I need some help

[Alpo]

I've got two major problems. I'm lazy, and I'm cheap.

I'm lazy, so I don't want to clean the corrosive priming salts out of my guns right after firing them. But I'm cheap, and don't want my expensive guns rusting. Solution - don't shoot corrosive ammo.

Buuuut - I have a bunch of corrosive ammo. And, I'm cheap, so I don't want to waste it. Solution - pull the bullets for reloading, get rid of the corrosive primers and either reload the brass (if boxer) or sell it to the scrapyard (if berdan).

But, how to get rid of the primers? My first thought was to just deprime them. I have deprimed live primers many times. It is not dangerous if you are careful. That, by the way, is my opinion. Others will disagree. But I digress.

Carefully depriming a live crimped-in military primer doesn't work. And even if it did, this does not help with the berdan ones.

On to thought two. Load the cases, one at a time, into the gun and shoot them. This will pop the primer. Then drop them into a bucket of hot soapy water. This will deactivate the priming salts in the case, so they won't attack the brass. Then I can either deprime as normal and reload, or sell.

But wait. I'm lazy. I don't want to have to clean my gun. And, since these rounds are both 30/06 and 8x57, it will be two guns I have to clean.

So, I want to design something where I can pop a primer without damaging the brass, hurting myself, or having to worry about cleaning up corrosion.

I'm thinking about starting with a piece of 3/8 galvanized pipe. ID on that is around .490, and OD of both of those cartridges is around .470, so they'll fit. I'm thinking a piece of lexan (because that will be easy to work), the size of the OD of the pipe, with a hole in it the size of the case. Then a pipe cap with a hole in the middle for some type of firing pin. Basically, a zip gun, ain't it?

Thoughts?

[glocknut]

Originally Posted by Alpo

Thoughts?

I try not to.

My advice... get a beer, sit in the recliner and turn on the history or discovery channel...

[Pistolenschutze]

One factor to consider, Alpo. Most, not all but most, corrosive primers you will encounter these days will be in European style Berdan primed military rounds, primarily those manufactured in Eastern Europe. Removing a Berdan primer, while possible, is a real pain in the butt, and while it is theoretically possible to reload the casings if you can find new Berdan primers, the brass used in these rounds--if it is brass and not steel--is usually of poor quality. The question you need to ask is whether or not it is worth it to even mess with primers and casings. Personally, if I wanted to salvage the bullets, I would simply pop out the bullets, dump and properly dispose of the powder, soak the casings, primer and all, in an oil bath to deactivate the primers, then dump or recycle what's left. Just my $.02 worth.

[Alpo]

The ought six is Korean KA. It's brass and boxer primed. It's also corrosive as all get out. So, it's fine, reloadable brass. I just need to get rid of that corrosive primer.

As for the 8 mil, it's Yugoslavian, I believe. I know it's berdan, and I'm sure it's corrosive (40s vintage), but I'm also sure it's brass. It came loaded on 98 strippers. That's what I actually bought it for. 98 strippers were 50 cents to a dollar each. This ammo came loaded on strippers, in bandoliers, for 8 cents a round. That made the strippers 40 cents each, even if I threw the ammo away. And if I pulled the bullets - WOW. At first I was gonna toss the brass. Then I decided to sell it (got over 3000 rounds, oughta be worth something). But I figger I need to deactivate those primers, before I sell it to a scrapyard, where they'll dump it in the fiery furnace. Primers goin' "boom" in a pot full of molten brass probably ain't a good plan.

I thought about the oil-soak. I know it sometimes works. That's why you should not store your cleaning supplies with your ammo. The fumes given off by the petroleum in your gun oil can kill (or weaken) your primers. But it has been tested, and it does not always work. It's not like dropping a lit match into a bucket of water. It doesn't always kill them. So the only thing I can think of to do is shoot 'em.

[TRAP55]

With the price of Milsurp ammo, sell it and replace it with something cheap and non corrosive like Wolf or Privi.
Or.........shoot it and just keep a windex bottle full of water in your range bag to rinse the bore. Follow that with a boresnake. Only takes a minute.
Too lazy to do that? See first suggestion, cause it takes a lot more time and effort to pull bullets.

[38 special]

How about Sell them all to someone who doesnt care then pick up some good brass to reload with or buy some current factory loads. Of course i guess the problem is finding someone to buy them but Ill bet there are some who would buy them you could always sell them to someone that really doesnt know the difference but that wouldnt be ethical. Oh well good luck

[Popgunner]

I'd shoot it as is (especially the KA), or pull the boolits & powder & transfer them over to other cases.

[Alpo]

Originally Posted by TRAP55

With the price of Milsurp ammo, sell it and replace it with something cheap and non corrosive like Wolf or Privi.
Or.........shoot it and just keep a windex bottle full of water in your range bag to rinse the bore. Follow that with a boresnake. Only takes a minute.
Too lazy to do that? See first suggestion, cause it takes a lot more time and effort to pull bullets.

Little more involved than the "windex and boresnake" with a Garand. Ain't puttin' no corrosive in my gas system.

As for the lazy - while it's true that doing this would take more time and effort, you might not understand "southern lazy". Lazy is not wanting to do the things that NEED doing - cutting the grass, washing the car, cleaning the gun. This, though, is a PROJECT. Projects don't count against lazy. It's like helping your neighbor pull his engine, but being too lazy to change your own oil.

[flannelman]

Originally Posted by Alpo

Little more involved than the "windex and boresnake" with a Garand. Ain't puttin' no corrosive in my gas system.

As for the lazy - while it's true that doing this would take more time and effort, you might not understand "southern lazy". Lazy is not wanting to do the things that NEED doing - cutting the grass, washing the car, cleaning the gun. This, though, is a PROJECT. Projects don't count against lazy. It's like helping your neighbor pull his engine, but being too lazy to change your own oil.

Man you got that sooooo right!! I'm excited thinking bout your project but I could care less if my grass gets cut this week!

[312shooter]

Alpo,

I'd say you are far from lazy with your ideas, a zip gun sounds about right. Did you consider just selling the stuff and buying some new higher quality components with the money? Ammo is easy to sell these days.........good luck!

[thomas44]

I'm lazy too, but I'd still shoot the ammo and clean the guns because I also try to keep things simple.

[flannelman]

The bad part about this is that I couldn't get to sleep last night because I was drawing up different plans in my head for how to do what you want. I just need a machine shop now!!

[armedandsafe]

A holder for a de-capping die to mount into. No de-capping rod/pin in the die. A cap threaded to fit over the open end after you fit the case (bullet pulled and powder dumped. A hole in that cap which will accept a firing pin.

Drop the case into the die and fit the cap. Drop the firing pin into the hole and tap with a light hammer. The primer is fired. Repeat.

Pops

[johnlives4christ]

take a block of wood, has to be a thick piece... then drill a whole just a tad larger than the casings so like half of it atleast is in the wood. then drill you a through whole so the pressure from the primer dont blow the primer out... through whole should be like... 1/4 or so. then for the detonator.... take you a piece or dowel rod... 1 1/4 or so and drill you a whole in it little larger than the casing is... then pre drill a hole so you dont split it and drive a nail through it so it protrudges just a tad, right in the center of the bottom of the big hole. put the casing in the hole. put the cap on it. hit it with a hammer

[johnlives4christ]

man that is bad spellin lol

[Alpo]

Originally Posted by armedandsafe

A holder for a de-capping die to mount into. No de-capping rod/pin in the die. A cap threaded to fit over the open end after you fit the case (bullet pulled and powder dumped. A hole in that cap which will accept a firing pin.

Drop the case into the die and fit the cap. Drop the firing pin into the hole and tap with a light hammer. The primer is fired. Repeat.

Pops

I kinda like that. >A holder for a de-capping die to mount into.< Like, screw it into the bottom of the press?

But what keeps the case at the top of the die? Rimless cases.

Or do you mean the sizing/decapping die of a reloading set? I thought "universal decapping die", which has a large enough ID that the case would fall down inside. The sizing die would hold it without needing anything holding the rim. Problems that I see are two. Where to find a cap threaded 7/8 x 14, and what if firing the primer causes the case to expand enough to grab onto the die sides. How to get the case out.

[Alpo]

Originally Posted by johnlives4christ

man that is bad spellin lol

No, the spelling isn't that bad. It's the lack of capitalization and punctuation, and the use of the wrong words. Whole for hole, or for of, things like that.

Although I don't think most people put a "g" in "protrudes".

I like the idea, though.

[Alpo]

Pops, that will work. I just screwed on old 45 ACP decapping die into my press, from the bottom. Put one of the 8mm cases into it. Pushing it down with my thumb, it still leaves 3/8" of the case outside the die. Plenty to grab onto and take it back out. I need some type of cup, below the die, to keep the primer salts from being shot onto my press. Then just figger out where to get a cap. I think we have a winner.

[Southern Boy]

I would sel it if it were me. Price is right at this time. Pull bullits, dump powder, use 1 drop of any type oil, wait 30 minitues, deprime on your press. That drop of oil will deaden the primer completely, u can use something like 3 in 1 oil with the little tip thing. Or if youve got a lot of rounds, I'd just shoot it up. I can clean 2 guns faster than I can unload a bunch of rounds, plus you have formed 1ce fired brass ready for your perfect load. By the way, I'm lazy too.

[johnlives4christ]

LOL