223/556 pre-priming

[Dieselhorses]

Just have a few questions:

Is it ok to pre-prime brass if stored in zip locks and climate controlled room? Also for those using hand primers, have you occasionally run across a 223 case that seemed “out of round” at base? In other words it’ll fit one way in shell holder but upon turning it gets tight?

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[TNsailorman]

I have several hundred .223's primed and ready to load. I store them in plastic 50 round boxes. Then in the cardboard box that the boxes were shipped from by MidwayUSA. Of course they are in an area controlled by a dehumidifier. Some of the brass that I have was shot in an AR15 and have little small burrs on them from that bang & slam action of the gas operated rifles. Gas operation is tuff on brass rims sometimes. I feel with my fingers for those burrs and remove them with a small fine toothed file. I have seen some .223 cases with the rim yanked out of level because of the gas system also. I have a bolt action .223 Remington and once the bolt closes on those rims, firing that round will straighten the head up just fine. my experience anyway, james

[chutesnreloads]

Don't see any harm storing them that way. Think if you look close your "out of round" cases probably have slightly buggered up rims.And yes I see it from time to time.Some guns damage brass worse than others and possibly being in a hurry rough handling during resizing also

[Ed_Shot]

I store my primed brass for many calibers including .223 in large plastic food storage containers from the Dollar Store. My reloading shed is totally climate controled...hot in the summer, cold in the winter and humid during rainy spells. I can't remember when I ever had a primer fail to go bang.

[Larry Gibson]

Just have a few questions:.... Also for those using hand primers, have you occasionally run across a 223 case that seemed “out of round” at base? In other words it’ll fit one way in shell holder but upon turning it gets tight?
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Seems to be a problem since about 2000. I have run across numerous such cases that fit as described or won't fit at all in Lee and RCBS shell holders. Seems manufacturing tolerances on the extractor groove have slipped a bit.

[robg]

prep all my brass and store till im ready to load.

[Winger Ed.]

Primers can stay in a cardboard box on a shelf for years and years.

So,
If your primed cases are stored the same way, or more sealed up than just the primers...
I can't see how it would make any difference to them when it came time to fire.

The only issue I've ever had was coming across about 200 .45-70 primed brass from almost 20 years ago,
that wasn't as pretty as when it came out of the polisher.
I didn't feel comfortable about running it back through the polisher, so I just loaded and fired 'em.

[Dieselhorses]

Thanks, just one less step to do. I did like 600 cases the latter part of week, de-capping/resizing, swaging, trimming, deburring and chamfering, wet tumbling and then priming plays a toll on the hands! Worth it.


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[FLINTNFIRE]

I pre prime brass all the time store in whatever containers I have and no problems , the rims do get battered in semi auto rifles and I to have noticed brass that has difference in rim or extractor groove 223 and 9mm seem to be biggest variance , and then there is the issue of shell plates and shell holders being off sized for the brass they are supposed to be for , oh 9mm shellplate that fits 40 so the manufacture makes one instead of caliber specific .

[bedbugbilly]

I often pre-prime brass - pistol brass I usually store in coffee cans with lids on - rifle in zip-loc bags or plastic cartridge boxes - never had any issues with them going bang.

You don't state - 223/5.56 new or range brass? I just added .223'5.56 to my line-up so experience is limited. In processing range brass fired from some ARs - i load for bolt action - I have run into an issue with some of the bases being oversize enough to not chamber or fit in gauge like they should. I cull them out. I just bought 1,200 civilian 223 1 X fired mixed head stamps - haven't processed them though. I bought a set of Lee dies and I am not happy with the shel-holder as for me, it's mot a case of some not fitting - it's a case that some are on the loose side as opposed to what I[m used to in other calibers I load. I looked and it's the right number on the shell holder - it will be going bye-bye as soon as i can get a new one - even somewhat sloppy im my RCBS single stage ram - more so than others - not knocking Lee s it's probably just one that the tolerances are such that it acts the way it does.

[lightman]

Primers in primed brass will be good just about forever if stored in a stable environment. I also prime off of the press, especially for 9mm and 223. The occasional missed crimp will stop a progress press and need to be cleared. So I prime by hand and then I can really roll. And sometimes I have primed brass ready for a long time before I load it.

And yeah, I have run across rims that don't fit the shell holder correctly. Either deformed or from a manufacturing defect. Deformed 9mm and 223 go in my scrap bucket but I have repaired some others.

[Muddydogs]

Don't do it, before you know it you will be wishing you didn't have all your primers in the 223 brass because you will want them for something else and you will be removing them. Years ago I thought that priming all my brass was the way to go but years later and after a few changes in priority's I ended up de-priming about 5000 pieces of brass. Priming is fast and easy so there is no sense in committing a bunch of primers to it until needed in my opinion.

[onelight]

I bought a set of Lee dies and I am not happy with the shel-holder as for me, it's mot a case of some not fitting - it's a case that some are on the loose side as opposed to what I[m used to in other calibers I load. I looked and it's the right number on the shell holder - it will be going bye-bye as soon as i can get a new one - even somewhat sloppy im my RCBS single stage ram - more so than others - not knocking Lee s it's probably just one that the tolerances are such that it acts the way it does.
I would hang on to that loose shell holder you may run into a batch of brass where you are glad you have it.

[David2011]

I’ve shot thousands of rounds, probably 10,000, with primers that were kept in garages on the Gulf Coast for 20+ years. No air conditioning. No failures. All were stored within 5 miles of Galveston Bay.

[onelight]

New primers are in unsealed boxes I don't see how it would make any difference if it is in a cartridge case or a plastic tray in a cardboard box.
But who knows.

[dondiego]

Most of my brass is ready for a load of powder and a projectile.

[charlie b]

New primers are in unsealed boxes I don't see how it would make any difference if it is in a cartridge case or a plastic tray in a cardboard box.
But who knows.


^^^^this

[F_L]

I always preprime my brass. I sized/primed 100 9mm cases yesterday and will do some more when I get the chance. It breaks up the task and makes the final stages simpler. Less stuff to keep an eye on. Somewhere between a single stage and progressive press is just right for me.