope... single stage. It’s what I get for watching Parks and Rec while throwing charges.

At least now I go over the entire bunch to ensure they’re charged.
 
I've been reloading over 4 decades, l'm pretty good at checking cases, but last year I decided to reload some 38 Specials (haven't done it in a long time). I was careful to charge each case from a powder hopper into cases in a loading block so not to get a double charge. I re-checked the cases with a flashlight before seating the bullets and Son of a Bitch! I found a double charge.

I couldn't believe it. You need to check and re-check.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BCX, Combat photog and camocorvette
Out of curiosity how would excessive headspace cause this? It was mentioned above a few times.
 
TX_Diver said:
Out of curiosity how would excessive headspace cause this? It was mentioned above a few times.
Click to expand...

I have no idea. If you dent that primer enough, it's going to go "boom." You can set off a primer with a hammer and a nail on a workbench. (Don't try this at home.) Definitely plenty of "headspace" using this method.
 
That's a totally incorrect explanation.

Excessive headspace allows the whole cartridge to move forward, reducing the effective firing pin protrusion, which would lead to a shallower primer strike. Firing pin protrusion is mechanically limited to a specific distance. I'm chasing a struck primer but no ignition issue on a $17k shotgun right now and the first thing I did was measure firing pin protrusion. It's having the issue with factory premium ammo (WIN AA), so it's not the ammo. Shaping up to be a weak hammer spring since both pins have the same protrusion (80 thou) but only one barrel is misfiring. Manually cocking and releasing the hammers shows a difference in the pressure each hammer is exerting, so the spring seems like the most likely issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: camocorvette
SkiB4 said:
View attachment 7524086
This is my first time reloading Large Rifle Primers. Using Federals. Shot during powder charge tests. First round fired, next two didn’t! I then moved on to heavier powder charge and same damn thing. 2/6 cartridges fired. The ones that didn’t fire are severely caved in and obviously have a strike. /QUOTE]

I had this happen a couple of weeks ago. No primer compound.
Click to expand...
 

Attachments

  • 20201005_190443.jpg
    20201005_190443.jpg
    1 MB · Views: 107
  • 20201005_190353.jpg
    20201005_190353.jpg
    817.1 KB · Views: 104
Last edited:
Steel head said:
View attachment 7524793
Look familiar?

I’m pretty religious about looking into EVERY case for powder since my last squib over a decade ago.
Shook the case, no powder rattling:(
Loaded it into the shame hammer, no powder:(

Verdict?

View attachment 7524794
View attachment 7524795
Click to expand...

Well put some bread ear muffs on me too. I did it with a 308 round couple years ago. My dad asked, is there powder in it. Well I check each one, so I would be pretty damn surprised if there wasn't. I went home and was pretty damn surprised.
 
  • Like
Reactions: spife7980 and Steel head

did you try them? Maybe the impact explosive in the second one is clear. :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
 
Last edited:
supercorndogs said:
Well put some bread ear muffs on me too. I did it with a 308 round couple years ago. My dad asked, is there powder in it. Well I check each one, so I would be pretty damn surprised if there wasn't. I went home and was pretty damn surprised.
Click to expand...
I’m really careful on that and that I missed one really pisses me off.
I blame it on the excitement of my new V3:)
 
I have been known to weigh after loading to verify.... not often, but sometimes I get worried.

Done it on 9mm and Shotgun. Luckily Shotgun everything just falls out after primer goes off🤣
 
On my rifle loads, I always shake them and listen for powder after seating. (If not a compressed load)
 
Had the same thing happen with an older Federal 210M primer 2 years ago - Missing Priming compound....check every primer now.
 
I load single stage and always look before I seat a bullet. The rate components are getting pushed out lately could be missing an anvil. Agreed case needs broken down. I would guess over sizing causing head space issue . Buddy of mine did this making 20Tac from 223 had 20-50 miss fires
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
Federal Large Rifle Primers?
Replies
3
Views
238
KneverKnew
K
C
6mm Creedmoor H4350 Large Rifle Magnum Primers load data
Replies
8
Views
548
MarkyMark007
MarkyMark007
L
Ruag #5341 Large Rifle Primers
Replies
5
Views
810
MarkyMark007
MarkyMark007
SuperToaster
Zermatt Orgin 6.5CM light primer strikes??? ( pic heavy) *RESOLVED*
Replies
16
Views
399
SuperToaster
SuperToaster
R
SOLD Federal 215M Primers (Magnum Match, Large Rifle) - Nashville Area Only
Replies
5
Views
875
RedBreast21
R
Top Bottom
Back