High Primers in the .38 Special

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I just loaded about 500 rounds of .38 Special and had thirteen (13) cases that would not accept primers, and three (3) primers that would not seat. The primers were too high after seating. I’m using a Dillon 550. I checked each case for high primers because these cartridges are going to be used by son at a State match in his Ruger 3 screws. I also tried to seat these high primers in my Rockchucker. Thirteen no-go’s.

About 100 brass were brand new purchased Winchester unfired, unprimed but of the thirteen failures, eight (8) were Winchester, three (3) were R-P, one (1) was Starline. I’m using WSP blue box out of brick I purchased during that primer shortage we had at the beginning of the Obama term. Lot #BNL635G.

One PMC brass failed to fire at the range, I pulled it apart and found the primer anvil in the powder and the primer pocket brass punched all the way straight through. There was no brass to support the anvil so the firing pin strike just pushed the anvil into the powder. I have no idea what the history is on this one particular piece of brass is, I could have picked it up at a range somewhere.

One primer failed to fire. It has a good firing pin strike dented on it. I was going to send it along with my brass back to Winchester but now I’m thinking I’m just going to go back CCI primers which I have used exclusively for 30 years along with Remington brass.
I’ve never really checked my .38’s that carefully before because they were always just plinking rounds, and I haven’t taken .38’s to a match since the 80’s.
Suggestions? Opinions?

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Of course any time I got a high primer failure, I'd punch the primer and try a new primer in that piece of brass, then try that primer in a different piece of brass.

[subsonic]

I threw away about 150 pcs of Sellier and Bellot because of this.

[Frank46]

Don't throw away that brass. Get a primer pocket reamer and uniformer and away you go. Only have to do this once so every firing is gravy. I have a bunch of S&B 45acp brass. Take a case chamfering tool and make a few passes at the mouth of the primer pocket. Usually cleans up any restriction at the mouth of the primer pocket. But have had to ream primer pockets also. Worth the trouble at today's brass prices. Frank

[hylander]

Get a primer pocket reamer and uniformer and away you go

+1
Also I have found that Winchester brass seems more likely than others to have shallow primer pockets, almost all Winchester .223 brass I have ever had has had shallow pockets, not a good thing, especially when firing in a semi-auto.
I use a primer pocket reamer on all new brass except my LC .223 brass which is near perfect

[ebner glocken]

I threw away about 150 pcs of Sellier and Bellot because of this.

I'm in the middle of a fairly large production run of .38s (these get loaded every 5 or 6 years). Reaming primer pockets are really no big deal but a real PITA when you're chunking a production run and almost every time theres a primer seating problem you turn over the case and see "S&B". PMC is a distant second.

What I end up doing is segregating the S&B to ream another time. Pockets on 38s in paticular are really tight. I've had issues with this brass in other chamberings but nothing like specials.

On the bright side of buying once fired grade 3 range brass, you find out what brass never gives you problems.....and what almost always does. Not to mention the price is right.

Ebner

[subsonic]

.38 brass was free. Reaming tool costs money. The S&B brass is junk otherwise as well, but that's another story.

[44man]

.38 brass was free. Reaming tool costs money. The S&B brass is junk otherwise as well, but that's another story.
Lyman reamers are only $7.19. But .38 brass is cheap, toss bad ones.
I had a lot of trouble with WW brass long ago. .375 rims were all different thicknesses. Sad that they were the only makers of the brass so I sold the gun.

[atr]

if when sizing/and decapping you bottom out on the base of the case (inside) at the primer pocket you can deform it and expand it (outward) so that primers will not seat as they will ride too high

atr

[.5mv^2]

I hand prime every round before putting it into a progressive press. Takes longer but ensures reliability.

[MasS&W]

+1 for hand priming. I have the new style lee press that I use on all my .38s, it guarantees a perfect seat every time, if you are paying attention.

[LUBEDUDE]

SJH - like Frank said, if I get a high primer or bad seater, I punch it out, ream and chamfer the primer pocket. If that still doesn't work, I will try to hand seat. If it still fails, THEN I toss the brass.

The lengths we go for match ammo.

BTW, after Winchester primers cost me 3 matches I finally swithed to nothing but Federal Match Primers about 6 years ago. Never had a problem since and it really doesn't cost that much more. And I shoot about 10k rounds a year.

Now I'm sure someone can tell you the same story with the names of the primers reversed, I doubt they used MATCH primers.

Good Luck

[MGySgt]

I hand prime all my brass - I bought a Lee Auto Prime 30 years ago - Still using it today.

Doesn't matter if the round is going to be loaded on RC IV or the 550B.

I also use 98% of the time CCI primers.

[MasS&W]

After perusing my primed brass, I discovered that, almost exclusively, the S&B brass would not accept a full primer seat. Moral of the story, S&B sucks in all configurations.