How do I disable and dispose of live primers?

[Mootness]

I had about a dozen primers that needed disposed of. Some were decapped with a universal decapping die carefully (I set none off by doing this) and others had light/dud type strikes on them.

I heard about using water, and I read somewhere else wd40. 30 minutes soaking in water didn't disable them. A hammer confirmed this.

The same wet primers were then sprayed with wd40, and left to sit for 10 minutes. All primers that did not have dud strikes on them still went off using the same hammer method.

How do you disable live primers? So far the only method I have found is a hammer.

n.b.: A match to a single flake of powder showed that Unique withstood the same water & wd40 & burned. Whatever powder is in the remington corlokt rounds I was unable to set off with a flame after the water wd40 treatment.

[PocketProtector]

Load em and shoot em

[Mootness]

The below is me. There's a lot of energy in a primer... and I'd rather not have all of that noise and chemical contaminants sprayed all over the room.

[rkrcpa]

Sounds like the hammer was working pretty good for you.

[gnbrotz]

Originally Posted by Mootness

The below is me. There's a lot of energy in a primer... and I'd rather not have all of that noise and chemical contaminants sprayed all over the room.

Then perhaps do it outside?

[Azzy]

Toss them in the burn pile? Load some wax bullets for practice?

[Flash]

The WD-40 and the water will take a little time to deactivate them. They really have a type of seal there.

Relatively speaking, there is actually very little energy in a primer - remember, it will not even push a lead bullet half=way down the barrel of a pistol. So, slosh them with WD-40, and toss them in the burn barrel. They will probably be inactivated in 24 hrs by that, and if not, the burning will comple the job.

Flash

[Stooperzero]

CLP or just toss em in the trash.

[RemShooter]

Neither water nor WD-40 will "deactivate" primers, as you have found out, since neither causes the explosive ingredients in primers (lead styphnate and tetrazene) to decompose. Rather, both water and WD only cause a decrease in the sensitivity of the primer mix. Once they dry back out, the will return to nearly their original sensivity.

The most common way to "deactivate", rather than "desensitize", primer mix used by the manufacturers is exposure to weak nitric acid, which actually breaks down the explosives. Another method is to soak them in a solution of stannous (tin) chloride. I suspect neither of these are things you have lying about under the sink in your kitchen.

Firing is probably the best way, although I strongly agree that doing this indoors is a really bad idea from an exposure standpoint. Also bear in mind to keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction, just as if you have a live round in it. #1, you may mistakenly HAVE a live round. #2, there will be very hot gases and particles of burning aluminum projected out of the barrel.

PS - clean the gun thoroughly when you're done as residue which would normally be swept from the barrel will remain and it will be dirtier than if you had fired live rounds.

I do not recommend ever putting live primers in with "regular trash" - someone down the line may find out the hard way there were explosives mixed in. Plus the fact it is likely to be illegal.

[760gamemaster]

I would just toss em out in the yard and let them sink into the ground if it was me.