I"m a convert ! (pistol primer pocket cleaning)

[bbqreloader]

It's probably a good idea to clean all primer pockets but with how much I shoot I don't think I would have time to clean the pockets and load too. It's bad enough I find it hard to find the time to load .223 and 30-06 ammo in bulk for the AR-15 and my Garand.

Hell, I'm just jealous you have a Garand

 

[macgrumpy]

It's probably a good idea to clean all primer pockets but with how much I shoot I don't think I would have time to clean the pockets and load too. It's bad enough I find it hard to find the time to load .223 and 30-06 ammo in bulk for the AR-15 and my Garand.

You really do have a reason to clean primer pockets, you may not realize it but anybody that reloads for a Garand or an M1A absolutely needs to clean their primer pockets to help reduce the chances of a slamfire.

When the primer pockets fill with fouling the primer will not seat to it's proper depth, it will sit higher than it should. The Garand and the M1A use free-floating firing pins, when the bolt goes in to battery the safety bridge is the only thing that prevents the firing pin from impacting the primer with enough force to ignite it (it slows the bolt down and reduces the momentum of the firing pin). Chamber a fresh round and then eject it without firing it, most Garands and M1As will produce a slight impact on the primer just from chambering the round, it's no big deal as long as everything is in good condition because the firing pin doesn't hit with enough force to ignite the primer until you release the hammer. But as the rifle ages and the metal wears the dimensions and features of the safety bridge can wear enough that the firing pin can move forward with greater force than is safe and if the primer isn't seated deep enough it becomes easier for a slamfire occur. These rifles require that the primer face be around .007" below the surface of the case head for best operating conditions.

A lot of people think that slamfires aren't dangerous but that's because most people don't know what a real slamfire is and they think that the cartridge will just go off unexpectedly while it's in the chamber. While that can happen with a slamfire it's also possible for a cartridge to ignite before the bolt has gone in to full battery and then the case will rupture and shrapnel and hot gasses (and possibly rifle parts) will eject from the rifle within a couple of inches of the shooter's eye. Here's an example of an out-of-battery detonation, it could have been from a slamfire or it could have been due to other reasons but in either case it's still an out-of-battery detonation and it gives you an idea of what it could be like (and the lady is firing a Garand)

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Hell, I'm just jealous you have a Garand

I actually had 2 but foolishly sold one years ago. I wish I had not done that!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

You really do have a reason to clean primer pockets, you may not realize it but anybody that reloads for a Garand or an M1A absolutely needs to clean their primer pockets to help reduce the chances of a slamfire.

When the primer pockets fill with fouling the primer will not seat to it's proper depth, it will sit higher than it should. The Garand and the M1A use free-floating firing pins, when the bolt goes in to battery the safety bridge is the only thing that prevents the firing pin from impacting the primer with enough force to ignite it (it slows the bolt down and reduces the momentum of the firing pin). Chamber a fresh round and then eject it without firing it, most Garands and M1As will produce a slight impact on the primer just from chambering the round, it's no big deal as long as everything is in good condition because the firing pin doesn't hit with enough force to ignite the primer until you release the hammer. But as the rifle ages and the metal wears the dimensions and features of the safety bridge can wear enough that the firing pin can move forward with greater force than is safe and if the primer isn't seated deep enough it becomes easier for a slamfire occur. These rifles require that the primer face be around .007" below the surface of the case head for best operating conditions.

A lot of people think that slamfires aren't dangerous but that's because most people don't know what a real slamfire is and they think that the cartridge will just go off unexpectedly while it's in the chamber. While that can happen with a slamfire it's also possible for a cartridge to ignite before the bolt has gone in to full battery and then the case will rupture and shrapnel and hot gasses (and possibly rifle parts) will eject from the rifle within a couple of inches of the shooter's eye. Here's an example of an out-of-battery detonation, it could have been from a slamfire or it could have been due to other reasons but in either case it's still an out-of-battery detonation and it gives you an idea of what it could be like (and the lady is firing a Garand)

I always clean the primer pockets on rifle cases. I was talking about not cleaning pockets on handgun brass because of the volume I shoot. This thread was about handgun brass. I only mentioned the .223 & 30-06 brass to illustrate the handgun brass would be a burden in addition to the bulk of rifle cases I'm already processing.

Oh, and I know very well what a slamfire is and the dangers.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Garands? Did someone mention Garands??

I once had 8 of them, but I'm down to 5 right now. One has a star gauged barrel and is pristine. It's the one I bought from the Sheriff's Office auction when I had my FFL, and it turned out to be the best of the bunch. I thought I paid too much for it at the time ($385.00), but it turned out to be a good one. The others are CMP rifles, and all in pretty good shape. The only maker I don't have is an H&R. Maybe someday I'll run across a good one for the right price...

I clean all my primer pockets, for all my calibers. No sense in tempting fate with primers that won't seat all the way.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[macgrumpy]

I always clean the primer pockets on rifle cases. I was talking about not cleaning pockets on handgun brass because of the volume I shoot. This thread was about handgun brass. I only mentioned the .223 & 30-06 brass to illustrate the handgun brass would be a burden in addition to the bulk of rifle cases I'm already processing.

Oh, and I know very well what a slamfire is and the dangers.

I apologize if I offended you but I was just concerned that people might not realize how important it is to clean the primer pockets of brass used in specific rifles, some being more sensitive to this issue than others. I've used this style of rifle since 1975 so I'm sort of sensitive to comments that might be harmful to other shooters.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I apologize if I offended you but I was just concerned that people might not realize how important it is to clean the primer pockets of brass used in specific rifles, some being more sensitive to this issue than others. I've used this style of rifle since 1975 so I'm sort of sensitive to comments that might be harmful to other shooters.

No offense taken at all.

 

[someguy2800]

I do it on precision rifle type of stuff but I stopped bothering on everything else.

 

[RussellC]

I haven't had to clean a primer pocket since I switch to rotary wet tumbling with ss pins. I was, frankly, surprised that those pins could clean out the primer pockets so well but they do.

Same here. Wet tumbling with steel pins changed everything! Including primer pockets, they come out clean as a whistle.

Russellc

 

[Varminterror]

My ultrasonic cleans pockets well also, but I do brush any and all which don't come out clean, whether using the ultrasonic or the thumler with SS pins.

 

[GW Staar]

For me it's a side perk of making safe eye candy. (Wet tumbling with s.s. pins) The older your eyes, the more important is safe eye candy......certainly as opposed to unsafe eye candy.....pretty girls.

Can you believe it....a picture of all that bling and only 2 shiny primer cavities are visible! Ha, its a test.....can you find all two of them?

Everyone should know that bling is more accurate than just clean. When I feel good about my loads I shoot better.

 

[loneviking]

I clean the primer pockets as some of those cases get a lot of junk in them and the primers won't seat right. I also examine the flash hole and ream it out to a circle. Some flash holes are triangles, half circles, ragged cracks and that affects how well a cartridge performs. It probably isn't critical for handgun rounds, but I still prefer to do it.