Primer seating

[Tim Singleton]

I've really tried to keep notes of my shooting and loading practices over the last few years as I began registered competion. I shoot short range BR
I have to say one of the big gains I've made was when I went to a primer seating tool with micrometer clicks that let me feel a slight resistance on seating the primer (crush) isn't really the right word but I can feel them bottom out in the pocket
My aggs improved by a fair amount immediately with the tool change

Anyone else think this is as important as it seems to me it is ?

 

[savagedasher]

I've really tried to keep notes of my shooting and loading practices over the last few years as I began registered competion. I shoot short range BR
I have to say one of the big gains I've made was when I went to a primer seating tool with micrometer clicks that let me feel a slight resistance on seating the primer (crush) isn't really the right word but I can feel them bottom out in the pocket
My aggs improved by a fair amount immediately with the tool change

Anyone else think this is as important as it seems to me it is ?

I uniform my pockets and with forester press I seat them the same because the press has a dead stop on it . Larry

 

[mikecr]

Try measuring actual crush with an indicated K&M. This has been around for a long time.

 

[savagedasher]

Seating primers is the secret of low ES
Larry

 

[R.Morehouse]

I have been back and forth in my head concerning this subject. I have a bench mounted primer seater that i can adjust the seating depth accurately and it has pretty good feel as well. I uniform my pockets but i don't measure the thickness of my bases and my shell holder does not support the case all the way around to be 100% sure the brass isn't getting cocked to one side a bit when putting upward pressure when seating the primer. I have the ability to measure exact seating depth but the seating depth does not correlate to the amount of crush happening due to the base of the brass not being dead nuts from one to another and the brass not being supported evenly all the way around by the shell holder. SO with all that said is it of the opinion to have your seating depth dead nuts or your crush feel to be consistent ( since it doesn't seem to be able to get both ) to get the best results.....Over thinking for sure.....But isn't that what accuracy nuts do?..

 

[Tim Singleton]

Crush feel is what seems to work for me.
I can go .002 at a time when I just feel them touch I went one more click. They all seem to feel really close then

 

[tenring]

Tim - Never heard of a primer seating tool with micrometer. Who makes it?

 

[dkhunt14]

I believe he is talking the 21st Century. It has detects and a ball and each click is about 1 1/4 thousandths. Matt

 

[Tim Singleton]

I believe he is talking the 21st Century. It has detects and a ball and each click is about 1 1/4 thousandths. Matt

thats right. Micrometer may not have been the best choice of words. I have the older version one click equals .0025
The newer version one click equals .00125
http://www.xxicsi.com/products-1.html

 

[Tim Singleton]

Boyd did a real nice write up and review of this tool a while back
There are others out there. The 21st century is what I'm using

http://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-reviews/21st-century-stainless-primer-seating-tool/

 

[msinc]

I believe it is important. I don't shoot benchrest, but I did see my groups and chrono numbers improve when I started using the Sinclair pocket reamer and seating with a tool that has a definite positive feel to it.

 

[/VH]

Crush feel is what seems to work for me.
I can go .002 at a time when I just feel them touch I went one more click. They all seem to feel really close then

Tim,

I have the same 'older' seater and basically have mine adjusted similar to the way you did your's.

So at what point do you stop mashing the lever? Is it when you just feel the primer touch bottom, do you mash it till the lever is against it's stop, or somewhere in between?

Thanks

FWIW, I uniform my primer pockets and always clean them with the same uniformer between firings, which does occasionally remove a bit of additional brass. I have been seating till the lever is against it's stop. Lever travel distance seems to vary slightly after I feel first contact which I assume might be due to rim thickness variation.

 

[Tim Singleton]

I have mine set to just feel the crush then the lever hits the body of the tool and stops

 

[/VH]

Thanks, sounds like I'm doing about the same as you but I may have mine set a click deeper. My rim thickness may vary a little more than your's. (6.5x47 Lapua cases)

 

[Liven The Dream]

Good Post.
And yes it is important.
I use a 21 Century and a RCBS Bench Tool.
I do get low SD 3.4-- with my Palma loads.

 

[/VH]

Don,

What's your technique with the 21st Century? Do you stop by feel or do you adjust the seater and seat till the lever hits the stop?

Thanks

 

[carlsbad]

I use the hollands. I like it because it has a positive stop and eliminates feel. Feel works fine so long as everything feels the same. But as brass gets older it doesn't work as well. The stop works no matter how it feels.

The Hollands seats every primer the same depth. However, because of it's design, it indexes off the top of the rim. This is fine so long as your brass has consistent rim thickness.

--Jerry

 

[MagnumManiac]

The simplest way to determine if the crush is correct is to pop out a primer and LOOK to see if the anvil feet are flush with the cup, AND, that the cup is not overly distorted. The feel I go by is the spring you get as the feet hit the pocket and the cup seats on the pocket, if you continue to seat, the spring disappears, indicating the cup is being distorted.
The manufacturer sets the pre-load amount by altering the height of the anvil, and it is governed by the anvil feet being flush with the cup bottom.
High seating is just as bad as too much crush, either will cause erratic ignition.

Cheers.

 

[savagedasher]

I use the hollands. I like it because it has a positive stop and eliminates feel. Feel works fine so long as everything feels the same. But as brass gets older it doesn't work as well. The stop works no matter how it feels.

The Hollands seats every primer the same depth. However, because of it's design, it indexes off the top of the rim. This is fine so long as your brass has consistent rim thickness.

--Jerry

That's the reason I uniform the primer pockets . Larry

 

[carlsbad]

That's the reason I uniform the primer pockets . Larry

Me too. Uniforming adjusts depth, no tension. --Jerry