Range brass missing the primer.

Made it out to the range yesterday for the first time in many weeks. I picked up all the brass I could find, and found something I've not seen before. I found a 223 that was missing the primer. I don't see someone knocking it out and then tossing it out on the range, so my guess is it was knocked out when fired. My first instinct was to toss it in the scrap bucket, as the pocket is probably loose. But then I got to thinking, for the price of one primer, I could see how the primer fits. Any ideas? Anyone else seen this?

I've never found "deprimed" brass on the ground at the range. I have found a few complete rounds with sideways or reversed primers in the live round collection bins. Did the case appear to have been fired (was it sooty)?

I'll have to look for that. It was weathered as I recall. I've not had any commercial ammo with a bad primer. I did have a primer that was not quite whole. Looked like someone had cut one side off. Loaded it up in a case and chambered cans fired it. Should have warned the wife, as it was loader than the blanks for the starter pistol.

I assumed the cases I saw with jacked-up primers were handloaded and not factory rounds because, like you, I've never seen a factory load with an inverted or sideways primer.

If the primer was blown out during firing, I think I would throw it right in the scrap brass bucket and not use it.

When seating my primers I mark any that are excessively loose with a line across the base with a sharpie, I'll load it and shoot it as normal, but toss it out after that firing. It seems my federal 308 brass wears out primer pockets faster than the necks...

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Originally Posted by Mbaker78

When seating my primers I mark any that are excessively loose with a line across the base with a sharpie

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I got some previously fired .303 brass recently and a few of them had a mark across the case head. I was wondering what that line was there for and you may have pointed me in the right direction. I'll have to check the primer pockets when I'm processing those.

I've had the other extreme with Winchester brass, especially 7.62X54R. Them primer pockets are way TOO tight. Have to use a ram prime to prime them instead of my normal Lee auto-prime.

I think a super swage would've taken care of that for you.

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Originally Posted by gandog56

I've had the other extreme with Winchester brass, especially 7.62X54R. Them primer pockets are way TOO tight. Have to use a ram prime to prime them instead of my normal Lee auto-prime.

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I've had the same problem with Winchester white box in 45 acp. Had to use the Lee loader decapping rod to remove the primers.