[ra407]

I am loading 45 acp with Winchester primers. I am getting little dipple marks every once and awhile, sometime a few in a row. I wasn't getting them when I was using CCI primers. I am reloading on a Dillion 550. What is causing this?

[jfh]

a speck of powder or reloading detrius on the primer anvil. Maybe it's time for a detail strip-and-clean of the primer subsystem.

Jim H.

[rcmodel]

Probably a dimple in the end of your primer seating punch where it was turned down / cut off on a screw machine lathe.

Or, could be a piece of dirt or brass shaving floating around in there.

rcmodel

[ra407]

Are they safe to shoot?

[jr45]

Probably have something (debris) on the priming ram. Also, Winchester primers tend to be softer than CCI...should be safe to shoot.

[NavyLCDR]

Yes, they are safe to shoot. Send them to me and I will prove it for you!

[ReloaderFred]

When you decap, there is a small amount of debris left in the primer pocket from the burned Lead Styphnate (priming compound). If you look at it under a microscope, you'll see it's crystilline in nature. This is probably what's getting on your priming stem.

I clean all my primer pockets, which some people do, and some don't. It's up to you how you do it, since it's your shop.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Jim Watson]

I've seen them with round dents from a granule of powder on the priming punch, and a long crease from a brush bristle. If you get a small mar on the primer, clean the punch.

[wally]

They are safe to shoot, but you need to worry about debris getting bad enough to make the dimple set them off when you prime -- rare, but it can happen!

Keep the primer seating ram clean!

--wally.