Tight primer pockets....help.....Update 11/28/22

[Kracken McGraw]

Believe it or not, I have had some Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor brass that were to tight to pass the go gauge also. When I went to prime them on the bench rcbs tool, I couldn’t tell much deference between them and the normal ones.

 

[Murray Brook]

I have some Hornady 25/06 brass that are the same. After 17 firings on them I still have trouble getting the go gage to fit.

 

[Skedaddle Shooter]

Alpha will acknowledge that they are tight and to use a good tool to seat.


Please don’t ream out the pockets on alpha brass. I assure you it’s not needed. That brass will last 50 firings if you leave it alone. I have 308 brass fired 50 times and the pockets still don’t pass a go gauge.

Get a good primer seater and seat them. Yes it will be hard. Yes they need to go in perfectly straight.

The original .308 small primer brass they produced was almost impossible to prime, but we wanted it tight to last a long time. So I got 21st century seaters and problem solved.

I’m a little lost, I’m familiar with a go gauge for chambering a barrel, but have not heard of a go gauge for seating primers. Are you saying that the unprimed brass will fit the chamber but the primed brass has such shallow primer pockets that one a primer is seated it will no longer chamber in a chamber that has a minimal head space? I’ve been shooting some Alpha Dasher brass for a couple years and did have to get a 21 Centery uniformer to fit the tight pockets but that’s the only hurtle I had to clear. Can you bring me up to speed? Thanks

 

[jelenko]

I’m a little lost, I’m familiar with a go gauge for chambering a barrel, but have not heard of a go gauge for seating primers. Are you saying that the unprimed brass will fit the chamber but the primed brass has such shallow primer pockets that one a primer is seated it will no longer chamber in a chamber that has a minimal head space? I’ve been shooting some Alpha Dasher brass for a couple years and did have to get a 21 Centery uniformer to fit the tight pockets but that’s the only hurtle I had to clear. Can you bring me up to speed? Thanks

There's a company that makes 'go/no go' gauges for primer pockets. I think it's Ballistic Tools.

 

[Sandstorm]

but the primed brass has such shallow primer pockets that one a primer is seated it will no longer chamber in a chamber that has a minimal head space?

I dont think thats what he's saying at all.

 

[Clancy]

Diameter guys…. Not depth.

 

[Sandstorm]

Exactly..

Diameter guys…. Not depth.

 

[Skedaddle Shooter]

There's a company that makes 'go/no go' gauges for primer pockets. I think it's Ballistic Tools.

Well I’ll be damed. just when I thought I had every reloading trinket

 

[ebb]

I keep hoping that when i load some my 300 and 7MM RUMs I will find tight primer pockets. But no, tight is never my problem.

 

[Murray Brook]

@Clancy
The ballistic gage I have tells me diameter and depth.

Small and Large Primer Pocket Swage Gage ® Set

Swage Gage Small Primer Pocket Gauge

ballistictools.com

 

[6BRA]

pin guages will do the same...

 

[Geronimo Jim]

Finished turning the necks and time to reload. Despite my worry
about small pockets it was all for nothing. Primers went in fine.
They go part way in and then required a little more pressure to
finally seat. Lesson in life.........95% of the stuff you worry about
never comes to pass. Looks like good brass...can't wait to shoot.