Does citric get your primer pockets clean?

[famdoc2892]

Using citric acid solution to clean my reload brass, can't seem to get primer pockets clean despite near-boiling solution temp. Anybody else having this problem, or found a solution?

[Char-Gar]

I don't clean cases in citric acid and don't care if my primer pockets are clean or not.

[Revolver]

Using citric acid solution to clean my reload brass, can't seem to get primer pockets clean despite near-boiling solution temp. Anybody else having this problem, or found a solution?

My first experience with Citric Acid was using Lemi Shine with stainless steel tumbling media. Primer pockets are sparkling clean.

Prior to that I used warm water with some vinegar to wash (shoot it all up in a 2 liter bottle) then a vibratory tumbler with corncob. The primer pockets were not 100% clean but were not bad.

From what I understand the primer pockets don't NEED to be clean, some people never clean them... I just like clean cases personally.

[dpaultx]

When I first started reloading, back in the late 60's, I spent countless hours cleaning and reaming and scraping and truing thousands of primer pockets, and then, did it all over again to every one 'em after each trip to the range.

One day, sometime around 1976 I think it was, I decided to try reloading without worrying about all that prep and cleaning of all those danged primer pockets.

To this day, I have not intentionally cleaned a primer pocket since (except for a couple of hundred rounds that I load each year for 1K yard hi-power competition), and I have yet to have a round fail to fire due to a dirty primer pocket.

Waste of time . . . IMHO . . . Doug

[famdoc2892]

I hand loaded for a while without worrying about cleaning cases, and still don't care that they're pristine, but always clean the primer pockets before priming. Sounded like some had better results with the citric acid, wondering if I'm missing a step.

[williamwaco]

When I first started reloading, back in the late 60's, I spent countless hours cleaning and reaming and scraping and truing thousands of primer pockets, and then, did it all over again to every one 'em after each trip to the range.

One day, sometime around 1976 I think it was, I decided to try reloading without worrying about all that prep and cleaning of all those danged primer pockets.

To this day, I have not intentionally cleaned a primer pocket since (except for a couple of hundred rounds that I load each year for 1K yard hi-power competition), and I have yet to have a round fail to fire due to a dirty primer pocket.

Waste of time . . . IMHO . . . Doug


DITTO: on every word.



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[Bullet Caster]

Citric acid works pretty well for me. I ALWAYS clean primer pockets no matter what. It only takes a few seconds to wipe out a primer pocket with a q-tip swab. If I ever have a FTF it won't be 'cause the primer pockets are dirty. It'll be the primer's fault. BC

[geargnasher]

No, boiling deprimed cases in a water/citric acid solution will not remove the primer residue. It will soften it to a mud-like consistency where it can be swabbed out with a Q-tip if you desire. If you want them clean, do it manually, or better yet, skip the boiling process and get a rotary tumbler with SS pins and use your citric acid solution in that. Look at the animated banner ad at the top of the page for "STM", the before and after pics aren't just ad hype, that system really does get cases that clean inside and out.

Gear

[famdoc2892]

Can't argue with results, but I don't have a tumbler. Yet...! Thanks.

[runfiverun]

those pins are about the only thing that will remove winchester primer residue.
if i want clean primer pockets, i just turn on the little rcbs machine and push the pocket down on the primer pocket uniforming tool.

[beex215]

never cared for clean primer pockets. i like them dirty.

[Lizard333]

Go to STM. Save your money. Best decision in reloading I have made in a LONG time. You won't be disappointed.

[largom]

I clean all of my primer pockets with a battery powered screwdriver using a primer pocket reamer. Takes only seconds for each case.

Larry

[snuffy]

Yes---and---no. No, if all you're doing is dunking them in hot citric solution. Yes, if that citric solution is in an ultrasonic cleaner. My Harbor Freight US cleaner gets the primer pockets sparkling clean.

As far as that goes, I seldom clean primer pockets. Never on handgun for anything. For rifle, only for hunting shells, one less worry when taking the shot of a lifetime. Often, I'm using new brass for hunting, so not even then.

[ku4hx]

I don't clean cases in citric acid and don't care if my primer pockets are clean or not.

+1 From what I can tell, the crud is not cumulative. Each firing blasts out the previous crud.

I do clean the primer pockets on hunting ammunition solely because I want to remove as many Murphy's law possibilities from the hunting trip as possible. I do that mechanically with one of several small hand devices or a small blade-type screw driver.

I stopped cleaning non hunting pistol primer pockets around 1975. I've never had a problem through thousands upon thousands of rounds

If the goal is to have pristine primer pockets, you're going to have to use something like Brasso and a Q-Tip to polish out the metal stains. But why? Once the primer is seated nobody can tell the pockets are a bit discolored from the heat of the primer flash.

[H.Callahan]

I generally don't clean primer pockets either, particularly for handguns. That said, citric acid really softens up the residue. Q-tip or even a corner of a paper towel takes it right out.

[captaint]

Some do, some don't. I do. To each his own. For me, it's what the loading manual said to do, so I started doing it long ago. Now, it's just part of the process. The stainless pins do the job way better than I will, though. enjoy Mike

[popper]

Nope. Even US doesn't do a wonderful job, but I don't care as long as the hole is clean and the primer seats OK. I treat my rifle cases better then pistol. I use a uniformer(not that cheap Lee tool) on new or factory fired cases and they come out pretty clean from the US.

[fcvan]

I don't think I ever intentionally cleaned my primer pockets but do clean my brass in a vibratory case cleaner. 25+ years ago I started depriming my brass and washing in hot soapy water prior to running them in the tumbler with ground walnut. This took 4-8 hours to get the brass shiny like new. Thanks to this site I do the following: Deprime, rinse in hot water. soak in vinegar for 2 minutes, rinse in soapy water with dawn dishwashing soap, drain, and tumble for an hour. This usually gets them bright like new. There are a few other tricks learned from this site that gets really dark brass I find shiny like new.

I don't even dry the brass before I tumble. It seems the little bit of soapy water helps keep the polishing media working effectively for a longer amount of cycles. As the brass is clean before tumbling I'm also not getting the carbon/soot dust I used to get, and the primer pockets are getting cleaned. I don't have a problem with media sticking in the flash hole per say, but the decapping pin when I resize the clean brass takes care of that.

I started cleaning my brass before reloading to keep my reloading area and press cleaner. Just the residue from priming compound makes a mess but it is isolated to the single stage Lee reloader press with a universal depriming tool. I want to try the SSM in a rotary tumbler but I just haven't gotten there yet. What I'm doing now works well and works quickly. All of my brass is shiny like new except the brass I have modified for use with wax or hot glue boolits so I don't get them mixed together. Frank