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usmcamp0811
03-26-10, 07:02
I'm brand new to reloading and I'm about to start up for the first time sometime in the next week, after I finish setting up my reloading room. I've read a book and surfed the net about reloading for the past few months and I am a little curious about cleaning primer pockets with a progressive press (i've got a dillon 550). I've read some places say that they do not clean the primer pockets of their pistol ammo but they do of their rifle ammo. .223 is going to be my first caliber that I reload and I'm just curious how vital it is to clean the primer pocket and what maybe some of you veteran reloaders do to both maximize quality and efficiency.
jmart
03-26-10, 10:29
It's not vital.
blade_68
03-26-10, 10:33
I clean my 308 ones, not so much on 9mm ones I just check pockets for crap in then is needed then I'll clean them
chadbag
03-26-10, 11:09
I don't bother with anything. I read a (probably not rigorous but it was double blind) study that someone did in a magazine where they loaded some quantity of ammo by doing it and some without doing it and there was no noticeable difference in accuracy. They were not shooting a benchrest quality gun so maybe in that realm it can be quantified to have an effect.

YMMV and all that.
markm
03-26-10, 18:10
I've done what feels like a million rounds without cleaning any primer pockets.

I've started farting around with this ultrasonic cleaner. And it cleans the primer pockets and interior of the brass very well.

Now I feel like a lazy slob loading brass that hasn't gone through the U/S cleaner. :p
DBR
03-26-10, 19:46
What ultrasonic cleaner are you using?
markm
03-26-10, 19:57
What ultrasonic cleaner are you using?

A commercial unit from "Shining Image". The SAME unit that Harbor Freight sells, and the SAME unit that Hornady is slapping their label on.

It works OK. I didn't want to pay for an industrial (good) unit. Since I have no idea how much better it would work.
danpass
03-26-10, 20:26
so far I've only reloaded Hornady 223 brass and they need the primer pocket uniformed (I use the Redding uniformer in a drill) to reliably seat Wolf SRM primers subflush.

that's the extent of my cleaning since I don't clean them on subsequent reloads.
markm
03-26-10, 21:18
so far I've only reloaded Hornady 223 brass and they need the primer pocket uniformed (I use the Redding uniformer in a drill) to reliably seat Wolf SRM primers subflush.

Is that so?

I have a hundred pieces of new Hornady Brass.... AND I use Wolf Primers. :eek:
danpass
03-26-10, 21:40
Is that so?

I have a hundred pieces of new Hornady Brass.... AND I use Wolf Primers. :eek:

so far anyway.

I've literally only reloaded the brass I get from firing Hornady 55grn redbox.

My first ever batch of 10 ended up barely flush or just over, it would have the slightest wobble when checking case OAL. I had both thumbs, full force, on the Lee hand primer. I even thought the ram might be a shade short :confused:. I was just waiting for my second push on the high cases to seat further to pop the primer lol.

I wrote Powder Valley. I forget the spec they gave me but the Wolf primers I had fell within that height.

Soon as I got the uniformer and chucked it up it dug right in to the case pocket lol.
ralph
03-26-10, 22:40
I do it for my 30-06 that's going in my Garand..and I usually do it for my AR brass as well, It only needs done once, and you'll get the primer to seat below flush, reducing the chances of a slamfire. Granted, that's not a common occurance with .223,(it can still happen) But it has happened enough in the past with rifles like a M1 Garand,that it should be taken seriously, and should be part of the brass prep for that rifle, and it's cousin the M14 clones, a slamfire in that type of action can be bad..real bad..
jmart
03-27-10, 12:47
Primer pocket cleaning does not equal primer pocket uniforming. Different question.
danpass
03-27-10, 12:53
Primer pocket cleaning does not equal primer pocket uniforming. Different question.

....

that's the extent of my cleaning since I don't clean them on subsequent reloads.
.....
thmpr
03-27-10, 15:16
Did several tests (Cleaned and uncleaned primer pockets) with my JP CTR-02 at 300 yards, 50 rounds each and showed no accuracy difference at all. Thus never cleaned the promer pockets again. What a waste of time!
usmcamp0811
03-27-10, 15:48
cool.. thanks everyone for the input..
glad to hear I'm safe to just take all brass that is clean and in good shape and throw it straight into my press.. I'm excited and can't wait to start my first reloading!
danpass
03-27-10, 17:19
cool.. thanks everyone for the input..
glad to hear I'm safe to just take all brass that is clean and in good shape and throw it straight into my press.. I'm excited and can't wait to start my first reloading!

:cool: just make sure the primers are subflush
chadbag
03-30-10, 20:24
so far I've only reloaded Hornady 223 brass and they need the primer pocket uniformed (I use the Redding uniformer in a drill) to reliably seat Wolf SRM primers subflush.

that's the extent of my cleaning since I don't clean them on subsequent reloads.

I haven not had an issue with the few pieces of hornady brass I have in my mixed lot, but several pieces of speer brass, after being swaged, have not allowed Wolf SRM primers to seat all the way. The few that happened today were all speer. So I have ordered a lyman hand primer pocket uniformer to use on the speer I find...
KentuckyWindage
04-01-10, 01:05
When i started reloading a while ago, I cleaned every single case. I wasted alot of time in my life doing that, now only my hunting loads get cleaned....and personal protection load. Everything else gets the pass.