First time for everything- anyone else seen this before

dnb86

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I've had a couple of dud primers in reloading over the years but This is the first time I've seen it touch the powder and not go bang anyone else experience this before
 

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I've had it happen when I used a 'regular' small pistol primer to try and ignite some H110 in a .357 Magnum case. Primer went off, drove bullet into rifling, but failed to ignite powder. (Using a magnum primer got everything working properly. Lesson learned - H110/W296 require a small pistol MAGNUM primer in .357 Mag loads.)

I have not experienced it in a rifle load.
1) Just a weak, unlucky primer?
2) Water still in case from cleaning method (nod to @Laelkhunter )?
3) as @jimbires pointed out...something plugging flash hole in brass?
4) contamination of primer from handling with oily, greasy hands? (Longshot, but tossing it out there)
5) Not enough neck tension allowing bullet to move too easily & powder to not have enough pressure & temperature to ignite?

What powder are you using? What primer? Are you crimping (a la Lee FCD)?
 
I've had it happen when I used a 'regular' small pistol primer to try and ignite some H110 in a .357 Magnum case. Primer went off, drove bullet into rifling, but failed to ignite powder. (Using a magnum primer got everything working properly. Lesson learned - H110/W296 require a small pistol MAGNUM primer in .357 Mag loads.)

I have not experienced it in a rifle load.
1) Just a weak, unlucky primer?
2) Water still in case from cleaning method?
3) as @jimbires pointed out...something plugging flash hole in brass?
4) contamination of primer from handling with oily, greasy hands? (Longshot, but tossing it out there)
5) Not enough neck tension allowing bullet to move too easily & powder to not have enough pressure & temperature to ignite?

What powder are you using? What primer? Are you crimping (a la Lee FCD)?
.003 neck tension with H4350 and CCI 450s and no I am not crimping
 
That isn't a hard to ignite powder & CCI450's should have good quality control & be strong enough brissance to set things off. A crimp could help since Hammer bullets don't have the surface area of 'regular' bullets causing weaker tension in the cartridge neck.

*Could be firing pin, spring & inside of bolt needs cleaned.
*Could be primer wasn't fully seated in primer pocket.
*Primer pocket could have been cut too deep.
*Could be too much shoulder bump when resizing so headspace was too generous.
 
This article from Guns & Ammo was interesting with many suggested ideas why your cartridge failed to fire properly:

Small excerpt that's relevant:

Improper Loading Techniques
Improper loading techniques can cause perfectly good primers to perform poorly. For best sensitivity, the primer should be seated firmly to the bottom of the primer pocket, but not unduly crushed into place. The legs of the anvil are slightly compressed during the seating process, which can cock or tilt the primer. If the primer is not seated to the bottom of the primer pocket, it's not as sensitive, and the primer can also move forward slightly upon impact by the firing pin, cushioning the impact force. Conversely, if the primer is seated with too much force, it sits deep in the primer pocket, causing it to be farther from the normal position for firing-pin impact, and the primer anvil can be pushed through the primer mix to the bottom of the primer cup. If there is insufficient mix remaining between the cup and anvil, the result is a misfire.

If a cartridge case has insufficient headspace due to a manufacturing defect, misfires can result. If the case is undersize, it can move forward in the chamber upon firing-pin impact just as if the chamber were too long. Contamination of the primer by moisture or oil can also desensitize the primer, resulting in a misfire. These causes are not typically seen in factory-loaded ammunition due to quality-control procedures. They are more commonly seen with handloaded ammunition.

Shooter-Induced Misfires
Another common cause for misfires from a perfectly functioning rifle and good ammunition is failure of the operator to completely close the bolt before firing. If the bolt handle is lifted even slightly from the completely closed position, a misfire can result. I discussed this with George Gardner of GA Precision. He advises:
"It's very common for the user to get caught up in the moment of a match or training exercise and blow one of the easiest things to do - close the bolt completely. Speed is not always the best option, as smooth is faster. When the bolt is not fully closed, the firing-pin cocking piece drops onto the camming surface of the bolt and not in the open notch that is there for clearance. This robs a lot of the energy from the firing pin."

I suggest you try this demonstration the next time you go to the range. Unload your rifle. Double-check to make sure it is unloaded. Close the bolt, then raise the bolt very slightly. Squeeze the trigger while watching the bolt handle. You can see the bolt handle snap closed. The energy to make that happen is being robbed from the firing-pin velocity and energy normally used to strike the primer. Failure to completely close the bolt is easy to do, especially under-speed drills, stress and position shooting. Normally, we get away with it. Sometimes it induces a misfire. I discussed this with Charlie Milazzo, firearms advisor to the American Sniper Association (ASA). He said, "Failure to completely close the bolt is probably the single most common cause of all misfires in sniper rifles."
 
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