Henry 'blow ups'

[Driftwood Johnson]

No, you missed my point.

I am saying that if a primer is seated properly, and it gets smacked hard enough by nothing resembling a bullet, just gets smacked into a hard surface, I suspect either the primer cup can dislodge from its position in the primer pocket, or the anvil inside the primer might dislodge, squeezing the priming compound between the anvil and the cup, firing the primer. This is just supposition on my part, I have nothing to prove it. By I suspect that if a cartridge is smacked hard enough the primer may fire itself.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Actually, I got your point about the anvil or priming charge and added a bit of my own.  I was saying that it doesn't have to be a "point" (like a spitzer") or a firing pin point to hit and jar the whole thing enough to set it off.

I guess I didn't explain well enough.

[Major 2]

Two of my Henrys are ten years apart in manufactured codes .... the Iron Frame is 2006 and has the orange incert.
The Military model Circa 1996 does not.
The Circa 1980 20" so called "Carbine" does not have it.

I believe it was added in 04 or 05 , as friends circa 03 does not have one ...however I have no hard evidence as to when they were
first added.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Sounds like a decent idea.

[will52100]

Got around 5K rounds through mine, and with the exception of a couple of hundred smokeless rounds all have been black powder hand loads with big lube bullets.

Personally I only use CCI primers, there harder than most any other primers.  I've seen some cowboy guns tuned so light that they'd only set off federal primers.  That and setting the primer slightly below flush and not slamming the follower down and you should be fine.

[Trailrider]

No, you missed my point.

I am saying that if a primer is seated properly, and it gets smacked hard enough by nothing resembling a bullet, just gets smacked into a hard surface, I suspect either the primer cup can dislodge from its position in the primer pocket, or the anvil inside the primer might dislodge, squeezing the priming compound between the anvil and the cup, firing the primer. This is just supposition on my part, I have nothing to prove it. By I suspect that if a cartridge is smacked hard enough the primer may fire itself.

DJ,
I understand what you are saying...that the impact could cause the anvil to overcome inertia and be driven back into the priming compound.  Have to think about that one...  Wonder if Olin might have any data or a standard or MIL-SPEC on their primers. I do know that back in the '80's, we had a failure-to-fire on a reefing line cutter primer for the Space Shuttle booster recovery parachutes. NASA came unglued, even though there was a redundent cutter that did fire. They told Olin they wanted zero failures to fire. The primers wereMIL-SPEC equivalent to Small Rifle Primers. Olin replied that their standard was one failure to fire for every 20,000 primers (1 in every 20 cubes!), and if NASA didn't like it, they could go qualify a new vendor! That ended that discussion. But I don't know if there is an inertia sensitivity standard on military or commercial primers. Ought to be... but?

[will52100]

I don't know about inertia sensitivity, but I do use mil spec primers on my Garand and M14's.  From what I understand it's mostly a harder primer shell to help prevent detonation from firing pin strikes while chambering.

[Fox Creek Kid]

I believe Milspec primers require 21 lbs. & civilian 14 lbs., if I recall correctly.

[will52100]

good info to have, thanks

[Arizona Trooper]

I know of two Henry mag explosions at Ft. Shenandoah N-SSA matches. We require black powder, so the rounds in question were almost certainly reloads. Both were attributed to high primers and letting the follower drop. Now Henrys must be single loaded once  the magazine is expended. Frankly, if you have to reload at N-SSA, you aren't competitive.