Set up my Hornady LnL for 6.8SPC using H322. Love the press but upon indexing the 6.8 Silver State Armory brass case is tight in the primer pocket and there is often a kernel or 2 of powder that gets jolted out as the powder column is high.

A small piece of powder got stuck inside my primer seater. Took me a few squished/crocked/buggered primers to figure it out.

So, I'm left with a few still good pieces of brass with primers I need to remove.....not enough primer prottrusion to grab with pliers but not flush enought to seat into a shellholder and size em to remove the primer.

Any tricks??

The first thing that comes to mind is using a Lee decapper, but just any pin punch that clears the flash hole will work. Remember to wear safety glasses and I'd actually suggest a face shield instead. I've had to punch a few live primers out over the years and never had one go off, but they have an incredible amount of power. It may have been here that I read of someone who was decapping them and had one drive a ways into his leg.

Anyway, not to say it is dangerous just take some precautions like always.

Punching live primers out can be dangerous. Drop your cases into a container of used vehicle oil and leave for a few days. Oil neutralises the primers and I have had some that cleanly separated from the cases. Granted cleaning the cases afterwards is not much fun but rather that then ending up in hospital. You could also pop the cases in your in rifle and fire it off. Not sure what primer material does to a barrel though.

If you got it out of the press with the buggered primer, you should be able to get it back in. Just deprime like normal, but exercise a bit of care.
Bill

I have driven live primers out as well. Like Mark said, use a Lee decapping tool and be careful. At most, the only thing I have ever experienced was a "pop", but one cannot be too careful. (Most of the time the primers just push out with no issue...)

I have punched out live primers as well without any problems. Are you able to fire the primers in the rifle? If the primers are not to mangled, that may work.

quote:

Originally posted by llamapacker:
If you got it out of the press with the buggered primer, you should be able to get it back in. Just deprime like normal, but exercise a bit of care.
Bill

+1

I've been doing this for over 40 years of reloading. I used to wear safety glasses, now I have to wear my reading glasses. In all those years of depriming live primers, I've only had one primer go off, and it was just a loud pop, it startled me, but didn't hurt anything.

Use a slow "deprime" down stroke on your press.

I was thinking about this, and it occurred to me that if the shell plate is held on by one central screw like it is on a dillon, just back that screw off 1/4-1/2 turn and you'll get your clearance that way.

The soak in oil trick may or may not neutralize primers.

In my 30 years of reloading I never had a pop from decapping primers. Just apply soft down strokes with the press.