Author Topic: Federal primers (Read 1388 times)

Keith L · « **on:** April 03, 2007, 03:38:42 AM »

My son and I just bought a new progressive press to load our pistol rounds (9MM, 40 S&W, and 45ACP) and with it came a warning not to use Federal primers. The press manufacturer raised the potential of Federal primers exploding, and igniting other primers in the feed tray. For the cases that use small pistol primers it isn't a problem for us. We bought CCIs. But for my 45LC I have about 600 Federal primers. I have been using a hand primer for them and a single stage press. I find there is now a warning for the hand tool as well.

What do you guys think? Should I dispose of the Federal primers, use them like I have been, disregard the warning, or what?

Thanks for the advise.

Don Fischer · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2007, 04:42:16 AM »

Sounds like a Lee press to me. Rumor is that Richard Lee had some kind of falling out with Federal so bad mouths them all the time. If the story about Federal primers was true, the first to pull them would be Federal don't you think? Give me one good reason why they would leave a product like that out there knowing it might happen?

By the way, by the time you start putting any pressure on the primer, it's started into the primer pocket and will likely blow the pressure out the case!

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2007, 04:56:33 AM »

The only time I have heard of a press setting off primers is on old Dillon machines. The story goes that it set off a chain fire in the primer tube

stimpylu32 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2007, 07:14:10 AM »

I have run 10s of tho. of Fed primers in my Lee auto prime with out so much as a hiccup , i do think at one time Fed used a diffrent chem. make up for their primers , don't know this for a fact but read it somewere i think , but that was years ago .

Lee does seem to favor the CCI stuff over anything else for no apparent reason . For what its worth .

stimpy

Keith L · « **Reply #4 on:** April 03, 2007, 07:58:16 AM »

It is a Lee press that the warning is on. Thanks!

Questor · « **Reply #5 on:** April 03, 2007, 08:06:00 AM »

Disregard a manufacturer's warning in a safety related matter? I don't think you'll get too many people here to back you up on that. If you disregard the warning and something happens-- like losing your vision or being disfigured-- are you going to try to sue someone? You probably won't get a lot of sympathy in a case like that.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #6 on:** April 03, 2007, 09:27:49 AM »

I wont comment on lee progressives But ive used many thousands of federals in dillon progresives with absolutely no problems. As a matter of fact i use then about exclusively.

carbineman · « **Reply #7 on:** April 03, 2007, 04:41:56 PM »

Do I think you are going to have a problem? Probably not. But why do you want to use Federals in a system that warns against it? There are simply just too many choices. Save the Federals for later or give them to someone or trade them with a buddy. Of course my opinion is just as irrelavent as anyone elses.

Keith L · « **Reply #8 on:** April 03, 2007, 06:19:25 PM »

I don't "want to" use them if they will be a problem. I am wondering why they are a problem in this system. I also don't want to waste them.

I was asking for the wisdom of the list. And I got some.

PlacitasSlim · « **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2007, 08:03:17 AM »

I use an RCBS progressive press and use Federals exclusively for some of my .45 Colt loads as I have very light mainsprings in the guns. They are the softest primers and light off easier than most others. I have never had one go off in the press, and I have used many thousand of them and mangled my share. My advice is to use what you have.

Tom W. · « **Reply #10 on:** April 04, 2007, 05:20:45 PM »

Send them to me, I'll use them!

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #11 on:** April 04, 2007, 11:40:04 PM »

I use them for the same reason and for alot of my guns wouldnt use anything else and if i truely thought it was unsafe would be looking for another brand of loading tool.

Quote from: PlacitasSlim on April 04, 2007, 08:03:17 AM

I use an RCBS progressive press and use Federals exclusively for some of my .45 Colt loads as I have very light mainsprings in the guns. They are the softest primers and light off easier than most others. I have never had one go off in the press, and I have used many thousand of them and mangled my share. My advice is to use what you have.

Keith L · « **Reply #12 on:** April 05, 2007, 01:13:36 AM »

We just used about half of them loading the empties I have for my 45LC. I expect I will use the rest in a few weeks when we reload again. No problems, but we didn't fill the tray to be on the safer side. It took a little longer but we have time.

Lee loaders are made just down the road from here, and I have been successfully using their single stage tools for some time now. And this progressive has been working fine so far, is easy to set up (we have it set up and loading four different calibers so far), and is meeting our needs. How well it stands up over time is anyone's guess, but my bet is we won't wear it out.

Thanks for the help folks.

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #13 on:** April 05, 2007, 02:20:54 AM »

I've used all federal primers for 20 + yrs now in my Dillon 450 & now the 550. Never had a problem. Federal's are a softer primer and if one gets hung up you just can't ream on it till it seats or you will have a problem. Thats what happened to my brother-in-law with his Dillon 650. A primer got jammed and he forced it into place, then the primers went off ( all 50+ of them ). Thanks to Dillon's quality & steel primer tube, it saved him from serious injury. Gave him a scare but he's alright.( HAD TO CHANGE HIS SHORTS THOUGH ) He called Dillon and told them what happened and that it was totally his stupidity that caused the problem. Dillon still sent him all the parts to fix it back to new at no charge. LESSON LEARNED!

THINK SAFETY WHEN RELOADING

Keith L · « **Reply #14 on:** April 05, 2007, 04:50:38 AM »

25+ years ago I worked at a manufacturer of shotgun shell re-loaders, and we were concerned that if a bb got into the area around the primer when we were seating it we could get a discharge. We were unable to simulate that, but did build a test part that incorporated a firing pin into the mechinisim. We did set off primers, and later even powder charges to see what kind of danger it exposed operators to. In that loader the primer being seated was at the bottom of the press, and the rest of the primers were several inches away. I don't recall ever getting multiple primers to go off. We were able to make quite a mess when the powder charge went off.

Everyone is right: safety is the number 1 concern when working with powder and primers for sure. Thanks for the reminders.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2007, 06:05:40 AM »

my best freind runs 4 650s with case feeders and has had it happen twice. Once with ww primers and once wiith magtecs so it is more of a design thing with the 650s. Like you said you just cant force anything.

Quote from: OLDHandgunner on April 05, 2007, 02:20:54 AM

I've used all federal primers for 20 + yrs now in my Dillon 450 & now the 550. Never had a problem. Federal's are a softer primer and if one gets hung up you just can't ream on it till it seats or you will have a problem. Thats what happened to my brother-in-law with his Dillon 650. A primer got jammed and he forced it into place, then the primers went off ( all 50+ of them ). Thanks to Dillon's quality & steel primer tube, it saved him from serious injury. Gave him a scare but he's alright.( HAD TO CHANGE HIS SHORTS THOUGH ) He called Dillon and told them what happened and that it was totally his stupidity that caused the problem. Dillon still sent him all the parts to fix it back to new at no charge. LESSON LEARNED!

THINK SAFETY WHEN RELOADING

jhalcott · « **Reply #16 on:** April 05, 2007, 07:52:38 AM »

A friend of mine had a Lee Auto Prime that exploded while he was loading some primers into .308 cases. Not sure what brand he was using OR the exact cause of the mishap. He did get many pieces of primers in his chin and cheeks. Nothing real serious,but scary all the same. He said he was sitting at his desk holding the AP upright as he used it and felt a slight resistance to the seating. He squeezed a bit harder and there was a LOUD pop and smoke. Followed by a stinging sensation to his face and chin.

Tom W. · « **Reply #17 on:** April 06, 2007, 04:29:17 PM »

Thanks, Guys...

Now I don't think that he'll be sending me any...

Keith L · « **Reply #18 on:** April 07, 2007, 01:57:10 AM »

Sorry Tom. They are all used up. Thanks for the offer, though.

Tom W. · « **Reply #19 on:** April 07, 2007, 01:50:38 PM »

Anything to help ease your mind!

S.B. · « **Reply #20 on:** April 08, 2007, 04:41:17 AM »

Quote from: Don Fischer on April 03, 2007, 04:42:16 AM

Sounds like a Lee press to me. Rumor is that Richard Lee had some kind of falling out with Federal so bad mouths them all the time. If the story about Federal primers was true, the first to pull them would be Federal don't you think? Give me one good reason why they would leave a product like that out there knowing it might happen?

By the way, by the time you start putting any pressure on the primer, it's started into the primer pocket and will likely blow the pressure out the case!

The statement you make, just isn't responsible or completely true. It's not just Lee but Dillon and most others press manufacturers say not to use Federal primers. The cup material is way to soft, that's why shooters use them for reduced spring-ed guns in competition. I had a Lee Priming tool, one of those that holds 100, explode and nearly lost my eye sight with Federal LR primers in it.
Better to head the warnings than to suffer non reversible damage to your body?
My experience was exactly like what jhalcott describes above but, was definitely with Federal LR primers. The primers double stacked on the punch, in my case. If you can imagine laying on an emergency room table and having pieces of plastic and metal picked out of your eyes with a pair of tweezers for 1&1/2 hours, go ahead and use Federal primers with your progressive press.
In all fairness, I don't think the problems are with Federal, the slop needed to get the lee auto prime to work with any consistency allows two primers to be on the punch at any time. And YES, I did contact a lawyer and his findings were that Lee was aware of the problem and there was a warning issued with the tool. I no longer use Lee products but don't hold them totally responsible, just to cheaply made for my taste(chromed pot metal and plastic), and as you know you get what you pay for.

Lead pot · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2007, 05:57:09 AM »

Several years ago there was a warning out like that about the CCI primers in a certain loading press because they are a little larger in diameter.
I use most all primers except Remingtons and I have seated them upside down and side ways and never had one go off, not saying it wont happen. $:-\$
But then again I dont use auto advancing loading presses.
Kurt

S.B. · « **Reply #22 on:** April 08, 2007, 09:40:42 AM »

Actually, I have seated Federal primers with the same results but, this time was my turn in the barrel, I guess?