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Primer hole cleaning ?

pirate2501pirate2501 Member Posts: 1,851 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited January 2011 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
Just got a Lee 1000 Progressive press mounted and assembled. Ran a few cases through it without powder and bullets. It pops out the primer and sizes the case on the first die. Second die inserts the primer and loads the powder. Third die is supposed to seat the bullet. I noticed that there is black residue in the primer hole after the primer is popped out. Will this cause a problem when the new primer is inserted?
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    codenamepaulcodenamepaul Member Posts: 2,931 ✭
    edited November -1
    Not for a while. I don't usually clean my pockets, but inevitably they get cleaned picking out tumbling media.
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    geeguygeeguy Member Posts: 1,047 ✭
    edited November -1
    It "can" cause a high primer. Most people who shoot for fun don't worry about it, and some competitive shooters don't worry about it.

    I find that for Match ammo I always deprime with a single stage and then hand prime, then use the final stages on the progressive (Dillon Sq. Deal). For practice ammo I just use the progressive for all stages and I will get a few with high primer. DO NOT try to seat the primer to proper depth with a loaded round (see BPOST for instructions).

    Try some without cleaning the pocket and see your results, if you are getting a lot of high primers change your methods.

    Best of luck
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    pirate2501pirate2501 Member Posts: 1,851 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Should I pop the primers out and then tumble the cases ?
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    OakieOakie Member Posts: 40,519 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I always deprime my cases before tumbling but you dont have to. I also always clean the primer pocket with a primer pocket brush.This way I am assured the primer will seat correctly each time. Oak
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    pirate2501pirate2501 Member Posts: 1,851 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Is there a primer tool to pop the primer out by hand? Then use the brush.
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    zimmdenzimmden Member Posts: 237 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    There are dies for depriming only that fit in threaded presses, arbor presses or by using a punch and mallet over a base. Most reloading catalogs have all three. They do no resizing and most can be used on many different calibers.
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    geeguygeeguy Member Posts: 1,047 ✭
    edited November -1
    The most common is to clean the case, lube and deprime, clean the lube off and clean the primer pocket, trim if needed, now ready to load. There are several tools made specific for this purpose.

    If you are loading pistol you can get carbide dies so no lube is needed.
    You may want to contact Rock Raab here, as he has quite a bit of info on starting out reloading.

    Best of luck
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    20gabob20gabob Member Posts: 232 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I use a lyman universal depriming die to punch primers and then rcbs stainless steel primer pocket brush tool to clean them. Then into the tumbler and they come out looking as new. Wouldn't swear that is what everyone does but it sure works out well for me.
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    perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390 ✭
    edited November -1
    I have loaded over 300,000 rounds of 45ACP On my Star progressive reloader and don't clean primer pockets. Note I do a lot of testing on ransom rest and I find same group size with or without the extra steps involved with depriming and cleaning before running them through my star reloader

    EDITI load one brand of cases BECAUSE 45ACP cases have different wall thickness between brands. However with a taper crimp die you dont need to trim length and you dont need to keep track of how many times you have loaded the case . I have four or five 5 gallon buckets of brass mainly load one bucket and then start with a different head stamp . I like WCC Match and WW brass. I try to avoid Rem UMC and Remington as well as TZZ brass they have thin walls and does not give good tight bullet pull unless I change my sizing die [V][:(]and FEDERAL had quality control problems with split cases for about 5 year span[xx(][:(!] and I sold about 10 five gallon buckets of that.It Was Military match brass from Camp Perry but some was good and some bad no way to tell until you loaded and shot it.
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    gknaka2gknaka2 Member Posts: 461 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Along the same lines, and don't mean to hijack this thread but believe it's related...Do you all load same headstamp when you load a batch or do you mix and match and does it really matter?
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    FrancFFrancF Member Posts: 35,278 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by gknaka2
    Along the same lines, and don't mean to hijack this thread but believe it's related...Do you all load same headstamp when you load a batch or do you mix and match and does it really matter?


    For rifle "A factory Bolt gun", I separate mine. They are all preped. the same, it just makes things easy to identify if you run into "Little" problems with accuracy. Sometimes It can make a difference, sometimes not.

    My Semi Auto's (M1 Garand, M1A, and O3A3, only get LC Mil brass.
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    shoff14shoff14 Member Posts: 11,994 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by gknaka2
    Along the same lines, and don't mean to hijack this thread but believe it's related...Do you all load same headstamp when you load a batch or do you mix and match and does it really matter?




    For pistols I don't care. Perry up there does because he is shooting matches. I am not a good enough shot with a pistol to notice any difference. I separate out all my rifle brass. I also clean the primer pockets and deburr the flash hole on anything that I am shooting for accuracy.
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    pirate2501pirate2501 Member Posts: 1,851 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for the info - for now I'm gonna reload 9mm just for practicing at the range.
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    JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    buy this primer pocket uniforming tool from Sinclair. It has a drill adaptor (as shown) and will clean primer pockets in seconds.

    100_0347.jpg
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    jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Have a cleaner tool, rarely use it. I don't see the need. The small amount of dirt in the hole doesn't seem to get worse after each firing.

    Exception is with black powder reloading.
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    zimmdenzimmden Member Posts: 237 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    +1 For JustC. It also uniforms the primer pocket and cuts it to the exact depth so each piece of brass is the same eliminating one more variable in the accuracy puzzle. They are available in small, large rifle and pistol primer size.
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    Pistollero1050Pistollero1050 Member Posts: 1,197 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I reload 1000's of 45 acp on a Dillon 550b and don't clean the prime pockets ever. never had a problem. The pocket tends to get just so dirty and thats it. I've reloaded some cases at least 20 times.
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    JustjumpJustjump Member Posts: 644 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    handguns, never clean the pockets and the only headstamp I watch out for is those pesky "A-MERC" ones. But then I'm 99% cast stuff

    Rifles is a whole new ball of wax. I spend the time to even weigh cases inside a specific headstamp
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    cpermdcpermd Member Posts: 5,273 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Never cleaned a handgun primer pocket
    All my rifle brass gets cleaned and the pockets uniformed.

    CP
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    1988z011988z01 Member Posts: 602 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a little brass brush for my Dremel that cleans em out nice a purdy without reaming them out. The brush is initially about 1/2" but wears down as you clean the pockets. You can get several hundred rounds cleaned out of one brush, and don't have to worry about reaming out the pockets too much.
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    rsm_38rsm_38 Member Posts: 1 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I too used to clean the primer pocket after depriming and then clean the brass in the tumbler with corn-cob or walnut media, but after someone introduce me to stainless steel media I no longer have to clean the primer pockets. As the media is small enough to clean the primer pockets and it wont get stuck in it like the other media. Plus the brass come out like brand new. The other media could never clean it like this, and the best part is that the media will last almost forever. Anyone interested in more information feel free to contact me.
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    Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,196 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I've been reloading since 1957. I promise that the minute I have a problem caused by dirty primer pockets, I'll start cleaning them.
    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
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