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How clean does your primer pocket need to be

Primer pocket depth and flash hole diameter can cause deviation in performance.

How do your seat your primers? That can cause more deviation than any effect from not cleaning prior to loading.

I've been using a Sinclair carbide uniforming tool for small and large rifle primer pockets for 18yrs. Bought the RCBS flash hole uniforming system at same time. Priming seat depth uniformity and flash hole diameter mean more than neck trim uniformity, at least as long as neck doesn't hinder chambering due to extreme OAL.
 
I uniform my new brass with a old (20+ years) whitetail uniformer and then use the same tool to clean them after each firing.
 
AndyW said:
I uniform all my primer pockets and use the same tool to clean the carbon.
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Absolutely!! I do as well, I can't even imagine shirking my reloading duties by not trying to get most of the abrasive filthy carbon from the primer pocket so my primers are all the same depth, with my RCBS power pro station it takes maybe,........maybe 5 minutes to clean 90% of the carbon from the primer pockets and brush the necks! Time well spent IMHO.
Wayne.
 
IMO, a lot about primer pocket prep assumes that if it looks better it will make a difference. If you can't see it on the target you are probably wasting time. On the other had, if it makes you feel better, go ahead. Primers are usually seated by feel with enough force to be sure that the anvil is in good contact even if the pocket is not flat on the bottom, and if you examine anvil you will see that you are not trying to seat a precision flat onto the bottom of the pocket. The legs will find the bottom, where ever it is, flat or not. If you want to look into something that makes a difference on the target pay attention to uniformity of neck tension. A friend got one of the Hornady annealing kits and learned how to do a uniform job of annealing the cases for his .223 and .22-250, and that made a substantial difference in the size and uniformity of his groups. Even new brass can have some significant issues. Having said all of this, the one area that I think does need attention at the primer end of the case is making sure that any burrs are removed from the flash hole. Sometimes, because of the caliber, our brass choices are limited, and the quality may not be the best, in those cases, some additional work and sorting may yield an improvement.
 
A lot of guys don't touch the primer pocket... pop out the old one, and seat the new one... no cleaning of the pocket in between.

STM or Ultrasonic cleaning will get them spotless, but it's not necessary, it's just a result of the cleaning process, which vibratory tumbling won't do.
 
queen_stick said:
A lot of guys don't touch the primer pocket... pop out the old one, and seat the new one... no cleaning of the pocket in between.

STM or Ultrasonic cleaning will get them spotless, but it's not necessary, it's just a result of the cleaning process, which vibratory tumbling won't do.
Click to expand...
Walt/Boyd/and others,
I suppose you may be right, 30 years ago I was a automotive mechanic, I had a friend that was about my age now that also was a mechanic and like me he did all aspects of auto mechanics but his specialty was transmissions when I would get over run I would send Dale my over run, He hadn't had a bath in 30 years his hands always had grease on them, I always worried about dirt being left on parts in the transmission, you really need (should be) clean when putting one together but somehow they always worked, I would have felt a lot better if he had cleaned up, so I guess you may be right but I will sleep better knowing I have cleaned my primer pockets. I have heard of guys being top contenders that never,.....NEVER clean there barrels?? I couldn't sleep at night and would probably have a stroke right at the bench worrying about it prior to a shoot so I think I will continue cleaning my barrels also!
Wayne.
 
Wayne,
Of course you understand that my answers are all influenced by my short range benchrest background, and the fact that even today, most of my shooting is with a 6PPC loaded at the range. If I were loading more rounds at a time, at home, with more time, my procedures would be different. As it is, the more time that I spend doing unneeded things, the fewer shots get fired during a day at the range. If I think a thing shows up at the target, I will do it, if not, I have more important things to do. I take a shower every morning, and dress in clean cloths, clean my barrels at what I believe to be the most advantageous intervals. My rifle and range equipment is clean and tidy, and almost every time that I go to the range I see shooters wasting time on things that are unproductive, and ignoring things that matter. Primer pockets are just primer pockets. They have a function. Some fellows with engine turn them if they could figure out how to do it. If that makes them happy, that is a good thing.
Your friend,
Boyd
 
I have the Lyman Prep Xpress Center. I have used both the lyman pocket uniformer attachment as well as the redding carbide pocket uniformer attachment.

I have noticed the Lyman cuts a tad deeper than the Redding.

I also have noticed on some brass, it does not uniformer the whole pocket. Sometimes it may only be half of one side or sometimes barely touches the leftover carbon. BTW, using the same attachments on other brass it will clean and uniform equally.

Will this be a problem?
 
BoydAllen -

I like your practical approach - I hate doing things just for the sake of it - I don't particular enjoy reloading or cleaning rifles - I do it out of necessity.

I'm going to experiment with not cleaning primer pockets and see what happens. Thanks for giving me the confidence to try it.
 
Boyd,
I totally understand, you have improved my reloading skills many times over and I never doubt what you have to say nor take it lightly either, I just don't think it a bad thing to clean them and with the type of shooting I am doing I think I will continue. Someday when I start shooting short range and am loading at the range I am sure my thoughts will change for sure :)
Your friend for sure,......Wayne.


NoahbodyImportant,
I love your username ;D The reason it is not doing the whole primer pocket is one of several reasons, your cocking the tool, (not keeping it straight ) or if it is one of the adjustable tools it's not adjusted correctly but the real reason is probably a combination of two things the primer pocket is probably already deep enough and the tool is just scraping the uneven bottom and you probably tend to cock it some, you must pay close attention to keep the uniforming tool flat to the case head, also if your using the tool to clean the pockets after the tool has already uniformed it then it will sometimes take a little brass but not much. I hope this helps some.
Wayne.

Donavon,
I have considered getting one of the ultra-sonic or ss media cleaners, is there any tricks to keep the brass from getting dull and etched from the cleaning solution?
Wayne.
 
Thanks Wayne 8) I have used this variation of Noahbody since back in the BBS days.

The 2 different makes of tool are not of the adjustment kind. I try very hard to make sure the brass is flat against the tool. I use the tool to clean and uniform at the same time. I have only used this on once fired brass (my first time at case prep) so I havent had a chance to do this after brass has been uniformed.

I will chalk this up as the pocket is already deep enough.

Thanks again
 
bozo699 said:
Donavon,
I have considered getting one of the ultra-sonic or ss media cleaners, is there any tricks to keep the brass from getting dull and etched from the cleaning solution?
Wayne.
Click to expand...

Wayne,

I use an ultrasonic cleaner. I pull the the brass out of the solution immediately, and rinse them thoroughly with water. They come out pretty shiny. I did notice water spots if using tap water for the final rinse. SO my process is to run them through the ultrasonic, rinse in a pan with my garden hose, then a final rinse in distilled water... they come out spotless after dried in my food dehydrator :)
 
"Primer Pocket Uniformers"

Look at the below picture. The brass on the left is Lapua, the brass on the right is BHA Match brass.

I cleaned both pockets with a uniformer (dirty) and the Lapua came out perfect. The BHA left a ring close to the flash hole which is ovious in the picture.

Tell me exactly how the "uniformer" is suppose to work! Or why did the uniformer leave a carbon ring around the flash hole?

Or should all my primer pockets look like the Lapua after cleaning?

PrimerPockets.jpg
 
I think all that means is your BHA brass has concaved primer pockets... it's clean enough.
Click to expand...

I agree:

However, I have always cleaned my pockets like the Lapua in the picture!

Sounds like I have been going overboard, but I do believe in brass prep A-Z! I turn my necks just to true them, I trim to length after the third firing, I use SS media cleaning every third cleaning, I do use my SharperTek ultra-sonic cleaner in between, and sometimes I still use my cat-litter tumbler. I anneal about every 3rd firing and make sure the insided of my necks are cleaned with a bronze brush and mica powder!

Not trying to steal the thread, but let me know if I am going overboard. Oh, by the way, the gun gets a good cleaning about every 150 rounds! ;)

Later, Dennis
 
Once I started using stainless steel for cleaning, I never touch a primer pocket again. With new brass, I'll run a uniformer in the pocket and check the flash hole, but after that, I am good to go. (Lapua .308).
 
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