Primers not fully seating

[GoWyo!]

Howdy all,

last winter I picked up a Sako A1 in 22 PPC USA. I found a guy the forums that had some Norma brass,new and once fired. well I just got around to try to load for it and I can't seat the primers fully.

They are barely above the case head level and the firing pin hole leaves asmall circumferential scratch when I close the bolt.

I am seating them quite forcefully with a rock chucker press and the built-in primer seater. Not crushing them.

So what are my options? Do I need to cut the primer cup depth, or do you think I can shoot them as is?

Is this manufacturing defect or were they made like this in expectations that Target Shooters would cut the depth to their requirements?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Shoot em and get them formed. Then run a uniformer in there to see where youre at with the pockets. Could be off spec pockets

 

[jds holler]

It's amazing how just a couple of thousandths will make them seem way too proud.

I'd do like Dusty says, and then simply cut them deeper if you have a pocket uniformer. If ya don't have one you need one. I recommend one that you can use in your drill. jd

 

[GoWyo!]

Suggestions for uniformers?

 

[jds holler]

I've got a Lyman that comes with a handle. I can take the cutter out of the handle and stick it in my drill. It is pre-set for depth specs. Some cases it barely touches, some quite a bit.

Got another that I picked up at a gunshow, with large and small cutters, one on each end. The depth of the cutters is adjustable. Don't know the brand. jd

 

[Campbell]

What primer size does your cases take and what diameter de capping pin should your capping tool have?

I have seen Lapua Palma primer pockets bevelled/mushroomed base wards due to the de-capping pin been too large in diameter.

 

[KMart]

Suggestions for uniformers?

Use the one from Sinclair that is for the PPC/BR cases. The standard small rifle uniformer is slightly larger and give you grief when using it.

 

[Laurie]

I had this issue with Norma 6XC brass some years ago, large primer here of course. The primer cups were so much proud there was no question of even doing an initial fireforming job before uniforming. The Sinclair uniformer is a good tool, but as KMart says comes in two versions and you want the PPC/BR one which IIRC cuts slightly deeper than the standard version as well as being a shade larger.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Suggestions for uniformers?

I find K&M and a Battery Drill just Dandy .

 

[BenPerfected]

Make sure your primer seating tool is adjusted to fully seat the primer.
Ben

 

[Bob L.]

I like a PMA uniformer.

 

[243winxb]

The RCBS ram prime unit will make sure primers are being fully seated.

The Redding uniformer works for me, small rifle/pistol.

Note: large primers height is different between rifle and pistol.

 

[jepp2]

Suggestions for uniformers?

Lots to choose from. Some folks like the ones that are adjustable. Not me, I get the Sinclair solid carbide with no adjustment. They last forever, and I never have to worry about cutting the wrong depth. Cut once, and you will seat primers to the proper depth the remainder of the case life. Do yourself a favor and use a cordless drill to do the cutting.

https://www.brownells.com/reloading...m-primer-pocket-uniformer-kit-prod104707.aspx

 

[msinc]

Lee also makes a device they call the "Ram Prime". It works perfect for getting primers seated all the way and all the same. It is slow to use. I have tried several uniforming tools, the Sinclair seems to be very sharp and cuts real well.

 

[msinc]

I had this issue with Norma 6XC brass some years ago, large primer here of course. The primer cups were so much proud there was no question of even doing an initial fireforming job before uniforming. The Sinclair uniformer is a good tool, but as KMart says comes in two versions and you want the PPC/BR one which IIRC cuts slightly deeper than the standard version as well as being a shade larger.

Does it cut larger on the sides or smaller??? I have noticed that the standard small one I have seems to "drag" on the sides of many 223 cases. Could of course be the cases, but someone else suggested that it cut smaller...that would solve my problem. Would you necessarily want to make the pockets bigger???

 

[Laurie]

I think I got my previous reply the wrong way round in that if there is a marginal diameter difference (as opposed to length / depth), the PPC / BR version will be smaller. I can't say I've seen any tendency to drag on the pocket sides - unless I'm not holding the case square to the tool. It just seems to cut the floor.

That's on Lapua and Norma anyway. In Remington and Winchester, the floor to walls junction is usually radiused so the uniformer has to cut new corners before reaching the floor. If you do the job in stages and inspect the pocket as you go along, you usually find that you cut an outer ring only that expands towards the centre and maybe does the entire floor. Not always though as some floors are so concave after the pocket is punched through, there will be an eccentric ring of dark oxidised brass around the flash-hole entrance.

On LR primed brass, a degree of drag isn't unknown IME, but I think that's down to variations in pocket diameters between makes of case. I've just fired some new Peterson 260 Rem LRP and given the pressure needed to seat the primers, I expect that the uniformer will be a tight fit when I come to deprime and clean the pocket floors out.

 

[243winxb]

The RCBS Ram Prime unit on a press can over do seating pressure. But its great for overly tight pockets, if the primer pocket depth is correct.

Over done photo.

 

[Zero333]

Did you try a different brand of primer ???

I've had new Lapua brass in 243win with very tight primer pockets, so for the initial loading I used Sellier & Bellot LR primers because Fed-210m are way too tight. On the second loading, the 210m fit better, and by the 3rd loading all is normal.

 

[Link]

When my primers stuck out my depriming pin holder was bottoming out in the case pushing the head out, a dent from the inside. lol.

 

[OKyote73]

I had the same problem when loading 20-222 Winchester brass. Initionally tried Rem 7 1/2's but they were very tight then tried cci's and all was good. This was using a Lee Hand primer