How do you test for loose primer pocket when priming?

[SeattleDude]

I always wonder what is the best way to test for loose primer pocket? How do you know that this piece of brass is done due to loose primer pocket. How light seating is too light?

I have seen some people use decapping pin and try to push live primer out from inside the case by hand.... not sure if its safe?

How do you guys know/feel that brass is done?

 

[jimcasey01]

Use a pin gage in the primer pocket as a test. For SR primers I use a ZZ class .1745+ pin. If it goes in with finger pressure, I stop using that group of brass. For LR primers someone else will need to chime in, as I am not familiar with those specs off hand. I am certain that others will have additional methods that are equally as effective.

 

[savagedasher]

If they don't fit tight their loose . Larry

 

[AckleymanII]

I have been using a Neil Jones decapping hand tool for 20+ years, they are idiot proof.

Another guy has come out with his version, just as good. I experience a shock with a loose pocket. If I continue, and the primer pocket pops a primer, I may have just broke the third lever on my two oz trigger. The discipline is to toss them right then on the spot into the slop bucket with all kinds of other certain culls.

I and also other guys will wait and judge the primer seat, when we seat the primer seat. A large straight paper clip is handy for This test.

I learn to rely on the Neil Jones and toss them into the slop bucket...call it done.

 

[TimP]

You can buy a primer pocket gauge or put a primer anvil side down on a hard surface and try to seat it into the primer pocket by hand. If it goes in its time to get new brass.

 

[22DASHER]

Prime it, tap it on side of reloading bench a couple times, if it stays in then you are gtg!

 

[Toejoe12]

Take a new primer and place on your bench (cup sided up) Take your brass base side down and push with minimum pressure primer pocket over primer on bench. If the primer pocket in the brass won't fit over the cup or picks up the primer by just the first part of the cup....good to go. If brass' primer pocket slides easily over primer and won't pick it off the bench or actually seats it wrong side up, brass is toast. Easy way to check if you had brass that primers seated fairly easy on previous load

 

[Sniper338]

By feel...

 

[ireload2]

Based on tool and gage design practice you would use a gage pin .0002" smaller than the maximum permitted diameter.
A NO GO gage pin for a large rifle or pistol primer pocket would be .2098 +.0000-.0002.
Depending on the actual diameter of the gage pin this diameter will reject good parts between .2098 and .210 diameter but it will not accept bad parts at .2101. If you want to reject fewer good parts your gage pin tolerance should be something like .2098 +.0000-.000050 (that is minus 50 millionths). Most people do not have the touch for 50 millionths so you either toss a few good parts or buy an air gage capable of gaging in the millionths.
The gage pin should reject any primer pocket that is oversize including those that are out of round or egg shaped.
To reject an out of round primer pocket the pin should be ground to a Double D shape. This will permit inserting the gage pin at 2 or 3 different orientations so you can detect an out of round primer pocket. Just remember that if the primer pockets is oversize anywhere is it out of tolerance. This includes even a slightly oval primer pocket that is oversize only on the long axis.

If you reject cases based on seating force only you should check your primer diameters too.
Small or under size primers may cause you to toss brass that is still in tolerance.
Three legged primer anvils will cause primers to be shaped like Wankel rotors which cannot be easily measured with a conventional micrometer. These tri-oval shapes always have a low spot opposite a high spot.

 

[skiutah02]

http://www.brownells.com/reloading/...et-gauge-small-sku100015613-71030-150244.aspx

 

[Ned Ludd]

http://www.brownells.com/reloading/...et-gauge-small-sku100015613-71030-150244.aspx

+1 on these. Just checked 250 .223 cases in about 45 minutes - it works very well.

 

[averh2o]

I always wonder what is the best way to test for loose primer pocket? How do you know that this piece of brass is done due to loose primer pocket. How light seating is too light?

I have seen some people use decapping pin and try to push live primer out from inside the case by hand.... not sure if its safe?

How do you guys know/feel that brass is done?

You can make a poor man's pin gauge by glueing a primer to the head of a small nail or screw. With a light touch and practice you can use this to Guage how much the pockets have expanded

 

[JohnHenry]

I have been using a Neil Jones decapping hand tool for 20+ years, they are idiot proof.

Another guy has come out with his version, just as good. I experience a shock with a loose pocket. If I continue, and the primer pocket pops a primer, I may have just broke the third lever on my two oz trigger. The discipline is to toss them right then on the spot into the slop bucket with all kinds of other certain culls.

I and also other guys will wait and judge the primer seat, when we seat the primer seat. A large straight paper clip is handy for This test.

I learn to rely on the Neil Jones and toss them into the slop bucket...call it done.

+1 I too have been using the Neil Jones decapping tool for almost 30 years. With a little experience it is easy to detect a loose primer pocket and retire that case. Another benefit of using the decapping tool is that it keeps much of the dirt out of your dies.
http://www.neiljones.com/html/decapping_tool.html

PS: The Harvey Deprimer is a similar tool. Not sure if the Harvey Deprimer works with the smaller(.060) flash holes.
http://www.harveydeprimer.com/

 

[KenOath]

http://www.brownells.com/reloading/...et-gauge-small-sku100015613-71030-150244.aspx

+1^ Sinclair go no go gauge.

 

[Texas10]

If you are using a hand primer tool and not a bench mounted or press mounted primer tool, you can easily feel how much pressure it is taking to seat a primer. If you find a piece of brass you feel is a bit too easy to seat a primer, mark the case with a sharpie, and after firing, look for smoke stains around the primer cup. If you see any, toss the case right then and there, assuming of course, the primer is still in the cup.

A loose primer pocket is more an indication of head expansion and possible weak brass. FC brass in 308 caliber is especially well known for being soft (weak) in the head area, and hand loaders will often only get two or three loadings before the primer pockets will not hold a primer. Interestingly, the FC brass in 223 caliber is very hard, and can be loaded dozens of times in my experience. Different production line, different process.

 

[Richard Coody]

I use a harvey hand decapper. If the primer is loose i can feel it. When i do it goes in the.trash. same when i am priming. i probably discard cases before they are done but i just like to keep things consistent.

 

[ireload2]

About 1971 or so Handloader Magazine had an article by Bob Hagle that tested 7mm Rem Mag brass for case head hardness.
At that time WW brass was supposed to usually be the hardest brand but it did not work out that way when tested.
Hagle found that Federal brass was the hardest. His tests included cut off cases and testing the hardness of the case head with a Rockwell hardness tester using a ball for testing the Rockwell B scale.
I think the lesson is you have to test the brass because the results can contradict tribal knowledge.

A loose primer pocket is more an indication of head expansion and possible weak brass. FC brass in 308 caliber is especially well known for being soft (weak) in the head area, and hand loaders will often only get two or three loadings before the primer pockets will not hold a primer. Interestingly, the FC brass in 223 caliber is very hard, and can be loaded dozens of times in my experience. Different production line, different process.

 

[savageshooter86]

When you load a round and the primer falls out when putting in the ammo box. It's toast

 

[NorCalMikie]

It's a "feel thing". I prime with a Lee Auto Prime. You can tell if one primer goes in easier than the others. If it's REAL LOOSE, the case is junk.
If the primer is just a little loose, I finish seating, mark it and plan on dumping it after it's been fired. You can get primers that are a little more snug in the pockets. I "think" I heard that Tula primers fit a little tighter??
Some folks will go as far as snugging up the primer pockets. If you think it's worth your time, go for it.
Every round I load is low to mid range so I don't have issues with loose primer pockets. (Speed means nothing if you can't hit your target. Accuracy is the only thing that counts. )
Maybe one out of 100 or so cases will have primer pocket issues and that's over a pretty long period of time. And that one has probably been loaded a BUNCH of times. Probably 25 to 30 times.
I load on a single stage press and prime by hand so I have more control over how my ammo is loaded AND, every time I have that case in my hand is one more chance to inspect it for flaws. Better to see any flaws when I'am loading than when the round hits the chamber.

 

[1lnbrdg]

I go by feel. If it feels loose, I have a Lee universal decapping die that I try to push the primer out by hand. If I can push it out by hand, the case goes in the scrap bucket and I prime the next case with that primer.