45acp Primer Pocket Reaming & Uniforming

[JHTexas]

You need a micrometer for that measurement

Yes, I agree

The gauge I have is:
Go .2088
NoGo .2108

If you want to gauge to SAAMI specifications I think you would want:
Go .2083 (.2085 SAAMI)
NoGo .2102 (.210 SAAMI)

It’s easy enough to modify but I think the gauge might be misleading to new reloaders thinking it’s already to SAAMI specifications.

The manufacturer said they made the NoGo larger because most primers still held pressure at this diameter.

 

[jmorris]

The small hole gauge set from Starrett have also been very useful. They really help when inspecting for roundness.

They beat calipers by a good bit, for those that don’t know what they are, you expand them to the bore, then measure them with a micrometer.



Better than calipers by good measure. If I am doing a lot of measuring, I prefer a bore micrometer.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Yes, I agree

The gauge I have is:
Go .2088
NoGo .2108

If you want to gauge to SAAMI specifications I think you would want:
Go .2083 (.2085 SAAMI)
NoGo .2102 (.210 SAAMI)

It’s easy enough to modify but I think the gauge might be misleading to new reloaders thinking it’s already to SAAMI specifications.

The manufacturer said they made the NoGo larger because most primers still held pressure at this diameter.

Think mine is closer to .2086” but reading a micrometer is tougher than I recall.

 

[JHTexas]

Better than calipers by good measure. If I am doing a lot of measuring, I prefer a bore micrometer.

You have some very nice tools to assist you! I always wanted a set of bore micrometers but never ponied up.

Think mine is closer to .2086” but reading a micrometer is tougher than I recall.

That’s closer then mine. I have to wear stronger glasses to read my micrometers these days…

 

[Walkalong]

reading a micrometer is tougher than I recall.

Lol, I fully understand

 

[CQB45ACP]

Just one drawer full of my grandfather’s tools. Two significant problems. First, as you know, many require skill and training to use properly. I have neither.

Second, there are many sizes of things that just aren’t represented and they tend to be very expensive especially when not buying a set.

I have a large selection of various reamers for instance, but the one I need to use is also the one that’s beat up and needs replacing.

 

[JHTexas]

Just one drawer full of my grandfather’s tools. Two significant problems. First, as you know, many require skill and training to use properly. I have neither.

Second, there are many sizes of things that just aren’t represented and they tend to be very expensive especially when not buying a set.

I have a large selection of various reamers for instance, but the one I need to use is also the one that’s beat up and needs replacing.

View attachment 1176542

Very nice to have all of his tools!

 

[CQB45ACP]

Very nice to have all of his tools!

Yes! Unfortunately, in his later years, he also gave a Gerstner box filled with who knows what tools to a “nice boy down the street” whose brother was the paperboy he paid with silver coins.

My dad told me this story and said to watch out for him as he got older.

All of this stuff is in my workshop/reloading room so it’s memory lane.

 

[jmorris]

Two significant problems. First, as you know, many require skill and training to use properly. I have neither.

Second, there are many sizes of things that just aren’t represented and they tend to be very expensive especially when not buying a set.

That’s the beauty of gauge pins, they are just a precision rod, that goes into a hole or not, why I didn’t even talk About the others until they were brought into the conversation. At $3/ea they shouldn’t break the bank.

 

[CQB45ACP]

That’s the beauty of gauge pins, they are just a precision rod, that goes into a hole or not, why I didn’t even talk About the others until they were brought into the conversation. At $3/ea they shouldn’t break the bank.

Yeah always looking for more stuff to buy.

Just ordered a new #4 taper pin reamer to replace papa’s

 

[GW Staar]

CQB45ACP......I wasn't even looking for something to buy......but tonight I just ordered Lee's new APP Pocket Swager Kit.......because I'm curious as hell. Been loading .45 ACP all my adult life and I've never run into Winchester brass that wouldn't normally seat primers! LC 7.62 brass, heavens yes...with their nasty military crimps, but never commercial Winchester....unless I've managed to misunderstand this whole thread.

With the LC brass.....to prevent stoppages on my progressive, I both swage, and just "bump" it with a reamer too.....then never have to even slow down on the progressive. But you're talking about Winchester .45 ACP!.......and reaming it all! I don't put it past 21 century manufacturers to cause that kind of grief....I just have seen it yet......so now what I'm curious about:

Long time ago, I bought a press-mounted swager from RCBS....it worked, but it was also a pain to use.....Then I bought another couple of RCBS tools, a Trim Mate, and a Bench Swager. The bench swager was a green version of Dillon's blue ones and worked exactly the same.....even rounding the pocket edges to make primers start easier. But I still had maybe 95% success and the 5% always caused an annoying stoppage on the progressive merry-go-round......so I added a "military pocket reamer head to the Trim Mate....and using the swager then bumping the swaged hole with the reamer just barely....made the success rate go to 100%.

A few years later came Lee's APP with their swager kit. After a fail from not reading the directions well enough, I found it processed my LC 7.62 brass perfect every time. But Lee must have had a lot of APP users who couldn't read instructions well like me, so they completely redesigned the swager.......and that's what I just ordered.....because I'm curious. No I don't know if it's as good as their first one.....but it's cheap so I bought it.

Now you're asking what's this have to do with the reamer I want. Nothing.....but what if this thing works as good...because if it does then I can process (fix primer pockets) using my electric case collator as fast as they can be fed....and I'm thinking if the brass is getting that iffy in the primer pockets, I might want to have a tool that would erase the problem lickety split.

Anyway, I'll let you know how it works out.....now that I have a good excuse to upgrade my Lee Swager. Can you give me an idea where I might find brass with too tight holes.....new Winchester?

 

[Show Me]

Maybe if I’d just never bought and used that darned gauge

Can’t guarantee nothing is amiss but can guarantee it’s really happening.

But if I had that many to worry about I wouldn’t have a problem either.

So, all this is because a guage is tight. Not because primers are too tight. ?

 

[CQB45ACP]

CQB45ACP......I wasn't even looking for something to buy......but tonight I just ordered Lee's new APP Pocket Swager Kit.......because I'm curious as hell. Been loading .45 ACP all my adult life and I've never run into Winchester brass that wouldn't normally seat primers! LC 7.62 brass, heavens yes...with their nasty military crimps, but never commercial Winchester....unless I've managed to misunderstand this whole thread.

With the LC brass.....to prevent stoppages on my progressive, I both swage, and just "bump" it with a reamer too.....then never have to even slow down on the progressive. But you're talking about Winchester .45 ACP!.......and reaming it all! I don't put it past 21 century manufacturers to cause that kind of grief....I just have seen it yet......so now what I'm curious about:

Long time ago, I bought a press-mounted swager from RCBS....it worked, but it was also a pain to use.....Then I bought another couple of RCBS tools, a Trim Mate, and a Bench Swager. The bench swager was a green version of Dillon's blue ones and worked exactly the same.....even rounding the pocket edges to make primers start easier. But I still had maybe 95% success and the 5% always caused an annoying stoppage on the progressive merry-go-round......so I added a "military pocket reamer head to the Trim Mate....and using the swager then bumping the swaged hole with the reamer just barely....made the success rate go to 100%.

A few years later came Lee's APP with their swager kit. After a fail from not reading the directions well enough, I found it processed my LC 7.62 brass perfect every time. But Lee must have had a lot of APP users who couldn't read instructions well like me, so they completely redesigned the swager.......and that's what I just ordered.....because I'm curious. No I don't know if it's as good as their first one.....but it's cheap so I bought it.

Now you're asking what's this have to do with the reamer I want. Nothing.....but what if this thing works as good...because if it does then I can process (fix primer pockets) using my electric case collator as fast as they can be fed....and I'm thinking if the brass is getting that iffy in the primer pockets, I might want to have a tool that would erase the problem lickety split.

Anyway, I'll let you know how it works out.....now that I have a good excuse to upgrade my Lee Swager. Can you give me an idea where I might find brass with too tight holes.....new Winchester?

That’s funny and quite a quest. I have no room for equipment so I save money that way

Since I keep mine and slightly ream out the pocket, the only place I know to get tight primer pocket Winchester brass is @JHTexas cause he tosses any that are too tight.

BTW, I have found a few others here and there but I’m only loading Winchester for the time being so that’s why it appears prominently.

 

[GW Staar]

I guess I'm lucky to have an 8' bench in an enclosed heated garage under half my house.......but after nearly fifty years, I've managed to fill it up with two singles, the App, and 3 progressives. So being thus out of room, I found a sturdy horizontal metal file cabinet, at a thrift store, to place 3' in front of my bench parallel to it. I made and bolted a wood top on it, and am about to fill "it" up remounting my APP, my bench primer, and my Trim Mate there......so it will become my brass processing area.....and the two file drawers are perfect for other storage of bulk items.....so it was a natural next step quest....and not that expensive or hard.

I feel for you, having to put up with your "quest" that's a royal pain....to not have primers go in....what brand of primers do you mainly use.?

 

[CQB45ACP]

I guess I'm lucky to have an 8' bench in an enclosed heated garage under half my house.......but after nearly fifty years, I've managed to fill it up with two singles, the App, and 3 progressives. So being thus out of room, I found a sturdy horizontal metal file cabinet, at a thrift store, to place 3' in front of my bench parallel to it. I made and bolted a wood top on it, and am about to fill "it" up remounting my APP, my bench primer, and my Trim Mate there......so it will become my brass processing area.....and the two file drawers are perfect for other storage of bulk items.....so it was a natural next step quest....and not that expensive or hard.

I feel for you, having to put up with your "quest" that's a royal pain....to not have primers go in....what brand of primers do you mainly use.?

CCI at present. But it seems to be primarily isolated to a percentage of Winchester cases.

Ironically, I originally bought the gauge because I had a loose primer issue I was trying to address. Those cases you really do have to pitch.

 

[JHTexas]

CQB45ACP......I wasn't even looking for something to buy......but tonight I just ordered Lee's new APP Pocket Swager Kit.......because I'm curious as hell.

Long time ago, I bought a press-mounted swager from RCBS....it worked

I might be able to help you get a better start with the Lee APP Swager Kit.
I also have used the RCBS Swager kit for all of my crimped brass and ordered the Lee APP kit a month ago for a different reason. It was purchased to correct some Starline cases that have a small ledge in the first portion of the primer pocket. When priming, the primer might catch on the ledge and deform the primer.
The Lee kit setup in no time but the results were not what I was expecting. The swaging punches have steps on them and were skiving material and swaging. The steps on the punch produced another ledge in the entry portion of the primer pocket.
Long story short, you will need to sand the steps off of the Swage Punches and keep and eye on the Push Rod. The Push Rod will be applying pressure on the primer pocket floor(not around it like RCBS) and I'm not sure if it will deform there when using the Lee on crimped cases requiring more force. It did leave an impression within the case just doing the light work I did so far.
You can compare the finish of the two punches below and look at the Push Rod geometry differences between the two companies. The Lee small punch on the left has already had some sanding but needs a bit more to completly remove the step.

 

[GW Staar]

Thanks for the heads up! I do already have the original version of the Lee APP swager and don't remember any "steps", so it will be interesting to compare that too.....and the RCBS bench swager swage rods as well.

 

[InTheSwamp]

I find a surprising number of Winchester cases with really tight pockets as shown yet they don’t look crimped.

My experience matches yours.

I’ve been reloading 45acp since the early 90’s and never cleaned or reamed a primer pocket.

I usually do the same.

I’ve loaded thousands of
Winchesters and I’ve never needed to touch the primer pockets.

They're tight, but a little muscle gets it inside the pocket.

 

[JHTexas]

Thanks for the heads up! I do already have the original version of the Lee APP swager and don't remember any "steps", so it will be interesting to compare that too.....and the RCBS bench swager swage rods as well.

I took a look at the instructions for the original one today. It appeared to be a step up from the current version.
Let us know how the new one looks

 

[Show Me]

Need some help here brethren.

I’m looking for an effective large primer pocket reamer. It doesn’t have to be a reloading company product—it can be a machinist’s reamer, for example.

I currently have a reloading company reamer which doesn’t work well. I also have a standalone swager I wish I hadn’t bought.

Attached picture shows:
1) a pocket gauge not fitting,
2) the purpose built pocket reamer fitting completely (and loosely I might add) in a like sized pocket, and
3) a #4 tapered hand reamer which is the approximate size and quality I’d like (but don’t think I want tapered). It’s also old worn out—was my grandfather’s a century ago.

I find a surprising number of Winchester cases with really tight pockets as shown yet they don’t look crimped.

If your answer is just throw offending cases in trash, save your breath I’m not going to do it.

View attachment 1176241

I have read most every comment. Did you get your answer. What did you learn

 

[Soonerpesek]

I have read most every comment. Did you get your answer. What did you learn

Please guide your attention to post #85 ……

 

[Show Me]

Please guide your attention to post #85 ……

Good lord

 

[Soonerpesek]

Good lord

Just pointing you to the post you musta missed……

I have read most every comment

 

[Show Me]

Just pointing you to the post you musta missed……

Yep I missed that one.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Yep I missed that one.

Putting my nose where it’s not wanted…..
……..and being a smartypants….