What’s your primer pocket routine?

[SDHNTR]

Assuming good brass, ADG, Lapua, Peterson, etc. How often and when do you give your primer pockets and flash holes any attention?

I’ve uniformed the pocket, deburred the flash hole, cleaned the pocket with a brush, fully reamed, and I’ve left it alone entirely after tumbling. I can’t tell a lick of difference with any of it. Waste of time entirely are some of these steps worth doing?

 

[Lawnboi]

Never

 

[robtattoo]

Wet tumble, dry, hammer in a primer. Repeat until the primer pocket's too loose. Toss, replace.

 

[long hunter]

De-burr, brush, put in tumbler, take out of tumbler. prime and load.

 

[Pharmseller]

Never

Never

 

[9.1]

I can’t tell a lick of difference with any of it. Waste of time entirely are some of these steps worth doing?

I feel like you answered your own question before you asked it.

 

[SDHNTR]

I feel like you answered your own question before you asked it.

True

 

[mfllood3800]

I have 3 firings of 300 pcs of lapua 284 brass and never touched the PP or FH. Same with 6.5PRC necked up to 7.

 

[wapitibob]

Have you measured the pocket depths with a depth mic (not calipers) on new brass? That will tell you if they need trued with a century 21 uniformer. Whether a person can see the difference between .127 and .124 primer depth is up to you.

 

[SDHNTR]

Have you measured the pocket depths with a depth mic (not calipers) on new brass? That will tell you if they need trued with a century 21 uniformer. Whether a person can see the difference between .127 and .124 primer depth is up to you.

I have not. Perhaps I’ve had more blind trust than I should, but that’s why I buy good breast to start with. My question was more one of do those pocket dimensions change over time with multiple firings? And is that something that needs to be trued up? I’ve never measured so I don’t know.

 

[Reed104R]

I use the RCBS case prep center to clean out the pockets every time, but its probably unnecessary. If you use a hand priming tool, you can sufficiently monitor the primer pocket tension.

 

[wapitibob]

I never measured till I noticed a cpl primers protruding above the base when checking base to ogive. Now I cut all pockets on new brass to the same depth. I also brush out the carbon on fired cases because it has some thickness. Not sure if it matters on the target but I feel better. I added a stop on my hand primer as well.
To your point, the dia of the pocket certainly changes after firing, I haven't measured the depth but will now. I would assume it would also change slightly.

 

[SDHNTR]

I never measured till I noticed a cpl primers protruding above the base when checking base to ogive. Now I cut all pockets on new brass to the same depth. I also brush out the carbon on fired cases because it has some thickness. Not sure if it matters on the target but I feel better. I added a stop on my hand primer as well.
To your point, the dia of the pocket certainly changes after firing, I haven't measured the depth but will now. I would assume it would also change slightly.

Right. Of course, I understand the diameter of the pocket stretches out after multiple shots. But I wonder about the depth?

 

[9.1]

I never measured till I noticed a cpl primers protruding above the base when checking base to ogive. Now I cut all pockets on new brass to the same depth. I also brush out the carbon on fired cases because it has some thickness. Not sure if it matters on the target but I feel better. I added a stop on my hand primer as well.
To your point, the dia of the pocket certainly changes after firing, I haven't measured the depth but will now. I would assume it would also change slightly.

I'll never have a need to worry about this for the shooting I do, but it's interesting to read some of the things that can be done in the pursuit of consistency.

 

[willfrye027]

I don’t even brush them out. 7-8 loads on current batch of brass. A while back in shot some 10 round groups to see if there was any difference and i didn’t see one. That said I use lapua and other quality stuff so I fret less about doing anything extra to it.

 

[Rich M]

I pop out the old and put inbthe new a second or two later, never worry about it. If it gets loose, chuck brass.

 

[BBob]

After cleaning the case I push a new primer into the pocket. That’s it, no cleaning or prep.

 

[Harvey_NW]

I use homemade lube and tumble in rice so I have to check and clear a couple flash holes afterward, I use a Lyman hand tool with the cutter head uniformer and give it a quick twist to cut crust off and give the primer a nice brass ring to seat against. I've never tested it to see if it makes any difference, but it takes about 1 sec and makes me feel better.

 

[49ereric]

I need to get a ball bearing and do the resize the primer pocket trick when they loosen up with some hard to obtain brass.

 

[PantherCity]

I need to get a ball bearing and do the resize the primer pocket trick when they loosen up with some hard to obtain brass.

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