Primer not igniting question

[bmash]

Any thoughts on these fail to fire? I didn’t think 2000 primers would be bad. firing pin strike seems very deep. Any issues with recals or bad CCI primers you know of?
This is my neighbors rifle but he has LOTS of experience reloading. (Like 50 years worth)
He said CCI BR primers bought in about 2000.

All fully seated. Primer pockets clean and flash hole deburred. The primers are old but were stored in air conditioned area, in the original packaging, and inside a vacuum sealed bag. These primers are part on a full unused 1000 box. First used out of that box.

 

[Powder_Burns]

They look kinda deformed to me.

 

[bmash]

I sort of thought they looked a little different as well. He does have an after market spring in there.

 

[Powder_Burns]

I’m thinking more in brass prep phase than firing, like they got seated funky. Idk if those cases had crimped primers before but it sort of looks that way. Seating without removing the old crimp could have deformed the primers and the anvils aren’t seated correctly. Maybe his priming tool needs to be cleaned.

 

[Snuby642]

Those primers are looking kinda small? In the pocket.

 

[Milo 2.5]

They look kinda deformed to me.

They look like he tried to re-fire them to me.

 

[Milo 2.5]

The easiest thing to do right now to check the primers right now would be to prime but not powder a few and try fire them. Are the cases over bumped?

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Many chemicals will kill a primer, w/ WD 40 being the worst. Those primers look to have been struck more than once. If the primer is not fully seated when struck the first time it will push them forward but not close the gap enough to have the hammer hit the anvil. If that happens most of the time it pushes the yellow cake out of the way an on a re-strick there is no yellow cake to go bang. To test take a hammer with the primer base up an with "proper precautions" hit the primer hard. If it goes bang then seating is the issue. If it does not an there is yellow cake in the cup it's been killed via a chemical in the storage or reloading A/O. Not all primer cup's are the same these days like long ago,...

 

[Powder_Burns]

If you zoom in on the top primer in the photo, it looks like it is spooged out to the 9:30 position. To my eyes that looks like deformation from seating.

 

[seanh]

Finger oils can kill primers. So if you flip them over in the tray by hand... That can cause it. Improper storage can cause it. I've had that same thing happened with Federal 210m, br-2. Best I can tell, my fault.

 

[lash]

Without more info, I’d be rechecking the following two items:

• Primer seating - either a pocket issue like a crimp not removed or seating depth
• Bad headspacing - it’s been shown as an issue any number of times after re-investigating a primer no fire. Even by seasoned reloaders.

 

[supercorndogs]

I don't think there is probably very much 204 Ruger brass with a crimped pocket.

 

[Powder_Burns]

I don’t either, but I’m not seeing a smooth chamfer leading to the primer either. Looks like there’s a lip there.

 

[supercorndogs]

I think thats just the way the bad picture is making the primer chamfer look.

 

[Snuby642]

I just loaded some 308 recently primers purchased about 6 years ago stored on a shelf indoors.

No ftf cool, warm, very humid sometimes.
At times seated just flush in half way cleaned pockets.

That is not an example of best practices probably a better example of minimum workable.

Something should be leaving a visible sign.

Mnfg's don't even seal the boxes.

Could that in any way have an effect?

 

[seanh]

I've got some old stuff too... Stored in the garage or storage facility...they have about 5% failure rate. Stuff that was stored in a controlled environment no failures.

 

[BullGear]

10 year old primers. I would suspect how they were stored, where they were stored, etc. I personally would never load primers that old. But that's my personal preference.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Makes you wonder what primer shelf life is. I have sealed cases that are 20 years old. Apples and oranges, but a friend gave me some really old .22lr ammo...like western auto old, and they all went bang probably 30-40 years after they were assembled. Also shot some 30-30 handloads from the 70’s that went bang too.

 

[FLIGHT762]

I have L/R primers from the 50's, 60' & 70's. They all go bang. Only issue I've had over the past 40 years is primers burning through the primer cup edge. I've had at least two bad lots. My primers had been stored inside at controlled temperatures. May have a lot to do with it.

 

[BullGear]

Makes you wonder what primer shelf life is. I have sealed cases that are 20 years old. Apples and oranges, but a friend gave me some really old .22lr ammo...like western auto old, and they all went bang probably 30-40 years after they were assembled. Also shot some 30-30 handloads from the 70’s that went bang too.

That priming powder in the 22 is more or less sealed. Can't say the same for primers sitting on a shelf. Particularly if it's a few boxes sitting on that shelf.

 

[bmash]

As stated in the post, they are 20 years old (2000 to 2020), were sealed in a vacuum bag, and stored in an air conditioned house. He is trying new primers, so I’ll report results.
thanks.
(ps - my surplus ammo from CMP shoots great. M1 Garand vintage age primers. Maybe loaded vs not matters? I sure hope they don’t bad in 20 years.)

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Lots of internet B/S in this thread,...