24 replies to this topic

[ehd]

I got a few boxes of remington ammo that I would like to pull the bullets and save the brass. I also want to switch out the primers to cci. Can you SAFELY de-cap the cartridge or do as i did with a box ,and shoot off the primers in my rifle? Thanks folks.. EHD

[Rob]

Spray WD-40 into the brass....wait a few minutes - presto the primers are fouled.Re-tumble the brass to get clean again.Other guys will have other techniques. Shooting them as you describe makes a filthy mess in your firearm.

[ShooterJohn]

I have deprimed brass using a press wearing eye protection and not slamming the are down. The WD-40 works but is messy and includes more steps to clean them. I like to fire them off to be sure and you aren't going to use the primers anyway.

[Frank]

What John said... Just take it slow & wear glasses. I've never had a problem, and Lord only knows how many I've de-primed / knocked out a live primer with the resizing die. I also do not use WD40 or anything else, as I never needed it, & the oily mess may not get completely cleaned out of the brass... even with tumbling.

[Yateswell]

You can safely de-prime the brass by SLOWLY push the primer out, be sure to do it slowly you should be fine, I've done it without any problems.

[Bisley]

Save your W-D and other oils and just slowly punch them out. This has been tested several times over and over by individuals and writers, and almost all of them still light with modern primers. I have heard of some that like to put coffee cans over the press when knocking them out, but I do this all the time (without a can) and have never had one go off. They require a hard, swift, abrupt rap to ignite, not a dull push. If that were the case they would go off every time they fell on the floor.Another trick I have learned over the years (deprimed more than I care to admit) and that is to screw the decapping pin down way more than normal, especially if you have several to do. It will not affect your sizing in any way (just be sure to move it back up afterward) as you only move the primer puncher and not the die itself. This allows you to use a much gentler touch than if you try "size" it and decap it at the same time. I know they are already sized, but you still have friction in the die, unlike when you screw the decapper down lower than normal. Just a couple things to consider.

[ehd]

thanks all for the help. Ill put the saftey glasses on and take it slow.

[Shoot-it]

I asked the same question when I first started reloading.The answer I got was just shoot the ammo so I did just that.

[tawnoper]

screw the decapping pin down way more than normal, especially if you have several to do. It will not affect your sizing in any way (just be sure to move it back up afterward) as you only move the primer puncher and not the die itself.

+1although, since you are pulling the bullets as well you may want to resize the neck to keep consistent bullet tension on your next batch...or not.

[Divernhunter]

I usually resize them so that the neck gets resized. I would also consider just using the primers in the brass. They will work just fine. To do that just screw the decap stem up into the die so it does not punch out the primer. I have removed many a live primer with only one going off and that was a reversed 50bmg primer about 3AM. It got my attention but no harm-no foul.

[ehd]

I would use the primers ,but my load is tuned for cci primers. are rem and cci simular? I guess I could load a couple ,go shoot them and see what they do.

[ShooterJohn]

How many primers are we talking about here, hundreds or a couple dozen?

[docskinner]

I have deprimed brass using a press wearing eye protection and not slamming the are down. The WD-40 works but is messy and includes more steps to clean them. I like to fire them off to be sure and you aren't going to use the primers anyway.

Just always fired them off and then cleaned the firearm. Better safe than sorry for me. Swabbing out a bore is pretty cheap insurance compared to have a primer go off in the press.(And that way you know there are any stray grains of the old powder in the case.)

[ehd]

How many primers are we talking about here, hundreds or a couple dozen?

I think about 6 boxes.

[ehd]

I am waiting for my bullet puller to get here. I tried the kinetic puller with no luck. That light bullet doesnt create enough oompf. to break it loose. I got an rcbs puller or the press.

[ShooterJohn]

You really need to whack those kinetic bullet pullers, especially on the lighter bullets. They'll come out, if it breaks RCBS will send you a new one free.

[Bisley]

You really need to whack those kinetic bullet pullers, especially on the lighter bullets.

No kidding!!! And even if there's concrete under it don't use them on the linoleum floor, unless of course you want it to look like a dimpled golf ball

[KNOCKED UP]

I caught two primers in one brass last week. Somehow, I double pressed my hand primer (slip of the hand)And got two primers stuck in the bullet holder. Not knowing what to do, I called Grant. He said to put them in the press, like I was going to deprime them. It worked out fine, and without a hitch.Tom

[Braz]

I picked up a 1/2" thick piece of metal, about 8" square to put on my bench to wack against. Really did help a lot.

[stephen722]

I got a few boxes of remington ammo that I would like to pull the bullets and save the brass. I also want to switch out the primers to cci. Can you SAFELY de-cap the cartridge or do as i did with a box ,and shoot off the primers in my rifle? Thanks folks.. EHD

hey Ehd, if your loading below max, just use them 40 fps at a hundred yards dosn't make much diffrence on paper, and the coyotes will never know! as far as removing live primers most have done it, just beware of the bang ( powder or gas all cleaned up ) I have put in my share up side down or side ways. have fun stephen

[ehd]

once I get the bullets pulled I will load a couple and see what they do on paper. May get to save a little money. I beat on one with that kinetic puller on my ANVIL until I bashed in the puller. I tried my friends and I gave up before I ruined his also. those light bullets must be the problem.

[rdsii64]

Why bother disassembling the ammo? Why not just use it then process the brass as normal. It seems by the time you pull the bullet, then pull the primers. You could have used the ammo to work on your sight picture or trigger press. You could even save to use to introduce a potential new shooter to how much fun this stuff is.

[docskinner]

YEah - I face this with my .250 Savage. The current LIMITED crop of commercial ammo (all 100gr SP) doesn't stabilizie well and isn't very accurate, and so not very fun to shoot. But, it doesn't cost much more than unprimed new brass, or the other way - unprimed new brass costs almost as much as the basic loaded stuff that I can buy.

[ehd]

Why bother disassembling the ammo? Why not just use it then process the brass as normal. It seems by the time you pull the bullet, then pull the primers. You could have used the ammo to work on your sight picture or trigger press. You could even save to use to introduce a potential new shooter to how much fun this stuff is.

if it was any rifle but my 22-250 I would have shot them up. but it just shortens barrel life for no reason other than trigger pull practice if it is not a load that your not going to hunt with. JMHO

[Bisley]

That, and sorry but shooting is not much fun if it doesn't shoot them well or doesn't hit where you aim. At that point you're just pulling a trigger to put needless pressure on your shoulder, plus shortening barrel life as mentioned.