Fixing loose primer pockets!

[jackieschmidt]

This is not new, shooters have been coming up with primer pocket “repair” as long as I can remember.
In Short Range Group Shooting, where shooters shoot the 6PPC at really high pressures, loose primer pockets are something you just live with.

I have had them loose to the point where there was zero effort putting them in. The target did not know the difference.
At the end of the second day of a Two Gun Event, you just tossed them in the trash can.

 

[Will Henry]

Loose primer pockets are indeed a sign of excessive pressure. Since brass varies, what is excessive in one type of brass may not be in another. Norma brass is known to be on the soft side. Same with Federal.
Rocky Gibbs worked up loads for his cartridges in the hardest brass he could find. He warned customers that the loads were not safe in any other brass. It seemed that a lot of his customers were a little short on IQ and ignored that part. Blown primers were common. WH

 

[Down South]

Buy good brass that is known for tough pockets and use a reasonable load. Problem solved, it will last you a long time with many firings. I went through the run em smoking hot phase for competition, all it did was cost me $$$$$$ replacing brass after a few firings as my scores weren't any better. Just my .02

 

[tommeboy]

Norma brass nowadays is not soft. Exactly the opposite

 

[searcher]

This is not new, shooters have been coming up with primer pocket “repair” as long as I can remember.
In Short Range Group Shooting, where shooters shoot the 6PPC at really high pressures, loose primer pockets are something you just live with.

I have had them loose to the point where there was zero effort putting them in. The target did not know the difference.
At the end of the second day of a Two Gun Event, you just tossed them in the trash can.

When learning to reload and before I really got into precision shooting, I really marred the bolt face of one of my varmint rifles due to warm loads and the eventual loose primers leaking on the perimeter. After getting into shooting PPC's and other larger target calibers, I tossed my brass at the first sign of looseness so as not to allow my bolt faces to get marred as I allowed to happen to that one varmint rifle. So - I'm wondering how much damage you and other PPC/target shooters have incurred on bolt faces when running your brass till the primers are that loose. Do you just accept pitting and let it roll - or do you eventually bush your bolt? Just curious what you folks do.

 

[dc.fireman]

Easy fix would be to try some Ginex primers. They are very tight in new unused brass and may fit just fine in a well used brass with a little loose primer pocket.

A now deceased friend of mine was a BR shooter "back in the day' - before I was even an 'idea' to my parents. He told me that an old trick of his was to use Winchester primers, until the pockets got loose. Then, he would switch to Fedral primers, because they were slightly larger in diameter than the other brands. He would get 2-3 more loadings out of the brass, then toss it in the scrap pile.

I'd be curious to see if/how this would affect a load like I have in my 6BR? I use Lapua brass, but it's a little hard to come by lately - if I can get another load or two out of it, I wonder what it might do?

 

[BHP9]

Norma brass nowadays is not soft. Exactly the opposite

That's all I use for my 0.308's.

 

[ELR LVR]

Federal brass skips a strike in the forming and drawing so the heads are a little soft. It is a cost cutting production thing to increase production and lower cost. One less step to set up. One less station means more $ is saved during manufacturing.

More $$ is saved
but then again
No reloader wants their brass, so they loose MAJOR $$$$$$ there
Do they not see the Market for people like Lapua, Peterson, Alpha and the fact we pay good coin for THAT brass?
They're idiots for skipping ONE WHOLE STEP
---
I have been able to reload 308 Federal though more than once
It's the .223 that wont last more than 1 firing, I don't know why they even use brass for .223 if it's not reuseable

 

[SeabeeKen]

Norma brass nowadays is not soft. Exactly the opposite

I agree. I shot norma ppc brass all last season and no issues at all. Pockets still tight. I did have to roll size at the .2 line because my die would not size this area and the chamber on my new barrel is just tight enough to prevent this brass from being used. After rollsizing it fits just fine. I talked with Norma a few years ago and was told that they make some brass for Lapua. They wouldnt tell me which brass though.

 

[Murray Brook]

I've been using Norma brass in one of my 6mmBR's and I'm up to 18 firings on each case with no problems. But I must also say that in my other 6br I use laupa and I'm going on 35 firings on each case. The primer pockets in both makes of brass are good so far. JME

 

[akajun]

I made a set of mandrels to do this with some Palma brass I had, basically a mandrel that I threaded into a steel plate
Then I had another mandrel with the diameter a few thou smaller than the desired primer size and a few thou shorter than depth and oversize to get just outside the primer pocket chamfer
I’d put it in my arbor press and knock em out by the hundred , let me get about 3-4 more loadings.
I think hart or some other tool company made a kit to do this in a reloading press too

 

[akajun]

R W Hart Case Saver Swage Large Primer Pockets

The R W Hart Case Saver Swage is the perfect tool for reloaders looking to tighten loose primer pockets which are having problems holding primers. ...

www.midwayusa.com

Looks like it’s discontinued but you get the idea

 

[Explorer1]

I've loosened a few in my day but its rare today.
My 30BR barrel has over 3200 rds on it. Still using the same 150pcs of Lapua brass I made for the new barrel, don't segregate by number of firings any more. Haven't lost a piece yet with velocities around 3k fps using 115 range bullets.

 

[NF1E]

Haven't really had a primer pocket problem since I moved up to SR brass for my .308 and 6.5 Cr. Had to give this a try on some old brass and by golly it works. Whatta Hobby!

 

[Flea21]

The best solution to tighten pockets in my opinion is the one made by Henry Rempel that incorporates an RCBS swage die.

 

[SKWERLZ]

I came across this video, and found it interesting. I haven't tried it (yet):

I did that on some 338 edge brass I got a bit too spicy with. Worked well.

 

[markm87]

This is not new, shooters have been coming up with primer pocket “repair” as long as I can remember.
In Short Range Group Shooting, where shooters shoot the 6PPC at really high pressures, loose primer pockets are something you just live with.

I have had them loose to the point where there was zero effort putting them in. The target did not know the difference.
At the end of the second day of a Two Gun Event, you just tossed them in the trash can.

I never throw any brass in the trash. I saved up 4 five gallon buckets and sold them 3 months ago. I got $740 dollars and bought a YHM silencer. Copper prices are way too high to throw brass in the trash.

But yeah... I've had 300 WM brass so loose the primers could fall out during transportation to the range. I now put a little super glue drop in the edge of the seated primer like a primer sealant. Then shoot it for the last time and toss it in the money bucket.

 

[STS]

Fixing loose primer pockets in one easy lesson………

 

[JohnW...ski]

I thought the best way to deal with loose small rifle primer pockets was to shoot them 'till a large primer would fit. Double the life of your brass.