Do you clean your primer pockets?

[TXGunNut]

I don't make a habit of it. If I don't lose it or wear it out after 3-5 loadings I sometimes find myself cleaning them if it looks like they need it.

[Volucris]

I only use a Lyman primer flash hole uniformer to make sure no debris are in the flash hole. I get more consistent primer seating depths if I clean the primer pockets but that's all. It's important for some auto loaders imo. It's not much more for your normal brass prep. While I may load on a progressive I prep brass by resizing, trimming, deburr, uniform, decrimp, and prime before loading. Makes it so much more streamlined and you don't waste case space with cleaning medium or liberal amounts of lube.

[Diamond LawDawg]

Only reload pistol cartridges, vibratory tumbler till the brass shines like new,then onto the Dillon 550 and out to shoot....

[RaySendero]

Yep, I clean the primer pockets.

I deprime and clean. Use an eye glass screwdriver the remove any media from the flash hole and use the lee tool to debur the pocket on each case.

[doug66]

no

[KnobCreek]

Pistol no. Rifle used to be a no, but now yes. Now that I have a Thumbler with s/s media the rifle does as I send them through it after I have resized/deprimed them. Primer pockets come out as shiny as the outside.

[richfr]

I have just started to reload (9mm only at the moment) and I clean them all.

[darkgael]

Life is too short to spend time cleaning primer pockets.

Pete

[Geezerbiker]

I do for rifle but not for pistol. I probably don't need too for rifle either but it's quick and easy with a small screwdriver. I tend to go a bit overboard on case prep for rifles but I get good results so why argue with success.

Tony

[tpcollins]

I wanted a case cleaner and wound up with a Thumler rock tumbler off Craigslists and 2 1/2 pound of pins from Stainless Tumbling Media. After a couple hours everything is spotless - inside, outside, primer pockets, etc. - can't help it now.

[firewrench044]

I clean all
never had a FTF

[Mike1]

I don't clean the pockets on handgun brass, but usually will do the rifle brass when they're trimmed.

[JerryM]

I never clean handgun primer pockets, but always clean rifle primer pockets. I suppose if I loaded hundreds of rounds of something like .223 I wouldn't clean them.

Jerry

[4runnerman]

I got both large and small primer pocket uniformers and that is all i use. I do it on all loads,pistol and rifle. Can't hurt anything. But then im anal too. I clean my rifle every 10 shots and big cleaning as soon as the wheels stop in the driveway. Was just taught that way and it's become a habit now. does it benifet in any way?. Don't know,never not done it.

[Civil War Life]

I clean both my rifle and pistol primer pockets but I am pretty new to reloading and was wondering why many say they do not do pistol. What is rational for this? Isn't clean better? Just curious why it is done that way and am always looking to learn from you guys. Thanks

[Smaug]

For instance rifle ammo, and target competition ammo for handguns.

But not for practice or (non-competition) target shooting.

I admit that the first handgun ammo I made, I cleaned primer pockets prior to priming, and the ammo WAS more accurate than it is now that I don't do it. But not quite enough to make it worth the trouble.

[GURU1911]

Since 1977, i have religiously cleaned primer pockets on both rifle & handgun metallic cases. However, on rifle cases, i do a "match-prep" on the primer pocket. This prep only has to be done once, for the life of the case:

1. Ream & chamfer the flash hole
2. Ream the "id"
3. Cut the depth of & square the bottom

as far as cleaning the pocket is concerned, i do it every time the case is reloaded---no exceptions !!!

[Civil War Life]

as far as cleaning the pocket is concerned, i do it every time the case is reloaded---no exceptions !!!

Thanks for confirming. I know it is an extra step, but I don't reload all that much and I just like everything to be as clean as possible.

Regards

[Tim R]

Yep, I clean the primer pockets.

I deprime and clean. Use an eye glass screwdriver the remove any media from the flash hole and use the lee tool to debur the pocket on each case.

As do I for match type ammo. Plinking not so much. Pisto lhas to be heavy.

[GURU1911]

In the early 1980's i was faced with the dilemma of "to what degree of precision to i reload my rifle ammo?"-----only had 2 calibers to worry about: .243 win & .30-06 spring.

I made the final decision & have never deviated from my final choice:
Load every rifle cartridge as if my life, a trophy on the wall, or for meat on the table---thus every round is loaded to match grade competition standards !!!!!

Both my bolt action remington's (model 721 & 700) will routinely group my hand loads in the .500" to .750" quite easily. Of course both rifles have been extensively hot-rodded on my workbench to perform at this level.

Know what---i have never regretted my decision for one second.

Guru1911

[dwright1951]

Yes I do. I just chuck a lee primmer pocket cleaner in a cordless drill and have at it, trim them with the same dril with lee trimer.

[Nosparetime]

No!! Nothing that goes thru my progressive presses.

Precision rifle loads after trimming.

[4runnerman]

Not to stray from question here.But i see a lot of people that do it for precision shooting but not plinking. What is the reason for this?.Do you not want your plinking ammo to be as accurate as any other ammo you load?. To me it seems when you go out and plink you are saying if i can hit broad side of barn im happy.IMHO-That is a waste of powder,primers,bullets and time. Every shot weather plinking or comp shooting should be carefully placed and be expected to perform as all others. How doe's one better themselfs when you know you are shooting a load that is not up to par?. Just wondering?????

[SRE]

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right... that's my oppinion anyway. Media can get stuck in the flash hole. (depending on if you deprime pre or post cleaning, obviously)

I like to clean them. Makes for a better job and makes me feel better about my reloading

[Sevens]

Not to stray from question here.But i see a lot of people that do it for precision shooting but not plinking. What is the reason for this?.Do you not want your plinking ammo to be as accurate as any other ammo you load?. To me it seems when you go out and plink you are saying if i can hit broad side of barn im happy.IMHO-That is a waste of powder,primers,bullets and time. Every shot weather plinking or comp shooting should be carefully placed and be expected to perform as all others. How doe's one better themselfs when you know you are shooting a load that is not up to par?. Just wondering?????

Well, for me it's not really "plinking" versus otherwise... it's more handgun vs. rifle.

If there's something I can do to net a one-inch or half-inch difference at 100 yards, I would do it, if I thought it would help. Rifles are precision instruments by nature.

In shooting pistol, I'm typically shooting at 10 to 12 yards, occasionally at 7 yards or 15 yards and rarely, at 25 yards.

I can't imagine that primer pockets could net me any measurable difference in consistency or "accuracy" at the distance I shoot handguns.

Heck, they may not give me any edge in rifle, either... but I handload rifle in such lower volume and there is so much case prep involved already, it doesn't seem like too much of a bother to clean the pockets for rifle.