Charlie Petty

Electronic ignition is common in military larger calibers but Remington's effort to put them in small arms... while academically very interesting... fizzled primarily due to cost which was $80/m or higher.

It was not a benchrest application at all because the electronic trigger was deliberately made heavy. One stated advantage was an instant ignition which was true but when you can get a safe two ounce mechanical trigger and the electronic one was measured in pounds it wasn't very successful.

To my knowledge it is discontinued.

Daniel Watters

A product liability suit put them out of business.

Coyote V. Acme

Charlie Petty

If you Google "remington etronx" there is a bunch of information

William R. Moore

I had-haven't seen him in decades-friend who worked at Aberdeen PG in the late 60's/early 70's. He claimed Picitinny Arsenel lost an average of one employee a year in the primer department.

Charlie Petty

I do not think accidents are common in the commercial side and I think any such event would make enough news that we'd hear about them.

It was interesting to watch the people work with wet mix and it was obviously no big deal to them

shep854

[quote="Charlie Petty"]I do not think accidents are common in the commercial side and I think any such event would make enough news that we'd hear about them.

It would be the end of commercial ammo manufacturing.

Madcap72

I think the primer manufacturing machines look like gigantic ATM's that spit cash out. At least that the vision in my head.

Charlie Petty

Or suck cash in... but there are many machines... two big punch presses for cups and anvils and then several low power presses with lots of fingers to push the primer mix into the cups- some makers use a sealer either a thin foil or shellac then another press to seat the anvils.

Steve M1911A1

Not quite.
There have been fairly recent powder-making Kaboom!s, with loss of life, but people still signed up to work, and the businesses kept on going.

Charlie Petty

How recent and where?

Steve M1911A1

...Within the past maybe 20 years, at Hogdon's if I remember correctly.
Also at Hercules: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/24/nyreg ... -fine.html

Charlie Petty

Hodgdon was Pyrodex and Hercules was smokeless powder neither of which are related to the subject of primers. I think something that happened 20 years ago is not "recent".

Obviously there have been mishaps in primer manufacture but they are very rare.

Steve M1911A1

Sorry, but in my post I did say "fairly recent," and "powder-making."
To an old fart like myself, 20 years ago is "fairly recent."

Grump

As I recall, you've caught him only once.

Whity4d

Hi Charlie, you seem to know your way around a primer plant and I am looking into building one up in Wyoming. Lots of open space and not allot of people around so it sounds like I may have the right place to do it. When you talk about them making only a pound of material at a time do they have several people that do this or is there just one person mixing the paste. question number 2. Do you know how many primers you get from a pound of the paste?
I contacted Waterbury out of Canada about building my plant. They say the cost is in the 10's of millions. Based on what you said about the presses needed that sounds a bit high. Do you know who built the other factories or who's equipment they use?

Thank for any help.
Dan

SpecialEd

Whity4d, you know this thread is 11 years old right?

Whity4d

That I do. But it looks like Charlie is still posting on the site.

Whity4d

The fact that 11 years has gone by and we still have the same 4 companies dominating the primer market and now we are back to 0 availability make it that much more important. I need help to solve a problem that is way over due for a solution.


" If I can't buy it I better be able to make it myself "
Me

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CP's last post was in April 2020 Just sayin....

NHWynter

Waterbury was probably trying to sell you on an ENTIRE automated ammo line and not just Primer Production.

Also, the building set-up is specialized because of needing the one wall of that will "blow out" in the event of an accidental conflagration.

Also, there are only 2 Manufacturers of Primers in the US. Federal and Winchester. Federal owns the Ammo Manufacturing for Federal, CCI and Remington. Remington's Ammo production includes their Primer Manufacturing.


Jeremy