Primer pocket (rifle)Uniforming, yes or no?

[SSN Vet]

I was reading a Chuch Hawkes article in which he reported on some testing they did with and without flash hole deburring. They concluded it was one of the single most significant improvements for accuracy.

 

[Walkalong]

Chuck is off base IMO.

Good barrels and good bullets, then a good action, then a good shooter, and then in micro measurements, everything else.

 

[Rule3]

If you are lazy, you said no.

If you want best accuracy from your rifle, then uniform primer pockets, deburr flash hole, trim, chamfer, and segregate matched headstamp brass by weight. The further away you shoot, the closer in weight a batch of brass should be.

The brass case is the component with the most variation from hull to hull.

All my rifle brass gets this done. Handgun? No. I usually shoot handgun close up, rifle, far away.

Yes, I would agree with doing everything possible if I was a bench rest shooter or really into competitive matches. It certainly can not hurt, But as Joe Walsh would sing, Just an ordinary average guy.

 

[GW Staar]

Where they could watch the wind flags while dosing off.

....and the thermometer, and barametric pressure....or the clock....and how long its been since they had a caffeinated drink. But geeze, that last one is for real.....I can't shoot clays or trap worth beans if I've had one within 2 hours of the match.......ah but we digress (that one needs a new thread....on the other hand, caffeine abstention certainly comes before primer uniforming)!

 

[Steve in PA]

I uniform the primer pockets on my hunting ammo as well as ammo that I use for precision shooting. For general plinking loads, nope.

 

[Fatelvis]

If you are lazy, you said no.

If you want best accuracy from your rifle, then uniform primer pockets, deburr flash hole, trim, chamfer, and segregate matched headstamp brass by weight. The further away you shoot, the closer in weight a batch of brass should be.

I am lazy... but not in reloading... only cutting grass, taking out garbage, painting the deck, etc.!
I stopped cleaning and uniforming years ago (I've been reloading 31 yrs) and competing for over 18 yrs. Personally, I saw no difference in accuracy (even at the 600 line), and never had a primer induced misfire, hangfire, or slamfire. To me, it is unnecessary for a Highpower/Service Rifle competitor. I strive for MANY "great quality" loaded cartridges, opposed to a few "perfect quality" cartridges. I load many, many rounds per year, and time at the loading bench is held to the absolutes. I doubt if any "non-benchrest member here could tell the difference in accuracy between a cleaned/uniformed load, and one that wasn't, side by side at 600 yds.
To me, my time practicing NPA, position, reading wind, sling use, trigger control, breathing, etc., is MUCH more important.

 

[thump_rrr]

I'm a little OCD when it comes to reloading but I only uniform the primer pockets on brass used in my precision rifles.
For an AR where I may load 1,000 rounds in a day and maybe pick back up 500 of the 1000 pieces or will end up picking up other people's brass never.
I'm waiting on a couple of new AR's in the next few weeks and for one of them
I may just try doing everything right to see if it can shoot any better.

 

[Fatelvis]

Chuck is off base IMO.

Good barrels and good bullets, then a good action, then a good shooter, and then in micro measurements, everything else.

I think Walkalong hit the nail on the head! Except I have to switch action/shooter, and add a crisp trigger between shooter and action!

 

[Trent]

I didn't both reading everything in this thread, just wanted to share my experiences on primer pocket uniforming.

I did controlled tests several years ago comparing different brass prep "theories" with one another.

Same bullet, same powder, measured chronograph differences in standard deviation of velocity based on different case prep "strategies".

Primer pocket uniforming / flash hole deburring (either singly or in combination) had the LEAST amount of impact on velocity spread over all of the uniforming I tried. (In fact, the two combined showed absolutely no improvement over the control group).

Sorting by case weight, wall thickness, internal volume sorting showed a marginal improvement on velocity spread.

Meplat uniforming didn't make any improvements, and in fact, hurt accuracy substantially with the load I was shooting, compared to control groups.

Outside neck turning and careful calibration of neck tension with bushing dies had the MOST profound impact on velocity spread. The results also scaled directly with neck tension; .004" of tension showed more inconsistency in velocity than .003", which showed more inconsistency than .002", which showed more inconsistency than .0015" neck tension (lowest I went).

(neck tension = measured inside diameter of case neck after all case prep operations complete, compared to measured bullet diameter.)

When I'm loading for accuracy testing of component changes, nowadays I'll only do the neck turn / bushing size case prep operations to get a uniform seating tension, and skip the rest of the stuff.

After it's been fired, generally I'll run it through the primer pocket uniform step just to clean out the crud and make it nice and pretty again.

 

[lightman]

I uniform the primer pocket and deburr the flash hole. I can't tell any improvement in accuracy, but I also have not seen any harm from this practice. What I do see is easier and more consistent seating of the primer. It also makes me feel like I have done everything that I can do to improve accuracy. Lightman

 

[carbine85]

I'm a little to the party but I say yes to uniforming the pockets. I only do it the first time around. I know the primer feeding feels better and they all seat the same. It's just another small step of many to help improve accuracy.

 

[Mel1776]

Um, I clean rifle primer pockets, but I don't uniform them. I'm sure that I could find the tool that I have if I really needed to find it, but I haven't used it in years.

 

[essayons21]

I uniform my precision rifle rounds most of the time. If I ever started taking competition seriously I would all of the time.

I generally only deburr the flash hole once. After uniforming the primer pocket, you will find that on subsequent loadings the uniforming tool only takes off carbon and not brass... unless you go too crazy with it.

I do uniform some .38/.357 casings if I am loading for accuracy. But for most handgun ammo and general purpose rifle ammo I don't uniform.

I did notice slightly improved accuracy when I began uniforming precision rifle rounds. That may have been just as attributable to the further refining of the nut behind the trigger.

 

[dmazur]

I uniform primer pockets (once) in brass which is reloaded for a Garand. I believe it makes it easier to achieve the "below flush" seating, for every case.

But I haven't done it yet for any other rifle, or for pistol.

 

[rsnell]

I always uniform the primer pockets and deburr the flash holes on all new rifle brass. After that I clean the primer pockets before seating new primers.

 

[idoono]

If theory got out with benchrest shooters that abstaining from conjugal visitation with their wives for two weeks before a match they would build a separate bedroom near their bench....

Just remember whar Redd Foxx used to say "You show me a husband who don't, I'll show you a neighbor who will."

In answer to the OP, Yes.

Idoono