Reamed too much? is that possible ? (223/556)

[strider51]

Hi all. New to reloading here.

Is it possible to "ream too much" ? I have a few cases that look... bored out a little, but i can put spent primers in and they seem to be fine. Any thoughts ?

[Airhasz]

Are you saying you reamed the primer pocket holes?

[strider51]

I should have been more clear.
All my brass is crimped. I read that I must remove the crimp, so I have a lyman reamer (hand tool, pretty nice really). My ram-prime (lee turret classic) will actually seat a spent primer in a brass case even with a crimp, but I removed the crimp (maybe overboard) on a few cases. The spent primer doesn't fall out, but it does go in a lot easier.

[bigedp51]

I use the Hornady unit below to remove the crimp, I use the Lyman crimp remover in the front of the photo as the final check. If the Lyman reamer enters the primer pocket without effort the primer pocket is done.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/reamertips001_zps433f8557.jpg

I check for oversized primer pockets with the pin gauge in the photo below. The pin gauge is .0005 smaller than the average primer diameter and if the pin gauge fits and rotates freely I junk the case.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/looseprimer005_zps7fe118e2.jpg

If you do not have a pin gauge you can use the Lee decapping tool below and if you can push the primer out with just finger pressure the primer pocket is too loose and the case is junk.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/looseprimer004_zps1cb656b2.jpg

Question, what type/name brand cases are you reaming and how do they compare to new unfired cases when you seat the primer?

You can get by with looser primer pockets on bolt action rifles, but on a AR15 a over gassed rifle can cause the primers to pop out and jam the rifle.

[strider51]

Most of my brass is LC 09/11/12, I do have some WCC 10 that seems... "softer" than the LC.

Thanks for the advice, I have a decapping pin on the way (for another reason), so I will use that method.

I'm going to get a pin gauge for sure.

[markm]

Your primer tension doesn't come from the rim of the primer cup. I run the hornady primer pocket reamer in a hand drill. Not familiar with the Lyman... the hornady bottoms out and can only cut so much away.

I've seen a few pieces where I cut the crimp at a bad angle. The look bad, but never have caused poor primer seating tension.

[bigedp51]

strider51

I bought the primer pocket gauge pictured below but it didn't work well, the NO-GO is 0.175 and the same diameter as the average primer. Meaning I could seat primers with finger pressure at this diameter, the smaller GO end is 0.172 and too small to tell you anything. I ordered a pin gauge that had a diameter of 0.1745 that is .0005 (1/2 thousandths) smaller than the average small rifle primer diameter and it works well.

I had a five gallon bucket full of Federal cases marked FC 05 and the brass was soft and they had oversized primer pockets after the first firing. It has been said that Federal fixed the problem and you might be able to get by with the depriming tool and just using "feel" and may not need the pin gauge. But the .1745 pin gauge is fast and easy to use and leaves guesswork out of the equation.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/primerpocketgauge_zps9ed585b1.jpg