Primer Pockets & High Primers

[klw]

I've been having problems with high primers on my 357 magnum reloads. Normally I use Winchester brass but it has been getting hard to find so these are Remington cases. One of the few times I've used Remington brass

Cleaned all the primer pockets. Got out my RCBS trim mate. Used the primer pocket uniformer on all of them. Got out a fair amount of metal from the primer pockets.

After this, at least initially, all the primers seated properly. After a reloading or two, however, the problem was back big as ever. It appears as if the brass is flowing into the primer pocket area.

I've never seen this before! Any suggestions? I'm thinking of throwing these cases away and starting over with new brass

[James C. Snodgrass]

Starline makes the BEST pistol brass there is.

[Nueces]

Could sharp edged primers be displacing brass? If that were happening, though, the pockets would likely be getting loose, especially after uniforming.

Sure someone isn't sneaking in and trading brass with you?

Mark

[XBT]

I use all brands of brass, mostly range pickups, but have never run into that problem. My revolver brass usually splits at the mouth when it wears out.

Some of my really old .38 special brass is getting somewhat loose primer pockets, but that is normal after many loadings.

[Ken O]

I don't think its the brass, but probably the primer. I uniform the primer pockets and it depends on the primer on how they seat.

The Winchester primers always seat the best for me, ...but I get lower SD's from Rem 7½ primers for my .223 loads. The Rems seat harder, must be a little bit bigger. For large pistol, the Rems seat harder and easy to get high primers from them.

I get the lowest SD's with Wolf primers in the .308, but they take a lot of effert to seat, I use the Rockchucker instead of the Lee hand primer to seat them. Its real easy to get a slightly higher primer that will FTF.

So, for general shooting I would stay away from Wolfs and Rems. Go with Winchester or CCI, and your chances of a high primer will be reduced.

[klw]

I don't think its the brass, but probably the primer. I uniform the primer pockets and it depends on the primer on how they seat.

The Winchester primers always seat the best for me, ...but I get lower SD's from Rem 7½ primers for my .223 loads. The Rems seat harder, must be a little bit bigger. For large pistol, the Rems seat harder and easy to get high primers from them.

I get the lowest SD's with Wolf primers in the .308, but they take a lot of effert to seat, I use the Rockchucker instead of the Lee hand primer to seat them. Its real easy to get a slightly higher primer that will FTF.

So, for general shooting I would stay away from Wolfs and Rems. Go with Winchester or CCI, and your chances of a high primer will be reduced.

I only use CCI. I've shot about 150,000 and have twice that many in the garage.

[Slowpoke]

I uniform every primer pocket of every case that I load, both rifle and pistol, have done so for many years.

Then when I reload after firing those cases I clean the primer pocket's with the uniformer.

It is not unusual to have the uniformer remove brass from the bottom of the pocket ea time that I clean them.

Never could make up my mind why.

I use the Sinclair carbide uniformers with fixed depth.

good luck

[fourarmed]

klw, you didn't say what seating equipment you were using. If it is a Dillon progressive, you will never eliminate high primers using CCI, in my experience. I use nothing but Federal in my Dillon's, though others have told me that Winchester seat reliably as well.

[klw]

It was the brass. Replaced the old Remington brass with a new batch and the problem disappeared. So, one of the signs that brass has reached its end of life is when you can not properly seat a new primer even right after running the case through a primer pocket uniformer. This brass made it to 17.5 reloads.