loose primer pockets

[dunraven]

using lapua or norma or sometimes nosler brass, i find that the only problem i have with fired brass is the primer pockets seem to get 'loose', to where it seems like they practically 'fall in' using seemingly little or no force. when should brass be retired? is it when there is noticeable 'leakage'?

 

[searcher]

How many loadings are you getting on your brass before these loose primer pockets become apparent?

 

[searcher]

I ask - as Lapua brass has some pretty tough pockets. I would retire brass once the pockets were no longer able to firmly hold the primer. Getting a flame cut on my bolt face is not worth getting a few more loadings. As to how long the brass may last will depend largely on your loading. Some brass many last only a few loadings - or perhaps 35+, dependant on powder charge mostly - in respect to pockets.

 

[Toolbreaker]

IMO, if you're getting any blow-by past the primers, it's time to retire that brass. Your bolt is worth more than a few pieces of brass.

 

[jonbearman]

You can try different primers as some are ever so slightly larger and will give you new life to slightly loose pockets. I went to wolf with my nosler .260 brass where remingtons would fit too loose and the wolfs or tulas fit tight with no problems . You need to tell us what your loads are as I suspect you are running hot loads for speed and speed kills so to speak especially if you are running a factory chamber which stretches the brass more than a custom chamber.

 

[amlevin]

I just bought a Primer Pocket "Go-No Go" gauge from Ballistic Tools.

http://ballistictools.com/store/exclusive/small-and-large-primer-pocket-gauges

For $20 I have a set of tools that tell me if the primer pocket is too large before I put a primer in it. If I can insert the "No Go" end more than half way into the pocket it then just goes into the scrap bin. For those that use military brass and want to know if they've swaged the pocket enough the "go end" will tell you quickly without damaging a primer first.

Just use the tool while doing the rest of the case inspection process.




{cue the Big Ed Pin Gauge lecture and picture show}

 

[bigedp51]

amlevin

The bucket below contains .223/5.56 factory loaded once fired brass that has over sized primer pockets after the very first firing. I bought the gauge you have and it didn't do me any good because the NO-GO was too big and the GO was too small. If it works for you that fine but I still bought three pin gauges between the GO and NO-GO of "OUR" store bought gauge that you posted the link for. The reason for this is simple almost all of the brass I have was the cheap blasting ammo for the 5.56 and 1/3 of the cases were Federal that had soft brass.

The reason for the pin gauges was simple because I was tired of seating primers in loose primer pockets and then removing the good primers and then scrapping the brass. So again the problematic cases were Federal and Federal loaded Lake City cases with soft brass and over sized primer pockets after being fired just once. And the pin gauges were closer to actual primer diameter.

P.S. You can thank me later for only posting one photo and keeping my post to less than a thousand words. :

 

[MrMajestic]

I think I need one of Ed's animated videos to better understand this.... :-\

 

[CatShooter]

I think I need one of Ed's animated videos to better understand this.... :-\

It ain't good like Ed's videos - but it's the best I could do!

It shows the effort to seat a primer in a tight.....

.

 

[jlow]

I too am not convinced that those gauges are useful.

The reason being that there are two parts to the equation i.e. the diameter of the pocket and the diameter of the primer. We know for a fact that primers have different diameters depending on brands (I’ve done my share of measurements here) and so those gauges makes certain assumptions which clearly could fail if the components you use do not follow their assumptions. This simple train of logic makes it hard for me to buy into their usefulness.

We all wish our primers would fit that tight all the time! ;D

 

[bigedp51]

I too am not convinced that those gauges are useful.

The reason being that there are two parts to the equation i.e. the diameter of the pocket and the diameter of the primer. We know for a fact that primers have different diameters depending on brands (I’ve done my share of measurements here) and so those gauges makes certain assumptions which clearly could fail if the components you use do not follow their assumptions. This simple train of logic makes it hard for me to buy into their usefulness.

We all wish our primers would fit that tight all the time! ;D

If the diameter of the pin gauge is slightly smaller than the primer diameter and it doesn't fit in the primer pocket it works

But that depends on what type tools the bench rest shooters are using.