Dumb and Dangerous Thing

[gbflyer]

Today I was testing a load in my 6x45. First round, click. Wait 30 seconds, eject. Solid hit on the primer. Figured I finally made a dud. Ejected, bullet still in the case, just a dented primer. Second round, click. Same. What the heck? Third round, click. OK, that’s it. Moved to a different load, all is normal.

I just got home and started pulling the duds. No powder. The 2 I had left in that batch also had no powder. Lapse of concentration, I recall now that I got a phone call and I should have stopped everything right then. Good lesson.

On to my question. Why didn’t the primers pop? There was absolutely nothing. Just like a dry fire. I’d always understood there was a likelihood that the primer would cause enough pressure to lodge the bullet in the barrel. But nothing. Is this normal? Remington 7 1/2 benchrest primers. Same primers out of the same box for all the other loads that i actually put powder in.

Help me out gang.

 

[ShadeTree]

Today I was testing a load in my 6x45. First round, click. Wait 30 seconds, eject. Solid hit on the primer. Figured I finally made a dud. Ejected, bullet still in the case, just a dented primer. Second round, click. Same. What the heck? Third round, click. OK, that’s it. Moved to a different load, all is normal.

I just got home and started pulling the duds. No powder. The 2 I had left in that batch also had no powder. Lapse of concentration, I recall now that I got a phone call and I should have stopped everything right then. Good lesson.

On to my question. Why didn’t the primers pop? There was absolutely nothing. Just like a dry fire. I’d always understood there was a likelihood that the primer would cause enough pressure to lodge the bullet in the barrel. But nothing. Is this normal? Remington 7 1/2 benchrest primers. Same primers out of the same box for all the other loads that i actually put powder in.

Help me out gang.

No logical explanation for that, that I can think of. Your guardian Angel looking out for you perhaps? I'd assume you'd know to check a squib load, but if by chance you'd miss it, the next round that went off would of course be catastrophic. We all make mistakes at times, glad this one didn't bite you.

A primer obviously needs no powder in the case to ignite. If I prime an otherwise empty case and chamber it and pull the trigger, I'd guarantee it to go bang. The guys that have fireformed 100's and in some instances 1000's of cases using the COW method would tell you the same thing. There is no reason the same primers that went off on a different load, shouldn't of went off in a case with a bullet only and no powder. Like I said, chalk it up to being looked after.

 

[JD338]

Glad it worked out for you and you didn't get hurt.
I'm thinking that the primer didn't have enough horse power. Did you have a heavy crimp on the bullet?

JD338

 

[ShadeTree]

Glad it worked out for you and you didn't get hurt.
I'm thinking that the primer didn't have enough horse power. Did you have a heavy crimp on the bullet?

JD338

You still would hear it I'd think? I've fired some primer only cases messing around trying something, and let me tell you, I wouldn't want to do it in the house without ear plugs. Those little suckers crack pretty loud all by themselves.

 

[ShadeTree]

GB, maybe JD is right.........possible the bullet staying in the case masked the pop of the primer because there was no where for the sound to go? When I did it, it was open cases fired outside. They were plenty loud.

If you have a universal decapper you could soon deprime those cases and see immediately if they actually went off or not. Or just resize them and look at the primers when they pop out. Otherwise I'd have no explanation as to why they didn't go off.

 

[michsteve]

My mistake was reloading 45/70 with Reloader 17. my dispenser had gotten low so I grabbed the powder bottle to reload more. Then I started getting inconsistent powder dumps weight wise and was wondering what was happening. I realized I had grabbed a reloader 17 bottle instead of 7. I had to pull all the loads I had made as I wasn't sure which were right but luckily I did not try shooting any of them. 50 plus grains of slow burn powder in a 45/70 case I wouldn't want to find out what would happen.

 

[JD338]

GB, maybe JD is right.........possible the bullet staying in the case masked the pop of the primer because there was no where for the sound to go? When I did it, it was open cases fired outside. They were plenty loud.

If you have a universal decapper you could soon deprime those cases and see immediately if they actually went off or not. Or just resize them and look at the primers when they pop out. Otherwise I'd have no explanation as to why they didn't go off.

GB said what I was thinking but didn't write it.
Another thought is maybe bad primers due to poor handling, storage, etc.
Just throwing out ideas which can be dangerous.

JD338

 

[gbflyer]

I’m with you fellas. I’ve fire formed, with toilet paper and pistol powder, and popped primers in empty cases. They always make a sharp report. Hence my confusion.

I certainly would have checked the bore had the bullet not still been in the case. It was obvious something wasn’t right. I single feed on the bench. I wasn’t going to have a kaboom.

No crimp on the bullet. No pop, no nothing. I can understand fate involved with 1 bad primer, but not 3. I believe in the Man Upstairs, He does throw a guy a life jacket most of the time. Haha.

 

[ShadeTree]

My mistake was reloading 45/70 with Reloader 17. my dispenser had gotten low so I grabbed the powder bottle to reload more. Then I started getting inconsistent powder dumps weight wise and was wondering what was happening. I realized I had grabbed a reloader 17 bottle instead of 7. I had to pull all the loads I had made as I wasn't sure which were right but luckily I did not try shooting any of them. 50 plus grains of slow burn powder in a 45/70 case I wouldn't want to find out what would happen.

Man, we've all been there at some point I think.

I once loaded 180 grain bullets in a 30-06 and loaded them thinking they were 150 grain. Just more than one box on the loading bench and brain fade I got started on the 180 grain box and kept going because in my head I was loading 150 grain. Shocked me when I realized what I did. Was using IMR 4350 powder so no harm no foul in a 30-06, but lesson learned and never again. The box I'm loading ONLY is on the bench and I double check and make sure what I'm loading is what I'm supposed to be.

That was my biggest OOOPS to date. One good thing about stuff like that is that as long as you get by without it being a catastrophe, it scares you enough (or it did me) that it teaches a valuable lesson. I try not to get in a hurry and double check stuff more now.

 

[gbflyer]

When I pulled the bullets in the cases I tried to fire, the bases of the bullets were smoky. The remaining 2 that I did not try to fire were clean. That tells me that the primers did ignite. But no report and no bullet movement. None. I decapped the 2 live primers. In retrospect I should have snapped them in the rifle just to see. But all the loads with powder came out of the same box of primers. No issue.

 

[gbflyer]

My mistake was reloading 45/70 with Reloader 17. my dispenser had gotten low so I grabbed the powder bottle to reload more. Then I started getting inconsistent powder dumps weight wise and was wondering what was happening. I realized I had grabbed a reloader 17 bottle instead of 7. I had to pull all the loads I had made as I wasn't sure which were right but luckily I did not try shooting any of them. 50 plus grains of slow burn powder in a 45/70 case I wouldn't want to find out what would happen.

My old man loaded Accurate 7 instead of Reloder 7 in a 45/70 Marlin Guide. It split the receiver in two along the holes for the scope mounts and sent the barrel forward about 10 feet. Is was not a loud explosion, just a very soft pop. I was there. It did absolutely nothing to him. Talk about Saving Grace. Marlin replaced the rifle at no charge, they just wanted the pieces out of circulation.

 

[DrMike]

Glad you sorted that out. Brisance on the primers wasn't great, so there was no major pressure build to push the bullet out of the case. That is not what I would have anticipated.

 

[BruceP]

I’ve had them do both. If the primer does push the bullet out of the case then you hear the pop. If the bullet doesn’t leave the case then the only sound is the firing pin dropping.

 

[TackDriver284]

I had once made the same mistake, skipped a powder fill in a 7STW case. I was distracted because of a phone call. At the ranch, I fired several rounds and the powderless round went click, and i ejected it, and there was no bullet. The 140 Ballistic Tip went into the barrel about 4 inches into the rifling. I could not take it out, and I took it to a local smith. He used his Dewey rod from the muzzle end and used the open end of the rod on the ogive and banged it like 10 times, he gave me a stern look and he pulled out his dewey rod and it was flared at the end, he was pissed that it was ruined, lol. He went in the back and got a more sturdy rod and tapped it so many times until the bullet popped out the breech end. Never thought the primer had enough energy to drive that bullet that far into the rifling. Since that day I check all cases under a light to make sure they are full of powder before I seat my bullets.
As for the poster, not sure why his primers did not push the bullet out, my neck tension was .001" and it may have been because of neck tension.

 

[RL338]

Like others have mentioned , I’m surprised the primer didn’t lodge the bullet into the rifling.

 

[Winshortmag]

Hey there gbflyer! What happened to you is no surprise to me.. I once had "help" loading some 7 rem mag ammo... my helper so to speak seated a bullet in a primed empty case. We went to the range and everything was going well until "click". I left the bolt closed for awhile wondering what the heck. Opened the bolt and the cartridge looked fine, good primer hit and bullet still seated.. pulled the bullet and no powder. Primer ignited like it should. I don't think a primer creates enough gas to make enough pressure to move the bullet out of the case. You won't hear the primer pop because the bullet is still in the case. You simply made a mistake as we all have..I'm sure you won't forget it as I haven't. I now do a visual check to make sure cases are charged while in the loading block. Your post is a reminder for me and brought back a memory for me. Kinda funny now. Sometimes you have to laugh at yourself!

 

[ShadeTree]

Since that day I check all cases under a light to make sure they are full of powder before I seat my bullets.

Never even gave it a thought discussing what may or may not have happened with GB, but I do the same.......always have. Check every case with a little light. So it would be hard for me to load a case with no powder, but there's plenty of other things I have to keep my brain in check on so I don't mess up. The more thing like that you can set up ahead of time so that you can't mess up, the better. At least for me, otherwise as I proved to myself with the bullet fiasco, I'm gonna screw up sooner or later.

 

[gbflyer]

I’ve had them do both. If the primer does push the bullet out of the case then you hear the pop. If the bullet doesn’t leave the case then the only sound is the firing pin dropping.

Thank you BruceP. I always heard and assumed it was an automatic stuck bullet, maybe it is with a pistol.

Someone else mentioned neck tension. I suspect plenty considering I’m just using standard FL dies and no neck turning.

Thanks all.

 

[Winshortmag]

Never even gave it a thought discussing what may or may not have happened with GB, but I do the same.......always have. Check every case with a little light. So it would be hard for me to load a case with no powder, but there's plenty of other things I have to keep my brain in check on so I don't mess up. The more thing like that you can set up ahead of time so that you can't mess up, the better. At least for me, otherwise as I proved to myself with the bullet fiasco, I'm gonna screw up sooner or later.

We all do what we can to avoid mistakes.. I've been at this for 42 years.. the gremlins can find you..we all do our best to avoid it.. learn from mistakes! If your still safe and good to go, then thats all good!

 

[Winshortmag]

Thank you BruceP. I always heard and assumed it was an automatic stuck bullet, maybe it is with a pistol.

Someone else mentioned neck tension. I suspect plenty considering I’m just using standard FL dies and no neck turning.

Thanks all.

Hand guns are different than rifles..I only want everyone here to stay safe...PERIOD..