Reamed Primer Pockets In .40 S&w Brass

[David Sinko]

Recently I found a bunch of .40 S&W brass at the range that had the primer pockets reamed. I think it had been reloaded by some commercial outfit. I have never seen this cartridge with crimped primer pockets so why would anybody want or need to ream them?

Dave Sinko

[dillon]

Some lots of 40 S&W ammo sold to LE customers has come with crimped primer pockets

[Crusher]

1050's have a primer pocket swage rod, some remove it some don't.

I have run across .40 cal that has the primers crimped from the factory 1050's rule

[Carlos]

I think it had been reloaded by some commercial outfit.

You are most likely right about having been to a commercial reloader. Such a sign also tells you that the brass could have been fired in a chamber anywhere from 2 to 50 times. I helped out at a public indoor range until recently (when the range burned down) and we traded our brass back to the commercial reloader for a credit on reloads. The brass thus "stays in the system" until it cracks or separates.

NO telling how many reloads are on that brass.

If you see a cut primer pocket on range brass, I would NOT try to load it to major in either 9mm or .40.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Carlos

[EricW]

Another reason to buy a 1050 and be done with it. My 40 priming issues have virtually disappeared since I dropped the dime. I couldn't imagine loading high-volume anything on anything besides a 1050.

[SLM]

What head stamp? I use a Hornady hand cutter on some brass, mainly S&B just to make it easier to prime. There is almost no chamfer on it. Could it be that somebody just cut/swaged it to make it easier to prime? Yea, it still probably is reloaded but I'm just thinking on why it may have been swaged/cut.

[David Sinko]

I didn't realize the 1050 does this to brass. It had been done to various headstamps without rhyme or reason. Now that I think about it, I have found some .38 Special that has also been given the same treatment. I never had a tough time seating a primer into any .40 S&W brass but sometimes the S&B .38 Special is very problematic so I just throw that out.

At the moment I load only .40 Minor so I have not run into any real problems with the range scrap. Sometimes I get a piece of brass that has been worked so much that my U Die will actually swage it instead of resize it, leaving a thick ring of brass at the head not unlike the belt on a rifle cartridge. The commercially reloaded stuff is deceptively clean inside which leads me to believe it has been washed with some kind of chemical which will remove all the powder fouling. It's really tough to tell how many times this stuff has been loaded, but I find that the .40 wears out so quickly and with all the Glocks out there I'd be surprised to find any cases that last much more than six loadings.

Dave Sinko

[Mick]

I forget the name but some machines for commercial reloaders roll size the brass and chamfer the primer pocket. It actually cuts away brass unlike the 1050 that opens the pocket with a swaging process. I load it once and let it fly...

[ima45dv8]

Another reason to buy a 1050 and be done with it. My 40 priming issues have virtually disappeared since I dropped the dime. I couldn't imagine loading high-volume anything on anything besides a 1050.

Same here. No more pushing on the handle and wondering (hoping) the primer is seated far enough or about to go off from the pressure exerted by the press.

[David Sinko]

I always wondered why that 1050 is so damned expensive and now I know. Swaged primer pockets, controlled primer seating depth... What else?

A while back I would sometimes shoot at an indoor range that had lots of rental guns and they loaded all their own ammo. One time they took me to the back room and showed me all the Dillon machines they had and their rather sophisticated bullet casting setup. Of course they collected and recycled so much lead that their bullets were free. One of their more intriguing devices was a special resizer which they had built themselves that would resize the brass base first and make it look as good as new no matter how warped or bulged the case heads were. And not surprisingly they also showed me some pistols that had had various stuck bullets shot out of the barrels. I still remember the Beretta 92 that had a couple of bulges and still worked just fine.

So then, what's the most inferior, dangerously soft brass out there that's in use today? In 9mm I remember this stuff stamped "LY" that was worthless after the initial firing. I have come to realize that A-Merc is never to be trusted after the first firing in .45 ACP but for some reason I can actually load the .40s three times before I have to throw them away. I have new, unfired Remington .45 Colt brass where much of the nickel plating is blown off during the first firing and they aren't particularly hot loads. I have to admit I have loaded a lot of range scrap for my Glocks and nothing has come apart on me. Yet.

Dave Sinko