Problem with primer seating for 30-30 lever action Winchester 94. I’ve been reloading since 1995, mainly pistols - most calibers. Started reloading rifle ammo this year with Rem .223 and had successful results. Made a few 30-06 dummys (no powder, no primer) in preparation for the arrival of my new CMP M1 Garand. Loading with the Dillon 650 I have never before experienced any significant problem with primer seating or depth. However, in reloading a few 30-30 rounds recently I noticed (by finger touch) that a few of the primers were high and most were flush. I was afraid that these high or flush primers might induce the dreaded tubular magazine explosion. All the store-bought 30-30 ammo have primers seated to about 0.005. So I went to the range with my trusty Winchester 94 and fired a few - one at a time. One of the primers was so high (a few thousandths above and slightly cocked) the Win 94 would not allow the bolt to seat. One of the rounds misfired but the firing pin made a good dent. On 2nd try it fired OK. All others (13 rounds) fired OK, one at a time. After depriming these shells I paid particular attention to the condition of the primer pockets. After cleaning with a primer pocket brush I measured each depth. Depths ranged from 0.1240 to 0.1231. Primers measured 0.1220. I used the Dillon swager on all pockets that were under 0.1270, primed them and measured the depth. One is 0.005, a few are 0.001 and others are 0.000 (flush). Cleaning and swaging helped but, I don’t yet understand these differences and whether or not these variations could be dangerous in the tubular magazine. Comments Please?
I apologize for the lengthy post. This is my first and I’ll try to do better in the future.
I apologize for the lengthy post. This is my first and I’ll try to do better in the future.