? Most effective, least time involved primer pocket cleaning?

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Malfader13

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I have been doing reloading for a while but only as an occasional hobby mainly for saving money. I am finaly getting more serious and would like to know the methods and tools others use to clean out their primer pocket. Dose it really help with accuracy? Do you debur the flash hole and dose that also help? What method do you use for this?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
I don't bother with handgun brass.

With rifle, I use the Sinclair tool that I use to mill the primer pocket to depth.

I use an RCBS tool to deburr the flash holes, "coning" the inside, and breaking the 90*edge on the outside.

Accuracy is a process of things working together, not a "trick" here or there, like the gun rags imply...:eek:

Tom
 
swifter said:
Accuracy is a process of things working together, not a "trick" here or there, like the gun rags imply...:eek:

Tom
Click to expand...

Can't agree with you more there, even in my limited experience. I am trying to look at all of the various things I can do that can help my accuracy even if it is in small increments. Thanks for the tips.
 
Primer Pockets

I don't clean primer pockets but when I load a set of cases for the first time, I do use a "Primer Pocket Uniformer" to remove a military crimp if necessary and to make the base of the pocket uniform. Maybe this helps accuracy but I can't really say for sure.

I also in general debur primer pockets. When there are irregularities, you can feel the tool cutting. I recently tried this with some Hornady Premium brass and to my surprise after trying to debur several cases there were no irregularities to debur so I stopped. My conclusion is that Hornady Premium brass is worth the money.

I would inspect primer pockets though. In a run of Remington .222 Remington chrome plated brass I bought awhile back, I found a number of primer pockets with very eccentric holes that would have affected accuracy and discarded them.
 
Eaisest way, just don't bother. This is just one of those hocus pocus handloading myths we run into every so often. It MIGHT matter if you are a benchrest shooter trying to wring the last .010 from a group. But for all pracital porposes it don't matter one bit.
 
krochus said:
Eaisest way, just don't bother. This is just one of those hocus pocus handloading myths we run into every so often. It MIGHT matter if you are a benchrest shooter trying to wring the last .010 from a group. But for all pracital porposes it don't matter one bit.
Click to expand...

I'll give you that and for my hunting it won't be that much of a concern for me seing as how most of my shots at deer have been at less then 100yds and I never needed more then one shot on them. This is for my AR15 benchrest at the range so I am trying to squeeze every last bit of accuracy out of my weapon. I find it entertaining to try to build the perfect round... call me crazy I guess:D Plus I do plan to go varmint hunting in april and want to have some very accurate round at long distances for my AR and my 6mm Rem. But thanks for putting it in perspective :)
 
I always thought the reason for cleaning the crud out of primer pockets was so the primer could be seated to the proper depth.
 
And Jondar...There ya have it...To insure that all primers seat to the same and proper depth. None high and none cockeyed...Now that wasn't hard to figure:D
 
Not only that, but in a rifle with an interitia firing pin like...................an AR15, a high primer might result in a slamfire.
Don't be lazy. Clean the primer pocket.
I use a primer pocket uniformer from Sinclair. I use it in a cordless drill. The first time around it removes metal as it uniforms the primer pocket. In subsequent loadings, it mainly removes the debris but also keeps the primer pocket uniform.
 
I can understand uniforming primer pockets ( to keep them uniform), but what exactly is the problem with cleaning dirty primer pockets easily?

After I resize a batch of brass (unlubed pistol or lubed rifle brass) it goes into the tumbler with some super-fine cob for about an hour. The cob is ground fine enough to go through the flash holes and only rarely hang up (in flash holes, not primer pockets). This makes the sides of the primer pocket gleam better than new, and the area surrounding the flash hole is clean (just not as polished as the sides of the pocket).

While that's happening, I am batching other brass, basically, no time wasted and no fuss/muss. I guess I don't see the "issue"...
 
I clean each and every primer pocket I load, and we're talking many thousands of rounds per year. The primer residue is abrasive and if you look at it under a microscope, it will look like particles of glass. I choose to remove as much abrasive material as possible before loading each case. I also believe that clean primer pockets enable me to seat primers properly, and the fact that I don't have any misfires bears that out.

As far as I'm concerned, cleaning primer pockets is just part of the case prep, and I've devised my own ways to do it very rapidly. I currently load 26 different calibers and I wouldn't consider seating a primer in a dirty primer pocket in any of them, but then that's just me.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
My M1, M1 Carbine and XM16E1 all have floating firing pins. Even when primers are seated under the head, it still get a slight dent if I extract an unfired case.

I'm sure that *somewhere* there are Garands, Carbines and AR's slam firing left and right.... but the primers would have to be pretty far out.

I seat my primers flush and don't worry about slam fires.

I also load my 30 rd AR mags to a full 30 rounds :what:

I guess I am just living on the edge :rolleyes:
 
I wonder why Springfield Armory includes a four page article reprinted from The American Rifleman magazine about slam fires in the box with their M1As and M1s ?
I wonder why noted authors such as Glen Zediker think that slam fires are something to be concerned about ? http://www.zediker.com/downloads/14_loading.pdf ?

Must be some kind of fad. :rolleyes:
 
i have never cleaned the first primer pocket in handgun brass.
after it go's thru the tumbler, its good enough for me.
dont waste your time with thoughts of cleaning primer
pockets.
 
If I buy pistol brass sight unseen, I deprime a few to see if they are clean enough to run through my 550 without problems.
If they're horrible, I've been known to mass deprime them all, chuck a primer pocket brush in a drill, and give 'em all a few seconds with the rotating wire brush.
Then, after a quick inspection, it takes a pass through the tumbler, then the 550 (Making sure to check for tumbler media in the flash holes.)
I went through a 5 gallon pail of 9mm brass in two weeks in my spare time. (No, I don't have THAT much spare time.)
 
I've very rarely cleaned primer holes in 60 plus years of reloading about 20 different rifle and pistol cases, never had a missfire or failure to seat. When I was loading for target shooting I ran some careful shooting tests, and could determine no difference. (My 60-year old reaming tool is still in new condition!)

That said, they do need inspection! I've run across noticibly oversize and eccentric flash holes, and discard them.

Most military rifle cases utilize very slightly shorter primers than the normal LR primers and are crimped in. I use a RCBS swaging nipple in my press to swage out the crimp, but it can also be reamed out...more trouble.

You can buy the short primers, which are intended primarily for semi and full automatic weapons...CCI #34.
 
I do clean my handgun brass. I use a really cheap Lee Primer Pocket Cleaner (<$2). It is fast and works well. The RCBS brushes are also good but are more expensive. I use them too for the more stubborn stuff.

It may not be completely necessary but I like my brass clean, and it doesn't take much to do it. It also ensures that my primers seat properly.

I don't reload thousands of rounds per month or I might think a little differently.
 
ok Bushmaster, we are waiting for the drawing / instructions on how
to build the free one in 5 mins.:)
 
L O L...O K Bevis...I've been tellin' people on here for a year now about this fine tool made from an old and probably broken choke or throttle cable from a lawn mower or tractor or from anything that uses a pull cable. Cut the cable wire just ahead of the guide (thick) part of the cable about one inch or less as you may prefer...It will not reform or change the size of the pocket or flash hole, but if all you want to do is clean the crud out of the pocket and remove any media from the flash hole this will do a fast and efficiant job...And there you have it Mr. Bevis...:D You can make one faster then you can read this post...Just takes a pair of diaginal cutters.
 
444 said:
I wonder why Springfield Armory includes a four page article reprinted from The American Rifleman magazine about slam fires in the box with their M1As and M1s ?
I wonder why noted authors such as Glen Zediker think that slam fires are something to be concerned about ? http://www.zediker.com/downloads/14_loading.pdf ?

Must be some kind of fad. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I'm sure it does happen, with poorly made ammo or poorly maintained guns. There are plenty of myths... Fulton Armory jumps up and down and swears that you should not reload for any gas gun... we simply folk just can't git it right.

Then there is the 30 round M16 'myth'.

Then there is the 'Don't drop a loaded 1911 on the muzzel or it WILL go off (floating firing pin) myth'.

Floating firing pins have graduated to the mystical level of *IT WILL HAPPEN NO MATTER WHAT* status... cause some people believe it will.
 
thanks bushmaster


ok yellowlab, i get it all except this one.


Then there is the 30 round M16 'myth'
 
444 said:
I wonder why Springfield Armory includes a four page article reprinted from The American Rifleman magazine about slam fires in the box with their M1As and M1s ?
I wonder why noted authors such as Glen Zediker think that slam fires are something to be concerned about ? http://www.zediker.com/downloads/14_loading.pdf ?

Must be some kind of fad. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

God forbid a lawyer go hungry, but everybody's got one these days. I've seen many many doubles, but never seen a slamfire (magazine blown out, stock shattered). It's become the obligatory caution when talking about reloading for gasguns. Slamfire is possible, but unlikely, especially if you understand the concern and take reasonable steps to mitigate the risk (low to begin with).

I clean every primer pocket for gas guns. I have a small wire brush and a cordless drill. I also uniform the pockets as well so that the primers end up with 0.010" below flush when seated. I never clean pockets for anything else (bolt actions, pistols, etc). I look for big gains in accuracy (buying a good bullet) and forget the small ones unless they cost me little or no addition time and expense.
 
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