Do you clean pistol primer pockets?

[Redneck with a 40]

Only on my rifle rounds, every little step helps accuracy.

 

[Slamfire]

Waste of time for pistol.

I clean them for rifle because rounds might be fired in a gas gun and I don't want high primers.

If I only fired them in a bolt rifle, I would not bother.

A shooting bud of mine, a National Long Range Champion, he never cleaned his primer pockets.

 

[MAC USMC]

Avoiding high primers is a WISE move so I inspect all cartridges and clean those that are obviously cruddy. I truly hate malfunctions of any kind when shooting. A little more preparation avoids aggravation.

 

[GW Staar]

If I'm loading Pistol on a progressive, the way God intended, then no. They don't make a progressive with a primer pocket cleaning station!

For rifle, I load only semi progressive...and I don't own a Dillon 1050. So there's an ready opportunity, during case prep, so....might as well.

 

[ScratchnDent]

Yes. I'm in no hurry.

 

[Seedtick]

MarcoPolo - I clean the primer pocket because that is how I was taught to do it. Plus reloading is a form of relaxation for me so the longer I can drag it out the better.

When I load for auto pistol on my Lee Turret or on the Square Deal B, no. When I load single stage for rifles, yes. When I load single stage for my revolvers, yes.

My reason is the same as MarcPolo.

And welcome aboard MP.

ST

 

[dmazur]

...I'm terribly concerned I'll find one which tells me to jump off a bridge.

Here's a link to a design specification which covers that -

http://www.emsd.gov.hk/emsd/e_download/pps/amr/COP-Bungee%20(Final%20Draft)_combined%20PDF%20version.pdf

Reloading manuals seem to be more complete than in the past, including references to specialized aspects of the shooting sports such as Cowboy Action Shooting and gas-operated (military) rifles.

I have yet to find anything in a reloading manual which is dangerous. If anything, the authors seem to be making an effort to explain how to do it as safely as possible.

(I did understand your bridge remark to be humor... )

 

[Jeff H]

I anticipated the "no" vote in the poll would win, but I am surprised how many "yes" votes there are.

I see no benefit in cleaning primer pockets for all of the pistol rounds I reload for, but I don't shoot competition either.

 

[Bula]

I've done it occasion with premium components loads in heavy big bore pistol loads. Not sure it's beneficial in pistol, but that little lee primer pocket cleaner chucked into an 18v cordless, makes small work of big piles of rifle brass.

 

[Hondo 60]

I used to clean primer pockets until I got a progressive press. Kinda defeats the purpose if you stop to clean 'em out.

 

[altitude_19]

I run 'em all through my progressive with the decapping/sizing die being the only one installed. Then I do all the trimming, bevelling, etc. That being the case, I can clean 100 in about 3-5 minutes with the brush chucked into a drill. I pride myself on 100% function rate in my semi-autos so I don't mind the effort.

 

[Threedog]

Yes. Because my Grandfather did and he taught me how.

 

[noylj]

For all those who love Blue, Dillon also considers it a waste of time. Like everything else, if it makes you happy and doesn't hurt any one else, feel free to clean every primer pocket you want. It is your life.
Now, I have NEVER had a high primer from primer ash. With my Dillon 1050s, a high primer means the machine is out of calibration and needs to be adjusted.
Never think that Benchrest shooting case prep has any part in handgun reloading. In benchrest, if they can drop the average group size from 0.301 to 0.275, they have made a significant improvement. Handguns work in the 3-5" at 25 yard area and good reloads (bullet and standard dies) tries to shrink it to less than 2". We are no where near the goals of benchrest shooting and will never see the effect.
That said, the easy way to take care of it, at least it is easy to me, is to deprime all my brass before I clean. I inspect my fired case, deprime, tumble clean, and get ready to pour them into my case feeder. Using 20/40 grit corn, the primer pockets come out almost completely clean. If there is a grain of corn in the flash hole, it will fall into the spent primer container when I resize.
Don't sweat any of the small stuff until you are happy with your reloads using just the techniques required to produce safe and reliable ammunition.

 

[qajaq59]

Back when I could still shoot pistosl I always did. But I'm surprised so many do. I thought I was the only oddball.

 

[Drail]

On pistol brass I will clean them after 10 or more loadings just to ensure I can seat the primer all the way down below flush with the case head. I run a number of competition revolvers with very light springs and if the primers are not fully seated you may get a failure to fire once in awhile because the hammer/pin blow has to finish seating the primer and then bang it off. Murphy follows me to every match. I hate Murphy.

 

[CraigC]

Handguns work in the 3-5" at 25 yard area

I think there is a significant difference in expectations. If a revolver does not shoot better than 2" at 25yds, something is wrong with it. My good ones shoot into 2"@50yds.

 

[Ky Larry]

Call me anal-retentive but I clean every one. It's more entertaining than watching the drivel that comes out of my T.V.

 

[NoAlibi]

Practice ammo - No

Competition & SD/HD - I use a tool to square the primer pockets and this cleans them meticulously at the same time.

 

[wanderinwalker]

I never clean pistol primer pockets, as they are loaded at full-progressive. That's what the progressive is for after all, making lots of ammo fast...

Sometimes I clean rifle pockets, sometimes I don't. Powder charge/type, projectile and primer make more difference IMO than the steps I include or skip on case prep. But then, I don't shoot from a benchrest, I shoot Highpower, and do all of my load workup from the prone position at 200-300 yards. I also load by volume from a powder measure and always strive to find a load in that "sweet spot" where a a variation of a couple tenths or so up and down doesn't impact it.

 

[floydster]

CraigC,
U need to go to Camp Perry.

 

[CraigC]

Those numbers ain't from standing hind-legged.

 

[Tom S.]

Please remember that I've only been reloading since the late 50's, but NO I do not clean pistol primer pockets and have NEVER had a high seated primer.

I reload pistol between 300 and 1000 at a time and have far better things to do with my time than waste it doing a needless task.

 

[GTS Dean]

I have hundreds and hundreds of .44 Mag cases and a single stage press. I'll spend an evening in the garage doing nothing but case prep - decap, bell, clean. I may do 2-300 rounds of this, then grab last time's prepped brass and and brush the pockets and work with the Lee Auto-Prime. Next time, I will load and crimp bullets then start on another round of case cleaning. I always have 2-3 hours worth of work to do at a sitting. I like mass production effort - with accuracy. I just get into a rhythm and roll.

Rifle ammo always gets treated special.

 

[HOWARD J]

I cleaned 90 7.62 x 39 today
I always clean cases b/4 removing the military crimp.

I also had to reclean some of the pockets as the crimp had broken up & was still in the pocket.

 

[Aussie_Ronin]

I'm loading 9mm on a Lee single stage press, when I'm seating the primers and it doesn't feel right I'll stop and clean that primer pocket. If it seats straight away I just move onto the next one.