Depriming Live Primers

Depriming live primers is hazardous, as it is very easy to set one of while depriming. If you must, first dump the spent primers out of the spent primer catcher cup. Fill the cup partway with water. Now very gently deprime them. The reason to fill the cup with water is so that if you detonate a primer while depriming, the other primers already in the cup won't ignite.

If you are going to dispose of the brass fill cases with penetrating oil and let soak then crush the mouths so you know not to reuse them, or you can load the primed cases into your firearm pointing in a safe direction and pop the primers. This can still be dangerous at the barrel end but will expend the primers so they can be safely decapped.

I'm not going to use the term safe when using equipment for something it was not designed for, but I believe the safEST method of removing the unfired primers is just to treat them in the same way you would fired primers only when removing these unfired primers after putting on a pair of safety glasses, wrap the cartridge in a towel and use a slow steady pressure until the primer is removed.

I don't mean to imply this is a particularly dangerous procedure as I have used it on several occasions over the years without a single primer "firing".  It would probably be best not to attempt to use these primers once removed as they have small seating "legs" that are now flattened and the anvil could also have be damaged by the depriming tool during the procedure.  Take it slow and I don't believe you will have any problems.

F. Prefect