Best way to clean primer pockets??

[bozo699]

I've shot a lot of SR and LR comp's, 600 and 1K IBS-NBRSA stuff. Did some winning. I never cleaned primer pockets or the inside of necks. I don't understand this need for having sparkling shiny brass. Must some sexual issue they're compensating for. That's a joke.
I wipe the outside of the neck with steel wool, FL size.
I've never had FTF from dirty pockets. It's either I didn't put any powder in or decades ago I learned not seating primers forcefully to the bottom of the primer pocket can cause problems.

I do clean primer pockets just because but I’ve never seen any improvement on target but don’t clean necks and use steel wool same as you and I’ve never had any issues with that process.
Wayne

 

[PDS]

I used to clean my primer pockets with the Sinclair Primer Pocket Uniformer after every firing. After around 50 reloads and cleanings a pocket blew out on one of the 22BR cases that I gave to a friend that bought the rifle. Luckily he didn't get hurt. The Uniformer was making the pockets thinner and thinner till one finally blew. Now I uniform rarely and clean every other time with the Dewey.

The Sinclair Primer Pocket Uniformer will only cut the primer pocket deeper on the first use. The shoulder on the tool sets the depth of cut. Subsequent use will only clean out the carbon. If you got 50 reloads out of a case you may have had some other problem.

 

[1611]

I've shot a lot of SR and LR comp's, 600 and 1K IBS-NBRSA stuff. Did some winning. I never cleaned primer pockets or the inside of necks. I don't understand this need for having sparkling shiny brass. Must some have sexual issue they're compensating for. That's a joke.
I wipe the outside of the neck with steel wool, FL size.
I've never had FTF from dirty pockets. It's either I didn't put any powder in or decades ago I learned not seating primers forcefully to the bottom of the primer pocket can cause problems.
Which leads to another self inflicted problem. Why on earth would anyone want to deepen primer pockets? Primers are a simple primitive device. Seat firmly to seat the anvil against the priming compound to sensitize it. Smack it with the firing pin. It goes off.

Dave do you uniform primer pockets?

 

[DaveTooley]

No I don't.

 

[billslatteryjr]

The Sinclair Primer Pocket Uniformer will only cut the primer pocket deeper on the first use. The shoulder on the tool sets the depth of cut. Subsequent use will only clean out the carbon. If you got 50 reloads out of a case you may have had some other problem.

While your typical Lapua 6BR base is roughly .1850” thick only around .060” of that thickness is at the primer pocket base and that has a hole in the middle of it. What rate pressure pushes that out or erosion does to it I don't know. But if you use a depth mic to measure the depth of your pockets after firings you'll see that it does move some. Some cases more than others depending on the load and brass. Or if one uses a set depth uniformer to clean the pockets after each firing you'll notice too that you do cut into the brass on different cases on different occasions. Even if you had previously uniformed them. Some move more than others.

Now in the case I posted about the gent that took my close to 50 times fired brass with the gun and had the pocket blow after maybe a handful of his own loadings. Maybe it had a very thin base &/or an overly deep pocket to begin with. I didn't sort by base thickness back then. Or maybe he used a uniformer with an adjustable depth that was set wrong or did something else that caused the pocket to blow I do not know. I just remember that it blew and that before that I always used to wonder while cleaning with a uniformer how thin the pocket brass could get before it became dangerous.

While one could weigh primers, use the good K&M primer seater to measure primers before seating, measure and adjust each individual pocket's depth uniformly each firing so as to get a more uniform firing pin travel distance and strike that's up to each individual. But as far as I'm concerned if I'm using a uniformer after each firing and not constantly measuring primer pocket base thickness after each firing, especially on brass that has dozens of firings on it, is like playing Russian roulette with a couple thousand round revolver. But still Russian roulette.

And I'd love to be proved wrong. Cause I'd like shinny clean primer pockets without the hassle of ss pins or constant ultra-sonic cleaning.

 

[Straightshooter1]

The Sinclair Primer Pocket Uniformer will only cut the primer pocket deeper on the first use. The shoulder on the tool sets the depth of cut. Subsequent use will only clean out the carbon. If you got 50 reloads out of a case you may have had some other problem.

For my .308, I uniform my primer pockets on new brass and use the same pocket uniformer to subsequently clean those same pockets. When I clean them I not only do I end up with a little pile of carbon, but mixed in that pile are some tiny brass shavings each time. Since this uniformer ALWAYS sets the primer pocket to the same depth, it's apparent that after firing the bottom of the pocket is being pushed up on every firing (this happens with various brass I've used including Lapua and Perterson brass).

 

[PDS]

Well, I learned something new today. I apparently don't use my Sinclair Uniformer enough to notice the extra brass removal.

 

[billslatteryjr]

Hey PDS, I don't know how common this is and was hoping some of the PPC shooters would chime in with some dimensions as I remember something about some of the old ?220 Russian brass? having a very thin base. But maybe back then there weren't any uniformers. I doubt using one after every firing if your only going to use your brass for say only a couple dozen firings is going to cause a problem. But if your like some of us that use brass till it starts to split or the pockets get too loose it may be a problem. Kinda remember Randy saying that he had something like 250 firings on his 30BR brass with no troubles. But don't know how or if he cleaned primer pockets.

 

[kvd]

Probably methods of cleaning that do not remove case material after the initial primer packet uniforming would be best to consider. For me, a couple 30 minute cycles in the ultrasonic cleaner with Hornady's One Shot® Sonic Cleaning Solution™, Cartridge Case Formula, works pretty well for removing burnt powder residue from inside the case and the primer pocket. It makes sense to me to start with a uniformly clean case each reloading cycle. As mentioned, aqueous cleaning, either with stainless steel pins or ultrasonically, will leave the inner neck surface stripped of carbon and "grabby" when seating the bullets. To overcome this, vibratory polish for 12 hours ± 1 hour in corn cob media with some Flitz Tumbler/media additive. This step will restore a very smooth bullet seating feel. There are of course much more abbreviated case prep procedures which are fine, but I'm retired and can lavish more time on my reloading endeavors. A consequence of the long vibratory polishing cycle is that the brass case will be extremely shinny on the exterior surface. This will not improve ones shooting ability but it does lend a touch of class to your custom reloads.

 

[danny]

I used to clean my primer pockets with the Sinclair Primer Pocket Uniformer after every firing. After around 50 reloads and cleanings a pocket blew out on one of the 22BR cases that I gave to a friend that bought the rifle. Luckily he didn't get hurt. The Uniformer was making the pockets thinner and thinner till one finally blew. Now I uniform rarely and clean every other time with the Dewey.

So.... What you you are really saying is that the brass was shot at that point? Do you just stop loading the brass when the primer pockets are too short to accept a primer?

Danny

 

[Richard Coody]

You "could" use a Crockagator". More hands/fingers on but it gets the job done. And SSS pins will get the pockets clean. At least does for me. Come out looking like new. But that has it's drawbacks too.

Crockagator is my tool for my benchrest brass. otherwise i just tumble in corncob media and don't worry about it.

 

[billslatteryjr]

So.... What you you are really saying is that the brass was shot at that point? Do you just stop loading the brass when the primer pockets are too short to accept a primer?

Danny

Don't think I've ever had a too short primer pocket. I'd think the center around the flash hole in the pockets base would get thinner fastest from constant uniforming? It wouldn't push out uniformly? So mostly wondering if there's a point where the base of the pocket eventually becomes dangerously thin from too regular uniforming that it'll cause the whole pocket base to blow out. But maybe the incident my friend had with my old brass was just a fluke or the result of doing something else wrong? Unfortunately looks like there's not so many people here that uniform regular that use the same brass for 50+ firings.

 

[tharger]

Im curious to know the best way to clean primer pockets. I have 1,000 .223 rounds and I've tried a few different ways to get the residue out of them. First I tried the Lee primer pocket cleaner tool that has a flat head looking end on it, that tool pretty much did absolutely nothing. Then I bought a Lymann mulit-tool with the deburing ends, primer pocket cleaners, and the primer pocket reamers attachments, and the pocket cleaner they have seemed to get about 60% of the residue out but i can’t seem to get whats down in the corner of the pocket. I even went as far as taking a thin flat head screw driver that had a flat head very close to the same diameter of the pocket hole and filed the end nice and flat hoping i could scrap out what residue was left in the corner of the primer pocket but i feel like I’m scratching off some of the brass. I wanted to ask your guys advice on how you all clean your primer pockets. Here are some pics i took to try and show you what I’m talking about, hope they help. Looking forward to what you guys have to say. I feel like a wire brush attachment would be best? Thanks.

 

[tharger]

Sonic cleaner works for me

 

[4Bowhunter]

love this tool. Been using it for years. Easy to adjust , and cuts effortlessly. With very clean cut.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

love this tool. Been using it for years. Easy to adjust , and cuts effortlessly. With very clean cut.

21st Century?

 

[cem]

To my regret I've reluctantly concluded that properly cleaning primer pockets is a significant lead hazard. I've known any number of people who claim no lead effect and then again I've known a few people, mostly range masters from the old days who did have significant lead poisoning issues and chelation therapy. When I thought I was young and immune I used Lee branded primer pocket cleaners on the Yankee screw driver pattern mounted upright in holes in the bench top - and so scattering debris over the bench top - and a universal decapping die or a Pope style decapper.

Given the freshly decapped case in hand I'd hit the Lee tool and push down. I'd file the tip a little bit for better fits and so faster results but I didn't try for a really clean primer pocket. The idea was to get the primer pockets clean enough that tumbling would finish the process very quickly.

I sort of think the ideal is uniform primer pockets and seat uniform and so measured primers by depth but I don't think it's worth the effort compared to seating by feel. These days it's mostly steel pin tumbling with no other effort and filtering the water with coffee filters or chem lab filter paper to avoid putting lead down the sanitary sewer drain but I don't have an answer and don't really worry about the lead contaminated paper.

So for efficiency and no extra effort I like the Yankee screw driver spiral pattern cleaner. I've also used wire brushes in a hand cranked spinner. But ultimately I choose not to use anything that puts lead styphenate debris in the air and on surfaces.

 

[shooterjon]

Use a Sinclair carbide primer pocket uniformer - it makes your primer pockets meet spec, including squaring the corners, and removes crud at the same time. There are no adjustments an it effectively lasts forever (I've done tens of thousands of rounds with no signs of wear). It easily chucks in a drill and is quick (a couple of seconds per piece). Each time a round is fired there is brass movement, and I find that I remove a bit of brass each time; left uncorrected, that could eventually lead to problems.

Use a Sinclair carbide primer pocket uniformer,I have been useing mine for years with no HIC CUPS,works perfectly and will probably last for ever

 

[newbieshooter]

love this tool. Been using it for years. Easy to adjust , and cuts effortlessly. With very clean cut.

21st Century?

http://www.xxicsi.com/primer-pocket-uniformer.html

 

[danny]

The Sinclair Primer Pocket Uniformer will only cut the primer pocket deeper on the first use.

Maybe, and maybe not....

Danny