I've read many times that WD40 will kill a primer. For me, it only worked 33% of the time. I had three live primers in three messed up pieces of brass. In the past, I just deprimed them and tossed them. This time I decided to test whether WD40 would kill the primers. I filled each case to the top with WD40 and let it set for 24 hours. I then dumped the WD40 out and deprimed them. I rested the primers on a concrete slab, placed a flat piece of metal over them, then placed a short 2x12 on top of the the metal. Then I took a dead blow hammer and gave it a good whack. The first primer did not detonate but the other two did. Maybe 24 hours wasn't long enough or maybe some primers are just more "bullet proof" than others. These were all CCI magnum small rifle primers.
WD40 doesn't always work
- Thread starter AL45
- Start date
I'm sure touching a primer with fingers would almost never (if not, never) adversely affect a primer in any way.
That said, I don't either. I have tweezers on my load bench (in a very specific place - I'm organized that way) to handle primers (and check weights - but that's off topic). I don't touch primers with my fingers because there's no need to - if that makes sense.
I have been loading for 40 years and have always handled primers with my hands. I started with a 310 tool and a Lee Loader where you had to set the primer in the priming tool by hand. I presently use a Lee turret press and hand place primers in the ram cup by hand. I have never had a failure to fire. I do try to have my hands reasonably clean and dry.
My question is why not wipe as much of the oil/WD40 or whatever out of the case and then attempt to fire in the designed weapon? Seems much simpler, and direct to purpose, than removing and whacking with hammer. Were any non-WD40 primers tested the same way? It might be that the method has only a 66 (or similar) chance of ignition. Not that I've spent any time hitting primers with hammers...
I have a hard time thinking a primer with no powder or bullet would be more dangerous than firing with powder and bullet.
I have a hard time thinking a primer with no powder or bullet would be more dangerous than firing with powder and bullet.
Some points to consider,
first the primers of 50 years ago are not the primers of today and the primers of 50 years before that (where most of the "legends" originated) were not the primers of 50 years ago.
Ever think that in the past century or so, primer manufacturers might have been working on things to reduce the possibility of primers being "killed" by oils or other things???
Not very good for business when the modern penetrating lubes kill the primers in the ammo in your duty/SD gun...
because people ARE going to put ammo in oily guns, and in some cases its going to stay there for days or longer....
I can think of three different primer compounds used in the past century+ and there's probably more than that I'm not aware of off the top of my head...
As to the "oil' from your skin killing primers, I always heard this too, but never went so far as to use tweezers, I just took a bit of care to not touch the inside of the primer cup. And, today, I doubt that it matters, if it ever did, for me.
Everyone is a bit different and some people do have very oily skin naturally, and SOME of those people's skin oil is "worse" than others. I have naturally dry skin, comparatively speaking, but I have known people who could touch steel and leave rust fingerprints 24hrs later, if not wiped down.
first the primers of 50 years ago are not the primers of today and the primers of 50 years before that (where most of the "legends" originated) were not the primers of 50 years ago.
Ever think that in the past century or so, primer manufacturers might have been working on things to reduce the possibility of primers being "killed" by oils or other things???
Not very good for business when the modern penetrating lubes kill the primers in the ammo in your duty/SD gun...
because people ARE going to put ammo in oily guns, and in some cases its going to stay there for days or longer....
I can think of three different primer compounds used in the past century+ and there's probably more than that I'm not aware of off the top of my head...
As to the "oil' from your skin killing primers, I always heard this too, but never went so far as to use tweezers, I just took a bit of care to not touch the inside of the primer cup. And, today, I doubt that it matters, if it ever did, for me.
Everyone is a bit different and some people do have very oily skin naturally, and SOME of those people's skin oil is "worse" than others. I have naturally dry skin, comparatively speaking, but I have known people who could touch steel and leave rust fingerprints 24hrs later, if not wiped down.
Try eating nothing with salt in or on it for a week, then see if that stops it.
There have been a number of experiments with killing primers. This one was done with Winchester primers and is worth a read. I've read that it doesn't work with Federal primers with their lacquer seal, but I haven't tried it.
There have been a number of experiments with killing primers. This one was done with Winchester primers and is worth a read. I've read that it doesn't work with Federal primers with their lacquer seal, but I haven't tried it.
Me too - I have a Lee 4 hole Turret Press and insert every primer with my fingers. Thousands of them over many years. Never a dud. Ever.
The only way to really test a primer is with an object shaped like a firing pin and a hard stop underneath.
As its dangerous, not recommended at all.
But you could just put the case in the gun after pouring out the WD-40 and use that.
I have run them in the wet tumbler and that works but I forget what the results were. Either most of them or all of them.
As its dangerous, not recommended at all.
But you could just put the case in the gun after pouring out the WD-40 and use that.
I have run them in the wet tumbler and that works but I forget what the results were. Either most of them or all of them.
My plan was to soak 30 primers in test tubes . Each set of 30 in a different solution like WD40 , Liquid wrench, Acetone , paint thinner and some others .
Then test ten of each at 24hrs , 7 days and 30 days . My test was going to be to prime cases with the soaked primers and fire them off in the correct firearm/s
Unfortunately I never had the time or place to commit to the testing . I decided not to do the test mainly because I live very close to a school and firing off 50+ primers in my back yard might cause a local visit if you know what I mean . The other concern was the possible fire hazard . I don’t really know how the primers will react to lets say the acetone or other solutions . Id need a safe place to leave the primers soaking for each duration that’s not inside my house haha
After reading this thread , it makes me want to start the test again .
Then test ten of each at 24hrs , 7 days and 30 days . My test was going to be to prime cases with the soaked primers and fire them off in the correct firearm/s
Unfortunately I never had the time or place to commit to the testing . I decided not to do the test mainly because I live very close to a school and firing off 50+ primers in my back yard might cause a local visit if you know what I mean . The other concern was the possible fire hazard . I don’t really know how the primers will react to lets say the acetone or other solutions . Id need a safe place to leave the primers soaking for each duration that’s not inside my house haha
After reading this thread , it makes me want to start the test again .
Last edited:
FrankenMauser
New member
I suspect the most common failure of the processes is the surface tension of the liquid(s) being high enough to prevent infiltration through the flash hole.
I tested water submersion of ammo several times between 2008 and 2012. Some factory, some reloads. 9mm and .380 Auto, primarily. Sealed and unsealed.
Leaving factory ammo in a puddle (~1/2") of water overnight had no impact on performance.
Doing the same with handloads assembled with virgin components had a low rate of failure.
Reloads had a very high failure rate, with as little as 1 hour of submersion. (I suspect carbon fouling residue and micro scratches to be the cause.)
Reloads sealed with Markron were fine.
All 'failures' were damp or wet powder. The primers all still went off with seemingly normal authority.
But the real revelation came from proper submersion. In 4" of water, the failure rate increased substantially for all unsealed ammo. Powder was wet within 1 hour, in some cartridges. Some primers failed.
At various times, I would drop primed cases into the water. Results were roughly the same as with unsealed ammo. Some were fine after weeks under water.
In 8" of water, sealed factory ammo was dry and performed as new after 5 months of submersion. Markron-sealed reloads held out for as long as two months. Everything else had soaking wet powder within 9 hours and nearly all primers were dead after a week under water.
The primers had to be physically wet to fail to fire, which seemed to require at least a little bit of water column (and head pressure) to force the fluid through the flash hole.
Forgetting about one of the experiments and leaving the ammo in 4-5" of water for over 17 months resulted in a 100% wet primer rate. Whodathunkit?
I tested water submersion of ammo several times between 2008 and 2012. Some factory, some reloads. 9mm and .380 Auto, primarily. Sealed and unsealed.
Leaving factory ammo in a puddle (~1/2") of water overnight had no impact on performance.
Doing the same with handloads assembled with virgin components had a low rate of failure.
Reloads had a very high failure rate, with as little as 1 hour of submersion. (I suspect carbon fouling residue and micro scratches to be the cause.)
Reloads sealed with Markron were fine.
All 'failures' were damp or wet powder. The primers all still went off with seemingly normal authority.
But the real revelation came from proper submersion. In 4" of water, the failure rate increased substantially for all unsealed ammo. Powder was wet within 1 hour, in some cartridges. Some primers failed.
At various times, I would drop primed cases into the water. Results were roughly the same as with unsealed ammo. Some were fine after weeks under water.
In 8" of water, sealed factory ammo was dry and performed as new after 5 months of submersion. Markron-sealed reloads held out for as long as two months. Everything else had soaking wet powder within 9 hours and nearly all primers were dead after a week under water.
The primers had to be physically wet to fail to fire, which seemed to require at least a little bit of water column (and head pressure) to force the fluid through the flash hole.
Forgetting about one of the experiments and leaving the ammo in 4-5" of water for over 17 months resulted in a 100% wet primer rate. Whodathunkit?