Does the primer pocket need to be shiny clean?

[Dudedog]

AH, free brass...the best kind!

 

[ATLDave]

No. You don't even have to "knock out the crud," unless it is preventing you from seating the primer slightly below flush. I tumble before I deprime, and deprime/resize on a Lee turret press. The brass goes in the shell holder with the old primer in it and does not come out of the shell holder until it is complete ammo. The depriming pin goes through the flash hole, so that gets cleared out... and that's the only part that needs to be clear.

 

[JonB]

Before I seat a new primer I look at the pocket just to make sure nothing is in there. Also, if my 6yr old is helping, he cleans the primer pockets as his 'job' - usually lasts 15 or 20 minutes and he is off to do something else. So I use it to keep him busy when he wants to help me. The other thing he likes to do is fill stripper clips with .223. I never use them, but again it keeps him busy.

 

[jaguarxk120]

Deprime all the brass, tumble with stainless steel pins. Brass come's out looking like factory new. Primer pockets are clean, and resizing is easier because the brass is like new.

 

[Rule3]

Thanks folks. No more five hour sessions with the primer pocket. It has never been an issue with my pistol rounds, but the AR seems to eat ammo more quickly. When I com home from a range session with the handguns, I bring back a couple of hundred cases. With the AR, I come home with 600/700.

( but then, I hang around and pick up everybody's empties - it still amazes me that people just walk away and leave all that brass laying there. I haven't bought brass for years).

You did and need to remove the crimp but other than that what everyone else said.

If you pick up "new" brass you will need to check for the crimp. I mark my brass and also have a catcher on my AR. Some folks leave rifle brass that is past it;s useful life and I do not want it mixed in with "my" brass.