Killing Primers

Z

zp3design

New member
Fellas,

I want to do some dry fire testing with new primers but without the smoke and pop.

Does anyone have any experience/knowledge in deactivating primers?

I would think soaking them in the right stuff would do it, just not sure what to use.

Bob
 
How do you test a new primer with out the smoke, and pop? I don't know how you could test a prime like that! Dry firing it will deactivate it if you want.
 
Not testing the primers...fine tuning the bolt and firing pin.

If I can't do It's no big deal...just thought I'd throw it out there.

Bob
 
I tried killing primers with common shop chemicals such as oil, wd40 etc. They didn't get 100% killed and many would definately ingite a round.

Remember, when you fire off a primer, the firing pin strike will remain full depth and therefore look very deep compared to a live round.
 
I shot BPCR Silhouette for years. When shooting a Hundred or so shots in a day out of a Big Boomer like my 45/110 flinching can rear its ugly head. I found a flinch is not to hard to cure if you are aware of it, and thats not always apparent. So in my Off=Hand practice loads I would kill about 4 or 5 primers out of a hundred and just load them as normal and put them in the cartridge block unmarked so as to fool or trick myself. When you come to one of those dead loads you sure know right quick if you have a flinch or not.

But that leaves a feller with the problem of killing the primer. Over the years I shot Silhouette I killed hundreds of primers but it was always hit or miss. WD40 works sometimes but it will take a soak for at least a week, there is a product called LPS that worked pretty well most of the time. It containes DMSO and maybe that helped it to absorb into the primer material better. I also tried a cocktail of WD40 and pure Lye and vinegar, it is a mess to work with but did a fair job. Good Luck

Roland
 
try popping the anvil out of a couple and see what happens.....
exacto blade.....something small get under and pop it out....
mike in co
 
I think I might go with Mike EXCEPT!!!! Taking the anvil out buggers up your reading.

I tried some of the suspects listed above after soaking primers overnite in water and BLAMMM! Stupid, wasn't even wearing plugs.

Some paint thinners were perty effective but I disremember which and don't want to go dig out the info. Seems that they melted to coating or something. I also remember that soaking a couple days and stirring a couple times helped. Just go in with the idea that primers are HARD to kill and if you find a 100% solution please let us know!

al
 
Use a 5 to 10% solution of warm sodium hydroxide, followed by a neutralizing wash of something acidic. (Vinegar is acetic acid.)

Source:
http://design.caltech.edu/micropropulsion/styphnate.html

Another option is to use a sodium carbonate solution (preferrably warm), followed again by an acid wash.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_styphnate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_carbonate

NOTE: Any residues from killing primers contain lead traces, and should be treated as HAZMAT.

Having said the above, the easiest method to neutralize primers is:
  • Fire them, in either an empty or a charged case. (It is suggested this be done at a firing range);
  • Once fired, decap the case;
  • Remove the anvil from the dead primer;
  • Remove the firing pin strike using a hammer, punch (flat headed), and a hard surface (such as an anvil).
You now have a deactivated primer, suitable for use for whatever.
 
the problem with the request is that once priming material dries out it works as designed..it goes bang.
and to get a real reading on firing pin strike, one need a real primer...and empty primer is not going to react like a full one , not like a live one.
so as al pointed out...poor data from dead primers.....
get a roll of fibre glass insulation, put the bbl in the first coupls of inches and pull the trigger.......

mike in co
 
You could always just ignite off the priming compound using heat, and then load the burnt out primer. Or following Asa Yams method fire off the loaded primer with a soldering iron instead of a firing pin. this would leave you with an undented primer shell that still contained the anvil.
 
I've never tried it, but what about putting them into a cloth bag, tying it up and sending it though a clothes washer? I would think the warm water and agitation might kill em????
 
no...(unless the compound actually washes out)
when they dry out they are good to go(bang).
they are filled with a wet priming compound, which is then allowed to dry.
wet is ok...dry goes bang
mike in co
msalm said:
I've never tried it, but what about putting them into a cloth bag, tying it up and sending it though a clothes washer? I would think the warm water and agitation might kill em????
Click to expand...
 
Being both a cartridge collector and shooter I am here to tell you that there is no 100% foolproof way to kill a primer except by firing it or removing the priming mix. Cartridge collectors have been looking for a way for many years and no one has come up with one, as yet. The closest I have found is to boil them in water with some Cascade dishwash detergent added. The water will turn yellow which means that most of the mix has dissolved but the only way to confirm it is to try to fire them which defeats the whole purpose. If you only want the primer to "appear" to be live you can put a drop of a light penetrating oil on the mix, wait a few minutes for it to soften and then pop out the anvil and scrape out the mix with a toothpick.

In olden days, special cartridges were loaded without powder but with an inert primer to "cure" flinching among military shooters. The instructor would have a pocketful of them and slip one into the rifle's magazine. The shooter, of course, did not know which round was inert and a flinch became very obvious. Back when I was into pistol shooting we would do the same thing with a revolver or pistol magazine. It worked!

Ray
 
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I don't understand why you need a primed case to fine tune the bolt and firing pin...

I have found Hoppes # 9 solvent to kill primers quite well... I would soak the primers in it for a day before seating them in the brass... it is harder to kill an already seated primer...
 
Dennis

Like you, I don't know why a primed case is necessary to fine tune a bolt & firing pin, unless it's the cushioning effect. But that would only be good for one time.

Cartridge collectors need to inert primers because we mail primed cases both domestically and International (except Canada). Many of us have tested the different methods, including a soak in #9, or any good penetrating oil. But, even though it seems foolproof, there are always a certain percentage of primers that will still light. Most of us put a note in the package indicating that the primers were inerted by soaking in oil and that seems to be good enough for Postal and Customs authorities (except Canada). But most of them are ignorant when it comes to cartridges so they take our word for it.

Military primers, being crimped in, can only be inerted while still in the case.

Ray
 
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Why not just call one of the companys and ask if they would sell you just the cups, tell them what you are going to use them for, maybe they can help.

I personally would not get them anywere near heat! YOU MAY REGRET IT.

Joe Salt
 
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