Flash Hole Tool?

[myhandle87]

Has anyone found a way to make a good flash hole cleaner?

I'm just curious to see if I can make it easily out of something that I already have at home at opposed to going out and buying something.

 

[rcmodel]

Flash Hole cleaner?
Or Primer Pocket Cleaner?


If you are talking Primer Pockets, you can just use a small screwdriver blade that fits.

If you are talking flash holes, it isn't necessary to clean them anyway.

rcmodel

 

[myhandle87]

I meant primer pocket, but why is there no need to clean out the flash hole?

Sorry, I'm just getting in to reloading and I figure it's best to ask actual people than consult a book for every detail.

 

[rcmodel]

The flash hole gets cleaned out by the jet of white-hot high pressure gas from the primer going off.

The pocket itself ends up catching the residue from the primer compound that doesn't get squirted out through the flash hole.

Some really anal target shooters do de-bur the flash-hole inside the case from when the hole was punched by using a flash hole deburring tool.
But for the rest of us, it really isn't necessary.

rcmodel

 

[Walkalong]

Some really anal target shooters

Yep. but only for Benchrest, nothing else.

 

[ReloaderFred]

I make my primer pocket cleaning brushes from that plastic covered cable you get at the hardware store. I just cut it about an inch long with the cutoff wheel in my Dremel tool, and skin back about 1/4" of the plastic sheath and then dress the end on a grinding wheel. I use the 1/8" cable for small primer pockets and the 3/16" for large ones.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[winchester243]

Some really anal target shooters do de-bur the flash-hole inside the case from when the hole was punched by using a flash hole deburring tool.

Ummm, some of us really anal non-target shooters do as well, at least the first time. lol

 

[Envisaged]

Hate to admit to this but the terminals from my ohm/voltage meter cleans out corn cob media from the flash hole really well(.308). And perfectly sized.

 

[Oddbod]

I use a flash hole deburring/uniforming tool on all my new brass, as there ARE inconsistencies involved.
I don't know whether this makes a difference or not but it can't hurt & only takes a second or two.

 

[fguffey]

Myhandle87, I use a RCBS case prep center, pick up a case, flip it over and all of the case task are done, deburr,champher, brush the neck, remove military crimp and uniform the primer pocket depth. I clean the primer pocket with a small brush, I also have a flash hole too, it is not used for cleaning or burring.

F. Guffey

 

[NorCalRanches]

I've never seen a need to 'debur' the flash hole. I always look in it once and a while, particularly with any new or new to me brass. If it looks like a hole, your good.

Now I have one large exception to this, and devised a great tool/solution for it. I picked up a bunch of once fired FC .223 brass from a LEO friend. Looking in the flash hole on every case I could see a noticeable 'burr'... basically the hole wasn't round or very clear. If you used you imagination you could see that maybe it could be a problem, and since we all want the best from our loads I wanted to do something about it. Of course it was 11pm by this time, and I live 50 miles from a town. So out to the shop we went and came back with a large tip cleaner for an oxy/acteylene cutting torch. Those little widgets are designed to clean out small holes just like a flash hole. Works like a charm.

Any welding supply house would have one, although most of them are smaller than most flash holes. I use one that came with a set of large cutting torches we have, just ask for a large one. The set I have has 20 or so round files on it, from smaller than a .223 to the largest one being just oversize for a large rifle (338) flash hole.

 

[The Bushmaster]

If it's the flash hole you are talking about and not the primer pocket. Just get a throttle pull cable or choke pull cable and cut the wire just 1" beyond the throttle/choke guide. And Whaa-Laa. Flash hole cleaner...It can also double as a primer pocket cleaner. I use it for both. If this has confused you. Just PM me your e-mail address and I'll send you a photo of mine...

By the way...You can usually get these at your local lawn mower repair or small engine shop for free.

 

[D. Manley]

I've taken to resizing all range pickups through EGW U-Dies, cleaning the pockets with an RCBS brush chucked in a slow speed drill and running the sized, de-primed cases through the tumbler before sorting and storing. Using the right media and carefully controlling how much additive is used, almost none remains in the flash holes but I check them anyway.

I'm almost embarassed to reveal what I use for a final poke. I took a couple of large nails (1 for small primers & 1 for large), smacked the ends flat, ground a little square, spire point for the flash hole and and squared the corners for the bottom of the pocket itself to catch anything missed. Sadly simple but works like a charm: