primer crimp question

duckslayr · February 24, 2010, 10:45 PM

Hey .223 reloading pros.

I'm new to reloading military brass (just got my first AR-15, what a blast!)

I've read about reaming the crimps out of the primer pockets on this brass. I've reloaded about 40 rounds of WCC brass, as well as some Lake City crimped brass three or four times, and have never had a problem either removing or installing primers.

Is reaming the pockets necessary if I am not having trouble. Will not reaming the pockets effect the accuracy or reliablility of my ammo?

Thanks.

Dr. Strangelove · February 25, 2010, 01:04 AM

If you aren't having problems with primer removal or seating, then don't worry about modifying primer pockets.

If you reload enough military brass, you will run into some that has to be processed to allow you to seat primers properly. Until then - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Addressing your accuracy question - accuracy = repeatability; meaning that every shot needs to be as close to the same as the previous shots as possible. Primer pockets do have an effect, but they are one of the last things to look at, many other factors are far more important.

As far as reliability, the reasons that military ammunition has crimped or staked primers don't affect most recreational firearm use. If your primers are getting crushed as a result of not removing the staking or crimping, you may experience some failures to fire.

riverwalker76 · February 25, 2010, 01:14 AM

PM Sent

duckslayr · February 25, 2010, 11:52 AM

Thanks guys, appreciate the info.

Jimro · February 25, 2010, 01:31 PM

Quote:

I've read about reaming the crimps out of the primer pockets on this brass. I've reloaded about 40 rounds of WCC brass, as well as some Lake City crimped brass three or four times, and have never had a problem either removing or installing primers.

Removing the primer crimp is only necessary if you are the first person to reload milsurp brass. Most commercial reloads do this step for you.

Jimro

ScottRiqui · February 25, 2010, 02:41 PM

And it's not always even necessary even if you're the first person to reload it. Like the original poster, I have quite a bit of Lake City brass, and in the process of determining exactly how much I need to swage them, I found that I could actually re-prime them pretty easily without swaging them *at all*.

Maybe it's because I'm using a handheld priming tool rather than priming them on the press, or maybe it's because I'm using the CCI #41 primers with cups that are harder than normal primers - I don't know. But now I know that the amount of swaging isn't critical, so I just hit them lightly with the swager rather than trying to remove all signs of the original crimp (since trying to remove the crimp entirely was deforming the case heads, making them hard to insert into the shell holder.)

February 24, 2010, 10:45 PM	#1
duckslayr Junior Member Join Date: February 24, 2010 Posts: 7	primer crimp question Hey .223 reloading pros. I'm new to reloading military brass (just got my first AR-15, what a blast!) I've read about reaming the crimps out of the primer pockets on this brass. I've reloaded about 40 rounds of WCC brass, as well as some Lake City crimped brass three or four times, and have never had a problem either removing or installing primers. Is reaming the pockets necessary if I am not having trouble. Will not reaming the pockets effect the accuracy or reliablility of my ammo? Thanks.

February 25, 2010, 01:04 AM	#2
Dr. Strangelove Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2008 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 1,436	If you aren't having problems with primer removal or seating, then don't worry about modifying primer pockets. If you reload enough military brass, you will run into some that has to be processed to allow you to seat primers properly. Until then - if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Addressing your accuracy question - accuracy = repeatability; meaning that every shot needs to be as close to the same as the previous shots as possible. Primer pockets do have an effect, but they are one of the last things to look at, many other factors are far more important. As far as reliability, the reasons that military ammunition has crimped or staked primers don't affect most recreational firearm use. If your primers are getting crushed as a result of not removing the staking or crimping, you may experience some failures to fire. Last edited by Dr. Strangelove; February 25, 2010 at 01:18 AM.

February 25, 2010, 01:14 AM	#3
riverwalker76 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 993	PM Sent

February 25, 2010, 11:52 AM	#4
duckslayr Junior Member Join Date: February 24, 2010 Posts: 7	Thanks guys, appreciate the info.

February 25, 2010, 02:41 PM	#6
ScottRiqui Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 2,905	And it's not always even necessary even if you're the first person to reload it. Like the original poster, I have quite a bit of Lake City brass, and in the process of determining exactly how much I need to swage them, I found that I could actually re-prime them pretty easily without swaging them at all. Maybe it's because I'm using a handheld priming tool rather than priming them on the press, or maybe it's because I'm using the CCI #41 primers with cups that are harder than normal primers - I don't know. But now I know that the amount of swaging isn't critical, so I just hit them lightly with the swager rather than trying to remove all signs of the original crimp (since trying to remove the crimp entirely was deforming the case heads, making them hard to insert into the shell holder.)