Fail to fire

rockchunker

How many times have you had a fail to fire and wonder why??
I recently had three out of a group of 20 loaded rounds I was testing for accuracy..Ticked me off because I only loaded three of each..
Didn't think much of it other than somehow some lube or something got on the primer, so pulled the bullets, dumped the powder and decaped the brass with little thought of looking at the removed primer..
Anyhow, while primeing the next batch I noticed as I was pushing the primer seater from my RCBS, that the primer I was about to seat did not have an anvil in it![:0]
Needless to say I've been watching pretty closely sense and haven't seen any more..
Just wondering if anyone else has ever found one of these[?]
Been reloading for over,well a long time and its a first for me..
It was a Remington 7 1/2..

Ray B

On an attempted shot at a really nice 4 pt buck some years back I was surprised by the load click that followed the pressing of the trigger, rather than the expected loud bang. It was a CCI LR primer. I took the cartridge to Dave Andrews of Speer. He had the lab look into it. Turns out that when the anvil was formed, it starts out as a three legged circle. The legs are pressed down, causing the center portion to be higher as it "stands" on the legs of the anvil. the problem was that in forming the anvil, a crack had formed at the junction of one of the legs with the top (center portion). So that when the firing pin struck the primer, squashing the compound into the anvil, the two legged portion, now resembling an A and the one legged portion, now resembling an I, collapsed over each other, not providing any support to cause the compound to be squashed and thus ignite. So it was a dud. since that time, all primers that I have shot at game animals have been either Winchester or Federal.

sandwarrior

I use Win primers. I can't say I do better or not with them. I had always used CCI up until I started buying Win's.

Anyhow, I had one dud. When I pulled the bullet apart it was discolored. Ever since then I inspect all of the primers as I flip them into the load tray. Easier, to do once they are dress right dress. A bad one will stick out. I've found one since then. Test fired it(later at the range) and sure enough it was bad. Those are the only two duds I've ever had. One CCI, one Win.

dcso3009

I have not had one since I stopped using surplus brass for my 308 win loads. I know I could buy a swager, but now have good performing accurate loads in Win, Rem, and Federal brass.

Snellstrom

I've been loading for 31 years this year ( I'm not an old timer just been at it since I was 14 ) and I've only had 1 misfire in all that time. It was also during my first year of loading that this occured. I dropped a few primers while priming some .300 Weatherby Mag cases, money was tight for a 14 year old living on a farm so I picked the primers up off the floor of the shop and blew the dust off and used them. I didn't realize at the time but when I picked up the ones I'd just dropped I also picked up one that had been on the floor for a long time and that was my "dud". I started out using CCI-200 primers and I'm still using them to this day. Probably have loaded upwards of 30,000 rounds and only one mis-fire and it was definitely my fault.

rockchunker

Fail to Fire update.
To date I've had seven more no bangs with the Remington 7 1/2 primers with the number 324 embossed on the cardboard flap. And i've looked at all before loading. In todays batch another one fired with the second trigger pull, but the other four took four hits each and no bang!!
In corresponding with Remington via e-mail, they want me to return the unused 200 + to the store purchased from, and the store guy told me for a $15 haz mat fee he'd be glad to send them back. Sucks don't it, for that kind of money I can almost buy a whole new brick. May not be Remington's though. Damn shame too cause all my worked up loads are with the 7 1/2. Oh well --life goes on.. (I hope)
Be safe
RC

gunnut505

I've experienced the occasional misfire with the Rem 9 1/2 M primers in my .300WM, but when I hunt; I only use Winchester or CCI-not a misfire in over 30 years.

dcso3009

I have been loading for close to 20 years now and have had only 2 FTF's (15 years or so back). Both at the same deer, same day, same rifle, same problem... The brass I was using had crimped primers. I had not removed the crimp, and my primers were damaged going into the case. Since then I have sorted all my brass better and use only comercial headstamp brass for hunting. Even at the range I have had no problems.
I have used CCI for most of my loads, but have also used Win, Rem, and Fed with no problems.
I call it one lucky deer!