Primer pockets and progressive loading

[SkookumJeff]

This is a question for you progressive reloaders, something I've wondered about for a long time. You guys that deprime/resize/prime on your progressive setup and (presumably) skip cleaning the primer pocket, how do you get away with not cleaning the carbon out of the primer pockets?

I can't figure out how the accumulation of carbon/crud in the primer pockets doesn't interfere with the seating of primers. I would think that over time, the crud and carbon in the primer pocket would build up and eventually your primers won't seat to full depth and may even start to seat proud of the cartridge case head surface, which would be NOT GOOD.

Skook

[ReloaderFred]

I size and deprime on my Rockchucker, then clean the primer pockets and prime the brass using either a Lyman or RCBS Ram Prime tool on the Rockchucker (I have both, set up for different cases). When I run brass through my progressive presses, it's sized, primer pockets cleaned and primed. This also frees up one position on the progressive for an RCBS Powder check die, which will lock up the press if there's a short charge or double charge of powder. It also makes the progressive much smoother to operate.

Some will tell you it's not necessary to clean primer pockets, and that my method negates the advantage of the progressive press, but it's my shop and I get to make the rules there. Works for me, and I never have primer problems.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[azrednek]

I've never cleaned primer pockets excepting mil-surp brass when I have to remove primer crimp. Never had a problem and can't recall a replacement primer not being seated to the proper depth. The very few times I've come across one that doesn't look like the primer seated properly. I trash it.

A warning I read in the early 70's in a gun rag. Warned against scraping the residue and blowing the dust out. The author suggested inhaling the primer residue dust after blowing it out could be hazardous. I'm aware there have been changes to primer compounds over the years and I honestly don't know if the residue is hazardous.

[M-Tecs]

I use 650's or 1050's with case feeders.

For bottle neck cases I prime and size only one the first run through the machine than tumble the lube off and do all other secondary ops. Second time through the machine is for priming, powder and bullet set only.

For straight wall pistol I deprime only than tumble.

Using SS pins to tumbles so prime pockets get cleaned via tumbling.

[Mr_Sheesh]

The residue would depend on the primers' manufacturer but can have lead in it IIRC. Lead Styphnate or something IIRC? I have scraped primer pockets using a nut pick turned into a tiny chisel, but I tap the powder out into the waste area where I drop the primers at, and work outdoors usually for that.

[6bg6ga]

I deprime and then clean the cases in a ultrasonic cleaner.

[RKJ]

I seldom clean primer pockets and have had no issues with primers seating. There doesn't seem to be that much residue anyway.

[6bg6ga]

I seldom clean primer pockets and have had no issues with primers seating. There doesn't seem to be that much residue anyway.

Never had a problem with primers seating either. I just like clean brass.

[toallmy]

I do my bottle necked rifle brass prep before loading on any press including cleaning primer pocket in batches . With straight walled pistol brass I skip cleaning the primer pocket at times . Depending on how I feel - I have a die set up in a loadmaster die plate to deprime handgun brass so a good cleaning can be done when I feel it needs cleaning , but I at times just reload it . But if the brass hits the ground I at least tumble it even if I don't remove the spent primer before loading .

[LUBEDUDE]

I don’t clean primer pockets either. I don’t recall ever having primer seating problems with my 1050’s, probably due to the aid of the swaggering station.



Now I might have one case with a primer pocket problem on my 550’s every 2000 - 2500 rounds.
Then I just use a primer pocket scraper and a chamfering tool to fix the problem.

[lightman]

I use about the same methods as ReloaderFred. I prefer to deprime, tumble, resize, prime, ect before the cases see the progressive press. That said, I've found that pistol primers don't build up carbon as bad as rifle primers. If you are loading pistol cases on a progressive you can load them several times before you need to worry about primer seating. Crimped primers are a pain on progressive presses unless its a 1050. So are 45's since some of them now have small primers.

[john.k]

I havent cleaned a primer pocket in thirty years.It makes no difference,some residue falls out depriming,the rest is crushed into dust priming.Its funny how reloaders obsess over the residue wrecking a $30 press ram,but dont worry about a $500 barrel taking the residue every shot.

[mold maker]

I don't obsess over what I considered a very minor problem at worst. Since turning to wet tumbling with SS pins the problem doesn't exist, and
my press stays clean.

[OS OK]

I havent cleaned a primer pocket in thirty years.It makes no difference,some residue falls out depriming,the rest is crushed into dust priming.Its funny how reloaders obsess over the residue wrecking a $30 press ram,but dont worry about a $500 barrel taking the residue every shot.

I'm having a bit of a hard time understanding the parallel you draw...however I do understand what that microfine residue does when it collects in the primer slide and grits things up.
Since I'm not obsessed with the time it takes to prepare brass, I bring my brass to the press cleaned and primed with a quality bench priming device.
The beauty in this discussion is that only you control the quality of your reloads...make them any way you desire.

[jmorris]

In my experience I can reload and shoot a case until the headstamp is worn off or the case splits before there is any build up of carbon or anything else that prevents a primer from being seated.

[str8wal]

I don't load on a progressive press, nor do I clean primer pockets. I've yet to have a problem seating primers.

[dverna]

In my experience I can reload and shoot a case until the headstamp is worn off or the case splits before there is any build up of carbon or anything else that prevents a primer from being seated.

Same here. But in all fairness, my high volume pistol ammunition is loaded on a 1050. Maybe the primer pocket swager does a bit of cleaning or maybe the fact that it primes on the downstroke and thus is not done "by feel" helps out.

[jmorris]

No, I loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds on other presses before I owned 1050’s just fine.

As long as you have a primer in a case, you can put another in there once you poke it out.

In fact the only time I have seen stuff in primer pockets is if I deprimed them before tumbling and something got stuck in them, keep the primers in them and that won’t happen.

[mdi]

FWIW, and I'm not a progressive press user. so my post may have no merit. In my years of reloading experience I've noted that primer pockets are kinda "self cleaning". They will rarely have more than a few soot "marks" regardless of what powder and either standard or magnum primers. I have never seen a "build up" of carbon or priming debris in 30 years reloading 7 handgun and 6 rifle cartridges. I also very rarely (none in at least 20 years) have a failure to fire because of improper primer seating.

[EddieZoom]

Currently only loading pistol on Dillon progressive (SDB/550)...never paid any attention to primer pockets. Almost never have issues with primer seating unless I'm getting sloppy/lazy on the upstroke.