[leverite]

Observed something interesting that I'm trying to understand and thought you guys might be interested as well.

I put a light (12#) hammer spring in my Ruger Redhawk and found that it was too light to fire some primers when shot in DA mode. So I bumped up to a 13# spring. Instead of packing all my gear for a 40 minute drive into the hills to test it on some loaded ammo, I just primed some 45lc cases and fired the empty brass thru my revolver in my garage. SInce it was the weekend of the 4th, nobody paid any mind to a few small pops.

The wierd thing...the primers backed out and prevented the cylinder from rotating. I used washed and tumbled, once fired brass (unsized) and the primer seated just like normal.

My theory is that the primer needs the pressure of powder burning in a loaded case to lock up tight in the pocket. That and the recoil slamming the case back would put (or keep) the primer solidly back into the pocket and keep it from locking the cylinder.

Do you think that the intitial stage of primer ignition will always cause a primer to back out a bit unless it is staked in, like with military brass? Or held in place by a bolt/receiver face?

I just thought this was very strange and have never experienced it with loaded brass in a revolver.

BTW...the 13# spring is also too light, so have moved up to a 14#. Haven't tested it yet.

 

[DAVIDMAGNUM]

Yup , been there, done that .

In a loaded fired round of ammo the case is pushed back/held back against the frame by the pressure/force of the gas pushing the bullet down the bore and the case in the opposite direction.
In an empty case the only pressure is created by the primer. Due to the small flash hole the primer pocket becomes a pressurized chamber pushing the case towards the bore and the primer towards the frame.
Cases that are used for blanks have the flash hole drilled out to prevent this problem. CAUTION: a case with an enlarged flash hole reloaded with powder and a bullet is a recipe for disaster !

 

[oneoldsap]

We have a Bingo !

 

[leverite]

In a loaded fired round of ammo the case is pushed back/held back against the frame by the pressure/force of the gas pushing the bullet down the bore and the case in the opposite direction.
In an empty case the only pressure is created by the primer. Due to the small flash hole the primer pocket becomes a pressurized chamber pushing the case towards the bore and the primer towards the frame.
Cases that are used for blanks have the flash hole drilled out to prevent this problem. CAUTION: a case with an enlarged flash hole reloaded with powder and a bullet is a recipe for disaster !

This makes sense. My question is what happens in the microsecond after the primer ignites. Does it tend to push back out of the case before the powder can ignite?

 

[scott0116]

I made up some wax bullets last year and fired them in a 45 single action. Some were loaded with magnum primers and some were loaded with standard primers. The magnun primers backed out and prevented cylinder rotation but the standard primers did not. When firing loaded ammunition the case expands to seal the chambers and then slightly retract and push back against the frame as i understand it, which pushes the primer back in and this is why high pressure loads can sometimes be determined by the primer being backed out since the case doesn't retract much with high pressure loads.

 

[Chief RID]

We have all done it. Welcome to the world of handgun reloading.

 

[MMichaelAK]

Hmmm,
Ive only ever popped primers in my .357 magnum GP 100 but never had any back out.
CCI and Remington rpimers and both small pistol and small pistol magnum primers. Cases were multiply fired PMC, Starline and Federal, nothing brand new.

Curiouser and curiouser.

 

[fguffey]

Keeping up with the events, it is believed the case, bullet, powder and primer can accelerate to a speed that will allow it to out run the hammer/firing strike, that does not happen, the hammer strikes the primer and crushes it before the other components can move forward, always left out is the primer when ignited is sufficient to push the case, bullet and powder forward and as a results the primer pushes itself back/out, if your primers are hanging out after the firing cycle the case is locking onto the chamber by design but you do not have enough powder in the case to drive the case back to re-seat the primer.

Try this, prime a few cases, no bullet, no powder, chamber in cylinder and fire, all the primers should be hanging out and unseated.

 

[fguffey]

If there is a problem with swinging the cylinder out and the cylinder will not rotat use a wood dowel to push the case back with a tap of a hammer to seat the primer. Same method is used to seat a bullet that is jammed in the throat because the reloader failed to add powder.

F. Guffey

 

[leverite]

If there is a problem with swinging the cylinder out and the cylinder will not rotat use a wood dowel to push the case back with a tap of a hammer to seat the primer. Same method is used to seat a bullet that is jammed in the throat because the reloader failed to add powder.

F. Guffey

good idea. SHould work better than just cussing it out, like I was doing.