Does a clean or dirty primer pocket have much effect on primer tightness? I am priming once fired brass tonight. The brass was wet tumbled and the pockets look pretty good. You can just see the three little black burn marks inside the pocket. I figured that was ok.
When is a Primer Pocket Too Loose?
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Project355
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For me..... With handgun....if they go in, shoot em. After shootin' if you find gas leaks, toss em.
Average Joe
Member
Never cleaned a handgun primer pocket, if they go in, they shoot.
Dudedog
Contributing Member
When the primer falls out after you prime the case
On the serious side I hand prime and any that go in "to Easy" I mark with a black sharpie so I know not to reuse that case.
Hard to say what is to easy but I can feel it.
On the serious side I hand prime and any that go in "to Easy" I mark with a black sharpie so I know not to reuse that case.
Hard to say what is to easy but I can feel it.
denton
Member
If you look at the SAAMI dimension specs, primers generally have a .0005" to .0025" interference fit in the pocket. Some primer-pocket combinations will require more force than others, especially when using mixed brass.
dcarr
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I know exactly what you are saying, i used to be able to feel it. Now either arthritis or neuropathy (diabetes) has taken some of the feeling away . Like my grandma said, old age is the pits. I use the go/no go gauges but not the same at all.When the primer falls out after you prime the case
On the serious side I hand prime and any that go in "to Easy" I mark with a black sharpie so I know not to reuse that case.
Hard to say what is to easy but I can feel it.
Without leaking.
Same here, loose primer is one of the reasons I do hand prime, press prime has too much leverage that you may not feel it, hand prime gives you the feel and I detected bad ones while I reload range pickups, folks left brass at the range when loaded a few times! If still feel resistance, usable, when primed, I mark it and discard next time.
With that, I didn't feel I need to check primer pocket size with gauges. Trade that step with hand priming.
WestKentucky
Member
I have wondered the same thing. Loose is loose, but it’s always a question of when loose is too loose. Falling out obviously is no bueno, but anything else might get the go ahead. The question in my mind though, is how well is the gun made to hold the thing? In my mind, the primer is longer than any slop in headspace should EVER be and thus there realistically is no reason a primer should ever blow out of the primer pocket. If it does, then there is an apparent issue with headspace or grossly early extraction that would be indicated most likely by damaged rims as the bolt tried to move while the case was still under pressure.
But it leaks and fire cut/etch a ring on the bolt face, doesn't hurt anything but ugly. I have 1 rifle has the ring, previous owner did that. Also, the primer may fell out when the case ejected and jam the action in particular semi-auto.
WestKentucky
Member
Agreed. I took this exercise to be a safety question, not a functional question. I agree that loose primers can create lost primers which create locked actions. It was on here that I once read of a blown primer in an AR somehow managing to get slammed INTO (not against but actually inserted into if memory serves correct) the gas tube rendering the gun non-functioning. Agreed though, signs of leakage are grounds for immediate discard of that particular case. But when loading a man must have super shiny brass, so how do we know that it leaked if we cleaned off the soot?
FROGO207
Member
If when seating a primer with a dedicated hand primer it just slides in with little resistance I take my spare Lee pistol decapping pin and try to push it back out. If I can it gets rrecycled. Otherwise I load them as normal.
A side note is the foreign (metric primers like Wolf, CBC, ETC) are slightly larger around so you may get one more reload with your loose primer pocket brass by using them.
A side note is the foreign (metric primers like Wolf, CBC, ETC) are slightly larger around so you may get one more reload with your loose primer pocket brass by using them.
I don't worry much about pistol rounds but I have made this special pin just for the .223s that I normally run a compressed load of powder on.
If the primer goes in soft, I set it aside & use the pin to determine by using the pin to push the primer out if it pushes out too easy, it goes in the scrap can if it does. I have had them push out on the press when I compress the powder charge. This looses the primer & the powder that drains all over my reloading bench.
If the primer goes in soft, I set it aside & use the pin to determine by using the pin to push the primer out if it pushes out too easy, it goes in the scrap can if it does. I have had them push out on the press when I compress the powder charge. This looses the primer & the powder that drains all over my reloading bench.
1KPerDay
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Interesting. Because I have a couple thousand old 1970’s CCI LRP that are noticeably tighter in the pockets than newer primers.
KeithK
Contributing Member
243winxb, Thanks for the primer pocket gage link, I was priming 500 223 cases tonight and ran into this too loose primer pocket on maybe 30 cases, I ordered this tool and am going to put it into my check list, in the old days I would have just chucked the loose brass with primer, but tonight I pushed the new primer out and chucked the brass, then used the new salvaged primers in other brass. Thought I had plenty of SRP's but guess in the back of the brain I couldn't toss any, guess the primer shortage is getting to me too.
Keith
CQB45ACP
Member
Two threads going on same topic I just realized—duh.
This one seems better though.
This one seems better though.
Ordered this yesterday from Brownells.
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Great stuff, I've been using it for years since most of my ammo is storage and don't get to shoot as offer as I use to. It also seals bullets by coating the inside of the neck but I don't do that, neck tension should seal it. My ammo sits until I get to the range, plus need some on hand for SHTF
Oh, btw, these 9mm had some loose primers
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sparkyv
Member
KeithK
Contributing Member
I realized that too after I posted, had done a search when I realized I had loose primer pockets and looking for answers and found this thread, it wasn't too old so I posted to it, then Mark Mark commented on it and I couldn't figure what it was meaning till I found his other thread.
Keith
Mark_Mark
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Sorry, I got 2 threads mixed up
kalielkslayer
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As someone mentioned earlier, my experience with loose, or tight, primer pockets seems to be by manufacturer.
I hate Blazer brass but they seem to take more energy to unseat and seat primers than any other cases in 9mm.
I hate Blazer brass but they seem to take more energy to unseat and seat primers than any other cases in 9mm.
Swampman
Old Fart
You may want to consider using a little less.Great stuff, I've been using it for years since most of my ammo is storage and don't get to shoot as offer as I use to. It also seals bullets by coating the inside of the neck but I don't do that, neck tension should seal it. My ammo sits until I get to the range, plus need some on hand for SHTF
View attachment 993442 Oh, btw, these 9mm had some loose primers
View attachment 993449
All you need is to fill the juncture where the primer and case meet. Anything more doesn't help the seal and can gum up your weapon.
Thanks, I know but the thing is, if you use less it doesn't flow into the joint to seal it, so I use enough and clean up the excess. The brush is exactly like nail polish and not exactly made for precise work. Toothpick, tried it, could be done but I have no patience with that. I haven't had an issue yet.
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