Interesting problem with primer pockets

Vern

Vern

Morethan1waytoskinacat
Problem or not you help me decide.
Last match I shot I used new brass.
I have been using a primer pocket cleaner that is cross hatched, dont remember which one.
Anyway I decided to try my K&M primer pocket uniformer. It cleaned the outside edges and left a basic circle area about 1/8" wide right around the flash hole. I could get it out with the regular cleaning tool but it would not come out with the uniformer.

It was as though the flash hole area was domed up toward the inside of the case just enough that it would not clean it.

Any ideas, anyone else ever had this problem?
I could understand if it were belled down that maybe the primer punch had hit it but it was all cases.

When I initially uniformed the pockets I left the tool set at the factory depth as the instructions said basically leave it alone unless you have a need to change it.
 
Not a problem. In fact, you can quit cleaning your pockets at any moment without the slightest penalty.
 
Wilbur I dont get what you mean.
Are you saying that in your opinion it is not necessary to clean primer pockets?
 
Vern, I stopped cutting primer pockets on new brass for that very reason.

The virgin, uncut floor seems to 'square up' better (for lack of a better term) after they've been whapped a couple of times. Then I cut 'em and they stay nice and square.

Lapua large and small primer cases....same/same. -Al
 
Vern said:
Wilbur I dont get what you mean.
Are you saying that in your opinion it is not necessary to clean primer pockets?
Click to expand...

When I bought my first real Benchrest rifle, the hall of fame member/gunsmith that put it together for me said he hadn't cleaned a primer pocket in at least 10 years. That was over 8 years ago, he still wins a lot and I'll bet he still doesn't clean primer pockets.
 
I could see that with the newer brass that maybe we dont need to uniform the primer pockets and I dont do the holes anymore, but not cleaning the primer pockets? It seems like the build up would keep the the primers from being set consistently or even flush.
Maybe thats because I make 50 cases and shoot them for most of a season. This is definitely something to think about.
 
I usually uniform them after a few firings but as for cleaning primer pockets, I haven't clean one in years, never saw a difference on paper.
 
Correct

That's exactly what I mean. Further, cutting the pockets and flasholes won't make any difference in aggs either. That's my opinion but I didn't simply dream it up.

Since I know that everybody will ignore this advice, a shirt pocket screwdriver works pretty good. You can find one of those in the kitchen "catch all" drawer.
 
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Thanks Guys.
I have several tools for cleaning the pockets. And they work fine.
My concern was that the pockets were seemed to be domed from the bottom up.
Now I am more interested in the idea of not cleaning them at allll?
Wilbur tell me more please.
How many firings do you guys get without cleaning?
Does it affect seating depth of primer?
 
Well...you kinda have to quit thinking in terms of "how many" and "affect". I wrote "kinda" in an attempt to create a stepping stone to the concept. Suppose I answered something like..."every 20 firings or so". That would indicate continued concern with my primer pockets and such concern no longer exists. Not an easy concept to develop given that inevitable "bad day" that causes one to question everything up to and including his DNA. When that day comes, you'll find yourself reaching for that pocket cleaner - but it won't help. Alternatively, look for somebody having that bad day and ask him if he cleans his primer pockets.

Now, to answer the questions specifically:

If you believe it matters, then clean your pockets every firing.

Yes, it has to affect primer seating depth to some extent.
 
Secretly, I have always thought that benchrest matches should have prizes for the cleanest primer pockets, and shiniest brass. Of course we would have to actually inspect the brass to determine the winners, siince there would be no way to tell, by examining the targets ;-)
 
I re-set mine

The cutter in both (sizes) of my Primer Pocket uniformers are adjustable. I extended both of mine slightly so that they will cut the bottoms cleanly on 99.9% of all the brass I have used them in. OCCASIONALLY, I find a piece of brass those settings will not touch, even when new. The cutters seem to clean the crud out but don't touch the bottom of those pocket. Doesn't seem to affect they way they shoot though, as far as I haev been able to tell.

Perhaps cleaning pockets is a waste of time but I have always done it and find myself always wanting to do it when I prep cases for Re-loading.

My thinking goes, It is impossible to make ammo that is too good. We put a heck of a lot of time and trouble into make rifles as perfect as they can be made and tend to keep them as spotless as we can yet are satisfied with ammo that is rolled up at less strict and stringent standards. Never has made any sense to me to think that way.
 
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I think primer pocket cleaning does have it's place in the system even if only for good accurate seating that you can feel . Some primers that I have seen are so dirty that eventually you have trouble seating a primer . Some of my brass has fired 30 or more shots and if I never cleaned the pocket at all I would be battling to get a primer seated below the case head.
I think Wilbur is being a bit narrow in his view .
 
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