Reloading Kaboom Yesterday - Please Learn From This

[Fyathyrio]

Thanks. One quick question, what company made the primers?

Here ya go...

The primers were CCI #500 spp.

[joefreas]

Here ya go...

Oops.

Missed that-

[grant22]

Lot # on the CCI #500 spp is L01R

I'm glad you're basically OK, I just some random thoughts/questions that may help the investigation...

MDF is pretty benign electrically being just wood and glue, is there some sort of plastic coating on it perhaps? No plastic coating like melamine and such, but there may be a waxy finish to it to make it spill proof.
Static frequently requires some sort of friction...anything on the bench rubbing/moving at the time such as perhaps a tumbler? No. One of the nice things about my setup is only reloading gets done on this bench. All the other stuff (trimming, tumbling, seperating, etc) is all done on my garage work bench.
Do you have anything electric on the bench where perhaps there's a grounding issue? No.
Kinda scary, I was reloading yesterday afternoon with the humidity running about 15% or so down here. No sparking/static issues here and my situation is worse from a static standpoint. My garage is carpeted over concrete (From previous owner, I haven't destroyed it enough to remove yet.), I was barefoot, my bench is particle board that's plastic coated in counter-top type material. I reload the primer tubes on my other bench that's just plain painted wood as it's a better height for that though.

One thought about a defective primer, perhaps in the process of pushing one into the tube you somehow pushed the anvil into the primer compound? Maybe an anvil was sideways from the box? Anything is possible, but still shouldn't cause the explosion that occured. I didn't feel any weird resistance while picking up the primer tubes.

[grant22]

I'm glad to see you guys really take note on the eye protection issue. But please heed the other warnings: If you do any part of your reloading in the house, I highly advise discontinuing. Also, you might have a family member want to try the process........or example: your friend comes over to try reloading before he buys a setup and you let him go through the process.........

The liability is bad enough, but imagine the guilt you'd feel had that happened to someone else in your presence on your equipment.......not good. The one time I got a little teary eyed yesterday was when I thought about how thw gf has loaded primers numerous times. This whole thing could have been a lot worse on so many levels.

Just some more stuff to think about boys. Thx again for the well wishing, too!

[NoJoke]

-@Nojoke, I'd be interested in that primer filler if it filled the machine directly. I'm not clear on whether that fills the magazine or p/u tubes. If it fills the p/u tubes, then I'd still be quivering as I pulled the pin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrI1rhG1Nao

[cpatbay]

I am glad you are ok.

I have never been comfortable with loading bunch of primers in the pickup tube and using the press to prime cases. The amount of force exerts on primers during pickup and the lack of a good feel when priming using the press just give me a shiver. That's why I chose to prime using good hand primer and only prime as many as I am going to reload within a single session.

Also I wear glasses when reloading.... Reading glass ... Can't see what I am doing without it! I guess this is one case that aging does have its benefit. 8)

Safe reloading guys and gals!!

[grant22]

Nojoke, does that tube that he was manually ejecting primers from replace the standard pick up tube? Therefore, you still have to dump them into the 550 magazine? If so, I'm still not comfy with that. Hopefully you understand I got mentally raped yesterday in addition to the mere flesh wounds.

[hung380]

I use these gloves to handle fish. Might help a little.

http://m.cabelas.com/cabelas/product/detail.do?itemId=739193&categoryId=&path=

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

[wash]

Primed brass is far less dangerous than a tray of primers, it's pretty much impossible to start a chain reaction in primed cases.

There is no reason to stop at the number of cases that you are going to reload immediately.

This thread is starting to make me think that hand priming is probably the way to go rather than a primer attachment on a single stage press but I'll have to think about that some more (the virtue of the press is keeping your hand far away from the primers).

[sonnyt650]

-...probably blew up at the last primer (per Dillon), not where i was holding it

I think there could have been a spark from your right hand to the release pin which was at the same potential as your left hand.

-Through our conversation, I learned that primers from the package are in a way 'unarmed' and become 'armed' when they are pressed into the bullet. That's another reason he was as stumped as I.

They're mechanically unarmed since the anvil isn't compressing the primer capsule, but they're chemically ready to go. I think you're right that static electricity played a role.

[grant22]

@hung380, I like those....I'll definitely be buying a pair.....thanks for showing that.

@wash, That's the thing, during normal primer pressing (on the Dillon at least), your hand is a ways away. Doing what I was doing, I may as well been grasping 4 firecrackers in my hand and lit'em off.

I'm pretty serious about adding a steel tubing shield around the aluminum tube and/or a pair of tongs with tips welded on that would grasp the aluminum tube securely while keeping my hand way the hell away.

[kurac]

I am glad to hear you are mostly ok. I would be a little freaked out as well, mostly because it doesn't sound like you did anything specific to cause it. Over the years, I have had primers get caught in some strange positions, sidesways, cruched backwards and never had one go off. I am actually surprised one has never gone off so the way your change reaction started leads me to believe it was not a normal primer that caused it. Could SE cause it, I have no idea but maybe someone needs to test it.

For protective gear, try a face shield, safety glases, ear plugs and some leather gloves that should keep you safe until you feel like it was just a once in a lifetime freak event.

[HighLander51]

grant22, a couple of years ago one of the shooters at Norco blew the tip of his trigger finger off while filling a primer pickup tube from the flip tray. I wouldn't have believed it except I saw his finger after it healed. No explanation, just blew up. Ever since then I have put on full poly carbonate safety glasses on top of my regular safety prescription glasses, use leather gloves, and keep my electric ears on during pickup and dropping primers into the Dillon. On top of that I ground myself before filling and dumping primers. I reload in the laundry room which is always at least 50% relative humidity.
But by the same token I have taken primers and hammered them on the driveway, both cup up, cup down, and have loaded upside primers, even sideways, with no issues. So it seems like primers are pretty safe, except for static electric discharge under very low humidity conditions. I have used CCI small magnum primers for the last 15 years.

[NoJoke]

Nojoke, does that tube that he was manually ejecting primers from replace the standard pick up tube? Therefore, you still have to dump them into the 550 magazine? If so, I'm still not comfy with that. Hopefully you understand I got mentally raped yesterday in addition to the mere flesh wounds.

I don't know anything abou thte machine but this might answer your question...looks like at the beginning of the vid the whole tube thing is a beefy unit.

And yeah, you get a pass on any mental concerns. You're doing better than i would.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov3mNGhjbug&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-zzHhH_CCM&NR=1

[TygerAR]

I load with Kevlar gloves that I got from McMaster-Carr. They have "grippy" dots on the fingers and palms. The primer tube exchange/drop is a big concern for me. Thought about hand priming. Stay safe and thanks for sharing your experience.