Primer pocket screw up

Randyralph · May 2, 2009, 03:51 PM

Good day all, but not so good for myself. I had a batch of Remington 45-70 brass that had shallow primer pockets. I decided to use the Lyman reamer to do the primer pockets, it was real slow going so I put the tool in my drill pess to speed it up. The bad thing is I did not notice that the reamers stop moved, and I ended up removing way to much brass, the primers are now .015" below the case. Are these safe to shoot, or should I just pull the bullets and scrape the brass? Not a good day at all. The worst thing is I have 80 more new pieces that have shallow primer pockets.
Thanks

JD 500 · May 2, 2009, 03:58 PM

When in doubt, I throw them out.

No amount of brass is worth risking injury to you or others in my opinion.

Slamfire · May 2, 2009, 05:15 PM

It would be interesting to know if the firing pin could even hit those primers. I think the SAAMI spec is .003" below case head.

Here is my guess, and it is a guess only.

Flash hole diameter is safety critical. Too big a flash hole and the column of gas pushing against the primer out could be too much for the primer cup strength.

So if you reamed out enough material that the "dome" around the flash hole comes off, you risk having a bunch of gas blow back through the action. Something like a M98 action would protect you, but most modern actions would allow the gas to flow down the firing pin shaft into your eye. Might cause other funnies too. Hard to know since you have not said what you are shooting.

You could load a blackpowder equivalent charge and see what happens.

The "smart" answer would be JD 500's post.

RidgwayCO · May 2, 2009, 06:41 PM

Suggestion #1: Scrap the brass that you've processed so far. Life's short enough without having to deal with unknown safety margins in your brass cases.

Suggestion #2: Get a primer pocket uniformer (large rifle for the .45-70) and use it on your remaining 80 cases. This will allow you to cut the bottom of the primer pocket to the correct depth without taking out too much brass, nor will it adversely affect the diameter of the pockets.

I use the uniformers from Sinclair and RCBS, but Lyman, Possum Hollow, and others make them as well.

I chuck my Sinclair uniformers into an electric screwdriver to limit the speed to 180 rpm and reduce the related heat buildup. The RCBS uniformers are attached to the the RCBS Trim Mate case prep center, and work under low rpm also.

Randyralph · May 2, 2009, 07:14 PM

RidgwayCO, I was using the lyman tool, but the stop moved, thats why I'm in the trouble I'm in. I do thank you for your reply. I think I may just pull the bullets to be sure. I had acouple that were only .007" under the rim, I will try those I think anyway.

brickeyee · May 2, 2009, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Flash hole diameter is safety critical. Too big a flash hole and the column of gas pushing against the primer out could be too much for the primer cup strength.

The primer sees the peak pressure of the cartridge.

The problem with an oversize primer hole is that the ignition rate of the powder may be affected and raise pressures.

RidgwayCO · May 2, 2009, 08:09 PM

Doh... sorry Randyralph, I misunderstood your post.

I've never messed with the adjustability of my Sinclair or RCBS uniformers. And since I bought mine, Sinclair came out with one-piece carbide uniformers that aren't adjustable. Those might be the best bet.

Randyralph · May 4, 2009, 10:12 AM

Just a little up date, for those wondering if they would fire the primer the answer is yes. I fire all the primes in my marlin. I will be using those cases for other things other than reloading. I have contacted Remington and will post their response when and if I receive reply. Thanks for the opinions of everyone here. The worst thing was that after 20+ years reload i made a stupid mistake, only to have my 15 year old son tell me that if I didn't take the lazy way out by using the drill press this would not have happened. I thought the parent was suppose to tell the kids this sort of thing.

harry carey · May 4, 2009, 10:28 AM

4570- load them with eleven grains of unique and a cast bullet. and dont uniform them again.

James R. Burke · May 5, 2009, 04:07 PM

Just like JD 500 said when in doubt throw them out!

Randyralph · May 7, 2009, 06:01 AM

Just a quick update, I received an email from remington telling me to send them back, and they will take a look at them and replace them if there is a problem. Other then finding there web site hard to use they did respond really quickly. I guess now it is a waiting game, I live in Canada so by the time I send them, and get them back hunting season will be getting close.
Thanks all.
Randy

Tex S · May 7, 2009, 07:27 PM

My first primer pocket uniformer was RCBS. It was quicky returned after the set screw came loose (which made the cutting insert move) and wasn't reaming pockets to specs.

I purchased a 1 piece uniformer from Sinclair and have been happy ever since.

IMO primer pocket uniformers that are not 1 piece are pretty much useless. The Sinclair has a stop machined into it so it is impossible to screw up a primer pocket. I guess it costs a little more to machine the whole tool out of carbide, as opposed to just an insert.

B.T.W., Sinclair offers a really nifty power adapter for the uniformer so you can chuck it in a drill. Uniforming primer pockets is now fast, easy, and precise.

May 2, 2009, 07:14 PM	#5
Randyralph Member Join Date: November 13, 2008 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 66	RidgwayCO RidgwayCO, I was using the lyman tool, but the stop moved, thats why I'm in the trouble I'm in. I do thank you for your reply. I think I may just pull the bullets to be sure. I had acouple that were only .007" under the rim, I will try those I think anyway.

May 7, 2009, 06:01 AM	#11
Randyralph Member Join Date: November 13, 2008 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 66	Remington support Just a quick update, I received an email from remington telling me to send them back, and they will take a look at them and replace them if there is a problem. Other then finding there web site hard to use they did respond really quickly. I guess now it is a waiting game, I live in Canada so by the time I send them, and get them back hunting season will be getting close. Thanks all. Randy

May 7, 2009, 07:27 PM	#12
Tex S Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2008 Location: Fort Worth, TEXAS Posts: 909	My first primer pocket uniformer was RCBS. It was quicky returned after the set screw came loose (which made the cutting insert move) and wasn't reaming pockets to specs. I purchased a 1 piece uniformer from Sinclair and have been happy ever since. IMO primer pocket uniformers that are not 1 piece are pretty much useless. The Sinclair has a stop machined into it so it is impossible to screw up a primer pocket. I guess it costs a little more to machine the whole tool out of carbide, as opposed to just an insert. B.T.W., Sinclair offers a really nifty power adapter for the uniformer so you can chuck it in a drill. Uniforming primer pockets is now fast, easy, and precise. Last edited by Tex S; May 7, 2009 at 07:28 PM. Reason: sp

May 2, 2009, 03:51 PM	#1
Randyralph Member Join Date: November 13, 2008 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 66	Primer pocket screw up Good day all, but not so good for myself. I had a batch of Remington 45-70 brass that had shallow primer pockets. I decided to use the Lyman reamer to do the primer pockets, it was real slow going so I put the tool in my drill pess to speed it up. The bad thing is I did not notice that the reamers stop moved, and I ended up removing way to much brass, the primers are now .015" below the case. Are these safe to shoot, or should I just pull the bullets and scrape the brass? Not a good day at all. The worst thing is I have 80 more new pieces that have shallow primer pockets. Thanks

May 2, 2009, 03:58 PM	#2
JD 500 Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 110	When in doubt, I throw them out. No amount of brass is worth risking injury to you or others in my opinion.

May 2, 2009, 05:15 PM	#3
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	It would be interesting to know if the firing pin could even hit those primers. I think the SAAMI spec is .003" below case head. Here is my guess, and it is a guess only. Flash hole diameter is safety critical. Too big a flash hole and the column of gas pushing against the primer out could be too much for the primer cup strength. So if you reamed out enough material that the "dome" around the flash hole comes off, you risk having a bunch of gas blow back through the action. Something like a M98 action would protect you, but most modern actions would allow the gas to flow down the firing pin shaft into your eye. Might cause other funnies too. Hard to know since you have not said what you are shooting. You could load a blackpowder equivalent charge and see what happens. The "smart" answer would be JD 500's post.

May 2, 2009, 06:41 PM	#4
RidgwayCO Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2008 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 244	Suggestion #1: Scrap the brass that you've processed so far. Life's short enough without having to deal with unknown safety margins in your brass cases. Suggestion #2: Get a primer pocket uniformer (large rifle for the .45-70) and use it on your remaining 80 cases. This will allow you to cut the bottom of the primer pocket to the correct depth without taking out too much brass, nor will it adversely affect the diameter of the pockets. I use the uniformers from Sinclair and RCBS, but Lyman, Possum Hollow, and others make them as well. I chuck my Sinclair uniformers into an electric screwdriver to limit the speed to 180 rpm and reduce the related heat buildup. The RCBS uniformers are attached to the the RCBS Trim Mate case prep center, and work under low rpm also.

May 2, 2009, 08:09 PM	#7
RidgwayCO Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2008 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 244	Doh... sorry Randyralph, I misunderstood your post. I've never messed with the adjustability of my Sinclair or RCBS uniformers. And since I bought mine, Sinclair came out with one-piece carbide uniformers that aren't adjustable. Those might be the best bet.

May 4, 2009, 10:12 AM	#8
Randyralph Member Join Date: November 13, 2008 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 66	Just a little up date, for those wondering if they would fire the primer the answer is yes. I fire all the primes in my marlin. I will be using those cases for other things other than reloading. I have contacted Remington and will post their response when and if I receive reply. Thanks for the opinions of everyone here. The worst thing was that after 20+ years reload i made a stupid mistake, only to have my 15 year old son tell me that if I didn't take the lazy way out by using the drill press this would not have happened. I thought the parent was suppose to tell the kids this sort of thing.

May 4, 2009, 10:28 AM	#9
harry carey Member Join Date: April 25, 2009 Location: georgia Posts: 67	4570- load them with eleven grains of unique and a cast bullet. and dont uniform them again.

May 5, 2009, 04:07 PM	#10
James R. Burke Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2009 Location: U.P. of Mich/Quinnesec Posts: 1,897	Just like JD 500 said when in doubt throw them out!