Question for those that might know...

[Selena]

A certain unnamed idiot that shall remain my brother has a habit of "polishing" (for want of a better word) the primer pockets of brass before he reloads. He claims it gives a cleaner more dependable reload. Is this normal procedure or just one of my brother's many many faulty assumptions?

 

[Dan in MI]

Normal step in single stage reloading assuming he is using the little wire brush or similar tool. If he is actually polishing them, that might be atad overboard.


That once was an argument in the single stage versus progressive press reloading fans. with a rpgressive you don't get the chance to clean primer pockets.

 

[loaded round]

Can you say loose primers backing out?

 

[Selena]

It's not so much the pockets as the little hole to the main part of the case. Kind of like using a nipple pick on a caplock. Remember this isn't what I do so I don't know the terms used.

 

[powder smoke]

Cleaning the flash hole is a common practice for some.
Pinking ammo for my 45 and 44 revolvers I do not bother.
Just to darn many besides I never had a problem. My hunting
ammo I'm a bit more particular. ps

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I use to clean primer pockets and flash holes but found if you do too much the primers might not be snug. The most I do now is put the cases in the tumbler after sizing and de-priming and poke the flashhole with a toothpick if debris gets stuck in there. That gets them clean enough and the primers seat well and flash holes are clear.

Some folks like to uniform the primer pockets and flash holes but I have found that un-necessary especially if using all the same headstamp on the brass. :D

 

[Chief 101]

I do this on occasion, not sure it does anything, actually, it has done nothing for me. The imagination and the power of suggestion turns a lot of rumors into truths...

 

[WIL TERRY]

IT does not hurt a darn thing doing so and let us not forget : CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GUNNYNESS.

And so it goes...

 

[Bucks Owin]

Clean primer pockets and uniform flasholes are a GOOD thing... :shock:

Find me a benchrest competitor who doesn't know this! :wink:

Class dismissed... 8)

PS: Having the same headstamp means absolutely nothing in regard to the topic at hand... :roll:

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

Need more info before comment. What's his whole workflow up to the point of priming the cases?

If he's decapped and sized before tumbling, then poking the flash hole makes sense. Some folks tumble twice: once before decapping and sizing and again after. Media can get lodged in the flash hole, unless you use the real fine stuff.

Some folks decap, tumble, then size and let the decapping pin on the sizing die poke out any tumbling media stuck in the flash hole.

Uniforming the flash hole (from the inside of the case) can make sense. I've often seen quite a "hanging chad" of brass from the flash hole not being cleanly punched.

 

[gramps]

I don't tumble, but I do "ream" out the primer pocket to remove carbon deposits that may interfere with seating a new primer. I don't need to do it as much since cleaning with citric acid/dish soap.
gramps

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

The more consistent the brass prep is, the better the final result, all else being attended to in similar fashion. It's pretty hard to argue otherwise. So... someone's brother would be correct if he's doing what it sounds like he's doing, which would be normal practice for a lot of reloaders.

Rick C

 

[OldePhart]

I could see doing that reloading small lots of ammo for an application where great consistency trumps time invested. But, when I'm shooting handgun matches I'm shooting a lot of ammo and not concerned with MOA accuracy (though reliability is still important). I've always tumbled / sized & deprimed / hand primed yada yada. The hand-priming offers a chance to examine the pocket and flash hole as well as great feel for how much effort is required to seat the primer. Anything abnormal when seating the primer I stop and find out why. Most of the time it's just a primer that wasn't sitting perfectly flat on the punch but once in a while I find a pocket that is tight because of carbon or a bur and a quick twist of the pocket reamer fixes that.

John

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Clean primer pockets and uniform flasholes are a GOOD thing... :shock:

Find me a benchrest competitor who doesn't know this! :wink:

Class dismissed... 8)

PS: Having the same headstamp means absolutely nothing in regard to the topic at hand... :roll:

I don't know any benchrest shooters but I have read a lot and I know when it comes to uniformity you are more likely to find it with all the cases from the same manf. You must have skipped class that day. :roll:

 

[Bucks Owin]

Clean primer pockets and uniform flasholes are a GOOD thing... :shock:

Find me a benchrest competitor who doesn't know this! :wink:

Class dismissed... 8)

PS: Having the same headstamp means absolutely nothing in regard to the topic at hand... :roll:

I don't know any benchrest shooters but I have read a lot and I know when it comes to uniformity you are more likely to find it with all the cases from the same manf. You must have skipped class that day. :roll:

Well that was totally uncalled for, but for your enlightenment I will simply say that regardless of headstamp, boxer primers were standardized at 0.175" and 0.210" many many years ago. If you have brass with a different pocket dimension, I'd be interested in seeing it! :shock:

 

[cadillo]

All rifle ammo that I load has the primer pockets cut to uniform depth, the flash holes reamed to uniform ID and the chads removed. In my experience, bullet quality is the number one factor in accuracy followed by case prep, and then powder charge consistency.

Case prep is VERY important!

 

[375supermag]

Hi...

I have always cleaned my primer pockets after re-sizing and de-priming.

I used to use my RCBS case prep center, but lately I have just been washing them in a Dawn dishwashing liquid/citrus juice/boiling water solution.
Seems to clean the primer pockets at least as well as the motorized tool and cleans out the inside of the case at the same time.

I plan to buy a progressive press soon and probably will dispense with cleaning primer pockets at that point...at least for any loads that are done in batches of 500 or more.

I have done small batches of ammunition without cleaning the primer pockets and can discern no difference in accuracy or reliability.

 

[oyeme]

All rifle ammo that I load has the primer pockets cut to uniform depth, the flash holes reamed to uniform ID and the chads removed. In my experience, bullet quality is the number one factor in accuracy followed by case prep, and then powder charge consistency.

Case prep is VERY important!

I agree completely and do the same for all rifle ammo. However, I only shoot 20-30 shots each time I shoot a rifle. I have seen quite a bit or irregular primer holes with the "chads" being quite noticeable (you can feel it when they are cut off internally) when they are removed. However, I now prefer Lapua brass and don't see it in that quality brass but I still do it. I only uniform the primer pockets internally once as after that it is not necessary. Handgun ammo I believe would not benefit as the accuracy is not comparable and therefore nothing would be gained.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

What is out of place is what Bucks Owen and DixieBoy say in some effort to diss me. It happens more often than not anymore. Does anybody else feel I was wrong or didn't know what I was talking about or even rude to anyone?

I use to clean primer pockets and flash holes but found if you do too much the primers might not be snug. The most I do now is put the cases in the tumbler after sizing and de-priming and poke the flashhole with a toothpick if debris gets stuck in there. That gets them clean enough and the primers seat well and flash holes are clear.

Some folks like to uniform the primer pockets and flash holes but I have found that un-necessary especially if using all the same headstamp on the brass. :D

I don't know any benchrest shooters but I have read a lot and I know when it comes to uniformity you are more likely to find it with all the cases from the same manf. You must have skipped class that day. :roll:

 

[Bucks Owin]

For the benefit of he who thinks matching headstamps means uber precision, here's a little taste of how case prep is done by those who shoot 1/2 MOA at a THOUSAND YARDS... :shock:

We'll leave annealing cases for another day.. :wink:

http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/reloading/complete-precision-case-prep/

 

[Selena]

Thank you all, I had thoughts of trying reloading myself, now I'm not so sure. :(

 

[Bucks Owin]

Thank you all, I had thoughts of trying reloading myself, now I'm not so sure. :(

Jump in Selena! Don't let the benchrest stuff scare you off. My son started making perfectly fine reloads at the age of 12... :wink:

 

[wolfsong]

More whining from EGO. Does it ever stop?

In my opinion, reloading is much like many other endeavors. The more attention paid to details, the better the finished product. Reloading for bench rest shooting or plinking or hunting - all can be done with different approaches and still achieve the desired end result. Whipping up some scrambled eggs for a quick breakfast, or making hollandaise sauce to smother a carefully poached egg - both involve breaking some eggs, whipping them, and cooking them. One can be done in scant minutes by virtually anyone, the other takes a considerable amount of time and expertise from a much more experienced person. The end result of both will satisfy your hunger, but one will satisfy your palette in ways the other can't come close to.

It's all about the needs at hand.

Just my opinion, mind you.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Thank you all, I had thoughts of trying reloading myself, now I'm not so sure. :(

Hi,

Socrates said it first: "Know thyself."

This is an endeavor where it's good to have a mentor, and it sounds like there might be a good one available, but remember we're talking about learning to handle stuff that goes "boom" right in front of your face. Are you willing to park the attitudes expressed in the OP in order to learn well? If the answer's an unqualified "yes," carry on. If it's even a wavering "no," there might be better hobbies to consider.

Rick C

 

[OldePhart]

A certain unnamed idiot that shall remain my brother has a habit of "polishing" (for want of a better word) the primer pockets of brass before he reloads. He claims it gives a cleaner more dependable reload. Is this normal procedure or just one of my brother's many many faulty assumptions?

I think you've received a lot of responses from two "camps" in this thread but what may have gotten lost in the noise is that your question can't be answered without more information about the intended purpose for the reloaded ammo.

If I am reloading 9mm for an IDPA match where I might shoot 300 rounds and where the emphasis is on speed and economy of movement with "acceptable" accuracy at short ranges I am not going to be polishing primer pockets or even weighing individual charges. Any time I spent doing that would be much more productive if spent practicing more with "just good" ammo to improve the skills that the sport emphasizes.

On the other hand, if I was loading for a once-in-a-lifetime African hunt (or for bench rest shooting) I'd be cleaning/deburring primer pockets, sorting cases by weight and volume, trickling individual charges onto my digital scale, etc.

 

[Chief 101]

somebody finally hit the nail squarely. Choose your poison first before you decide on the dosage.

 

[Selena]

A certain unnamed idiot that shall remain my brother has a habit of "polishing" (for want of a better word) the primer pockets of brass before he reloads. He claims it gives a cleaner more dependable reload. Is this normal procedure or just one of my brother's many many faulty assumptions?

I think you've received a lot of responses from two "camps" in this thread but what may have gotten lost in the noise is that your question can't be answered without more information about the intended purpose for the reloaded ammo.

If I am reloading 9mm for an IDPA match where I might shoot 300 rounds and where the emphasis is on speed and economy of movement with "acceptable" accuracy at short ranges I am not going to be polishing primer pockets or even weighing individual charges. Any time I spent doing that would be much more productive if spent practicing more with "just good" ammo to improve the skills that the sport emphasizes.

On the other hand, if I was loading for a once-in-a-lifetime African hunt (or for bench rest shooting) I'd be cleaning/deburring primer pockets, sorting cases by weight and volume, trickling individual charges onto my digital scale, etc.

That's just it, he doesn't really load for any specific purpose because there is no way of knowing what the ammunition might be needed for. The cartridges for my Winnie could easily be used on the range or plinking yet there is the chance of a coyote just inside my skill level range. It's probably my fault as I don't really know enough on the subject to be able to ask the question intelligently.

Considering the pressures involved in that little hole I can't see there being enough buildup to effect ignition of the main charge. If I ask my brother and look like a tulala it follows me, you guys already think I am one so it doesn't matter.

 

[Chief 101]

Selena, I for one think your posts, the few that I have read, are some of the most intelligent and thought out....don't change a thing...

 

[OldePhart]

Then I would start reloading, keeping it fairly simple at first. If you find that you are getting accuracy and reliability that are acceptable for the shooting you do then don't (over) complicate things. On the other hand...if you aren't getting ammo that you find acceptable then it might be time to listen to your brother... :)

BTW, buildup in the flash hole can definitely have an impact on ignition, precisely because the hole is so small. If the hole was big, the build up would make less (relative) impact on the size of the hole. Also, for calibers that have relatively large cases filled sparsely even a tiny difference in the way the flash traverses the hole can have a pretty big impact on how evenly the powder ignites...and therefore impact on pressures and velocities.

 

[Selena]

Then I would start reloading, keeping it fairly simple at first. If you find that you are getting accuracy and reliability that are acceptable for the shooting you do then don't (over) complicate things. On the other hand...if you aren't getting ammo that you find acceptable then it might be time to listen to your brother... :)

BTW, buildup in the flash hole can definitely have an impact on ignition, precisely because the hole is so small. If the hole was big, the build up would make less (relative) impact on the size of the hole. Also, for calibers that have relatively large cases filled sparsely even a tiny difference in the way the flash traverses the hole can have a pretty big impact on how evenly the powder ignites...and therefore impact on pressures and velocities.

Just for the record, inside his many areas of expertise it's always time to listen to my brother. Keep in mind that except for one box of 38 Super a year every round I fire has come from his bench. My Winnie and Colt are over a hundred years old, I trust his reloads for them. My Enfield is somewhere between 70 and 80 years old, I trust his skill and judgment. I was just thinking that perhaps it might be wise to develop at least a working knowledge of the process involved. Let's face facts, my brother is going to be 45 soon, that far over the hill is bound to have an effect pretty soon.

As for simple, I've just obtained an ancient RCBS press and a set of dies for 38 special. Combining tears of disappointment with the reminder that the blackberries will be ripe soon and I tend to make too much cobbler a certain merchant dug into his personal hoard and sold me primers and Bullseye powder. My dear hubby has been kind enough to use my uncle's swage and make a good supply of 158 gr semi wad cutter ball for me. (Never mind how I convinced him.) As I type this there is a manual on my desk turned to the page for 38 Spec with the weight of bullseye for that flavor of ball underlined. All I'm missing (so far) is a scale calibrated for grains but there is another auction this Saturday that my contact tells me is such a scale.

Have I forgotten anything?