Zendude
Member
The primer has to be seated to the bottom of the primer pocket to work correctly. This is covered in every reloading manual.
Think about it like this, say you want to hammer a piece of metal thinner. Try doing it it two ways, one by holding it up in the air, and one where it is laying on an anvil. Which one will work better?
You have to crush the primer compound between the cup and the anvil (No, not the big one in your shop, the little three legged anvil in the primer cup.)
If the primer is fully seated you do not waste any energy by the primer moving deeper in the primer pocket. All the energy goes to crushing the primer compound quickly. It has to be a sharp blow, not a cushioned one. If the primer is moving in the pocket, it is cushioning the blow. This is also one reason some folks like to clean all primer pockets.
Seat it to the bottom of the primer pocket, and seat it very firmly. Error on the side of seating them hard.
That makes good sense. I appreciate all the info. My initial assumptions were all out of wack. That's why I love these forums.