Pierced primer!!

[John Sukey (Deceased)]

Good explanation Ed.
Never had a pierced primer with milsurp.

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[ireload2]

>>>What should I look for to solve the 'problem'?<<<

Try to isolate the variable.

Shoot the remaining offending ammo in other rifles.

Shoot other ammo in the rifle with the pierced primer.


If you had a single bad primer forget it and go on.

If the ammo is systematically bad it will pierce in other rifles.

If your rifle pierces other primers The rifle needs attention.


(If you were using reloads and pierce a primer you have an entirely different problem)

[Edward Horton]

Another thing to do is check to see if the primer strike is off center and also if the firing pin spring is weak which any of the two could also could cause the pierced primer.

Last but not least if it only happened once it could have been the primers fault and not the rifle.

97% of all errors are human errors and only 3% are mechanical failures, meaning if you inspect the rifle and everything is set according to the specifications in the manual you can blame the primer.

Do not be afraid to replace the firing pin spring, a weak or light hit on the primer followed by the “full and harder hit” by 46,000 CUP of chamber pressure is a definite cookie cutter – hole punch situation.

While your at it go ahead and replace both the extractor spring and firing pin spring, the two most used and abused springs on your Enfield Rifle.

One last check and thing to eliminate. (It could soften the firing pin hit)

[srjg3432]

It is just possible that the cause is only a dud primer amongst the millions made each week.

I have had 3 examples of pierced primers

1 8mm milsurp
1 30-06
1 .303

The last 2 were reloads, fired from rifles I shoot a lot. We are talking about hundreds of rounds through a rifle, then suddenly, a pierced primer. In these cases, I don't believe its a rifle or firing pin fault, just that one in a million primer.

Hands up if you have ever had primers without the anvil in it, or no compound in it.
Not me personally yet, but its happened to friends and the above was found upon examination.