I have to assume there a good reason why primers are stored in segregated plastic trays?
The Federal brand boxes are so damn big and the space the take up in my primers drawer is frustrating.

Tonight I poured about 20 boxes into 1 small zip lock bag.
Then I started to search the Internet for why this wouldn't be a good idea, but wasn't able to find anything.

Is it just in case one goes off to avoid a chain reaction?

At home in my reloading area I store miscellaneous primers in a couple of zip lock bags. These primers are just for plinking, casual practise or other non serious loads and are a mix of magnum & non magnum primers. Done this for years with zero problems.

I believe the segregation in plastic trays relates to shipping of primers as from manufacturing point many are shipped worldwide. Segregation probably complies with some particular packing / shipping regulation.

Federal supplies primers in the largest primer packaging trays I have seen. I'm unaware of other suppliers using trays quite that large. I heard that years ago when Federal used more compact trays a forkhoist driver in one of their plants drove into a pallet of primers which caused a chain reaction of primer ignition and explosion. No doubt they subsequently reviewed practises and I believe since then used the packaging trays with wider segregation seen today.

This is a VERY Bad practice. Do not do it. Keep them in factory packaging.

Primers are in the trays for a reason - SAFETY. The priming compound is a high level explosive. For this reason even the anvil out of an exploding uncontained primer can be lethal.

A number of years ago a friend was using an automatic primer feeder. After a few rounds the remaining primers detonated blowing up the open ended steel primer tube. The shards almost killed him and left his face significantly disfigured. And this is only one example of significant injuries due to multiple primers exploding.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
This is a VERY Bad practice. Do not do it. Keep them in factory packaging.

+1, and then some.

https://www.hodgdonreloading.c...eneral-primer-safety

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
This is a VERY Bad practice. Do not do it. Keep them in factory packaging.

Yep! Primers, of all your loading materials, require the greatest of safety measures, being susceptible to shock, static, heat, and darned near every energy source known.

quote:

dpcd
posted 11 May 2020 11:49
This is a VERY Bad practice. Do not do it. Keep them in factory packaging.

OK, I'm listening, but what be would possible causes of primer detonation ? I have deliberately whacked primers to detonate them and it takes a decent whack to achieve that. Sometimes even a couple of good whacks. Sure, fire is a risk but the same to both packaged or unpackaged primers. Dropping live primers onto concrete doesn't ignite them. Done that hundreds of times.
But, I'm always willing to learn. Explain to me where the danger is.

quote:

gbs
posted 11 May 2020 12:30
A number of years ago a friend was using an automatic primer feeder. After a few rounds the remaining primers detonated blowing up the open ended steel primer tube. The shards almost killed him and left his face significantly disfigured. And this is only one example of significant injuries due to multiple primers exploding.

A very unfortunate event. Did your friend ever find out how this happened ? I've never heard of this happening.

Not sure why you don't keep them in original packaging.
Primer dust can accumulate in open containers.
I can already tell you are resistant.

I been to where ATK makes their priming compound several times.

they have some stringent rules including providing you with wall lighters [little electric boxes mounted to the wall] and closed rooms to smoke in, the lighter won't work unless the door is shut.

the other odd thing you notice about the buildings is they all have escape slides, and are set throughout the terrain so height and hillsides separate the various buildings.

some of it might be due to them also making solid rocket fuel there, but well?? you know. if they are going through all that trouble and doing the work on both things in the same area I took it as a clue.

quote:

dpcd
Posted 11 May 2020 15:14
Not sure why you don't keep them in original packaging.
Primer dust can accumulate in open containers.
I can already tell you are resistant.

Apologies if I conveyed an impression of resistance. Actually, that's not the case. I am quite pro safety and really wanted to find out if there were dangers I am unaware of. I did think about the matter before storing primers in a plastic bag and couldn't come up with anything that might multiply risk over and beyond storing in original packaging. I could have kept them in original packs but all were part packs and mixed brands in the space where I want to keep good primers so I cleared them out and into a plastic bag they went.
I am certainly willing to act on good advice. I don't think you guys have convinced me yet that I'm doing anything terribly dangerous but have perhaps caused me to rethink this. Maybe I have a nasty incident coming. Who knows ? At the moment I have no empty primer packs but as as some came to hand I might start transferring some back into these just so all of us can sleep a little better.

Dulltool17
posted 11 May 2020 13:51

Yep! Primers, of all your loading materials, require the greatest of safety measures, being susceptible to shock, static, heat, and darned near every energy source known.

Doug Wilhelmi

I agree primers always should be carefully handled and are probably subjected to any or all of those forces at certain times. Thankfully they are quite robust and unlikely to spontaneously react until any of those forces become quite extreme.

Nasty incidents can be nasty.

I know where you are coming from in respect of those relatively bulky Federal primer boxes. My Kynoch Berdan primers came packaged in round tins, the primers loosely sandwiched between layers of foam rubber which deteriorated over time. I just saved my empty Winchester primer boxes and put the Berdan primers in them with a suitably printed glued on label.
While I have dropped single live primers, stood on them and also attempted to seat one that was badly crooked squashing it up quite badly, I have never had a primer explode. BUT I would not deliberately store and handle primers loose in bulk as on the million to one chance of one exploding the resulting brisance would very likely create some fireworks I could well do without at the loading bench.

Good friend of mine was reloading for his 308 Win at his bench while at the same time ear-wigging in to a conversation his wife was having on the telephone. For some silly reason he was loading one cartridge at a time i.e. prime a case, drop the powder and seat the bullet, and unfortunately for him he got sidetracked and took a primed and powdered case and attempted to seat another primer. A small fortunate was that the case was up inside the seating die when one of the the primers exploded. He said he saw almost in slow motion a boiling ball of burning powder erupting down out of the die badly burning his arms, chest and legs but thankfully the seating die directing the flame down and leaving his face unscathed. About 3 months off work to heal.

Primers have and will explode when least expected, so just like any explosive, you don't want too much together when something goes wrong.

Primer dust can accumulate in bulk containers; that is the reason.
Now, is that going to happen to you; no. And it is not that the primers are going to ignite themselves; they are quite resistant to shock. I am not a safety paranoidal person; first thing I do when I get any new tool is to throw the safety shields away. Got a new mill two weeks ago and the "eye shield" is the first thing I took off because the machine won't run with it open.
But I just think primers are best stored in original packaging.
I also have a 20mm can full of ball powder from WW2; good idea? Probably not. It's fine......
If I wanted to, I would keep primers in plastic bags and not even think about it, but I don't.

quote:

Originally posted by 30.06king:
...

A very unfortunate event. Did your friend ever find out how this happened ? I've never heard of this happening.

There have been several recorded instances of Dillon 1050 primer tube blowing up. What happens is that once in a while a primer will not decap, and make it through the swaging station as well. Primer loading station will try to force the primer to go into an occupied hole and then on the back stroke that primer will get crushed. The next primer in some instances will force the crushed primer ignite cascading detonations through the primer tube.

I switched from the 1050 because I was getting tired of taking the primer system apart, clean and back together every 1500 rounds.

Here is one pic, many more on the internet.

Primers, unlike smokeless powders, explode like black powder. That's what I've been told at least. I personally keep them in factory containers until ready to use, but you are free to do what you think is right.

Just about a year or two ago a gunrag writer was testing a 40 S&W pistol out. He had the Styrofoam box of ammo open with the Styrofoam slid out of the box. One of the empties from the pistol went up in the air and then came down with the rim of the case on the primer of one of the loaded cartridges in the Styrofoam box. BOOM it went off. He was able to retrieve the primer and it had the ever so slightest mark from the rim on it.

I once had a TC Blackdiamond inline muzzle loader. I used the shotgun 209 primers in it. The breach face has a tiny little firing pin protrusion. I'm serious in saying it's not much larger then a straight pin such as used in new shirt packaging. Yet it set those primers off easy. You could barely see where that firing pin left a mark on the primer. Primers are very very sensitive and should be respected.

Just to give you an idea of how much power they have John Garand's very first Garand proto-type had a primer actuated action system!!

Shortcuts could be dangerous! Stick to the original packaging. You do not take chances on primers! Static electricity could also set them off.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
This is a VERY Bad practice. Do not do it. Keep them in factory packaging.

Then what about the @1900 year tin of 5000pcs 1/4" Berdan primers that i have (and which) is packed as tight as a drum in a round tin. Are they safe as they are (for the past 120 years) or should i disperse then to a grid of your choosing in my barn as soon as possible???

Here in the interweb-times then please enlighten me/us and show as many primer faults/failures due to bad storing as possible. Please go on (and on and on) and show as many as you can find!

Your move.

quote:

Originally posted by The Dane:

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
This is a VERY Bad practice. Do not do it. Keep them in factory packaging.

Then what about the @1900 year tin of 5000pcs 1/4" Berdan primers that i have (and which) is packed as tight as a drum in a round tin. Are they safe as they are (for the past 120 years) or should i disperse then to a grid of your choosing in my barn as soon as possible???

Here in the interweb-times then please enlighten me/us and show as many primer faults/failures due to bad storing as possible. Please go on (and on and on) and show as many as you can find!

Your move.

I'm not sticking up for dpcd, but be realistic. Just about any dangerous thing sitting idle/stored, such as a bomb or nitroglycerin, isn't going to do anything. I believe he was talking about when they are moved or handled.

In the case of my friend, he thought a primer may have had a loose anvil that caused the primer to be pinched as the primer was moving from the tube to the priming station. If he had not been wearing glasses he would have been blinded as both lenses of his glasses were peppered.

What could set a bag of primer off? Getting dropped as you now have the mass of all the primers on top of the ones that hit the floor first so it more likely to detonate than a dropped single primer. Getting caught between the drawer and the drawer frame when the drawer is opened or closed. Pinched between the drawer and something in the drawer when the drawer is rapidly being moved, or worst case when items in the drawer are being moved with you hand.

I should be noted that a bag of primers is like a super critical mass for an atomic bomb. If one primer goes off you will have a chain reaction and the priming compound is a high grade explosive contained in what will become shrapnel.

I would be worried about moisture getting in the bag or static electricity with the plastic bag.

Dane; wow; I just said keep your primers in the factory packaging. Is not your 5000 tin of primers, original factory?
(I have many tins of percussion caps loose in tins too; they never go off unintentionally. )
Personally, I could care less how you store or do anything. Everything I say here is just how I do it; please never think you have to do anything I say.
I know the virus has everyone on edge; and it shows.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Dane; wow; I just said keep your primers in the factory packaging. Is not your 5000 tin of primers, original factory?
(I have many tins of percussion caps loose in tins too; they never go off unintentionally. )
Personally, I could care less how you store or do anything. Everything I say here is just how I do it; please never think you have to do anything I say.
I know the virus has everyone on edge; and it shows.

Tom percussion caps are an entirely different compound from the explosive compound in centerfire primers. Just saying...the virus hasn't gotten me on edge buddy!!! LOL

Why not use up those odd primers? use them for plinking loads.
If you don't want to store those odd primers with your others, start another drawer, or use a bigger drawer.
Leo

Id bet it could get pretty exciting if a bag of those puppies blew at once, which will happen if just one of the pop, 4th of July maybe end up missing a hand or two, maybe a head!!

I also suspect moisture will develop in a plastic bag under some circumstances, Ive had that happen with parts once or twice.

Hope you didn't toss all those partition boxes, if not you will be entained for a week or so...