The big primer seating debate

[Rat Rifle]

Those great shooters probably all were VERY consistent with seating primers.. new stuff makes it easier.

As far as your clarifying post… we call that “crawfishing” around here….

“around here” ?? Since April 12, 2024 ? Better Listen to This Old Timer !

 

[Ccrider]

“around here” ?? Since April 12, 2024 ? Better Listen to This Old Timer !

Yep. It’s going to be a long Winter.

 

[gmr4]

“around here” ?? Since April 12, 2024 ? Better Listen to This Old Timer !

Since 84

 

[Pete Wass]

A lot of very credible shooters seat primers by feel, so that they are firmly bottomed in the primer pocket. If you seat a few like this and measure their depth, I think that you will find them to be quite a bit deeper than that. Beyond this, there are people out there who just can't help themselves, who have time on their hands, who like complexity and expensive shiny stuff.

I have used the same RCBS hand seater for years. I simply squeeze until it won't squeeze any more and call it good enough. Done it this way for at least 15 seasons.

Its my opinion that the two things that matter most about reloads are 1, every bullet seated exactly where the ogive slope bottom engages the refiling and 2, the exact amount of powder placed in the case. The rest is not nearly as important. Cases that fit ones chamber properly could be a third consideration.

 

[bobinpa]

Those great shooters probably all were VERY consistent with seating primers.. new stuff makes it easier.

As far as your clarifying post… we call that “crawfishing” around here….

crawfishing? LOL Had to look that one up, but no, I stand by my opinions. I also never wanted to imply that primer seating depth doesn't make a difference but I will stand by my opinion that "most" shooters will benefit more by other things.
And I agree that the great shooters of the past "were VERY consistent with seating primers" but I think there is a big difference in being consistent in seating to the bottom of a primer pocket by feel and seating to a specific depth consistently.

 

[jackieschmidt]

crawfishing? LOL Had to look that one up, but no, I stand by my opinions. I also never wanted to imply that primer seating depth doesn't make a difference but I will stand by my opinion that "most" shooters will benefit more by other things.
And I agree that the great shooters of the past "were VERY consistent with seating primers" but I think there is a big difference in being consistent in seating to the bottom of a primer pocket by feel and seating to a specific depth consistently.

I would venture a guess that 99% of Short Range Benchrest Shooters simply seat the prime to the bottom, using feel.

Of course, the way most of us shoot our 6PPC, our primer pockets get so darn loose that all of that discussion about seating pressure becomes a moot point.

 

[ebb]

Crayfishing???? We always do that just before Rex's wife makes Etouffee. I had never had much Cajun food, but that stuff is to kill for.

 

[JFrank]

Crayfishing … How dare you !!!

 

[ebb]

Most Cajun food can be made with shrimp. But mud bugs make it more authentic, and it just taste way better. Karen would only do Cajun with shrimp if she could apologize to the whole group first about her inability for find "mudbugs". Dare me all you want, I am your huckleberry.

 

[gmr4]

Crayfishing … How dare you !!!

We call em crawfish… crayfish - crawfish what is the different in terms of crayfishing or crawfishing in a debate?
The spelling system is trying to change the crayfish to crawfish so there’s that

 

[Fuj]

Yinz go down to the crick with a coffee can and get some crawdads. That's a
Western Pa. thing......As for this primer seating thing ?? I do it my way, and not
your way, and certainly not his way......Make sense yet ??

 

[gmr4]

Yinz go down to the crick with a coffee can and get some crawdads. That's a
Western Pa. thing......As for this primer seating thing ?? I do it my way, and not
your way, and certainly not his way......Make sense yet ??

Same here

 

[charlie b]

For us it was the local irrigation ditch. Easiest was when it was 'our turn' for the yard to be irrigated. Walk was shorter. Crawdads. Phoenix back in the 60's.

My in-laws called them mini-lobsters

 

[JFrank]

I likewise watch Brian and test primer seating myself to a degree. I did notice at least 1 flier in almost every group seating Fed 205M to .008.
My method was to measure the Alpha Primer pockets and 205M's. The Alpha pockets ranged by about .002's in depth. The federal 205M where anywhere from .117 to .122 when put on the micrometer.
I can and did uniform the Alpha pockets the constant .123, but to accomodate the shallowest primer .117 I would have to go in .007 for the .001 light crush, while the .122 primer would get .006 crush. Not sure how to deal with this situation outside of sorting the primers by their thickness, or basically sorting the messy manufacturers anvil seating in the cups.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

With a little testing you’ll find a crush “ window”. Personally I’m not altering primer pockets any more nor am I’m messing with flash holes, I’ll lightly clean PP with a 21st century uniformer set to just touch the bottom and seat primers by feel with a 21st century seater.

The targets are much happier.

 

[Mblmotors]

I have not been doing it by feel, but I am convinced to try it for the next club meet. I think hitting the primer at slightly different distance, might not be bad, if you compensate by having anvil compression the same by seating by feel.
I think .001 to .002 physical compression that can be achieved by feel, is enough the straighten the anvils to have all 3 touching the bottom of the primer pocket.
Again, only my thinking, and I have been known be be wrong.

 

[Pete Wass]

Most Cajun food can be made with shrimp. But mud bugs make it more authentic, and it just taste way better. Karen would only do Cajun with shrimp if she could apologize to the whole group first about her inability for find "mudbugs". Dare me all you want, I am your huckleberry.

I usually order Jambalaya every time I see it listed. Almost always it's made with Shrimp. I have had it made with Crawfish but it's been so long ago I don't remember what it tasted like. I do like Crawfish however. Bill Smith used to run a Crawfish Shoot at Jacks Fla each spring and served both Shrimp and Crawfish at lunch time. Miss ole Bill and the IR 50/50 in those days.

Unfortunately, I have IBS so spicy foods are kinda not in my diet anymore so Cajun food most often isn't dooable for me.

 

[Evan]

With a little testing you’ll find a crush “ window”. Personally I’m not altering primer pockets any more nor am I’m messing with flash holes, I’ll lightly clean PP with a 21st century uniformer set to just touch the bottom and seat primers by feel with a 21st century seater.

The targets are much happier.

Have you tried not even cleaning your pockets, Jim? I didn’t clean my pockets all last year (just size and decap with the die, wipe off the lube, seat primer, powder, bullet, and go) and shot smaller in aggregate and had several personal best targets, improving on any year prior for LRBR at 600 and 1000yds. I keep pulling steps out of my routine and shooting smaller and smaller. I don’t think you can tell in 50 or 100 rounds if such a subtle change is making any difference.

 

[jimmymac]

^^^^^^^
I am with you! Most people are adding steps while I have been subtracting. Shot a whole season a few years back without ever messing with a primer pocket. Results were good. Certainly no worse than previous years.

 

[JFrank]

Have you tried not even cleaning your pockets, Jim? I didn’t clean my pockets all last year (just size and decap with the die, wipe off the lube, seat primer, powder, bullet, and go) and shot smaller in aggregate and had several personal best targets, improving on any year prior for LRBR at 600 and 1000yds. I keep pulling steps out of my routine and shooting smaller and smaller. I don’t think you can tell in 50 or 100 rounds if such a subtle change is making any difference.

I done both cleaning and not cleaning. As you say. One thing we do know is that carbon builds up over time, although it doesn’t seem to effect the target

 

[jimmymac]

Same deal with powder for me. I found a good load for my 30BR that gave me a few tenths powder weight cushion. I figured out how many clicks on my powder dropper would put me right in the middle of that weight cushion and had at it. Whatever powder throw deviation I was getting from throw to throw never showed up on my targets, and I shot a lot of them. It just took some testing and a leap of faith.