Primer Chain Reaction — Flash Ignites More Primers in Tool Tray
Here is an important safety reminder for readers who employ hand priming tools with trays of multiple primers. In this instance a primer detonated while being seating in a pistol cartridge case. This caused a “flash-over” which instantly ignited multiple other primers in the tray. That, in turn, caused a small explosion which broke the tray and Hornady Handheld Priming Tool. The user, a Forum member, reported this last summer in our Shooters’ Forum.
Report by Forum Member about Primer Flash-Over Incident
I had a small scare the other day while reloading. My experience might be a helpful reminder to people to keep safe and follow proper procedures and not be sloppy.
A primer popped (went off) when being seated and (while hot) flashed over into the tray causing other primers in the tray to detonate. That, in turn, broke my Hornady Handheld Priming Tool and injured my hand.
Here is my loading area after the incident. Note the damage to the hand priming tool. I’m not not sure where the rest of the pieces are.
Injuries to User — Multiple Cuts on Hand and Forearm
This photo shows the resulting cuts to hand. Fortunately they seem superficial. Note — I was wearing latex gloves so my hand had some protection.
The blast also blew my glasses off my face and they landed about six feet away. Be careful folks and wear your eye protection! EDITOR: Guys — This is yet more compelling evidence why handloaders should always wear eye protection!
More Details — Primers Were Federal LP, Case Primer Pockets Had Been Checked
The forum member noted: “Just in case people are interested, I didn’t notice anything different from usual. Cases were Privi Partizan (PPU) factory brass on their fourth firing. The primers were Federal Large Pistol. The cases had been ultrasonic cleaned and the primer pockets checked prior to priming. I had primed around 50 cases during this session before the accident.”
Here is a close-up of “flashed” primers — note the empty but dented cups and triangular “anvils”:
This incident happened using a Hornady Handheld Priming Tool, as shown below.
Thanks to Boyd Allen for finding this post.Two other Forum members reported feeding issues with this particular Hornady handheld priming tool and one other member, Kiwi Greg, suffered a multi-primer detonation causing injury: “I had the same thing happen a few years ago now with the same Hornady hand primer with 50-75 [Federal 215M primers] in the tray. Made a bit of a mess of both my hands, blew primers and tray all around my large workshop. Scared the [heck] out of my employee who was near me at the time. Some stitches, bandages and it was all good, [but with] some wicked scars… I think a primer had turned side-on when being put into Bertram .408 CT brass which had nice tight pockets and required more force than usual. I use RCBS [priming tools] now with a flat bar that slides across to prevent sympathetic detonations. I hadn’t heard of it before, but found out it wasn’t that uncommon after it happened.”
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Tags: Hornady Priming Tool, Kaboom, Primer detonation, Primer Flash Accident, Priming, Priming Safety
I set up a Dillon 1050 w/Mk7 Autodrive, strictly to prime 300AAC brass. I ran a couple of hundred, no problem.
Turned the machine over to another operator and on his 2nd tube of primers…KABOOM…a sympathetic detonation of a full tube of primers…it launched the low-primer follower to the top of a 16′ ceiling and split the primer tube. The guys said it sounded like a 12 guage going off.
If it weren’t for the plaxiglass shield on the machine, somebody would have been hurt for sure.
Had the same thing happen to me way back in the 90’s. Tried to seat a stubborn Fed LP primer with a Lee handeld seating tool and the primer detonated taking the other 70 or so primers along. I only had cuts and bruises in my hand but the Lee seater was shredded and primer anvils stuck like mini ninja stars in my ceiling. Luckily not in my eyes, I was wearing I protection. Was quite a scary exprience. It felt like fireworks went off in my hand.
After wearing out one Lee Auto-Prime every year, I switched to a K&M priming tool. I only shoot them one an a time…may as well prime them one at a time for peace of mind.
Imagine all that money wasted on those irreplaceable primers!
I use a one at a time approach using the 21st century tool after hearing of this a while back. The trick is if the primer needs more than light force to gi , SYOP and set it aside to decap and find out what the cause was.
If the primer needs more than light force to seat ,STOP and set it aside till you can decap it to figure out what made it so tight.