Unusual primer problem

[Daezee]

In 2007 my house burnt. Reloading friends came to help salvage what they could for me. Among items salvaged were bricks of large rifle primers. After leaving them in a dehumidified room for years and testing some, I started using them. ZERO failures in ~6 thousand fired. Down to the last two bricks. These bricks suffered more heat damage, distorting the plastic trays inside. Peal cardboard away and most primers just fall out. Tap on tray and a few more fall out. Twist tray and a few more fall out. See pictures...that is what won't come out. Camera flash makes them look different colors...they are all the same silver color. Plastic tray appears harder and less flexible from the heat and appears to have shrunk around the primers. Tried cutting the plastic with some tin snips (didn't work...plastic sorta twists in the snips). Tried prying out primers with a dental pick, but can't get pick inside the individual pockets. In the "old" days, I wouldn't bother, but with primers expensive and scarce....ANY IDEAS? Don't want to simply toss in trash. I am gonna do some wood burning in the pasture...could set them in the bottom of the wood pile before I light it.

 

[wildrider666]

Using a long socket or dowel and by bending the "holder" to contour around the curve. It may flex or spread it enough for them to come loose or shake out.

A Razor knife may free them by cutting one loose, then just the cut the connecting plastic in line to the next primer and continue down that line. Tedious but you'll get it done.

 

[SouthBound]

What about putting them in the freezer overnight and then taking them out to see if the contraction/expansion loosens them up a bit. May get some condensation though.

 

[Raven]

Yep, razor knife

 

[Southalabama]

Ditto. Razor down rows. Maybe one cut will yield those to left and right

 

[Baddog 0302]

If you don't have a razor knife or the plastic holder is to tough to cut, try taking a 1/4" drill bit and by placing the primers on a scrap board drill out the adjacent hole to a primer to see if that will free that primer

 

[Daezee]

Great ideas. I’ll be trying them and post results. Thank you.

 

[FrommerStop]

I am sure your are, but it does not hurt be redundant on some issues like safety. Use some sort of effective shielding please. You get two eyes at the most in this world.

 

[Daezee]

Wearing shooting glasses over my regular glasses; thanks for the reminder.

 

[FrommerStop]

Fires and munitions can be an interesting topic. apparently it is not always as destructive as one would think. Someone told me after a house fire he went in to an abandoned house and found a lot of soaed surplus powder like the original hodgdon company use to sell. Said he used it for years with good results.

 

[Daezee]

So far, what's working slowly is safety glasses and 2 pairs of pliers. 1 set on each side of the primer or near it and bending the tough plastic. Sometimes a primer will fall out and sometimes I have to tear plastic away from the primer. Plastic rather tough for a razor knife to cut deep enough into it. Got 32 primers free so far. Lost 1 to it flying through the air into parts unknown and 1 fell into a garbage can that had lots of spent primers already in it.