Uniforming Primer Pockets

[R112mercer]

I shoot revolvers quite a bit and high primers frequently cause me grief. I have a large and small primer pocket uniformer that I usually put in the chuck of a high speed drill and hold the drill in one hand and the case in the other. It cleans the heck out of the pocket and gets the primers to seat nice and deep, but man is it a lot of work to do 5,000 cases!

Besides the obvious "switch to an auto" or "feel every primer for depth" has anybody thought of an easier or faster way to do this? I realize there probably isn't any easier way, matter-of-fact I'll bet I'm probably the only guy who does this, but if you don't ask you don't get an answer... Thanks in advance.

[AzShooter]

Depending on the equipment you are using for loading, high primers can be a bear to get at. I recently had problems after switching to a Dillon 650 from my old 550. I had a few high primers but learned to feel them seat properly and the problem went away.

I clean out the primer pockets on all my rifle cases but haven't done pistol cases at all. What caliber are you using and what brass?

If it's military brass you really need to get rid of the old crimp on the primer pocket before you can reliably reseat a new primer.

Hope this helps.

[pmd]

I use a Gracey Primer Pocket Reamer/Uniformer for my long range rifle shooting.

Not sure if they have a set up for pistols cartridges.

Here's a link to their site

http://www.matchprep.com/reamer.htm

Goodluck.

Paul

[Flexmoney]

I wonder if you could rig something up in a drill press. Put the cutter in the drill chuck, then have a dowel rod, or brush, to put the brass down over. You still would have to hold onto the brass, but it might be easier?

[wide45]

Switch to the 1050. No amount of crud will prevent the primers from fully seating.

Think of all the extra work you won't be doing. It will be money well spent.

[LPatterson]

I shoot revolvers quite a bit and high primers frequently cause me grief. I have a large and small primer pocket uniformer that I usually put in the chuck of a high speed drill and hold the drill in one hand and the case in the other. It cleans the heck out of the pocket and gets the primers to seat nice and deep, but man is it a lot of work to do 5,000 cases!

Besides the obvious "switch to an auto" or "feel every primer for depth" has anybody thought of an easier or faster way to do this? I realize there probably isn't any easier way, matter-of-fact I'll bet I'm probably the only guy who does this, but if you don't ask you don't get an answer... Thanks in advance.

Based on 150-200,000 reloads without cleaning a primer pocket, I think you should start looking at your priming method. This starts with sorting cases by manufacturer and getting rid of all non commercial brass, including S&B and various military arsenal brass. Take a particular brand of brass and make sure you seat each & every primer exactly the same. You didn't say anything about the type of reloader but the following applies to most types, make sure the priming stoke (up or down) is done the same every time. Star brass seems the most uniform for primer pockets, followed for me by Federal. I have more problems trying to get Winchester primers in Winchester brass followed closely by Remington brass.

A big share of revolver shooters seem to use Federal primers because they ignite easier.

[dajarrel]

A big share of revolver shooters seem to use Federal primers because they ignite easier.

Not only do they ignite easier, but they seem to seat easier as well. This is just my opinion and it comes from one who has lit off a whole tube of primers in his 650

FWIW

dj

[R112mercer]

Sorry for the lack of info in my original post. I use an XL650, Federal primers, and I use Remington (any Remington or RP headstamp) for .38 Special and Federal for .45 ACP. I do use Starline .38 Short Colt brass for my eight shot steel gun, but the brass is new and the pockets seem real square and deep. I've noticed when I uniform the Federal .45 brass I cut quite a bit out of the pocket, it seems the pocket is somewhat bell shaped as well as crudded up.

Thanks for all the great info. A 1050, however attractive, isn't in my budget at this time, so I'm stuck using what I've got.

Flex, I tried the drill press, the speed isn't quite as high as I would have liked (compared to the drill) and having to line the pocket up vertically onto the uniformer was harder (and thus more time consuming) than either holding the drill and brass in different hands or placing the drill in a table top vise facing sideways so I could face towards the drill/uniformer.

[BigSlick]

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Edited December 27, 2005 by BigSlick

[standles]

Here is what I use for rifle brass ( don't worry about the pistol) but it will do both.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/...leitemid=309537

You can mount pocket ramers in it as well.

Edited November 4, 2005 by standles

[John Dunn]

Friends don't let friends ream 5,000 pistol primer pockets. You must stop the insanity.

[eric nielsen]

If you can get your hands on a used Dillon Square Deal you can PM me for a method of seating the c**p out of each & every primer. It's a leverage thing.

Till then, as posted already, sort by headstamp. Better if all the cases are first shot out of the same model gun [read: police dept once-fired] because the expansion of the case heads will be uniform - same gun, same load. Nickel brass primes a little easier - usually.

Also I get good results from tumbling at least an hour [more than 1hr if you like] and then sizing/depriming, then throwing the deprimed brass back in the tumber for 6 hrs or more. The black ring of crud in my tumbler after this step tells me I'm getting lead out of the primer pockets, so does the appearance of the pockets themselves. Makes loading easy too, but yes it's an extra step. Easier still if you spray Hornady One-Shot into the pockets.

From time to time I pour some Odorless Mineral Spirits into the tumbler. Just enough to keep the corn cob from having static cling. Darkens the media but it's not wet. That helps clean the pockets out quite a bit.

[R112mercer]

Eric;

Thanks for the info. My brass comes from other PPC shooters, so it's usually once fired (i.e. Dept. supplied) brass. I like the idea of depriming and than tumbling, that may clean the pocket up enough to help. I have a Dillon universal decapping die in a spare toolhead for my 650 that I use. You can decap tons of brass in a short time. Probably wouldn't be much more work to remove the Siza/Decap die and screw it into a spare toolhead.

Thanks to everyone for the info.

[Danhits]

For rifle brass I use a primer pocket uniformer tool chucked in a drill motor held in vice on workbench. Follow up with flash hole deburring tool in drill motor after. Both tools available from Sinclair International. Works well. i am sure there are similar tools for pistol brass. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[straightshooter1]

Perhaps you should look at the RCBS Case Trim Mate. It lets you uniform small or large primer pockets and has places to bevel case mouths, debur flash holes, remove military crimps, etc. I use mine only for rifles, but it is fast and pain-free. It also is less than a hundred bucks.

Bob