Primer pocket (rifle)Uniforming, yes or no?

Hello Rule3. I have been using a Whitetail solid carbide uniformer in both SR & LR for nearly 20 years now. I am not a match shooter..just like to strive for highest accuracy out of my rifles..I too am limited to 100yds. Uniforming the pockets will give a more precise feel when hand-seating primers..and of course making pocket depth identical never hurts. But even more important..even with a light start load..or a mild cast-bullet load for that matter, I have nearly always had the tool cut brass from pocket..even if said brass was uniformed until cutter stopped cutting prior to priming. I believe the cartridge brass flows in this area..and it's seldom uniform. Since I use this tool to clean pockets, any brass that flows in there will be removed at this time.

Yes uniform the pockets. That would be like sticking bread on a griddle with no butter to toast it.

Un-uniformed pocket could put more pressure on primer and primer may not seat fully.

Yes I would and I do.

No.
I clean primer pockets.
I swage primer pocket crimps.
But I don't "uniform" them, or ream flash holes, ever.

It is simply is a waste of energy for 100 yard plinking ammo.

Or 400 yard varmint ammo.

rc

waste of time, lack of understanding. like spitting to weigh less.

You already know the answer. Should it be done...yes. Do you need to do it? no. Accuracy is about consistency. It's just one more step towards more uniformity.

Yes, always, and deburr flash holes. Turn necks only to uniform thickness. Trim to length. Chamfer mouths. Uniforming the primer pockets gives hand priming a better "feel". I use a Sinclair tool on a cordless drill.

Logically, anything you can do to enhance the consistency (uniformity) of the ammo you build has to enhance its firing accuracy to some degree. The question then is whether any given step one can take makes enough difference to be discernible or even scientifically measurable in the firing.

If you have gobs of time, there's probably no harm in properly doing all of the various things to brass casings that some people do in their effort to enhance accuracy. Of course, doing something improperly can result in making a piece of brass worse than factory or even unusable.

If on the other hand, your time is limited, you have to decide how much of it you are willing to devote to exploring the arguably minuscule return on the time invested.

I use a primer pocket cleaning tool (RCBS) to knock any carbon left overs out, but I don't ever use a uniforming tool, and my loads will consistently shoot MOA. I'm pretty anal about my process too, but uniforming has never been a necessity from what I can tell?

GS

is it worth doing anything to the primer pockets?

Click to expand...

My answer is no.

There IS one additional reason, and why I actually do uniform pockets since I started loading on a progressive.

On my RCBS Pro 2000, I have 3 choices: 1. Try to "feel" a primer seating to the bottom of the pocket....not real easy given the weight of the ram and handle and the ample leverage. Or, 2. set the primer stop, which is supposed to seat every thing the same. Or, 3. not use it and prime with a hand or bench primer. But I love my APS primer system on the press, so 3 is out.

I am using choice 2, but setting the press's primer stop only sets them the target depth, if the pocket depth is uniform in a batch of brass. Uniforming the pockets is the only way to get that uniformity. So since I have a Trim Mate which makes it easy, I do it. Have not noticed any problems ... I have, however, noticed I get no more high primers using that method. Floating firing pins in my .308 and .223 make even the usual 1% with slightly high primers, using method 2, unacceptable. More accuracy? Wouldn't know. I'm not a benchrester who would care.

No! I don't uniform pistol.



Speaking of "spit," if a benchrester thought spitting and weighing less would help on the line....you know they'd do it!

I am really obsessive. Every piece of brass that comes into inventory even mixed lot plinking cases get primer pockets uniformed and flash holes deburred. It is a one time operation that never has to be repeated. They are also trimmed to just under max OAL. The plinking ammo gets trimmed once every 5 firings as mixed cases grow at different rates. Even with mixed case ammo I see a small improvement in accuracy. Think.of all the variables it removes. Lock time due to primer face always same distance from firing pin. Even ignition as ignition source closer to same distance from powder column, exact same flame pattern coming into case due to flash holes all being same size and no burrs. Is it worth it? Not if your doing it manually but if you have a power unit for all these case prep operations it doesn't take long and adds to the fun.

i clean all my primer pockets......with a uniforming tool. pistol and rifle after every firing.

kills two birds with one stone.

murf

Yes, every one.

If theory got out with benchrest shooters that abstaining from conjugal visitation with their wives for two weeks before a match they would build a separate bedroom near their bench....

I uniform the primer pockets for my rifle cartridges, but not handgun cartridges. I basically have Garands and precision rifles. For the Garands I do it to ensure no high primers, and for the precision rifles I do it as part of the match prepping of the brass. Also, even if a uniformer doesn't remove any brass when you use it, it will act just like a cleaning tool and remove carbon deposits.

Don

Rifle Yes - always ... Pistol No.
/Bryan

if you decide to clean your primer pockets with a uniforming tool, beware. large rifle pockets are deeper than large pistol pockets. you will need a different tool for each. small rifle and small pistol are the same depth and one tool will suffice.

murf

If you are lazy, you said no.

If you want best accuracy from your rifle, then uniform primer pockets, deburr flash hole, trim, chamfer, and segregate matched headstamp brass by weight. The further away you shoot, the closer in weight a batch of brass should be.

The brass case is the component with the most variation from hull to hull.

All my rifle brass gets this done. Handgun? No. I usually shoot handgun close up, rifle, far away.